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MtfRICAM  UTMWiUmK  CO,N' 


"  Neither  cast  ye  your  pearls  before  swine." — St.  Matt,  vii  :  6 


BEAUTIFUL  PEARLS 


OF 


CATHOLIC  TRUTH 

CONTAINING  THE 

Teachings  of  the  Holy  Catholic  Church 

AND 

THE  SACRED  BOOKS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

AS  INTERPRETED  BY 

THE  ONE  TRUE   CHURCH  FOUNDED  BY  OUR  DIVINE  SAVIOUR 

INCLUDING 

THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  BOOKS  OF  THE  BIBLE:    LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN:    GOSPEL 

STORY  OF  THE  PASSION  OF  OUR  LORD;   GROUNDS  OF  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE:    LIFE 

AND  WRITINGS  OF  ST.  PETER:  FAITH  AND  HOPE;    FAITH  AND  REASON,  ETC. 

TOGETHER  WITH 

BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ILLUSTRIOUS  SAINTS 

THE  STATIONS  OR  HOLY  WAY  OF  THE  CROSS:  DISCOURSES  UPON  THE  SACRAMENTS,  THE  HOLY 

ANGELS,  TEACHINGS  OF  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES,  THE  HOLY  ROSARY,  THE 

CONFESSION,  INVOCATION  OF  SAINTS,  ETC.,  ETC. 

FROM    THE    WRITINGS    OF    THE    FOLLOWING  DISTINGUISHED    AUTHORS: 

Rt.  Rev.  Bernard  O'Reilly,  LL.D.,  His  Eminence  Cardinal  Henry  Edward  Manning.  Rt.  Rev. 

Thomas  O'Gorman,  D.D.,  Rev.  Arnold  Damen,  S.J. 

AND    OTHER  EMINENT    CATHOLIC     WRITERS     OF     EUROPE     AND     AMERICA 

TO  WHICH  IS  ADDED  A  SKETCH  OF  THE  APOSTLE  OF  TEMPERANCE,  FATHER  MATHEW 
AND  TOTAL  ABSTINENCE  FROM  A  CATHOLIC  POINT  OF  VIEW 


PROFUSELY  EMBELLISHED  WITH  SUPERB  ILLUSTRATIONS  IN 
COLORS,  PHOTOTYPE  AND  WOOD  ENGRAVINGS 

1^ •  r'Vl 

HENRY  SPHAR  .s,  CO. 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1897,  by 

THOMAS    M.    FITZGERALD, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librari:in  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

All  Rights  Reserved. 


lOAt)  STACK 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. 

The  publishers  will  not  offer  this  book  for  sale  in  Book-Stores.  It 
is  published  exclusively  for  subscribers,  and  can  only  be  obtained  by  or- 
dering it  of  our  authorized  representatives  who  have  secured  agencies  for 
this  great  work.  It  will  on  no  account  be  sold  at  less  than  regular 
sriuted  orices. 


r 


t 


ini.W'i  iii.:;iriuii,n,.;,u.iiyi' 


Ijil  ^h^Uh 

ct5tbi897     J(i.Jr.K.ii2k6ad. 

Cer^son  Depiitaliis. 
§ct6t!?i897  Arc\ih\^liop  offlewMovk. 

f       403 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/beautifulpearlsoOOoreirich 


Krom  Catholic  Church  News,  Washington,  D.  C. 

We  have  received  a  copy  of  "  Beautiful  Pearls  of  Catholic 
Truth,"  from  the  writings  of  Cardinal  Manning,  Bishop 
O' Gorman,  Rev.  Bernard  O'Reilly,  Rev.  Arnold  Damen,  S.  J., 
and  other  eminent  writers  of  Europe  and  .\merica.  The  volume 
is  profusely  embellished  with  illustrations  in  colors,  phototypes, 
and  wood  engravings.  Among  the  colored  illustrations  are  the 
Stations  of  the  Cross,  which  occupy  a  page  each.  The  life  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  by  Rev.  Bernard  O'Reilly  is  illustrated  with 
woodcuts  as  are  many  other  articles. 

Apostolic  Delegation,  201  I  Street  N.  W., 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Dear  Sir : 

I  received  the  copy  of  the  "  Catholic  Pearls  "  which  you  so 
kindly  sent  to  me. 

I  feel  very  grateful  to  you  for  your  kindness,  and  I  hope  your 
book  will  be  of  great  utility  for  the  Catholic  people. 

With  esteem,  I  remain 

Yours  sincerely, 


Y//^' 


a> 


-SB 


m 


CHRIST  TAKING  LEAVE  OP  HIS  MOTHER 


HOLY  WOMEN   AT  THE  TOMB  OF  CHRIST 


SAINT  JOHN  THE  EVANGELIST 


THB   STATIONS;. 

OR. 

THH    HOLY    WAY   OF    THB    CROSS. 

THE  ANTIPHON. 

T.'B  beseech  Thee,  O  Lord !  to  assist  and  direct  our  actions  by  Thy  powerful  grace,  and  all  our  prayers  and  works  may  always 
btgin  and  end  with  Thee.     Through  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

A  PREPARATORY  ACT  OF  CONTRITION. 

O  Jesus,  treasure  of  my  soul,  infinitely  good,  infinitely  merciful,  behold  me  prostrate  at  Thy  sacied  feet!  Sinner  as  I  am,  I  fly  to 
the  arms  of  Thy  mercy,  and  implore  that  grace  which  melts  and  converts — the  grace  of  true  compunction.  I  have  offended  Thee, 
adorable  Jesus  I  I  repent;  let  the  favor  of  my  love  equal  the  baseness  of  my  ingratitude.  This  Way  of  the  Cross,  grant  me  to  offer 
devoutly  in  memory  of  that  painful  journey  Thou  hast  travelled  for  our  redemption,  to  the  Cross  of  Calvary,  with  the  holy  de.<iign  to 
refonn  my  morals,  amend  my  life  and  gain  these  indulgences  granted  by  Thy  vicars  on  earth.  I  apply  one  for  ray  miserable  soul,  the 
rest  in  suffrage  for  the  souls  in  purgatory,  particularly  N.  N.  [Here  mention  the  souls  for  whom  you  intend  to  apply  them.]  I  begin 
this  devotion  under  Thy  sacred  protection,  and  in  imitation  of  Thy  dolorous  Mother.  Let  then  this  holy  exercise  obtain  for  me  mercy 
in  this  life,  and  glory  in  the  next.     Amen.    Jesus  1 

^tatt0n  I. 

Christ  is  sentenced  to  death  by  Pilate. 
V .    We   adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 

rv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou   hast  redeemed  the   world. 

UR  gracious  Redeemer,  after  suffering  blows  and  blasphemies  before  Annas 
and  Caiphas,  after  the  cruel  scourging,  insulting  contempts  and  bloody 
crown  of  piercing  thorns,  is  unjustly  condemned  to  death.  This  iniquitous 
sentence  your  Jesus  accepted  with  admirable  humility.  Innocence  embraces 
condemnation  to  free  the  guilty. 
Reflect  that  your  sins  were  the  false  witnesses  that  condemned  Him  ;  your  stub- 
born impenitence  the  tyrant  that  extorted  from  Pilate  the  bloody  sentence.  Propose  now 
seriously  an  amendment  of  life,  and  while  you  reflect  on  the  horrid  injustice  of  Pilate, 
who  condemns  innocence,  lest  he  should  not  appear  a  friend  of  Caesar,  arraign  yourself 
for  your  many  sins  of  human  respect ;  think  how  often  you  have  offended  God  for  fear  of 
displeasing  the  eye  of  the  world,  and  turning  to  your  loving  Jesus,  address  Him  rather 
with  tears  of  the  heart  than  with  expressions  of  the  tongue  in  the  following 


Prayer. 


Mangled  victim  of  my  sins  !     O  suffering  Jesus !     I  have  deserved  those 
bloody  scourges,  that  cruel  sentence  of  death  ;  and  yet  Thou  didst  die  for 
me,  that  I  should  live  for  Thee.     I  am  convinced  that  if  1  desire  to  please 
men,  I  cannot  be  Thy  servant.     Let  me  then  displease  the  world  and  its  vain 
admirers.     I  resign  myself  into  Thy  hands.     Let  love  take  possession  of  my 
heart ;  let  Tiy  eyes  behold  with  contempt  everything  that  can  alienate  my  affections  from 
Thee  ;  let  my  ears  be  ever  attentive  to  Thy  word  ;  let  me  through  this  painful  journey 
accompany  Thee,  sighing  and  demanding  mercy.     Mercy  !    Jesus  !     Amen. 
Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us  ! 

Vou  pious  Christians  who  do  now  draw  near. 
With  relenting  hearts  now  lend  a  tear. 
Your  Lord  behold  with  great  humility. 
Sentenced  to  die  on  Mount  Calvary . 


Station  I. 


Christ  is  sentenced  to  death  by  Pilate. 


Station  II. 


AMfMCUl  UTHOGftAMliC  CO.H 


Chj^ist  takes  the  Cross  on  his  shoulder. 


Station  n. 

Christ  takes  the  Cross  on  his  shoulder. 

V  .     We    adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
iv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou   has  redeemed  the   world. 

j^HIS  second  Station  represents  the  place  where  your  most  amiable  Redeemer  is 
clad  in  his  usual  attire,  after  His  inhuman  executioners  had  stripped  Him  of 
the  purple  garment  of  derision  with  which  Hewas  clothed,  when  as  a  visionary 
king  they  crowned  Him  with  plaited  thorns.    The  heavy  burthen  of  the  Cross 
Is  violently  placed  on  His  mangled  shoulders. 

Behold  your  gracious  Saviour,  though  torn  with  wounds,  covered  with  blood,  a  man 
of  griefs,  abandoned  by  all — with  what  silent  patience  He  bears  the  taunts  and  injuries 
with  which  the  Jews  insult  Him.  He  stretches  out  His  bleeding  arms,  and  tenderly  em- 
braces the  Cross.  Reflect  with  confusion  on  that  sensitive  pride  which  is  fired  with  im- 
patience at  the  very  shadow  of  contempt — on  your  discontented  murmurs  in  your  lightest 
afflictions — and  your  obstinate  resistance  to  the  will  of  Heaven  in  the  crosses  of  life, 
which  are  calculated  to  conduct  you.  not  to  a  Calvary  of  Crucifixion,  but  to  joys  of  eternal 
glory ;  and  from  your  heait  unite  in  the  following 

Prayer. 

EEK  AND  HUMBLE  Jesus  !  my  iniquity  and  perverseness  loaded  Thy  shoulders 
with  the  heavy  burthen  of  the  Cross.  Yet  I,  a  vile  worm  of  the  earth,  O 
shameful  ingratitude!  fly  even  the  appearance  of  mortification,  and  every- 
thing which  would  check  the  violence  of  my  passions  ;  and  if  I  suffered,  it 
was  with  a  murmuring  reluctance.  I  now,  O  Saviour  of  the  world  !  detest  my  past  life, 
and  by  Thy  grace  am  determined  no  more  to  offend  Thee  mortally.  Let  me  only  glory  in 
the  Cross  of  my  Lord,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  to  me,  and  I  to  the  world.  Lay 
then  on  my  stubborn  neck  the  cross  of  true  penance ;  let  me,  for  the  love  of  Thee,  bear 
the  adversities  of  this  life,  and  cleave  inseparably  to  Thee  in  the  bonds  of  perpetual 
charity.     Amen.  Jesus. 

Our  Father,  &c.    Hail  Mary,  &c.     Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us  1 

No  pity  for  the  Lamb  was  to  be  found ; 
As  a  mock  King  my  loving  Lord  they  crown'd. 
To  bear  the  heavy  cross  He  does  not  tire, 
To  save  my  soul  from  everlasting  fire. 


^tatian  III 


yesiis  falls  the  first  time  under  the  Cross. 

V  ,     We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
Iv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world. 

CI?c  IHystery. 

^HIS  third  Station  represents  how  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  overwhelmed  by  the 
weight  of  the  Cross,  fainting  through  loss  of  bloody  falls  to  the  ground  the 
first  time. 

Contemplate  the  unwearied  patience  of  the  meek  Lamb,  amidst  the 
insulting  blows  and  curses  of  His  brutal  executioners ;  while  you,  impatient  in  adversity 
and  infirmity,  presume  to  complain,  nay,  to  insult  the  Majesty  of  Heaven,  by  your  curses 
and  blasphemies.  Purpose  here  firmly  to  struggle  against  the  impatient  sallies  of  temper  ; 
and  beholding  your  amiable  Jesus  prostrate  under  the  Cross,  excite  in  yourself  a  just 
hatred  for  those  sins,  which  rendered  insupportable  that  weight,  with  which  your  Saviour, 
for  love  of  you,  was  burthened,  and  thus  address  your  afflicted  Jesus : 


Prayen 


LAS,  MY  Jesus  !  the  merciless  violence  of  Thy  inhuman  executioners,  the 
excessive  weight  of  the  Cross,  or  rather  the  more  oppressive  load  '^f  my 
sins,  crush  Thee  to  the  earth.  Panting  for  breath,  exhausted  as  1  hou  art. 
Thou  dost  not  refuse  new  tortures  for  me.  Will  I  then  refuse  the  light 
burthen  of  Thy  commandments  ;  will  I  refuse  to  do  violence  to  my  perverse  passions  and 
sinful  attachments  ;  will  I  relapse  into  those  very  crimes  for  which  I  have  shed  false  and 
delusive  tears  !  O  Jesus  !  stretch  Thy  holy  hand  to  my  assistance,  that  I  may  never  more 
fall  into  mortal  sin  ;  that  I  may  at  the  hour  of  death  secure  the  important  affair  of  my 
salvation.     Amen,  Je.sus. 

Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.    Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us  ! 

'  From  loss  of  blood  He  fell  unto  the  ground. 

No  comfort  for  my  Lord  was  to  be  found, 
He  rose  again  beneath  their  cruel  blows, 
And  on  His  bitter  way  unmurmering  goes. 


Station  III. 


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Jesus  falls  the  fir,st  time  undef^the  Gnoss. 


Station  IV. 


Jesus  carrying  the  Cross, meets  his  most  afflicted  Mother. 


»<CAN  uTMowuvwc  ea,»t 


^tatim  TV, 

yesus  carrying  the  Cross,  meets  His  most  afflicted  Mother, 

V  .     We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 

Iv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world. 

(EI?e  Znystery, 

'HE  fourth  Station  represents  to  your  contemplation  the  meeting  of  the  deso- 
late Mother  and  her  bleeding  Jesus,  staggering  under  the  weight  of  the  Cross. 
Consider  what  pangs  rent  her  soul,  when  she  beheld  her  beloved  Jesus 
covered  with  blood,  dragged  violently  to  the  place  of  execution,  reviled  and 
blasphemed  by  an  ungrateful,  outrageous  rabble.  Meditate  on  her  inward  feelings,  the 
looks  of  silent  agony  exchanged  between  the  Mother  and  the  Son  ;  her  anguish  in  not 
being  permitted  to  approach,  to  embrace  and  to  accompany  Him  to  death.  Filled  with 
confusion  at  the  thought  that  neither  the  Son's  pains  nor  Mother's  grief  have  softened 
the  hardness  of  your  heart,  contritely  join  in  the  following 

Prayer, 

MARY  !  I  am  the  cause  of  thy  sufferings.     O  refuge  of  sinners  !  let  me  par- 
ticipate in  those  heart-felt  pangs,  which  rent  thy  tender  soul,  when  thou  didst 
behold  thy  Son  trembling  with  cold,  covered  with  wounds,  fainting  under  the 
Cross,  more  dead  than  alive  !  Mournful  Mother  !  fountain  of  love !  let  me 
feel  the  force  of  thy  grief  that  I  may  weep  with  thee,  and  mingle  my  tears  with  thine,  and 
thy  Son's  blood.     O  suffering  Jesus  !  by  Thy  bitter  passion,  and  the  heart-breaking  com- 
passion of  Thy  afflicted  Mother,  grant  me  the  efficacious  grace  of  perseverance  !    Mother 
of  Jesus,  intercede  for  me  1  Jesus,  behold  me  with,  an  eye  of  pity,  and  in  the  hour  of  my 
death  receive  me  to  the  arms  of  Thy  mercy !     Amen,  Jesus. 
Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.    Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us ! 

Exhausted,  spent,  see  Jesus  onward  go, 
With  feeble  step,  in  anguish  faint  and  slow. 
At  last  His  grief-worn  Mother  He  can  see 
Exclaiming :    My  Son,  my  heart  is  rent  for  Thee. 


^tottan  y. 


Chriil  assisted  by  Simon  the  Cyrenean  to  carry  the  Cross < 
V.     We   adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 

tv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou   hast  redeemed  the   world. 

*HE   fifth  Station  represents  Christ  fainting,  destitute  of  strength,  unable    to 
carry  the  Cross.     His  sacrilegious  executioners  compel  Simon  the  Cyrenea,* 
to  carry  it,  not  through  compassionate  pity  to  Jesus,  but  lest  he  should  expire 
in  their  hand,  before  they  could  glut  their  vengeance  by  nailing  Him  to  the 
Cross. 
Consider  here  the  repugnance  of  Simon  to  carry  the  Cross  after  Christ  ;  and  that 
you  with  repugnance,  and  by  compulsion,  carry  the  Cross  which  Providence  has  placed  on 
your  shoulders.     Will  you  spurn  the  love  of  your  Jesus,  who  invites  you  to  take  up  your 
Cross  and  follow  Him  ?     Will  you  yet  with  shameless  ingratitude  refuse  the  Cross,  sanc- 
tified by  His  suffering  ?     Offer  up  devoutly  the  following 


Prayer* 


SUFFERING  Jesus!  to  what  excess  did  Thy  impious  executioners'  cruelty 
proceed  !  Beholding  Thee  faint  under  the  Cross,  apprehensive  of  Thy  death 
before  they  could  complete  tlieir  bloody  intentions,  they  compel  Simon  to 
carry  the  Cross  that  Thou  mightest  expire  on  it  in  the  most  exquisite  torture. 
But  why  should  I  complain  of  the  cruelty  of  the  Jews  or  the  repugnance  of  Simon  ? 
Have  I  not  again  crucified  Thee  by  my  crimes  ?  Have  I  not  suffered  with  fretful  impa- 
tience the  light  afflictions  with  which  Thy  mercy  visited  me  ?  Inspire  me  now,  my  Jesus, 
to  detest  and  deplore  my  sinful  impatience,  my  ungrateful  murmurs,  and  let  me  with  all 
my  heart  cheerfully  accompany  Thee  to  Mount  Calvary  ;  let  me  live  in  Thee,  and  die  in 
Thee.     Amen,  Jesus. 

Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.     Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us  I 

The  furious  Jews  when  Jesus  fainting  fell 
Simon  to  bear  His  Cross,  by  force  compel; 
Afflictions  bear  like  Job  most  patiently, 
And  follow  the  Lamb  with  great  humility. 


Station  V. 


AMEOICAN  UTMOAAAPtllC  Oi.x  * 


Christ  ASSISTED  by  Simon  the  Gyrenean  to  carry  the  Cross. 


Station  VI . 


im«M»AM'cCa.ti* 


Veronica  presents  a  handkerchief  to  Christ 


Station  YI. 


Veronica  presents  a  handkerchief  to  Christ. 
V  .  We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
Jtv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou   hast  redeemed   the   world. 

(El?e  ZHystery. 

I^HE  sixth  Station  represents  the  place  where  the  pious  Veronica,  compassion- 
ating  our  agonizing  Redeemer,  beholding  His  sacred  face  livid  with  blows 
and  covered  with  blood  and  sweat,  presents  a  hanc  terchief,  with  which  Jesus 
wipes  his  face. 
Consider  the  heroic  piety  of  this  devout  woman,  who  is  not  intimidated  by  the  pres- 
ence of  the  executioners,  or  the  clamors  of  the  Jews  ;  and  the  tender  acknowledgment 
of  Jesus.  Reflect  here,  that  though  you  cannot  personally  discharge  the  debt  of  humanity 
to  your  Saviour,  you  can  discharge  it  to  His  suffering  members,  the  poor.  Though  you 
cannot  wipe  away  the  blood  and  sweat  from  the  face  of  Jesus,  you  can  wipe  away  the 
tear  of  wretchedness  from  the  eye  of  misery.  Examine,  then,  what  returns  you  have 
made  for  the  singular  graces  and  favors  your  bountiful  Jesus  bestowed  on  you  ;  and 
conscious  of  your  ingratitude,  address  your  injured  Saviour  in  the  following 

Prayer* 

^^  JESUS,  grant  me  tears  to  weep  my  ingratitude.     How  often  have  I,  infatu- 
ated wretch,  turned  my  eyes  from  Thee  and  Thy  sufferings,  to  fix  them  on 
_^     the  world  and  its  vanities !     Let  me  henceforth  be  Thine  without  division. 
Stamp  Thy  image  on  my  soul,  that  it  may  never  admit  another  love.     Take 
possession  of  my  heart  on  earth,  that  my  soul  may  take  eternal  possession  of  Thee  in 
glory.     Amen,  Jesus! 

Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.     Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us  ! 

Veronica  pressed  through  to  meet  our  Lord, 
His  streaming  face  a  napkin  to  afford, 
Lo,  on  its  texture  stamped  by  power  divine 
His  sacred  features  breathe  in  every  line. 


^tatic»n  yn. 


yesus  falls  under  the  Cross  the  second  time. 

V  ,    We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
iv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world. 

(Ct^e  2Tiystcry. 

'HE  seventh  Station  represents  the  gate  of  Jerusalem,  called  the  gate  of  Judg- 
ment, at  the  entrance  of  which  our  Saviour,  through  anguish  and  weakness, 
falls  to  the  ground.     He  is  compelled  by  blows  and  blasphemies  to  rise. 

Consider  your  Jesus  prostrate  on  the  earth,  bruised  by  His  fall,  and 
ignominiously  treated  by  an  ungrateful  rabble.  Reflect  that  your  self-love  and  pride  of 
preference  were  the  cause  of  this  humiliation.  Implore,  then,  grace  to  detest  sincerely 
your  haughty  spirit  and  proud  disposition.  It  was  your  reiterated  sins  which  again 
pressed  Him  to  the  ground.  Will  you  then  sin  again,  and  add  to  the  afflictions  of  your 
gracious  Saviour? 

praycn 

MOST  Holy  Redeemer  !  treated  with  the  utmost  contempt,  deprived  of  fame 
and  honor — led  out  to  punishment — through  excess  of  torments,  and  the 
weakness  of  Thy  delicate  and  mangled  body,  Thou  didst  fall  a  second  time 
to  the  earth.  What  impious  hand  has  prostrated  Thee  ?  Alas,  my  Jesus  ! 
I  am  that  impious,  that  sacrilegious  offender :  my  ambitious  pride,  my  haughty  indigna- 
tion, my  contempt  of  others  humbled  Thee  to  the  earth.  Banish  for  ever  from  my  mind 
the  unhappy  spirit  of  pride.  Teach  my  heart  the  doctrine  of  humility,  so  that  detesting 
pride,  vain  glory  and  human  respect,  I  may  forever  be  united  with  Thee,  my  meek  and 
humble  Jesus.     Amen. 

Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.     Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us ! 

Prone  at  the  city  gate  He  fell  once  more, 
To  save  our  erring  souls  He  suffered  sore ; 
On  His  great  mercy  let  us  always  call, 
Since  our  vain  pride  has  caused  His  triple  falL 


Station  VII. 


UIHPOOAPHrC  CO  ^ 


Jesus  falls  under,  the  Gross  the  second  time. 


vancff-  efMT.r'v.  '^> 


Station  VIII. 


Ghf^ist  consoles  the  Women  of  Jerusalem  who  wept  over  him. 


Station  Vni. 


Christ  consoles  the  Women  of  yerusalem,  who  wept  over  Him. 

V .     We   adore  Thee    O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee, 
rv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the   world. 

!HIS  Station  represents  the  place  where  several  devout  women  meeting  Jesus, 
and  beholding  Him  wounded  and  bathed  in  His  blood,  shed  tears  of  com- 
passion over  Him. 

Consider  the  excessive  love  of  Jesus,  who,  though  languishing  and  half 
dead  through  the  multitude  of  His  torments,  is  nevertheless  attentive  to  console  the 
women  who  wept  over  Him.  They  merited  that  tender  consolation  from  the  mouth  of 
Jesus,  "  Weep  not  over  me,  but  over  yourselves  and  your  children."  Weep  for  your  sins, 
the  sources  of  my  affliction.  Yes,  O  my  soul  I  I  will  obey  my  suffering  Lord,  and  pour 
out  tears  of  compunction.  Nothing  more  eloquent  than  the  voice  of  those  tears  which 
flow  from  the  horror  of  those  sins.     Address  Him  the  following 

Prayer* 

JESUS,  ONLY  BEGOTTEN  SoN  OF  THE  Father  !  who  will  give  water  to  my  head, 
and   a  fountain  of  tears  to  my  eyes,  that  I  may  day  and  night  weep  and 
lament  my  sins  ?     I  humbly  beseech  Thee  by  these  tears  of  blood  Thou  didst 
shed  for  me,  to  soften  my  flinty  bosom,  that  tears  may  plentifully  flow  from 
my  eyes,  and  contrition    rend  my  heart,  this  hardened  heart,  to  cancel  my  crimes  and 
render  me  secure  in  the  day  of  wrath  and  examination,  when  Thou  wilt  come  to  judge 
the  living  and  the  dead,  and  demand  a  rigorous  account  of  Thy  blood.     Amen,  Jesus. 
Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.     Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us ! 

With  tears  of  love  the  women  they  did  weep. 
Compassionating  our  Redeemer  sweet ; 
Weep  for  your  sins  who  caused  Him  here  to  be 
O  Lamb  of  God  Thy  mercy  show  to  me. 


^tattan  IX. 

yesus  falls  under  the  Cross  the  third  time. 

V  .     We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
rv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world, 

(EI?c  IHystcry, 

^HIS  Station  represents  the  foot  of  Mount  Calvary,  where  Jesus  Christ,  quite 
destitute  of  strength,  falls  a  third  time  to  the  ground.  The  anguish  of  His 
wounds  is  renewed. 

Consider  here  the  many  Injuries  and  blasphemous  derisions  thrown  out 
against  Christ,  to  compel  Him  to  rise  and  hasten  to  the  place  of  execution,  that  His 
inveterate  enemies  might  enjoy  the  savage  satisfaction  of  beholding  Him  expire  on  the 
Cross.  Consider  that  by  your  sins  you  daily  hurry  Him  to  the  place  of  execution. 
Approach  Him  in  thought  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Calvary,  and  cry  out  against  the  accursed 
weight  of  sin  that  prostrated  Jesus,  and  had  long  since  buried  thee  in  the  flames  of  hell, 
if  His  mercy  and  the  merits  of  His  passion  had  not  preserved  thee. 

Prayer* 

CLEMENT   Jesus  !    I  return  Thee  infinite  thanks  for  not  permitting   me, 
ungrateful  sinner,  as  Thou  has  permitted  thousands  less  criminal,  to  die  in 
their  sins.     I.  who  have  added  torments  to  Thy  torments,  by  heaping  sin  on 
sin,  kindle  in  my  soul  the  fire  of  charity,  fan  it  with  Thy  continual  grace  into 
perseverance,  until,  delivered  from  the  body  of  this  death,  I  can  enjoy  the  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God  and  Thy  co-heirs.     Amen,  Jesus  ! 
Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.     Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us ! 

On  Calvary's  height  a  third  time  see  Him  fall, 
Livid  with  bruises  that  our  sight  appal. 
O  gracious  Lord,  this  sufferedst  Thou  for  me. 
To  save  my  soul  from  endless  misery. 


Station  IX. 


AftmtMi  UTHOORAPHtC  CO.N 


Jesus  falls  under  the  Gf^oss  the  third  time  . 


Station  X. 


Jesus  is  stripped  of  his  Gaf^mentsand  offef^edVinegaf?,  and  Gall. 


^taiwn  X* 


yesus  is  stripped  of  His  Garments,  and  offered  Vinegar  and  GaM. 

V  .     We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
rv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world. 

£Ct?e  ttlystery. 

!HIS  Station  represents  how  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ascended  Mount  Calvary, 
and  was  by  His  inhuman  executioners  stripped  of  His  garments.  The  skin 
and  congealed  blood  are  torn  off  with  them,  and  His  wounds  renewed. 

Consider  the  confusion  of  the  modest  Lamb,  exposed  naked  to  the  con- 
tempt and  derision  of  an  insulting  rabble.  They  present  Him  with  vinegar  and  gall  for 
a  refreshment.  Condemn  here  that  delicacy  of  taste,  that  sensual  indulgence,  with  which 
you  flatter  your  sinful  body.  Pray  here  for  the  spirit  of  Christian  mortification.  Think 
how  happy  you  would  die  if,  stripped  of  the  world  and  its  attachments,  you  could  expire 
covered  with  the  blood  and  agony  of  Jesus. 

Prayer. 

Buffering  Jesus  !   I  behold  Thee  stnpt  of  Thy  garments,  Thy  old  wounds 
renewed,  and  new  ones  added  to  the  old.     I  behold  Thee  naked  in  the  pres- 
ence of  thousands,  exposed  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  ;  cold,  tremb- 
ling from  head  to  foot,  insulted  by  the  blasphemous  derisions  of  the  spectators. 
Strip,  O  mangled  Lamb  of  God !    my  heart  of  the  world  and  its  deceitful  affections. 
Divest  my  soul  of  its  habits  of  sensual  indulgence.      Embitter  the  poisoned   cup   of 
pleasure,  that  I  may  dash  it  with  contempt  from  my  lips,  and  through  Christian  mortifica- 
tion arrive  at  Thy  never  fading  glory.      Amen,  Jesus. 
Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.      Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us ! 

O  Queen  of  angels,  how  thy  heart  did  bleed 
To  see  thy  Son  stripped  naked  here  indeed, 
And  to  the  vile  and  cruel  throng  exposed, 
Who  round  Him  now  in  furious  hatred  closed 


3ttttwn  XL 

Christ  is  nailed  to  the  Cross. 

V  •    We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
Iv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world. 

(n?e  JTtystcry* 

.HIS  Station  represents  the  place  where  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  presence  of  Hia 
afflicted  mother,  is  stretched  on  the  Cross,  and  nailed  to  it.  How  insufferable 
the  torture — the  nerves  and  sinews  are  rent  by  the  nails. 

Consider  the  exceeding  desolation,  the  anguish  of  the  tender  Mother, 
eye-witness  of  this  inhuman  punishment  of  her  beloved  Jesus.  Generously  resolve  then 
to  crucify  your  criminal  desires,  and  nail  your  sins  to  the  wood  of  the  Cross.  Contemplate 
the  suffering  resignation  of  the  Son  of  God  to  the  will  of  His  Father,  while  yoa  are  impa- 
tient in  trifling  afflictions,  in  trivial  disappointments.  Purpose  henceforth  to  embrace 
your  cross  with  ready  resignation  to  the  will  of  God. 


Prayer. 

PATIENT  Jesus  !  meek  Lamb  of  God !  who  promised,  "  When  I  shall   be 

exalted  from  earth  I  will  draw  all  things  to  myself,"  attract  my  heart  to  Thee, 

and  nail  it  to  the  Cross.     I  now  renounce  and  detest  my  past  impatience. 

Let  me  crucify  my  flesh  with  its  concupiscence  and  vices.     Here  burn,  here 

cut,  but  spare  me  for  eternity.     I  throw  myself  into  the  arms  of  Thy  mercy.     Thy  will 

be  done  in  all  things      Grant  me  resignation,  grant  me  Thy  love,  I  desire  no  more. 

Amen,  Jesus. 

Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.    Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us  I 

You  Christian  hearts  now  join  with  Mary's  grief; 
Heaven  and  earth  behold!  deny  relief; 
Hrr  heart  was  pierced  with  bitter  grief  to  see 
H»r  loving  Jesus  nailed  unto  a  tree. 


Station  XI. 


AMCniCAM  UTHOGRAmiC  CO.N 


Jesus  is  nailed  to  the  Cross. 


Station  XII. 


AMfMCM  UTHOMAFHtC  CAItV 


Christ  is  exalted  on  the  Cross  and  dies. 


Station  Xn. 

Christ  is  exalted  on  the  Cross,  and  dies. 

V  .    We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
fv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  world. 

!HIS  Station  represents  the  place  where  Jesus  Christ  was  publicly  exalted  or. 
the  Cross  between  two  robbers,  who,  for  their  enormous  crimes,  were  executed 
?)^      with  the  innocent  Lamb. 

Consider  here  the  confusion  of  your  Saviour,  exposed  naked  to  the 
profane  view  of  a  blasphemous  multitude.  Imagine  yourself  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 
Behold  that  sacred  body  streaming  blood  from  every  part.  Contemplate  the  divine 
countenance  pale  and  languid,  the  heart  throbbing  in  the  last  pangs  of  agony,  the  soul  on 
the  point  of  separation  ;  yet  charity  triumphs  over  His  agony  ;  His  last  prayers  petition 
forgiveness  for  His  enemies  :  "Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 
His  clemency  is  equally  extended  to  the  penitent  thief:  "  This  day  shalt  thou  be  with 
me  in  Paradise."  He  recommends  in  His  last  moments  His  disconsolate  Mother  to  His 
beloved  St.  John.  He  recommends  His  soul  to  His  heavenly  Father,  and  bowing  down 
His  submissive,  obedient  head,  resigns  His  spirit.  Turn  your  eyes  on  the  naked,  bloody 
portrait  of  charity.  Number  His  wounds.  Wash  them  with  tears  of  sympathizing  love. 
Behold  the  arms  extended  to  embrace  you.  Love  of  Jesus  I  thou  diest  to  deliver  us  from 
eternal  captivity. 

Prayer, 

SUFFERING  Son  of  God  !  I  now  behold  Thee  in  tlie  last  convulsive  pangs 
of  death — Thy  veins  opened.  Thy  sinews  torn.  Thy  hands  and  feet,  O  Foun- 
tain of  Paradise !  distilling  blood.  I  acknowledge,  charitable  Jesus,  that  my 
reiterated  offences  have  been  Thy  merciless  executioners,  the  cause  of  Thy 
bitter  sufferings  and  death.  Yet,  God  of  mercy,  look  on  my  sinful  soul,  bathe  it  in  Thy 
precious  blood  !  Let  me  die  to  the  vanity  of  the  world,  and  renounce  its  false  pleasures. 
Thou  didst  pray,  my  Jesus,  for  Thy  enemies.  I  forgive  mine.  I  embrace  them  in  the 
bowels  of  Thy  charity.  I  bury  my  resentment  in  Thy  wounds.  Shelter  me  in  the  day  of 
wrath  in  the  sanctuary  of  Thy  side.  Let  me  live,  let  me  die,  in  my  crucified  Jesus. 
Amen. 

Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.     Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us  I 

Behold  the  streams  of  blood  from  every  part, 
Behold  the  sharp  lance  that  pierc'd  His  Sacred  Heart ; 
On  Calvary's  Mount  behold  Him  naked  hang, 
To  suffer  for  our  sins  pain's  utmost  pang. 


Christ  is  taken  down  from  the  Cross. 

V  .     We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
Iv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  worlH 

d?e  mystery. 

>HIS  Stition  represents  the  place  where  Christ's  most  sacred  body  was  taken 
down  from  the  Cross  by  Joseph  and  Nicodemus,  and  laid  in  the  bosom  of  His 
weeping  Mother. 

Consider  the  sighs  and  tears  of  the  Virgin  Mother,  with  what  pangs  she 
embraced  the  bloody  remains  of  her  beloved  Jesus.  Here  unite  your  tears  with  those  of 
the  disconsolate  Mother.  Reflect  that  your  Jesuj  wouM  not  descend  from  the  Cross  until 
He  consummated  the  work  of  redemption  ;  and  that  at  His  departure  from,  as  well  as  at 
His  entrance  into  the  world,  He  would  be  placed  in  the  bosom  of  His  beloved  Mother. 
Hence  learn  constancy  in  your  pious  resolutions !  cleave  to  the  standard  of  the  Cross. 
Consider  with  what  purity  that  soul  should  be  adorned  which  receives,  in  the  blessed 
Sacrament  of  the  Eucliarist,  Christ's  most  sacred  body  and  blood. 

Prayer* 

T  LENGTH,  O  Blessed  Virgin  1  Mother  of  sorrow !  thou  art  permitted 
to  embrace  thy  beloved  Son.  But  alas  !  the  fruit  of  thy  immaculate  womb 
is  all  over  mangled,  in  one  continued  wound.  Yes,  O  Lord !  the  infernal 
fury  of  the  Jews  has  at  length  triumphed ;  yet  we  renew  their  barbarity, 
crucifying  Thee  by  our  sins,  inflicting  new  wounds.  Most  afflicted  mother  of  my 
Redeemer,  I  conjure  thee  by  the  pains  and  torments  thou  sufferedst  in  the  common 
cause  of  Salvation,  to  obtain  for  me,  by  thy  powerful  intercession,  pardon  of  my  sins, 
and  grace  to  weep  with  a  sympathizing  feeling,  thine  and  thy  Son's  afflictions.  As  often 
as  I  appear  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  let  me  embrace  Tliee,  my  Jesus,  in  the 
bosom  of  my  heart.  May  I  worthily  receive  Thee  as  the  sacred  pledge  of  my  salvation. 
Amen,  Jesus. 

Our  Father,  &c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.    Glory,  &c. 
Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us  I 

When  from  the  Cross  they  took  this  blessed  fonu. 
His  Mother  cries,  my  Son,  I  am  forlorn  ; 
My  child  is  dead,  you  virgins  join  with  me. 
Bewail  in  tears  my  love's  sad  desiiny. 


Station  XIII 


AMCmCM  UntOCHAMIC  CO.MV 


Christ  is  taken  down  ff^omthe  Cross. 


Station  XIV. 


m-fHitiH  i.r.-ji;i»*WiiCa).1 


Christ  is  laid  in  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 


Station  XIV. 

Christ  is  laid  in  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
V  .     We  adore  Thee,  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bless  Thee. 
Iv.     Because  by  Thy  holy  Cross  Thou  hast  redeemed  the  uond. 


d?e  IHystcry, 


.HIS  Station  represents  Christ's  Sepulchre,  where  His  oiessed  body  was  laid 
with  piety  and  devotion. 

Consider  the  emotions  of  the  Virgin — her  eyes  streaming  with  tears,  her 
bosom  heaving  with  sighs.  What  melancholy,  what  wisttul  looks  she  cast  on 
that  monument  where  the  treasure  of  her  soul,  her  Jesus,  her  all,  Jay  entombed.  Here 
lament  your  want  of  contrition  for  your  sins,  and  humbly  adore  your  deceased  Lord, 
who,  poor  even  in  death,  is  buried  in  another's  tomb.  Blush  at  your  dependence  on  the 
world,  and  the  eager  solicitude  with  which  you  labor  to  grasp  its.  perishable  advantages. 
Despise  henceforth  the  world,  lest  you  perish  with  it. 


Prayen 


"HARITABLE  Jesus,  for  my  salvation  Thou  performedst  the  painful  journey 
of  the  Cross.  Let  me  press  the  footsteps  marked  by  Thee,  gracious 
Redeemer — the  paths  which,  through  the  thorns  of  life,  conduct  to  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem.  Would  that  Thou  wert  entombed  in  my  heart,  that 
being  united  to  Thee,  I  might  rise  to  a  new  life  of  grace,  and  persevere  to  the  end. 
Grant  me,  in  my  last  moments,  to  receive  Thy  precious  Body,  as  the  pledge  of  immortal 
life.  Let  my  last  words  be  Jesus  and  Mary,  my  last  breath  be  united  to  Thy  last  breath 
on  the  Cross ;  that  with  a  lively  faith,  a  firm  hope  and  ardent  love,  I  may  die  with  Thee 
and  for  Thee  ;  that  I  may  reign  with  Thee  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen,  Jesus.  Our  Father, 
&c.     Hail  Mary,  &c.     Glory,  &c.     Jesus  Christ  crucified,  have  mercy  on  us ! 

You  pious  Christians,  raise  your  voices,  raise, 
And  join  with  me  to  sing  your  Saviour's  praise. 
Who  shed  His  blood  for  us  and  died  in  pain. 
To  save  our  souls  from  hell's  eternal  flame. 


(lortclusion. 

^  ^  ^,|i^OMPASSIONATE  Jesus  !  behold  with  eyes  of  mercy  this  devotion  I  have  endeavored  to  perform, 
Jm  Vy)^#r  in  honor  of  Thy  bitter  passion  and  death,  in  order  to  obtain  remission  of  my  sins,  and  the  pains 
^1  (WfM)  incurred  by  them.  Accept  of  it  for  the  salvation  of  the  living  and  the  eternal  repose  of  the 
J  ^^^^  faithful  departed,  particularly  for  those  for  whom  I  directed  it.  Do  not,  my  Jesus,  suffer  the 
ineffable  price  of  Thy  blood  to  be  fruitless,  nor  my  miserable  soul  ransomed  by  it,  to  perish. 
The  voice  of  Thy  blood  is  louder  for  mercy  than  my  crimes  for  vengeance.  Have  mercy  then,  O  Lord  1  have 
mercy,  and  spare  me  for  Thy  mercy's  sake  I     Amen,  Jesos. 


CONTENTS. 


Comprehensive  History  of  the  Books  of  the  Holy 
Catholic  Bible. 

The  Parables  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Illuminated  Plate  of  the  Ten  Commandments. 

Scripture  Illustrations  of  Scenes  in  the  Lives  of  the 
Patriarchs,  Prophets  and  Kings  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. 

Scenes  and  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Christ. 

Cities  and  Towns  of  the  Bible. 

Scenes  in  the  Life  of  St.  Paul. 

Life  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Marv. 

Illuminated  Plate  of  the  Seven  Sacraments. 

Illuminated  Portrait  of  Pope  Leo  XIII. 

Fourteen  Illuminated  Plates  of  the  Stations  or  Holy 
Way  of  the  Cross. 

Family  Record  of  Births,  Marriages  and  Deaths. 

Life  and  Writings  of  St.  Peter. 

Illuminated  Plate  of  the  I,ord's  Prayer. 

Grounds  of  the  Catholic  Doctrine,  Contained  in  the 
Profession  of  Faith. 

Faith  and  Hope. — Meditations  for  a  Month. 

Gospel  Story  of  the  Passion  of  Our  Lord. 

The  Blessed  Sacrament,  the  Centre  of  Immutable 
Truth. 

The  Holy  Rosary. 

The  Holy  Angels. 

The  Ceremonies  of  Holy  Week  Explained. 

Four  Illuminated  Tabernacle  Plates: — The  Furniturk 
OF  THE  Tabernacle  ;  The  Tabernacle  in  the  Wil- 
derness; The  Molten  Sea;  High  Priest  in  "Linen 
Robes  "  and  in  "  Garments  of  Beauty  and  Glory." 


The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve. 

Invocation  of  the  Saints. 

Practical  Advice  on  Confession. 

How  TO  Help  the  Sick  and  Dying. 

The  Seven  Holy  Founders  of  the  Servite  Order. 

Legends  of  St.  P'rancis. 

St.  Antony  of  Padua. 

St.  Ignatius  Loyola. 

St.  Thomas  Aquinas. 

Father  Damien,  the  Apostle  of  the  Leper.<;. 

Father  Mathew,  the  Apostle  of  Temperance. 

Total  Abstinence  from  a  Catholic  Point  of  View. 

The  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor. 

Faith  and  Reason. 

Sayings  of  Brother  Giles,  one  of  the  First  Disciples 
OF  St.  Francis  of  Assisi. 

How  Catholics  Come  to  be  Misunderstood. 

The  Church  or  the  Bible  :  Which  was  Appointed  by 
Christ  to  Teach  Mankind  the  True  Religion  ? 

The  One  True  Church. — The  Only  Church  that  Christ 
Established  k  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  Great  Truths — Short  Meditations  for  the  Season 
of  Advent. 

Pearls  from  the  Hidden  Treasures  of  Holy  Mass 

The  Reunion  of  Christendom. 

The  Sacred  Heart. 

The  Ministry  of  Jesus. 

Saint  Mary  Magdalen  and  other  Women  of  the  New 
Testament. 

Bible  Atlas — Showing   the  Countries   Mentioned   in 
THE  Bible. 


INS 


i 


A  Comprehensive  History 


OF  THE  BOOKS  OF 


THE  HOLY  CATHOLIC  BIBLE 

Written  Expressly  for  this  Edition 


BY 


REV.  BERNARD  O'REILLY,  L  D.  (LAVAL.) 

Author  of  '• . -I^roic  Women  of  the  Bible  and  the  Church,"  "A  Life  of  Pius  IX.,"  "The  Mirror  of  True  Womanhood," 

"  True  Men  as  we  Need  Them,"  etc.,  etc. 

The  Whole  Beautifully  Illustrated  with  Appropriate  and  Select  Scripture  Subjects. 


Copyright,  18&4. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

Most  dear  to  the  hearts  of  children  in  a  family  blessed  with  the 
i>est  of  parents  and  brought  up  to  the  practice  of  all  that  is  most 
ennobling,  is  every  monument  of  the  dead  or  absent  father's  love. 

Were  it  so  to  happen  that  such  a  father,  whose  whole  life  had 
been  one  of  self-sacrifice  and  incomparable  devotion  to  the  interest 
of  his  dear  ones,  should  bequeath  them  in  dying,  not  only  a  share 
forever  in  his  wealth  and  honor,  but  his  last  will  and  testament 
to  be  kept  continually  before  their  eyes  in  the  home  he  had  created 
for  them — how  would  they  not  reverence  this  ever-present  memo- 
rial of  their  worshipped  parent's  loving  care?  How  would  they 
iiot,  in  perusing  every  line  and  word  of  this  last  declaration  of  a 
father's  tender  forethought,  find  their  own  hearts  moved  by  its  un- 
dying eloquence — as  if  a  hidden  fire  lived  in  each  word  to  warn 
their  own  souls  to  gratitude,  to  generosity,  and  to  all  nobleness  of 
life?  This  is  precisely  what  we  have  in  that  Book  of  books,  the 
Bible.*  What  we  know  of  God's  dealings  with  man  proves  Him  to 
be  much  more  of  the  parent  than  of  the  lord  and  master.  Indeed 
when  the  Son  came  down  in  person  to  redeem  and  to  teach  the 
world.  He  taught  us  to  call  the  Infinite  God,  with  whom  He  is  eter- 
nally one  in  the  unity  of  the  Godhead,  by  the  sweet  and  endearing 
name  of  Father. 

This  was  only  restoring  the  supernatural  relation  which  existed 
between  God  and  man  from  the  beginning  of  the  latter's  creation. 
For  it  is  a  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  faith,  that  Adam  was  raised 
by  his  all-bountiful  Creator  to  the  aivine  rank  of  adopted  child  of 
God.  This  rank  with  its  privileges  and  prospective  glory  Adam 
forfeited  by  his  sin;  and  this  rank  Christ,  the  Second  Adam,  restored 
to  us,  thus  repairing  the  ruin  caused  by  our  first  parent. 

And  because  the  Heavenly  Father's  purpose  was,  from  the  begin- 
ning, to  raise  us  all  up  in  Christ  to  the  dignity  from  which  we  had 
fallen  in  Adam,  therefore  His  wisdom  provided  means  by  which 
Adam  and  his  descendants  could  still  recover  a  claim  to  their  lost 
rank  and  inheritance.     A  Saviour  was  promised  them  in  Christ; 


*The  word  "bible"  is  of  Greek  origin.  The  Egyptian  reed  papyrus  (ancient 
Egyptiat  V/»)  was  called  pj^xoj,  i}'i/os,  by  the  Greeks,  and  from  its  inner- 
most bark  or  cuticle,  covering  the  p^j<,  was  made  the  papyrus  or  paper  which,  when 
written  upon,  was  denominated  /JijSjloj.  A  bundle  of  these  scrolls  was  given 
Ihe  name  of  3i/3j.tov — and  the  nomin.ntive  plural  /3tf3xta,  was  adopted  by  the 
Latins,  and  employed  to  designate  what  we  now  call  the  BiBLE,  that  is,  the  col 
•ction  of  inspired  books  of  both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments. 


and  they  were  required  to  believe  in  that  Saviour,  to  hold  fast  to  that 
promise,  to  profess  that  faith  openly,  and  fulfil  all  the  other  condi- 
tions required  by  their  Divine  Benefactor  as  distinguishing  those 
who  were  to  have  a  share  with  the  future  Redeemer  and  Restorer. 

This  new  covenant  or  testament,  made  by  our  merciful  Father 
between  Himself  and  Adam  with  his  posterity,  was  preserved  and 
cherished  among  the  descendants  of  Seth,  who  were,  in  view  of 
their  living  faith  in  the  one  true  God  and  the  promised  Saviour, 
called  '■  the  Sons  of  God  "  in  the  midst  of  a  sinful  world.  It  was 
this  same  living  faith  that  saved  Noe  and  his  sons  from  the  flood 
which  swept  their  guilty  brethren  off  the  face  of  the  earth.  And 
when  they  came  forth  from  the  Ark,  or  ship,  in  which  the  hand  of 
God  had  guarded  them,  their  Preserver  renewed  His  covenant  with 
them,  and  once  more  enjoined,  with  increased  solemnity,  the  duty 
of  holding  on  invincibly  to  the  Faith  of  Adam,  of  Abel,  of  Seth, 
and  of  Henoch. 

When,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  great  bulk  of  mankind,  now 
spread  over  the  earth,  forgot  God  and  the  faith  in  His  most  mer- 
ciful Promise,  Abraham  was  raised  up  as  Noe  had  been  to  keep 
that  faith  alive  in  his  family  and  descendants.  To  that  family, 
become  a  people — God's  own  chosen  people — the  covenant  was 
renewed  more  solemnly  than  ever  before  on  Mount  Sinai;  and 
Moses,  the  deliverer  and  guide  of  that  psople,  was  inspired  to 
write,  for  the  instruction  of  all  future  time,  the  story  of  the  creation 
of  the  world,  of  man's  origin,  of  his  elevation  and  fall,  and  of  the 
Promise  thus  successively  committed,  like  God's  will  and  testa- 
ment, to  Adam,  to  Seth,  to  Noe,  to  Abraham,  and  to  Moses  in 
behalf  of  our  fallen  and  disinherited  race. 

To  the  five  books  (Pentateuch)  left  us  by  Moses  others  were 
added  age  after  age,  completing  the  story  of  God's  dealings  witli 
mankind,  till  God's  own  Son  at  length  came  down  on  earth, 
uniting  our  human  nature  with  His  Godhead,  and  to  all  who 
receive  him  as  their  Redeemer  He  giveth  "power  to  be  made  the 
Sons  of  God." 

Of  Him — the  Saviour,  the  Promised  One — the  Old  Testament  is 
full  as  well  as  the  New.  What  wonder,  then,  seeing  that  God's 
faithful  servants  under  the  law  of  nature,  and  God's  chosen  people 
under  the  Mosaic  law,  were  alike,  upon  earth,  the  Family  of  the 
Almighty  Father — what  wonder,  if  in  that  family,  men  and 
women,  generation  after  generation,  loved  to  make  of  the  Sacred 
Scriptures  the  subject  of  devout  and  most  profitable  meditation  ? 

Before  the  coming  of  Christ,  how  believing  and  yearning  souls 
were  wont  to  weigh  the  words  of  the  oft-repeated  Promise,  and  tf 

a) 


HISTORY    Or     THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC 


feed  their  hopes  upon  the  study  of  the  succession  of  events  which, 
each  as  it  happened,  foreshadowed  His  redemption,  and  made  the 
heart,  sick  with  the  spectacle  of  contemporary  degeneracy,  look 
ff)rward  to  the  establishment  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  to  His  sweet 
sovereign  sway  over  the  spirits  and  lives  of  all  men  ! 

And  since  His  coming  and  His  return  to  Heaven,  how  earnestly 
do  His  followers  the  whole  world  over  bathe  their  souls  in  the 
light  of  that  everlasting  glory  into  which  He  has  entered  to  pre- 
pare us  a  place,  and  the  ravishing  perspectives  of  which  lift  man 
heavenward  and  enable  him  to  bear  every  most  bitter  trial,  to 
undertake  the  most  arduous  labor,  and  to  fulfil  the  most  painful 
"sacrifices  in  view  of  the  eternal  reward  and  of  the  Infinite  Love 
which  bestows  it ! 

In  the  immense  Christian  family,  spread  all  over  the  earth,  there 
is  not  a  household  in  which  "  the  words  of  eternal  life"  (St.  John 
vi.  69)  do  not  thus  furnish  sweetest  food  to  the  souls  of  young  and 
old.  For  it  is  most  sweet  for  enlightened  and  pious  Christian 
parents  to  select  from  the  Prophetical  Books  of  the  Old  Testament 
the  passages  in  which,  so  many  centuries  in  advance,  the  Holy 
Spirit  had  prompted  the  inspired  writers  to  describe  the  manner 
of  Christ's  coming.  His  sacred  person,  the  labors,  persecutions  and 
death  by  which  He  was  to  redeem  the  world ;  His  miracles,  His 
wisdom,  and  the  immortal  society  He  was  to  found.  It  is  still,  as 
it  ever  has  been,  most  sweet  to  contemplate  in  the  mighty  events 
recorded  in  the  Historical  Books,  the  types  of  the  great  realities 
to  be  accomplished  in  the  life  of  Christ,  or  in  that  of  His  church. 
Even  the  personages  whose  characters  and  deeds  are  recorded 
therein,  when  viewed  with  the  eye  of  faith,  all  seem  to  point  to 
Christ,  whom  they  resemble  in  many  wondrous  ways,  while  still 
preserving  their  own  identity,  their  own  littlenesses  and  weaknesses. 

Nor  is  it  less  delightful  and  refreshing  to  the  soul  to  take  up  any 
one  of  the  merely  didactic  or  moral  Books.  Job  still  teaches  the 
world  and  stirs  the  soul  of  every  reader  from  amid  the  ruins  of  his 
home  and  the  utter  wreck  of  all  his  greatness  and  prosperity.  Sol- 
omon still  instructs  princes  and  peoples,  the  highest  and  the 
lowliest,  in  the  pregnant  works  which  reflect  his  wisdom,  and 
contain  the  manifold  lessons  of  his  long  experience,  of  his  days  of 
innocence  and  wide-spread  earthly  dominion,  and  of  his  maturer 
years  obscured  by  ingratitude  to  God,  by  boundless  sensuality,  and 
that  worship  of  self  which  so  easily  leads  to  the  worst  forms  of 
heathenish  idolatry. 

The  author  of  Ecclesiasticus,  Jesus,  the  son  of  Sirach,  sings  a 
hymn  in  praise  of  all  the  virtues,  private  and  public,  most  dear  to 
the  heart  of  God,  and  sets  before  us,  in  succession,  the  images  of 
the  godlike  men,  who,  since' Adam,  have  glorified  the  Creator  of 
mankind  as  well  as  human  nature  itself. 

But  sweeter  than  all  the  other  inspired  writers  of  the  Old  Law 
is  the  King-Prophet,  David,  the  ancestor  of  Mary  and  her  Divine 
Son,  "the  sweet  singer  of  Israel."  The  church,  spread  all  over 
the  earth,  uses  his  Psalms  of  prayer  and  praise  in  her  solemn 
offices ;  and  her  children,  in  their  private  devotions,  ever  find  in 
these  heart-cries  of  the  nnx:h-tried  David  the  very  sentiments  and 
words  most  suited  to  their  needs  in  good  and  ill  fortune,  in  trial 
and  in  temptation. 

And  so  has  the  word  of  God,  coming  to  us  through  the  inspired 
books  of  the  Old  Testament,  borne  to  every  household,  and  to 
every  soul  within  it,  both  during  our  darkest  and  during  our  sun- 
niest days,  comfort  and  peace,  light,  and  warmth,  and  unfailing 
strength  from  the  all-loving  heart  of  our  Father  in  Heaven  I 

Butj  oh,  what  shall  we  say  of  the  books  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment ?  Of  the  Gospels,  which  set  before  us  the  simple  and  soul- 
stirring  narrative  of  Christ's  incarnation,  birth,  labors,  miracles, 
sufferings  and  death  ?  Of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  relating  the 
birth  of  Christ's  Church,  and  the  struggles,  sufferings,  labors  and 
triumphs  of  His  two  chief  apostles,  Peter  and  Paul  ?  And  finally, 
0^  the  other  divinely  beautiful  instructions  left  to  the  Christian 


IIBLE. 

glorio'is  parents  under  God,  thk 


world  by  these  same  Apostl'"',  i 

fathers  of  the  new  "people  of|God,''  to  be  made  up  of  all  the 

and  held  in  the  bonds  of  a  true 
brotherhood  by  the  one  faith  in|Christ  and  the  all-pervading  love 
of  the  Father  ? 

Do  we  not  all  remember,  we  fiiildren  of  Christian  parents,  how 
we  hung  in  childhood  and  youlh  on  the  lips  of  father  and  mother 
as  they  read  to  us  the  sublime  story  of  Christ's  life  and  death  ? 
how  we  fancied  ourselves  to  be  kneeling  with  the  Sh'ipherds 
around  His  crib,  or  travelling  jrith  Him  and  His  parents  across 
the  desert  to  Egypt  and  back  a|ain  to  Nazareth  ?  How  we  loved 
to  behold  Him  in  imagination's  He  grew  up  in  the  carpenter's 
shop — the  lovely  child,  the  gBU:eful  and  modest  youth,  the  son 
lovingly  obedient  to  Mary  and  Joseph  during  all  these  years  of 
obscure  toil  and  patient  preparation  for  His  great  missionary 
work?  And  then  how  we  followed  the  Mighty  Teacher,  during 
the  three  years  of  His  public-life,  as  He  ran  His  giant  race — 
preaching,  healing,  enlightening  the  whole  land  as  with  the  steady, 
but  brief  splendors  of  a  heaverwent  meteor,  till  the  young  life  was 
quenched  amid  the  dark  and  shimeful  scenes  of  Calvary  ? 

Have  we  not,  in  our  turn,  reid  to  our  dear  parents  in  their  hour 
of  darkness  and  trial — in  poverty,  or  sickness,  or  when  the  shadow 
of  death  was  over  the  home — sane  one  sweet  passage,  more  pregnant 
with  heavenly  light  and  consolation  than  the  others,  which  made 
once  more  sunshine  in  their  louls,  which  lifted  up  the  fainting 
heart,  which  filled  the  spirit  of  our  sorely-tried  dear  ones  with  re- 
newed hopes  and  strength  to  doandto  endure,  which  enabled  them 
to  bear  the  bitter  pang  of  pBsent  losses  in  view  of  the  eternal 
reward — or  which  made  the  passage  from  this  life  to  the  next 
bright,  lightsome,  joyous  and  ixultant,  like  the  blessed  bridals  of 
the  children  of  God? 

And  see  how  wonderfully  thit  all-wise  Providence,  which  clearl) 
seeing  things  from  end  to  end  ordereth  all  things  sweetly  and 
surely,  has  taken  means  for  piteerving  these  sacred  writings  amid 
the  rise  and  fall  of  kingdoms  ind  empires,  amid  the  revolutions, 
the  destruction  and  the  decay,  which  lift  one  hitherto  obscure  or 
barbarous  race  into  power  and  long  rule,  while  other  races,  till 
then  prosperous,  irresistible  |nd  enlightecgd,  disappear  forever 
from  history. 

Here  we  have,  at  this  very  m^ent,  the  same  Hebrew  descendants 
of  Abraham,  to  whor\  Moses  jcommittcd,  with  the  Tables  of  the 
Law  delivered  on  Sii:c.i,  the  Hntateuch  or  five  volumes  written  by 
himself,  subsisting  in  our  mist,  clinging  to  their  ancient  faith 
with  heroic  tenacity,  and  chfishing  not  only  the  five  books  of 
Moses,  but  what  they  conceiveto  be  the  original  Hebrew  Scriptures 
with  a  religious  fervor  tha*;  wil  tolerate  no  change  in  substance  o' 
in  letter. 

Have  we  often  reflected  onlthe  miraculous  co-existence,  side  by 
side,  and  in  every  part  of  thejglobe,  of  the  children  of  the  Syna- 
gogue and  of  those  of  the  Chuith — the  former  bearing  undying  tes- 
timony to  the  divinity  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures — the  latter 
vouching  for  the  authority  o^ fhe  New?  Only  think  of  the  sin- 
gular phenomenon  which  th«|  presence  of  Abrahamite  Hebrews 
amid  the  peoples  of  Christendoin  offers  to  the  historian  and  philoso- 
pher 1  They  remain  distinct  J'om  all  other  peoples  while  living 
among  them ;  'mingling  with  Europeans,  Africans,  Asiatics  and 
Americans  in  every  walk  of  Ijfe  and  field  of  industry,  and  yet 
preserving  their  own  national  Characteristics  and  physical  type  as 
clearly  and  persistently  as  th^  preserve  their  ancient  religious 
faith  and  time-honored  custorife.  In  the  tents  of  the  Moham- 
medan Bedaween  they  protest  against  the  monstrous  reveries  of 
the  Coran  and  the  pretenslpns  of  the  Arabian  visionary; 
amid  the  crowded  cities  of  (Hiina  and  India  they  uphold,  as 
against  idolatry,  the  doctrine  of  the  one  living  God  ;  ind  in  ou' 
midst,  in  the  temple  of  Christian  civilization,  they  bear  witnes» 
unceasingly  to  the  dwinity  of  the  Old  Testament  Scripture& 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE     HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


3 


tnd  to  the  abiding  faith  of  their  ancestors  and  themselves  in  the 
promised  Redeemer. 

The  conquering  and  widely  dominating  races  of  Babylon,  Nine- 
veh, Persia,  and  Egypt  have  utterly  disappeared  from  the  face  of 
the  earth.  We  can  dig  up  from  the  Mesopotamian  plains  gigantic 
statues — the  ornaments  of  palaces  and  temples  contemporary  with 
Heber  and  Abraham — and  we  discover  far  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  ruin-strewed  earth  whole  chambers  crowded  with  inscribed 
bricks  and  cylinders,  the  fragmentary  annals  of  kingdoms  grown 
old  before  Rome  had  been  founded.  But  the  wild  nomadic  tribes 
who  aid  the  discoverer  in  his  researches  are  not  the  descendants 
of  the  mighty  races  who  ruled  there  upward  of  three  thousand  years 
ago.  These  have  left  upon  earth  no  lineal  heirs  to  the  land,  to  its 
ruins,  or  to  its  glories. 

So  is  it  with  Egypt.  Modern  curiosity  and  modern  science  have 
found  their  way  into  the  very  heart  of  the  Pyramids,  and  rifled  the 
tombs  of  the  monarchs  who  ')uilt  them  ;  we  have  penetrated  the 
deepest  cave-sepulchres  of  the  Valley  of  Kings  at  Thebes  the  Mag- 
nificent and  Incomparable.  Bu\.  the  sordid  Arab  and  ignorant  Fellah, 
who  serve  as  guides  and  workmen  to  the  explorer,  have  no  thought 
of  claiming  descent  from  or  kinship  with  the  ancient  people  who 
inhabited  the  Nile  Valley  in  its  days  of  surpassing  glory. 

The  descendants  of  Joseph  and  Aaron  do,  indeed,  still  live  and 
thrive  amid  the  modern  cities  along  the  shores  of  the  great  river ; 
but  of  the  warlike  people  who  went  forth  under  the  Pharaohs  to 
enslave  the  surrounding  nations,  no  trace  is  left  save  in  the  tombs 
where  the  mummies  of  princes,  priests,  and  warriors  have  slept  for 
three  thousand  years  beside  the  remains  of  the  dumb  animals  they 
had,  in  life,  worshiped  in  place  of  the  living  God  ! 

Even  so  is  it  in  the  once  imperial  Rome.  Not  even  the  proudest 
of  her  living  nobles,  much  less  the  lower  and  middle  classes  of  her 
actual  population,  can  establish  any  claim  to  direct  descent  from  the 
families  who  dwelt  there  under  the  consuls  or  under  the  emperors. 

Thus,  in  every  civilized  country  beneath  the  sun,  and  every  day 
on  which  that  sun  rises,  we  have  these  two  immortal  societies  stand- 
ing before  us,  side  by  side — the  Jewish  synagogue  and  the  Catholic 
Church — and  presenting  to  us  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments  as 
the  Revealed  Will  of  the  one  true  and  living  God  who  is  the 
Creator  and  the  Judge  of  the  whole  race  of  man.  For  the  divinity 
of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  and  the  faith  in  the  Promised 
Messiah  the  Jewish  race  has  borne  unfaltering  and  heroic  witness 
for  three  thousand  years  ;  to  the  divinity  of  the  New  Testament  and 
the  fulfillment  of  all  these  promises  in  the  person  of  Christ  Jesus 
the  Catholic  Church  has  borne  her  witness  during  eighteen  cen- 
turies. And  this  twofold  testimony  fills  all  historic  time  with  a 
light  as  self-evident  as  the  radiance  of  the  noonday  sun.  What  a 
spectacle  to  the  religious  mind  !  What  a  consolation  to  the  Chris- 
tian who  sets  more  store  on  the  promises  of  the  eternal  life  and  the 
glories  of  Christ's  everlasting  kingdom  than  on  all  the  greatness 
and  the  glories,  the  possessions  and  the  enjoyments  of  time  ! 

THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

Of  the  inspired  writings  thus  committed  to  the  care  of  the  people 
of  God  before  the  birth  of  Christ  the  first  in  importance,  as  well 
as  in  the  order  of  time,  are  five  books  of  Moses,  therefore  called 
The  Pentateuch*  or  The  Law.  Then  come  the  historical 
books,  comprising  :  Josue,  Judges,  Ruth,  the  four  Books  of  ^Kings, 
first  and  second  Paralipomenon,  first  and  second  Esdras,  first  and 
second  Machabees,  together  with  Tobias,  Judith,  and  Esther.  Next 
in  order  are  the  doctrinal  or  didactic  books  :  Psalms,  Job,  Proverbs, 
Ecclesiastes,  Canticle  of  Canticles,  Wisdom,  and  Ecclesiasticus. 
Lastly  we  have  the  prophetical  books,  which  are  subdivided  into 
the  greater  and  the  lesser  prophets. 

♦From  the  Greek  word  tivx^i,  a  vessel.  The  designation  arose,  most  prob- 
ably, from  the  fact  that  the  ancient  manuscripts  or  rolls  of  writing  were  pjoced  in 
cylinders  or  vessels  when  not  in  use. 


Anciently  the  Jews  divided  these  books  into  "  the  Law  and  the 
Prophets."  Down  to  the  time  of  our  Lord  the  Jewish  teachers 
had  devised  various  arbitrary  divisions  of  the  Old  Testament 
books.  They  were  agreed  in  giving  to  the  Pentateuch,  or  five 
books  of  Moses,  the  appellation  of  Torah,  "  the  Law."  But 
under  the  designation  of  "  The  Prophets  "  they  included,  together 
with  the  twelve  lesser  prophets  and  the  three  greater  (Isaias,  Jere- 
mias,  and  Ezechiel),  Josue,  Judges,  and  the  Four  Books  of  Kings. 
Under  the  designation  ol  Hagiographa  (Hebrew,  Chetubim,  "writ- 
ings ")  they  classed  all  the  other  Scriptures  of  the  Hebrew  canon, 
whether  historical,  prophetical,  didactic,  or  poetical. 

The  Jewish  authors  of  the  Greek  or  Septuagint  version  of  the 
Old  Testament  deviated  from  this  classification,  giving  the  books 
of  Scripture  in  the  order  which  we  have  them  both  in  the  Latin 
Vulgate  and  in  the  Douay  Bible. 

However,  as  modern  biblical  scholars  have  agreed  to  treat  of  these 
venerable  books  in  the  more  convenient  order  of 

The  Pentateuch,  The  Historical  Books,  The  Prophets, 
The  Poetical  Books, 

We  shall  follow  this  classification  in  our  remarks. 

I.  THE  PENTATEUCH. 

It  is  most  probable  that  these  ' '  five  books ' '  formed  in  the  orig- 
inal Hebrew  only  one  volume  or  roll  of  manuscript.  The  present 
title — 71  Ttivtdtsvxoi  ((3i'j3^o5),  "the  fivefold  book" — was  bestowed 
on  it  by  the  Greek  translators.  To  them  also  may  be,  in  all  likeli- 
hood, attributed  the  division  of  the  books  as  each  now  stands, 
together  with  the  Greek  titles  which  distinguish  them.  In  the 
Hebrew  manuscripts  the  only  division  known  was  that  into  small 
sections  called  parshijoth  and  sedarim,  which  had  been  adopted  for 
the  convenience  of  the  public  reader  in  the  synagogue. 

Of  all  books  ever  written,  this  fivefold  book  of  Moses  is  the  only 
one  that  enlightens  us  with  infallible  certainty  on  the  origin  of  all 
things  in  this  universe,  visible  and  invisible ;  on  the  creation  of 
mankind  and  their  destinies  ;  on  their  duties,  during  this  life,  to- 
ward their  Almighty  Creator  and  toward  each  other,  and  on  the 
rewards  and  punishments  of  the  eternal  life  hereafter. 

In  its  first  pages  we  see  how  our  Divine  Benefactor  prepares  this 
earth  to  become  the  blissful  abode  of  our  first  parents  and  their 
descendants.  We  read  of  the  compact  or  covenant  which  He 
makes  with  Adam  and  Eve  ;  then  comes  the  violation  of  that  com- 
pact ;  and  then  the  fall  and  banishment  of  the  transgressors  from 
their  first  delightful  abode.  We  see  the  human  race,  divided  intt 
faithful  servants  of  God,  on  the  one  hand,  and  despisers  of  his  law, 
on  the  other,  spreading  themselves  over  the  face  of  the  globe,  while 
wickedness  goes  on  increasing  to  such  a  pitch  that  the  offended 
Creator  destroys  the  entire  race,  with  the  exception  of  one  good 
man  and  his  family. 

With  this  man,  Noe,  and  with  his  three  sons,  God  once  more 
renews  the  covenant  made  in  the  beginning.  They  are  the  parents 
of  the  human  family  as  it  now  exists.  But  their  descendants,  count- 
ing, probably,  on  the  long  life  of  many  centuries  hitherto  enjoyed 
by  mankind  as  a  privilege  not  to  be  taken  away  from  themselves, 
soon  fall  into  the  old  self-worship,  the  abominable  sensuality,  and 
the  demon-worship  begotten  of  pride,  and  following  it  as  its  sure 
chastisement.  God,  to  preserve  as  a  living  faith  the  Promise  in  the 
Redeemer,  and  to  secure  a  nation  of  faithful  worshipers  of  his 
holy  name,  separates  from  the  sinful  crowd  Abraham;  and  from  his 
grandson,  Jacob  or  Israel,  spring  the  twelve  patriarchs,  the  fathers 
of  God's  people.  Of  the  history  of  this  chosen  race,  their  cap- 
tivity in  Egypt,  their  sufferings,  their  miraculous  deliverance,  the 
new  covenant  made  with  them  by  their  divine  Deliverer,  down  to 
the  death  of  Moses  and  their  arrival  on  the  confines  of  the  national 
territory  reserved  to  them,  the  Pentateuch  tells  in  detail. 

It  is  a  wonderful  story.  But  let  us  glance  rapidly  at  it,  as  we 
review  in  succession  each  oi  these  five  books. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


THE  BOOK  OF  GENESIS.— The  Greek  word  which  stands  for  title  means 
"birth,"  just  as  the  first  word  bereschith  in  the  Hebrew  text  means  "in  the  begin- 
ning." Genesis,  therefore,  gives  us,  in  its  first  chapters,  the  brief  and  inspired  history 
of  the  creation,  of  the  birth  and  first  beginning  both  of  the  world  and  of  mankind. 
St.  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  infant  church  of  the  Colossians  (i.  12-17),  tells  them 
that  "the  Father  .  .  .  hath  made  us  worthy  to  be  partakers  of  the  lot  of  the  saints  in 
light.  Who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath  translated  us 
into  the  kingdom  of  the  Son  of  his  love,  in  whom  we  have  redemption  through  His 
blood,  the  remission  of  sins;  ...  for  in  Him  were  all  things  created  in  heaven 
and  on  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  Thrones,  or  Dominations,  or  Principalities, 
or  Powers :  all  things  were  created  by  Him  and  in  Him :  and  He  is  before  all,  and  by 
Him  all  things  consist." 

Before  the  coming  of  Christ  the  whole  pagan  world  was  plunged  in  darkness  impene- 
trable concerning  the  origin  of  man  and  the  world,  and  the  sublime  destinies  appointed 
in  Christ  for  Adam  and  his  posterity  in  the  very  beginning.  Christian  teaching  dis- 
pelled this  midnight  darkness  and  revealed  to  all  believers  both  the  secret  of  man's 
origin  and  the  incomprehensible  glory  of  his  supernatural  destinies.  We,' children 
of  the  nineteenth  century  of  Christian  civilization,  being  thus  made  "partakers  of  the 
lot  of  the  saints  in  light,"  can  find  unspeakable  pleasure  in  standing  with  the  in- 
spired penman  at  the  very  first  beginning  of  God's  w»ys,  and  in  allowing  our  souls 
to  dwell  on  the  contemplation  of  his  magnificence — of  His  infinite  power  and  His 
infinite  love. 

According  to  the  definition  of  the  late  general  council  01  the  Vatican,  renewing  the 
dogmatic  decree  of  another  general  council  also  held  in  Rome,  God  in  the  beginning 
of  time  created— that  is,  brought  from  a  state  of  absolute  non-existence  into  full  and 
complete  existence — both  the  material  universe  and  the  world  of  angelic  spirits.  Man 
was  only  created  after  these. 

Moreover,  all  things  were  created  in  and  by  the  uncreated  and  eternal  Son  and  Word 
of  the  Almighty  Father,  "all  things  ...  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  visible  and  in- 
visible, whether  Thrones,  or  Dominations,  or  Principalities,  or  Powers.'  Thus, 
together  with  the  world  of  matter  in  all  its  inconceivable  variety  and  magnificence, 
was  created  the  world  of  angelic  spirits,  in  their  own  different  orders  of  greatness, 
goodness,  wisdom,  beauty,  and  loveliness — to  be,  in  the  design  of  their  Creator  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  BOOKS  OF  THE  HOLY     CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


S 


jg^'iBai^il 


King,  associated  afterward  with  man  and  his  heavenly  destin'.es-     They,  too — ^befbra 

man  appeared  on  earth — had  their  own  eventful  history.  They  v/ere  created  free- 
free  to  love  their  Divine  Benefactor  and  to  consecrate  to  him  in  dutiful  and  devoted 
service  the  life  and  exalted  powers  He  had  given  them — or  free  to  refuse  such  service 
to  the  Highest. 

Many  chose  to  serve  their  own  pride,  and  were  forever  separated  from  God  and 
from  the  glorious  abode  of  everlasting  bliss,  where  He  reveals  His  inmost  being  and 
shares  His  inmost  life  with  His  faithful  ones.  Many  more  yielded  rapturous  submission 
and  lowly  service  to  their  most  loving  and  magnificent  Lord  and  Father,  and  they  were 
forthwith  exalted  to  the  unchangeable  possession  of  Himself  and  His  Kingdom. 

So,  in  these  first  verses  and  pages  of  Genesis — the  Book  of  Origins — we  are  treading 
on  abysses  of  revealed  truth — of  truth  which  explains  to  us  both  the  world  beneath  and 
around  us,  and  that  unmeasured  world  which  extends  on  all  sides  above  and  beyond 
our  little  globe,  both  the  world  we  can  see  with  the  bodily  eye  and  touch  with  this 
hand  of  flesh,  and  the  unseen  realities  of  that  world  far  otherwise  glorious,  in  which 
the  Lord  of  Hosts  Himself  is  the  central  Sun  of  spiritual  beings  innumerable,  whose 
brightness  and  glory  is  shadowed  'brth  dimly  in  the  starry  hosts  of  the  firmament  above 
our  heads. 

Man  was  made  "a  little  less  than  the  Angels"  in  natural  excellence;  but  he  was  at 
the  same  time  raised  by  the  divine  adoption  to  the  supernatural  rank  and  destiny  of 
the  Angels.  He,  too,  was  created  free  to  choose  between  good  and  evil :  between  a 
loving  submission  and  devoted  service  to  his  Maker,  and  obedience  to  his  own  weak 
will.  Raised  so  high,  surrounded  with  such  lavish  wealth  of  gifts  and  graces,  "crowned 
with  glory  and  honor,  and  set  over  the  works"  of  God's  hands  here  below,  he  ♦oo 
freely  disobeyed  and  sinned,  and  was  separated  from  the  Most  Holy  God. 

Not  separated  hopelessly  and  forever;  for  the  merciful  Son,  whose  work  man  was, 
took  on  Himself  to  expiate,  in  His  own  o;ood  time,  the  awful  guilt  of  man's  ingratitude 
and  disobedience. 

The  promise  that  He  would  do  so  \/as  deposited  in  the  sorrowing  hearts  of  our  first 
parents,  when  they  were  justly  uanished  from  their  beautiful  abode  in  the  earthly  para- 
dise. This  is  the  Promise  and  tk  Hope  kept  alive  in  the  long  line  of  patriarchs 
extending  from  Abel  and  Seth  to  Abraham. 

Genesis,  from  the  end  of  the  third  chapter  to  its  close,  is  but  the  history  of  thii 
immortal  Hope,  and  the  other  books  of  the  Pentateuch  do  but  describe  the  national 
institutions,  political  and  religious,  by  and  through  which  this  Hope  was  to  be  pre- 
served undimmed  among  the  universal  darkness  cf  Heathendom,  till  the  Star  of  Beth* 
lehem  warned  Israel  that  the  Light  of  the  World  was  come. 


THE  BOOK  OF  EXODUS.— The  title  is  a  Greek  word,  meaning  "  a  going  out  "  or 
■'  departure,' '  because  its  chief  purpose  is  to  describe  the  miraculous  means  by  which  God 
enabled  Moses  to  lead  the  people  of  God  out  of  Egypt  in  order  that  He  might,  in  the 
wilderness  of  Mount  Sinai,  renew  more  solemnly  His  covenant  with  them,  and  give  theso 
such  national  laws  and  institutions  as  would  distinguish  them  from  all  other  peoples. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    iilBLE. 


The  sacred  historian  describes  the  wonderful  increase  of  the 
descendants  of  Israel  in  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs,  which  had  been 
saved  from  utter  ruin  by  the  genius  of  Joseph,  Israel's  youngest 
son.  Then,  after  the  death  of  the  wise  minister,  the  hatred  of  the 
idolatrous  Egyptians  against  the  worshipers  of  the  one  true  God 
was  aroused  by  the  spectacle  of  the  latter's  wonderful  increase  in 
numbers.  Egypt  was  full  of  enslaved  foreign  races  whom  their 
pitiless  masters  forced  to  work  both  in  cultivating  the  land  and  in 
building  the  beautiful  cities  and  stupendous  monuments  whose 
ruins  survive  to  this  day.  To  this  slavery  the  Israelites  were  con- 
demned one  and  all ;  and  to  check  effectually  their  further  increase 
— indeed,  to  extinguish  the  race  altogether — the  male  children  were 
ordered  to  be  strangled  at  their  birth. 

Here  comes  in  the  story  of  Miriam  or  Mary,  a  little  Hebrew 
maiden,  who  succeeds  in  saving  from  destruction  her  infant  brother, 
ever  afterward  known  as  Moses,  the  most  illustrious  figure  of  our 
Lord,  and  the  destined  deliverer  of  his  race.  Adopted  as  her  own 
son  by  Pharaoh's  daughter,  Moses  is  brought  up  amid  the  splendors 
of  the  Egyptian  court  and  in  all  the  varied  learning  of  its  schools, 
till  he  is  old  enough  to  prefer  openly  God's  cause  to  the  service  of 
Pharaoh.  He  does  not  hesitaic  to  cast  his  lot  with  his  down- 
trodden brethren,  but  is  repelled  with  unnatural  ingratitude  by 
them.  After  forty  years  of  exile,  he  is  commanded  to  return  to 
"the  House  of  Bondage,"  clothed  with  authority  from  on  high 
and  commissioned  to  lead  his  people  forth  free  in  spite  of  every 
obstacle. 

The  central  fact  and  miracle  in  the  book  is  the  passage  of  the 
Red  Sea — so  strikingly  typical  of  Christ's  pas;  n  in  Jerusalem, 
and  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Cross  wrought  our  redemption. 
Tlie  paschal  lamb,  whose  blood  on  the  Hebrew  door-posts  saved 
the  believing  households  from  the  visit  of  the  devastating  angel, 
had  its  counterpart  in  the  mystic  oblation  of  Christ  on  the  very 
eve  of  His  death,  and  in  the  divine  and  ever-present  reality  of  the 
commemorative  sacrifice  He  then  instituted  for  all  coming  time. 
"  This  is  My  Blood  of  the  new  testament  which  shall  be  shed  for 
many  unto  remission  of  sins"  (Matt.  xxvi.  28),  clearly  points  out 
fhe  identity  of  the  Victim,  and  of  the  redeeming  Blood,  both  in 
the  eucharistic  celebration  and  in  the  fearful  consummation  of 
Calvary.  The  Cross  was  the  instrument  of  victory  used  by  the 
Redeemer  in  His  supreme  struggle ;  it  was  symbolical  of  the  ex- 
tremity of  weakness  and  shame  in  the  Sufferer — the  Almighty 
Power  thus  shining  forth  in  this  very  extremity.  Even  so  did  the 
aged  Aaron's  staff  in  the  hand  of  Moses  open  a  pathway  through 
the  waves  for  God's  people  in  their  dire  need,  and  overwhelm  in 
utter  destruction  Pharaoh  and  his  pursuing  hosts. 

The  fatal  tree  had  been  in  the  Garden  the  occasion  of  Adam's 
downfall  and  of  the  ruin  of  his  posterity ;  a  feeble  staff  in  the  hands 
of  Moses  works  out  the  liberation  of  the  chosen  race  and  effects  the 
destruction  of  their  enemies:  even  so  did  our  Divine  Deliverer 
tread  the  Red  Sea  of  His  passion  with  all  its  abysses  of  shame  and 
degradation,  dividing  the  waves  of  the  sanguinary  multitude  by  His 
cross  of  ignominy,  and  allowing  Himself  to  be  nailed  to  the  accursed 
Tree  and  to  hang  therefrom  in  death  as  the  true  fruit  of  saving 
Knowledge  and  eternal  Life  for  the  nations. 

The  Law  afterward  given  to  Israel  on  Mount  Sinai,  together 
with  the  detailed  legislation  concerning  the  chosen  people's  religion 
and  government,  all  foreshadowed  the  more  perfect  Law  to  be 
given  by  Christ  to  His  church  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole 
world.  Equally  typical  and  prophetic  of  the  sacraments  and  graces 
of  the  New  Law  were  the  manna,  the  water  from  the  rock,  the 
brazen  serpent,  and,  indeed,  all  the  incidents  of  the  people's  life 
during  the  forty  years'  wandering  in  the  wilderness. 

The  whole  of  Exodus  must  be  read  in  the  light  of  the  Christian 
ievfl"\tion  to  be  understood  and  appreciated. 

THE  BOOK  OF  LEVITICUS.— This  book  U  so  called  because 


it  chiefly  treats  of  the  ceremonies  of  divine  worship  to  be  performed 
under  the  direction  of  the  Levites,  the  priestly  order  among  the 
Jews.     It  is  the  detailed  Ritual  of  the  Jewish  church. 

It  must  never  be  forgotten,  both  in  studying  the  solemn  religious 
worship  of  the  Jewish  sanctuary  and  temple,  and  in  assisting  at  the 
sacrificial  service  of  the  Christian  church,  that  what  God  com- 
manded to  be  done  on  earth  is  only  the  shadow,  the  preparation, 
and  the  foretaste  of  what  takes  place  in  the  Heavenly  City  above, 
in  that  divinest  of  sanctuaries,  where  He  receives  unceasingly  the 
worship  of  Angels  and  Saints,  and  in  return  eternally  pours  out  on 
them  the  flood  of  His  blissful  love. 

The  Christian  temple  with  its  altar,  its  one  sacrifice,  its  unchang- 
ing Victim,  and  its  adorable  and  unfailing  Presence,  is  but  the 
lively  image  of  that  supernal  Holy  of  Holies,  in  which  the  Lamb 
ever  slain  and  ever  immortal  is  the  central  object  of  praise  and  love 
and  adoration  {Apocalypse,  chapters  iv.,  v.,  and  following).  Thus 
the  sweet  and  ever-abiding  Presence  in  our  tabernacles  and  the 
Communion  in  which  in  the  Gift  we  receive  the  Giver,  are  but  the 
foretaste  and  the  pledge  of  the  unchangeable  union  of  eternity, 
and  of  that  ineffable  Possession  destined  to  be  the  exceeding  great 
reward  of  all  the  faithful  children  of  God. 

This  blissful  life  of  Angels  and  men,  made  perfect  by  charity  in 
the  City  of  God  on  high,  being  the  End  for  which  we  are  created, 
has,  on  earth,  its  nearest  resemblance  in  the  Church.  But  inas- 
much as  the  Hebrew  people  of  old  were  the  forerunners  of  the 
Christian  people,  God  so  ordained  it  that  the  Jewish  ritual  and 
worship  should  be  a  preparation  for  the  Christian  liturgy. 

Hence,  the  Mosaic  sanctuary,  first,  and  the  Temple  of  Solomon, 
afterward,  were,  each  in  its  turn,  the  House  of  God,  in  which  He 
dwelt  in  the  midst  of  His  people — having,  between  the  Cherubim  of 
the  Ark,  His  throne,  on  which  He  received  their  adorations,  their 
hymns  of  praise,  and  their  petitions,  as  well  as  His  Mercy  Seat  for 
granting  special  favors  in  dire  need. 

Thus  the  Temple,  the  House  of  God,  was  also  the  house  of  the 
nation,  who  were  God's  family,  just  as  every  family  dwelling  in 
Israel  was,  in  God's  thought,  and  in  the  belief  of  the  people,  to  be 
hallowed  as  God's  own  house  and  kept  pure  from  moral  evil. 
Wherefore,  holiness  in  the  heavenly  as  well  as  in  the  earthly  temple, 
spotlessness  and  perfection  in  the  principal  sacrificial  victims  that 
typified  the  Lamb  of  God  immaculate ;  purity  in  the  pontiffs, 
priests,  and  inferior  Levites  who  ministered  at  the  altar,  and  purity 
also  in  the  people  who  offered  the  victims  for  sacrifice  or  assisted 
at  its  celebration ;  all  these  are  inseparably  connected  with  the 
notion  of  worship ;  all  these  form  the  subject  of  the  various  ordi- 
nances of  Leviticus ;  and  all  point  most  significantly  to  the  far 
greater  moral  perfection  and  far  higher  purity  of  heart  and  hand 
required  of  the  priests  and  people  of  the  New  Law,  when  they 
approach  its  altar. 

THE  BOOK  OF  NUMBERS.— It  is  so  named  from  the  double 
numbering  or  census  of  the  Israelites  mentioned,  the  first,  in  chap- 
ters i.-iv.,  and,  the  second,  in  chapter  xxvi.  It  contains,  more- 
over, the  history  of  their  wanderings  in  the  desert,  from  their 
departure  from  Sinai  till  their  arrival  on  the  confines  of  their 
promised  national  territory,  in  the  fortieth  year  of  the  Exodus. 
Both  the  census  and  the  history  are  interspersed  with  various 
ordinances  and  prescriptions  relating  to  the  divine  service  and  the 
moral  purity  of  the  nation. 

Among  the  remarkable  incidents  which  stand  out  in  the 
narrative  are :  the  sin  and  punishment  of  Aaron  and  his  sister 
Mary  (chap,  xii.),  and  their  death  (chap,  xx.);  the  prophecy  of 
Balaam  (chaps,  xxii.-xxiv.);  and  the  appointment  Df  Josue  as 
lieutenant  to  Moses. 

THE  BOOK  OF  DEUTERONOMY.— The  title  comes  from  t 
Greek  word,  meaning  "  a  republication  of  the  Law/'  because  in  it 


HISTORY    OF    THB    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


Moses  promulgates  anew,  with  extraordinary  solemnity,  the  law  delivered  on  Mount 
Sinai.  The  adult  peopie  whc.i  he  had  brought  forth  from  "the  house  of  bondage" 
had  all  died  in  the  wilderness  in  punishment  of  their  repeated  sins  and  forgetfulness  of 
the  divine  power  and  goodness  shown  in  their  deliverance.  Of  the  "  Three  Deliv- 
erers," Aaron  and  Mary  had  been  called  to  their  rest;  even  Moses,  because  he  had 
once  publicly  doubted  the  power  of  his  good  God,  was  not  to  set  foot  within  the 
promised  land. 

The  new  people,  who  obeyed  Moses  as  they  came  within  sight  of  the  beautiful  country 
of  Palestine,  were  nearly  all  born  in  the  wilderness;  they  had  not  tasted  of  the  bitter- 
ness of  Egyptian  servitude,  nor  had  they  witnessed  the  terrible  display  of  Jehovah's 
power  at  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  that  he  who,  under 
God,  had  been  the  guide  and  parent  of  the  nation  in  the  crisis  of  its  fate,  should  remind 
his  followers  of  what  God  had  done  for  them,  and  explain  how  truly  the  law  which  He 
gave  them  was  a  law  of  love — Ihat  the  Covenant  of  the  Most  High  with  Israel  was  one 
pregnant  with  untold  blessings  to  iM  who  would  faithfully  observe  it,  while  its  violation 
was  sure  to  be  visited  by  the  most  awful  chastisements. 

Hence  the  Book  is  mainly  taken  up  with  the  record  of  three  discourses  of  the  great 
Hebrew  Lawgiver,  delivered,  all  of  them,  in  the  plains  of  Moab,  on  the  lofty  eastern 
side  of  the  Jordan,  overlcoiiig  the  Dead  Sea.  The  country  itself,  the  theatre  of  the 
most  terrible  vengeance  of  the  outraged  Majesty  of  Heaven  on  a  favored  but  deeply 
sinning  race,  was  eloquent  of  the  suddenness  and  certainty  of  the  divine  retribution. 
Abraham,  the  father  of  the  mighty  multitude  now  assembled  around  Moses,  had  in  his 
day  witnessed  the  (uKe  of  the  guilty  "  cities  of  the  plain  "  of  Jordan.  A  brackish  sea 
now  rolled  its  sullen  waters  where  they  had  once  stood  in  their  besuty  and  pride  amid 
all  the  fairest  fruils  of  earth.  Beyond  and  above  toward  the  north,  extended  the  fertile 
regions  amid  which  Abraham  and  Sara  had  once  tarried  as  pilgrimSj  and  which  had  been 
promi-sed  as  a  lasting  homestead  to  their  posterity. 

How  WeU  raight  Moses,  himself  about  to  close  his  earthly  career,  urge  upon  that 
posterity  with  all  the  fervor  of  a  patriot  and  a  parent  the  duty  of  being  true  to  the  God 
of  Israel,  c>f  observing  lovingly  that  law  which  distinguished  them  from  all  the 
peoples  of  the  earth,  and  fidelity  to  which  should  ensure  them  victory  over  every 
U)e,  v/ith  all  the  blessings  of  uninterrupted  peace  and  prosperity  I 

I.  The  first  discourse  (chaps,  i.  to  iv.  40)  vividly  recalls  the  causes  for  which  their 
immediate  ancestors  were  not  allowed  to  take  possession  of  the  national  territory.  Then 
foUows  a  most  touching  and  eloquent  exhortation  to  the  perfect  obedience  in  which 
<heir  fathers  had  been  so  lamentably  deficient.  "And  now,  O  Israel,  hear  the  com- 
mandments and  judgments  which  I  teach  thee :  that  doing  them,  thou  mayst  live, 
and  entering  in  mayst  possess  the  land  which  the  Lord  the  God  of  your  fathers  will 
give  you  "  (iv.  i). 

There  is  nothing  in  the  Old  Testament  more  impressive  or  more  fruitful  in  lessons 
of  heroic  generosity  for  parents  and  children  and  all  who  fear  God,  than  these  sublime 
pages,  into  which  the  dying  Moses  seems  to  have  poured  his  great  soul.  "Behold,  I 
die  in  this  land  (of  Moab) ;  I  shall  not  pass  over  the  Jordan  :  you  shall  pass  and  possess 


8  HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 

the  goodly  land.     Beware  lest  thou  ever  forget  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  thy  God 
which  He  hath  made  with  thee  !  "  iv.  22,  23. 

2.  The  second  discourse,  beginning  with  the  fifth  chapter,  is,  prbperly,  the  solemn 

and  renewed  promulgation  of  the  Law.  One  feels  the  fire  of  divine  inspiration  glowing  / 
in  every  page  of  these  soul-stirring  chapters.  "  Hear,  O  Israel :  the  Lord  our  God  is  » 
one  Lord.  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  thy  whole  heart,  and  with  thy 
whole  soul,  and  with  thy  whole  strength"  (vi.  4,  5)1  He  reminds  this  singularly 
privileged  people  that  God's  severe  dealings  with  themselves  and  their  parents  was  the 
wise  love  of  a  father  seeking  to  restrain  the  waywardness  of  an  unruly  child.  "He 
afflicted  thee  with  want,  and  gave  thee  manna  for  [thy]  food,  which  neither  thou  nor 
thy  fathers  knew :  to  shew  that  not  in  bread  alone  doth  man  live,  but  in  every  word 
that  proceedeth  from  the  mouth  of  God.  Thy  raiment,  with  which  thou  wast  covered, 
hath  not  decayed  for  age,  and  thy  foot  is  not  worn  ;  lo  1  this  is  the  fortieth  year !  That 
thou  mayst  consider  in  thy  heart,  that  as  a  man  traineth  up  his  son,  so  the  Lord  God 
hath  trained  thee  up"  (viii.  3,  4,  5). 

3.  The  third  discourse  (chaps,  xxvii.-xxx.  20)  enjoins  on  those  who  are  to  lead  and 
govern  the  people  after  Moses  the  duty  of  binding  the  whole  nation,  when  in  posses- 
sion of  the  landof  Chanaan,  to  give  themselves  a  solemn  sanction  to  this  covenant  with 
God,  by  the  alternate  blessings  on  the  obedient  observers  and  curses  on  the  trans- 
gressors, to  be  uttered  near  the  grave  of  Joseph  in  the  Valley  of  Sichem.  The  entire 
ceremonial  to  be  observed  in  this  memorable  national  solemnity  is  minutely  detailed 
by  the  legislator. 

God's  grace,  vouchsafed  abundantly  even  then  to  His  children  in  view  of  the  future 
merits  of  His  incarnate  Son,  will  not  fail  the  subjects  of  this  law.  "  This  command- 
ment that  I  command  thee  this  day,  is  not  above  thee,  nor  far  off  from  thee.  Nor  is 
it  in  heaven,  that  thou  shouldst  say,  '  Which  of  us  can  go  up  to  heaven  to  bring  it 
unto  us,  and  we  may  hear  and  fulfill  it  in  work?'  Nor  is  it  beyond  the  sea,  that  thou 
mayst  excuse  thyself  and  say,  '  Which  of  us  can  cross  the  sea  and  bring  it  unto  us, 
that  we  may  hear  and  do  that  which  is  commanded  ? '  But  the  word  is  very  nigh  unto 
thee,  in  thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart,  that  thou  mayst  do  it.  ...  I  call  heaven  and 
earth  to  witness  this  day,  that  I  have  set  before  you  life  and  death,  blessing  and  cursing. 
Choose  therefore  life,  that  both  thou  and  thy  seed  may  live  "  (xxx.  11-19) ! 

There  is  not  a  family  in  which  these  inspired  lessons  should  not  still  be  repeated  by 
parents  to  their  children.  The  Spirit  of  God,  who  spoke  by  Moses,  is  ever  near  at 
hand  to  give  efficacy  to  the  dear  voice  of  father  or  of  mother,  rehearsing  these  immortal 
teachings,  and  faithfully  laboring  to  bring  down  on  their  loved  ones  the  blessings 
promised  by  the  Almighty  Father,  and  to  turn  away  from  their  homes  the  terrible 
I  urses  sure  to  follow  on  the  neglect  of  God  and  the  contempt  of  His  Law. 

4.  Most  beautiful,  too,  and  most  touching  is  what  is  related  in  the  concluding  chap- 
ters of  the  parting  of  Moses  with  his  people;  of  the  sublime  Canticle  or  hymn  which 
he  composed  for  them,  and  which  is  still  one  of  the  most  triumphant  songs  of  the 
(Christian  Church ;  of  his  going  up  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Nebo  to  have  a  first  and 
'nst  look  at  the  Promised  Land,  where  it  lay  in  all  its  beauty,  across  the  Dead  Sea  and 


antiUlpnm 


V;*iawn  I 


w 


?>■.<«■. 


'-"00^.  tr^:  i'-'^'- 


^"^"rjik-^: 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY     CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


flie  Jordan  ;  of  the  prophetic  words  of  blessing  poured  in  turn  on  each  of  the  Tribes 
of  Israel  enc;  nped  below  on  the  plains  of  Moab,  and,  finally,  of  his  holy  and  mysterious 
death. 

One  is  forcibly  carried  forward  to  another  age,  when  He  of  whom  Moses  was  only 
a  figure  and  precursor  was  to  tread  these  same  plains,  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  the 
foundation  of  another  kingdom,  and  then,  after  having  tasted  of  the  bitterness  of 
the  most  awful  death,  to  appear  before  His  own  with  His  person  all  transformed  by 
the  glories  of  a  heavenly  existence,  with  His  transpierced  heart  all  aglow  with  divinest 
charity,  to  ascend  to  Heaven  while  blessing  them  and  filling  their  souls  with  undying 
faith  and  all-embracing  love. 

II.  THE  HISTORICAL  BOOKS. 

THE  BOOK  OF  JOSUE.— The  title  of  this  book  is  derived  both  from  its  being 
most  generally  believed  to  have  been  written  by  the  great  man  whose  name  it  bears, 
and  from  its  containing  a  faithful  record  of  his  government  of  God's  people. 

The  name  itself  (Hebrew,  yi?/wj->'/«<z/i,  i.  e.,  "God  the  Saviour")  is  identical  with 
the  adorable  Name  of  our  Lord.  Hence,  in  the  Septuagint  Greek  and  in  the  early 
Latin  version,  this  book  is  called  "  the  Book  of  Jesus  the  Son  of  Nave." 

The  blameless  man  chosen  to  be  the  successor  of  Moses,  to  lead  the  Israelites  into 
the  Promised  Land,  to  defeat  the  combined  armies  of  the  heathen  Canaanites,  to  divide 
the  national  territory  thus  conquered  among  the  Twelve  Tribes,  and  to  leave  them  in 
secure  possession  of  their  independence,  was  a  fit  type  of  the  Redeemer  to  come,  who 
could  alone  reconquer  for  all  our  race  the  forfeited  inheritance  of  eternity,  who  alone 
could  introduce  us  into  His  Kingdom,  and  share  its  glories  with  us.  And  the  personal 
character  of  the  man  could  sustain  the  burthen  of  the  Name  which  is  above  all  names, 
so  that  the  virtues  of  the  great  leader,  as  well  as  his  achievements,  made  him  worthy  to 
bear  the  name  and  the  figure  of  Jesus. 

Called  at  first  "Osea,"  or,  rather,  Hosea  the  Son  of  Nun,  his  name  was  changed 
into  Jehoshuah  or  Jesus  by  Moses,  when  the  latter  chose  him  as  one  of  the  explorers  of 
the  land  of  Chanaan — most  probably  the  leader  of  the  exploring  expedition.  It  was 
a  niost  befitting  occasion  for  the  change.  The  exploration  was  but  a  prelude  to  the 
conquest.  In  this  Josue  was  to  be  the  chief  actor.  The  prophetic  change  of  name  is 
presently  justified  by  Josue's  heroic  courage  and  truthfulness.  When  the  explorer 
return  and  give  the  most  discouraging  accounts  of  the  Chanaanites,  who  are  to  be  di.^ 
possessed,  of  their  giant  stature  and  impregnable  strongholds,  the  people  revolt  again^ 
Moses  and  murmur  openly  against  the  Lord  Himself  Caleb  and  Josue.  on  the  contrary 
oppose  the  popular  clamor  and  flatly  contradict  the  exaggerations  of  their  associates 
"  Be  not  rebellious  against  the  Lord  !  "  they  say  to  the  craven  multitude.  .  .  .  "And 
fear  ye  not  the  people  of  th'  land  ...  All  aid  is  gone  from  them.  The  Lord  is  with 
tis ;  fear  ye  not !  "  The  two  heroic  leaders  would  have  been  stoned  on  the  spot  had  not 
God  then  and  there  saved  them  by  a  miracle. 

Well  worthy,  therefore,  of  the  attentive  and  devout  perusal  of  all  Christian  famificf 


(0 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BTBTB. 


are  the  inspired  pages  in  which  Josue  relates  how  he  crossed  the  Jordan  at  the  head 
of  the  embattled  Tribes — God's  Ark  and  the  priestly  bands  leading  the  way,  while  the 
wavers  of  Jordan  stood  still.  Then  the  half-peaceful,  half-military  processions  around 
tne  walls  of  Jericho  (chap,  vi.) ;  the  terrible  punishment  of  the  avaricious  and  hypo 
critical  Achan  (vii.);  the  utter  extermination  of  a  people  given  body  and  soul  to  the 
abominable  idolatry  of  which  even  modern  science  is  ashamed,  and  the  purification  l.y 
fire  of  the  very  site  of  the  polluted  cities ;  the  sublime  scene  offered  in  the  beautifiil 
vale  of  Sichem  by  the  victorious  Israelites,  when  they  solemnly  dedicate  themselves  to 
Jehovah  (viii.) ;  the  miraculous  prolongation  of  daylight  to  enable  Josue  to  complete 
his  victory  over  (jod's  enemies: 

"  Move  not,  O  Sun,  toward  Gabaon ! 
Nor  tbon,  O  Moon,  toward  the  valley  of  Ajaloni** 

In  seven  years  Josue  completed  the  work  of  conquest.  "And  the  land  rested  from 
the  wars."  Then  the  venerable  chief  of  God's  people  enters  Mpon  the  more  difficult 
task  of  allotting  to  each  tribe  a  portion  of  the  national  territory.  Here  occurs  a  heroic 
incident  deserving  of  everlasting  remembrance.  Caleb  demands  that  Hebron  and  its 
territory  be  allotted  to  him  in  fulfillment  of  a  previous  promise  made  by  God  through 
Moses,  and  because  the  city  itself  and  the  mountainous  district  around  it  were  then  the 
abode  of  a  race  of  gigantic  warriors  {Anakim  or  Enachini),  gJants  not  only  in  stature 
but  in  wickedness.  He  takes  on  himself  and  his  sons  the  task  of  driving  out  thi?  vrA 
brood,  three  tribes  or  families  of  whom  held  the  place  and  serried  to  render  it  impreg- 
nable. "  Give  me  therefore  this  mountain,  which  the  Lord  nromised,  in  thy  hearing 
also,  ...  if  so  be  the  Lord  be  with  me.  And  Josue  blessed  hKi  and  gave  him  Hebron 
in  possession.  And  from  that  time  Hebron  belonged  to  Caleb  .  •  .  until  this  present 
day:  because  he  followed  the  Lord  the  God  of  Israel." 

Josue  himself  emulated  this  splendid  example  of  his  friend ;  he  asked  and  received 
from  the  nation  another  of  these  mountain-strongholds,  situated  on  the  confines  of  the 
hostile  heathen  nations  who  held  the  sea-coast,  the  possessifi  of  which  must  oblige 
his  posterity  to  be  perpetually  in  arms  for  the  defence  of  'heir  country  and  their 
religion. 

His  last  solemn  appearance  before  assembled  Israel  was  in  I  le  Vale  of  Sichem,  near 
the  tomb  of  Joseph,  on  the  spot  hallowed  so  long  before  by  Ab'  aham  and  Jacob,  looked 
upon  not  only  as  the  birthplace  of  the  nation  but  as  "  the  f  inctuary  of  the  Lord  " 
(xxiv.  26).  To  the  people  over  whose  welfare  he  has  watchel  so  long  and  so  faith- 
fiilly  the  venerable  leader,  now  one  hundred  and  ten  years  c  Id,  delivers  a  prophetic 
message  from  the  Most  High,  rehearsing  briefly  the  History  of  His  own  providence  over 
Abraham  and  his  descendants,  from  the  calling  of  the  great  pitriarch  in  Chaldaea  to 
the  present  hour  of  triumph  and  blissful  security  amid  their  ]  redestined  inheritance. 
Again  this  most  privileged  race  are  challenged  by  their  Divine  Benefactor  to  use  theii 
free  will.  ♦'  Now  therefore  fear  the  Lord  and  serve  Him  with  a  perfect  and  most  sin- 
cere heart  •  -  -  Rut  If  it  seem  evil  to  you  to  serve  the  Lord,  SQ\  have  your  choice  .  . . 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


31 


And  the  people  answered  and  said :  God  forbid  we  should  leave 
the  Lord,  and  serve  strange  gods  !  " 

"  Josue  therefore  on  that  day  made  a  covenant,  and  set  before 
the  people  commandments  and  judgments  in  Sichem.  And  he 
wrote  all  these  things  in  the  volume  of  the  law  of  the  Lord :  and  he 
took  a  great  stone,  and  set  it  under  the  oak  that  was  in  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  Lord  "  (xxiv.  14-26). 

The  power  to  serve  the  Lord  freely  or  freely  to  turn  their  backs 
on  Him,  so  clearly  set  forth  in  this  striking  passage  of  Holy  Writ, 
was,  as  Josue  foresaw  and  foretold,  to  be  time  and  again  most  shock- 
ingly abused.  How  often  was  this  same  lovely  vale  to  witness  the 
dreadful  retribution  brought  down  on  Israel  by  its  incurable  fickle- 
ness and  ingratitude,  till  He  whose  Name  Josue  bore  and  honored 
by  his  glorious  life  came  Himself  to  make  another  and  an  ever- 
lasting Covenant  with  maniind !  On  that  same  spot,  seated,  foot- 
sore and  weary,  at  noontide  by  the  side  of  Jacob's  well,  the  Good 
Shepherd  was  one  day  to  address  to  the  Samaritan  Woman — the 
:ype  of  erring  humanity — the  creative  words  that  were  to  renew 
ler  soul  and  to  renew  the  face  of  the  earth  as  well. 

THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES.— The  engraving  00  page  10  is 

but  too  eloquent  an  illustration  of  the  sad  fate  of  those  who,  chosen 
to  be  God's  children  and  His  privileged  instruments  for  good, 
forget  Him,  are  shorn  of  all  their  glory,  and  become  the  thralls 
md  playthings  of  His  enemies.  Behold  one  of  the  Judges  of  Israel, 
;he  mighty  Samson,  condemned  to  do  the  work  of  a  brute  beast 
ind  grind  corn  in  a  mill  1 

But  what  and  who  were  the  Judges  of  Israel  ?  They  were  men 
raised  up  from  time  to  time,  during  a  period  of  about  three  hun- 
dred and  forty  years,  to  deliver  the  recreant  Hebrews  from  the 
foreign  oppression  brought  on  them  by  their  own  sins,  and  to  rule 
the  land  under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  Most  High.  Under 
Moses  and  Josue,  and  till  the  election  of  Saul,  the  Hebrew  com- 
monwealth was  a  theocracy,  or  a  republic  with  God  as  its  real 
head,  and  chosen  leaders  under  Him  to  rule  the  people  and  secure 
the  execution  of  His  laws.  Of  these  deliverers  and  rulers,  called 
Judges,  however,  only  a  few  are  mentioned  in  Scripture.  In  ordi- 
nary times,  and  when  no  foreign  yoke  weighed  on  the  whole  f)eople, 
they  were  governed  by  their  tribal  princes,  elders,  and  chief- 
priests. 

Thus  we  see  Josue  before  his  death  (xxiv.  i)  calling  together 
"  the  ancients,  and  the  princes,  and  the  judges,  and  the  masters." 
He  chose  no  one  to  succeed  to  his  office ;  nor  did  God  appoint  any 
one  to  be  his  successor.  Of  the  people,  after  his  death,  it  is  said 
(Judges  ii.  7-14):  .  .  .  "They  served  the  Lord  all  his  (Josue's) 
days,  and  the  days  of  the  ancients  that  lived  a  long  time  after  him, 
and  who  knew  all  the  works  of  the  Lord,  which  He  had  done  for 
Israel  .  .  .  And  all  that  generation  was  gathered  to  their  fathers : 
and  there  arose  others  that  knew  not  the  Lord,  and  the  works 
which  He  had  done  for  Israel.  And  the  children  of  Israel  did  evil 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  they  served  Baalim.  .  .  .  And  the 
Lord  being  angry  against  Israel,  delivered  them  into  the  hands  of 
plunderers,  who  took  them  and  sold  them  to  their  enemies  that 
dwelt  round  about." 

The  first  chapters  in  the  book  clearly  account  for  this  state  of 
things.  Thus,  in  chap,  i.,  we  see  the  joint  efforts  made  by  the 
neighboring  tribes  of  Juda  and  Simeon,  who  held  an  extreme 
position  in  the  south,  to  exterminate  or  expel  the  Chanaanites. 
Each  of  the  two  tribes  acts  as  sovereign  within  its  own  territory, 
and  invokes  the  aid  of  the  other  as  that  of  a  co-sovereign  power. 
They  gave  no  quarter  to  their  foes  and  made  no  truce  with  them 

Not  so  with  the  other  tribes  mentioned  in  the  sequel  of  the 
chapter.  "The  sons  of  Benjamin  did  not  destroy  the  Jebu- 
lites  that  inhabited  Jerusalem."  "  Manasses  also  ,  .  .  And  the 
Chanaanites  began  to  dwell  with  them."  So  with  the  other  tribes 
oQ  both  sid^  of  the  Jordan.    Even  in  Egypt  the  seductiotu  of 


idolatry  amid  the  splendors  of  a  superior  civilization  had  been  too 
much  for  the  early  Hebrews,  the  immediate  progeny  of  the  twelve 
patriarchs.  It  required  the  hardships  of  slavery  and  all  the  wrongs 
of  the  most  pitiless  oppression  to  make  the  poor  victims  hate  the 
gods  as  well  as  the  persons  of  their  oppressors. 

But  in  the  enchanted  land  of  Palestine,  with  its  lovely  climate 
and  its  teeming  soil,  there  were  in  the  pleasant  lives  of  the  heathen 
population  a  thousand  things  capable  of  turning  the  brain  and 
perverting  the  heart.  God  had  made  there  the  earth  a  paradise  ; 
and  God's  capital  Enemy,  the  Devil,  had  turned  it  into  a  scene  of 
perpetual  riotousness  and  debauchery. 

The  bitter  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea  only  covered  up  a  few  of  the 
more  guilty  cities:  others  not  less  sinning  against  God  and  nature 
flaunted  their  iniquity  all  over  the  land.  Even  modern  scholars 
do  not  dare  to  fathom  the  dark  depths  of  this  idolatry,  or  care  to 
reveal  the  hateful  mysteries  of  what  they  have  fathomed.  No 
wonder  that  He  who  is  the  Creator  of  man,  and  the  lover  of  the 
soul  and  its  purity,  should  have  decreed  the  extermination  of  this 
gigantic  wickedness  and  forbidden  all  intercourse  with  neighbors 
whoae  very  breath  was  contamination. 

Of  the  thirteen  Judges  whose  names  are  mentioned  in  this  book, 
the  record  is  as  follows :  Othoniel,  a  younger  brother  of  the  great 
Caleb,  chap.  iii.  7-1  r;  Aod  and  Samgar,  iii.  12-31;  Debboi^and 
Barac,  iv.  and  v.  ;  Gedeon,  vi.-ix ;  Abimelech,  son  of  Gedeon,  ix. ; 
Tliola  and  Jair,  x.  1-5  ;  Jephte,  x.  6-18 ;  xii  7  ;  Abesan,  Ahialon, 
and  Abdon,  xii.  8-15  ;  finally,  Samson,  xiii.-xvi. 

The  remaining  five  chapters  are  a  fearful  story  of  the  degeneracy 
of  the  tribe  of  Dan — the  open  practice  of  idolatry  under  the 
cover  of  the  name  of  the  true  God  beginning  with  one  house 
and  then  adopted  by  the  whole  tribe ;  fast  upon  the  heels  of  this 
apostasy  comes  a  terrible  outrage  committed  by  the  inhabitants  of 
one  Benjamite  city,  Gabaa,  of  which  the  entire  tribe  of  Benjamin 
assume  the  responsibility,  and  which  leads  to  a  war  of  extermination 
waged  against  the  offenders  by  the  other  tribes. 

Some  portions  of  this  record  of  three  centuries  and  a  half  are 
deserving  of  a  close  study.  The  deliverance  wrought  by  Debbora, 
and  the  glorious  hymn  in  which  she  pours  forth  her  feelings  of 
thanksgiving  and  triumph,  recall  the  dark  days  of  Egyptian  servi- 
tude and  the  heroic  part  played  by  Mary,  the  sister  and  saviour  of 
Moses.  Then  we  come  upon  Gedeon  and  his  chosen  band  of  war- 
riors— men  who  could  refuse  to  drink  even  their  fill  of  water  from 
the  brook;  examples  of  heroic  temperance  in  an  age  when  un- 
bridled sensuality  reigned  supreme  over  their  own  countrymen ; 
men  worthy  to  achieve  the  liberation  of  their  people  from  the 
twofold  slavery  of  vice  and  idol-worship ;  what  a  lesson  for  all 
future  time ! 

More  forcible  still  is  the  lesson  taught  by  Samson  in  his  incoin- 
parable  strength  and  resistless  prowess  while  faithful  to  his  Nazarite 
vows  and  observant  of  the  divine  law,  as  well  as  by  the  extremity 
of  his  weakness  when  yielding  to  pleasure  and  preferring  self' 
indulgence  to  the  heroic  abstemiousness  and  unwearying  real  de- 
manded of  God's  representative  and  the  champion  of  Israel.  The 
lively  image  of  Christ  who  fought  single-handed  the  battle  of  our 
salvation  and  triumphed  by  his  infinite  self-abasement  over 
Lucifer  and  all  the  hosts  of  pride — Samson,  by  his  single  wrm, 
defeated  the  embattled  Philistines,  and,  blind  and  degraaed. 
brought  down  destruction  on  his  oppressors,  triumphing  in  ml^ 
over  the  enemies  of  his  God  and  of  his  people. 

"  Samson  hath  quit  himself 
Like  Samson,  and  heroically  hath  finished 
A  life  heroic,  ... 

To  Israel 
Honor  hath  left  and  freedom,  .  .  . 
To  himself  and  father's  house  eternal  fame; 
And,  which  is  best  and  happiest  yet,  all  this 
With  God  not  parted  from  him,  as  was  feared,, 
Bat  favoring  and  assisting  to  the  end." 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


THE  BOOK  OF  RUTH.— This  book,  received  as  canonical, 
by  both  Jews  and  Christians,  formed,  in  early  times,  a  portion  of 
or  an  appendix  to  the  preceding  book  of  the  Judges.  The  Talmud 
ascribes  its  authorship  to  Samuel.  The  Septuagint  makes  it  a 
separate  book ;  and  in  this,  as  well  as  in  placing  the  Book  of  Ruth 
between  Judges  and  the  four  Books  of  Kings,  the  Latin  Vulgate 
and  the  English  Version  have  followed  the  Septuagint. 

It  tells  with  exquisite  and  most  touching  simplicity  the  story 
of  a  young  Moabite  woman,  the  widow  of  a  Jewish  exile,  who  will 
not  forsake  her  poor  mother-in-law,  Noemi,  when  the  latter,  having 
lost  everything  and  every  one  dear  to  her,  sets  out  on  her  return 
to  her  native  city  of  Bethlehem.  Ruth's  devotion  to  her  forlorn 
parent  not  only  leads  her  to  forsake  country,  relatives,  and  friends 
for  Noemi's  sake,  but  to  support  the  latter  by  such  labor  as  the 
very  poorest  had  recourse  to  in  an  agricultural  country.  This 
heroic  devotion,  as  well  as  the  young  woman's  native  grace  and 
modesty,  win  the  resjiect  of  Booz,  a  rich  kinsman  of  her  deceased 
husband's,  who  marries  her. 

From  this  auspicious  union  springs  Obed,  the  father  of  Jesse, 
and  the  ancestor  of  King  David  and  of  the  Redeemer  Himself. 
Thus  the  purpose  of  the  author  was  to  point  out  clearly  the  gene- 
alogy of  the  Prophet-King  and  the  descent  from  him  of  Mary  and 
her  Divine  Babe.  The  Holy  Spirit  also  intended  to  show  now 
tenderly  Providence  watches  over  the  souls  of  those  who  put  their 
whole  trust  in  Him,  and  give  up  for  Him  all  earthly  affections  and 
possessions.  The  Holy  Fathers  have  seen  in  Ruth  the  figure  of 
the  Church  of  the  Gentiles  whose  heart  was  solely  set  upon  faith 
and  hope  in  Jesus,  the  blessed  fruit  of  life  and  salvation  borne  by 
the  stem  of  Jesse. 

Moreover,  the  book  itself  is  a  sweet  picture  of  rural  home-life 
among  the  people  of  God.  Our  hearts,  while  reading  it,  are  deeply 
touched  by  Noemi's  yearning  for  Bethlehem,  her  native  spot ;  for 
the  religious  atmosphere  of  her  early  home,  and  the  companionship 
of  her  own  kindred ;  by  the  single-mindedness  of  Ruth,  her  self- 
sacrificing  attachment  to  her  poor,  lone  kinswoman  ;  her  generous 
determination  to  support  the  latter  by  her  own  toil,  and  the  docility, 
simplicity,  and  modesty  which  characterize  her  whole  conduct  in 
the  most  difficult  and  delicate  circumstances ;  and  by  the  manly 
piety  and  conscientious  uprightness  of  Booz. 

It  is  a  lovely  page  of  Holy  Writ,  full  of  precious  teaching,  from 
parents  to  children,  when  the  former  have  applied  both  mind  and 
heart  to  glean  the  precious  ears  of  truth  from  a  field  that  has  given 
abundant  harvest  of  edification  to  Jews  and  Christians  for  thousands 
of  years.  (See  also  the  story  of  Ruth  and  Noemi  in  Heroic  Women 
OF  THE  Bible  and  the  Church,  chap.  x.  p.  103.) 

THE  FOUR  BOOKS  OF  KINGS.— This  portion  c"  the  his- 
torical books  of  the  Old  Testament  is  so  called,  because  it  describes 
the  rise  of  the  kingly  dignity  in  the  person  of  Saul,  and  gives  the 
history  of  all  those  who  ruled  as  kings  over  God's  people  both 
while  Israel  formed  one  kingdom  and  after  its  division  into  two. 
In  the  Hebrew  text  the  two  first  Books  of  Kings  formed  but  one 
and  was  called  the  Book  of  Samuel,  the  third  and  fourth  also  form- 
ing one  single  volume  called  the  Book  of  Kings  or  Kingdoms.  In 
the  Septuagint  Greek  all  four  were  designated  as  the  Books  of 
Kings  or  Kingdoms  ;  and  this  was  adopted  by  the  early  Latin  trans- 
lators and  is  followed  in  the  Vulgate — Protestants  affecting  and 
preferring  in  this  as  in  other  things  to  follow  the  Hebrew  text  and 
I  he  Jewish  authorities. 

The  first  book  contains  the  history  of  Samuel  down  to  his  death, 
in  the  beginning  of  chap.  xxv.  Hence  the  first  twenty-four  chap- 
ters are  generally  attributed  to  him  ;  and  as  he  had  anointed  both 
Saul  and  David  to  be  kings  over  Israel,  these  two  first  books,  which 
narrate  the  history  of  their  reigns,  may  seem  a  continuation  of  the 
record  begun  by  Samuel.  The  continuators  are  thought  to  be  the 
Prophets  Nathan  and  Gad,  an  one  may  gather  from  i  Paralipomenon 


xxix.  29 :  "  Now  the  acts  of  King  David,  first  and  last,  xt*  writtea 
in  the  book  of  Samuel  the  Seer,  and  in  the  book  of  Nathan  the 
Prophet,  and  in  the  book  of  Gad  the  Seer." 

FIRST  AND  SECOND  KINGS.— As  we  travel  down  the  road 
of  history  from  the  days  of  Samson  and  the  other  Judges,  we  come 
upon  the  grand  figure  of  Samuel,  one  which  arrests  our  attention 
and  challenges  our  admiration  equally  with  the  sublime  personage? 
of  Josue  and  Moses.  Samson  died  gloriously,  and  by  his  heroic 
death  expiated  the  sad  weaknesses  which  marred  his  career  and 
prevented  him  from  effecting  the  complete  independence  of  his 
people  and  reigning  in  undisputed  power  over  a  united  and  regene- 
rated Israel. 

There  are  no  such  weaknesses  to  dim  the  lustre  of  Samuel's 
saintly  life.  His  birth  is  a  boon  granted  to  the  prayers  and  tears 
of  his  pious  mother,  Anna.  By  her  he  is  consecrated  to  God  from 
the  first  instant  of  his  existence,  and  placed  from  childhood  in  the 
sanctuary  as  a  thing  that  exclusively  belongs  to  the  Most  High  and 
Most  Holy.  Even  at  that  tender  age,  he  is  the  privileged  organ 
of  the  divine  Will  toward  the  aged  and  over-indulgent  High  Priest 
Heli,  announcing  to  him,  who  was  both  the  secular  and  religious 
head  of  the  nation,  the  terrible  judgments  brought  down  on  Israel 
by  his  sacrilegious  and  tyrannical  sons. 

There  is  no  break  in  the  beautiful  life  thus  begun  in  the  sanc- 
tuary. The  soul  nurtured  and  kept  pure  by  the  deep  spirit  of 
prayer,  increases  constantly  in  strength  and  holiness,  till  we  find 
Samuel,  now  arrived  at  the  age  of  manhood,  delivering  to  guilty 
and  oppressed  Israel  solemn  exhortation  couched  almost  in  the 
last  words  of  Josue :  "If  you  turn  to  the  Lord  with  all  your  heart, 
put  away  the  strange  gods  from  among  you,  Baalim  and  Astaroth  ; 
and  prepare  your  hearts  unto  the  Lord  and  serve  Him  only,  and 
He  will  deliver  you  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Philistines  "  (i  vii.  3). 
Would  you  know  the  secret  of  that  resistless  energy  with  which 
the  Son  of  Anna  thenceforward  tc  his  dying  day  sought  to  promote 
the  cause  of  God  and  the  cause  of  His  people?  Listen  to  the 
adjuration  which  the  Israelites  in  their  despair,  and  surrounded  by 
their  cruel  foes,  address  to  Samuel :  "  Cease  not  to  cry  to  the  Lord 
our  God  for  us.  that  He  may  save  us  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Philis- 
tines !  .  .  .  And  Samuel  cried  to  the  Lord  for  Israel,  and  the  Lord 
heard  him. ' '  Then  comes  the  great  victory  for  Israel  on  the  spot 
made  memorable  by  former  disastrous  defeat ;  and  there  too  a 
monument  is  set  up  called  Eben-ezer  or  "  The  House  of  Help." 

The  man  of  prayer,  of  good  counsel,  and  unsleeping  energy, 
thus  goes  on  from  victory  to  victory:  "And  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
was  against  the  Philistines  all  the  days  of  Samuel." 

It  is  most  touching  to  read  of  the  humility  of  this  illustrious 
man,  who,  when  his  people  reject  him  and  demand  a  king  to  rule 
over  them,  submits  like  a  little  child  to  the  divine  will,  anoints 
Saul  for  the  kingly  office,  without  ever  ceasing  to  direct  and  counsel 
him,  or  to  guide  both  prince  and  people  in  the  faithful  observance 
of  the  law  of  God.  "Far  from  me  be  this  sin  against  the  Lord, 
that  I  should  cease  to  pray  for  you  ;  and  I  will  teach  you  the  good 
and  right  way.  Therefore  fear  the  Lord,  and  serve  Him  in  truth 
and  with  your  whole  heart  .  .  .  But  if  you  will  still  do  wickedly, 
both  you  and  your  king  shall  perish  together  "  (xii.  23-25). 

Alas,  both  king  and  people  do  forget  the  "great  works"  done 
among  them  by  their  Divine  Benefactor,  and  forget,  as  well,  the 
fatherly  counsels  of  Samuel,  and  go  on  from  bad  to  worse  till  Saul 
and  Jonathan  and  the  strength  of  Israel  go  down  together  in  one 
common  ruin  on  the  red  field  of  Gilboe  ! 

David,  who  had  been  anointed  king  in  the  liic-time  of  Saul,  does 
indeed  profit  by  the  terrible  examples  of  the  divine  justice,  bringing 
on  himself  and  his  people  blessings  in  proportion  with  Lis  fidelity. 
Most  gifted  himself — poet,  musician,  brave  warrior  and  wise  state* 
man,  fitted  by  all  these  gifts  to  shine  in  peace  as  well  as  in  war-- 
I  David  makes  of  Israel  a  united,  prosperous,  and  mighty  natiois 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


1% 


But  he  too  forgets  God  in  the  intoxication  of  prosperity  and  power ; 
he  sins,  sacrificing  to  the  gross  sensuality  prevailing  in  the  nations 
round  about,  and  brings  on  his  house,  his  people,  and  himself  the 
terrible  retribution  which  never  fails  to  overtake  the  man  who  is 
placed  on  high  to  shine  by  his  great  virtues,  and  whose  dark  deeds 
are  an  incitement  to  evil  in  those  beneath  him. 

But  David,  when  guilty  and  visited  with  punishment  for  his 
guilt,  differed  from  Saul  in  this:  that,  whereas  the  latter's  proud 
self-will  refused  to  bend  beneath  the  chastising  hand,  or  to  confess 
his  !un  and   make  atonement  for  it,  David  put  on  sackcloth  and 


ashes,  invoked  the  spirit  of  repentaYice,  sent  up  to  the  God  of  hi» 
heart  continual  cries  for 'forgiveness,  and  watered  his  couch  by 
night  with  the  bitter  tears  wrung  irom  him  by  his  grief.  David 
was  a  man  after  God's  own  heart,  because,  even  in  his  fall,  he  for- 
got not  the  God  of  his  youth  ;  and  the  sense  of  his  guilt  only  made 
him  seek  to  serve  the  Divine  Majesty  with  tenfold  fervor  and  in- 
creased humility.  Saul,  guilty,  turned  his  back  on  God  and  sought 
from  demons  the  knowledge  of  his  own  future  and  of  the  fortunes 
of  his  house.  David,  guilty,  prostrated  himself  in  the  dust  and 
sent  up  his  heart-cries  to  heaven  for  mercy  on  his  people  and  on 
himself.  "The  Lord  is  my  Rock,  and  my  strength,  and  my 
Saviour ;  God  is  my  strong  One  :  in  Him  will  I  trust :  my  shield 
and  the  horn  of  my  salvation.  He  lifteth  me  up  and  (is)  my  refuge : 
my  Saviour!  And  thou  wilt  deliver  me  from  iniquity"  (a 
Kings  xxii.  2,  3). 

THIRD  AND  FOLRTH  BOOKS  OF  KINGS.— More  tcrril.le 
even  than  the  end  of  Saul  is  that  of  the  wise  and  magnificent 
Solomon,  David's  son.  God  lavished  on  this  prince  the  rarest 
gifts  of  mind  and  heart,  together  with  the  undisputed  possession 
of  his  father's  kingdom.  To  him  whose  reign  was  "established  in 
peace,"  and  who  was  the  illustrious  figure  of  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
Christ,  it  was  given  to  build  the  first  glorious  temple  ever  erected 
for  the  worship  of  the  one  true  God.  His  reign  forms  a  central 
point  toward  which  all  preceding  events  in  Sacred  History  seemed 
to  tend,  and  whose  surpassing  glories  were  to  be  reflected  down- 
ward on  succeeding  ages  till  He  appeared  who  was  to  fulfill  all 
promises  in  His  person,  and  to  eclipse  all  glories  in  the  divine 
achievements  of  His  humility  and  His  charity.  And  yet  the 
student  of  the  Bible  is  filled  only  with  sadness,  and  something  like 
discouragement,  in  seeing  this  most  wise  prince  become  the  most 
besotted  and  depraved  of  sensualists — an  object  of  contempt  and 
loathing  to  all  true  manhood,  while  the  early  piety  which  impelled 
him  to  build  the  most  magnificent  of  temples  to  the  God  of  his 
fathers  is  forgotten  in  the  disgusting  and  insatiable  appetite  for 
pleasure,  which  with  pagan  wives  brings  into  the  City  of  David 
the  fearful  scandal  of  the  idol-worship  of  the  Egyptians  and 
Chanaanites. 

To  this  most  foolish  and  most  guilty  king  succeeds  a  son  who 
inherits  some  of  his  father's  worst  vices  without  any  of  hi»  great 


14 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


qualities.  And  then  the  curse  of  Heaven  falls  on  Israel  in  the  form  of  iriemediable 
political  division.  Ten  of  the  Twelve  Tribes  fall  away  from  Roboam,  and  constitute  an 
independent  kingdom  which  is  to  have  gods  of  its  own.  Thus,  divided,  Israel— divided 
in  religious  belief  and  political  allegiance — goes  on,  reign  after  reign,  with  the  con- 
suming cancer  of  idolatry,  and  of  the  fearful  immorality  it  begets,  fastened  on  the 
majority  of  the  nation,  while  the  minority  in  the  southern  kingdom  are  ruled  by  a  few 
good  princes,  whose  reforms  and  examples  are  neutralized  by  the  pagan  vices  of  their 
successors.  At  length  both  kingdoms  are  blotted  out  and  their  people  scattered  abroad 
in  captivity. 

We  see,  during  the  period  Goveied  by  these  two  last  books— 427  or  405  years— we 
see  a  people  of  brothers,  instead  of  remaining  united  in  the  one  religious  faith  and 
under  one  strong  government,  forming  two  rival  and  hostile  nationalities,  each  of  which, 
when  the  other  prevails,  calls  in  the  aid  of  the  stranger  and  the  heathen  to  help  restore 
the  balance.  A  fatal  mistake  against  sound  policy — that  is,  against  the  laws  of 
nature.  But  amid  the  gloom  and  the  guilt  of  that  long  period  grand  figures  loom  up : 
the  men  of  God,  the  prophets  commissioned  to  keep  alive  the  true  faith  among  popu- 
lations given  over  to  doubt,  to  ignorance,  to  idolatry,  and  manifold  corruption ;  or 
sent  to  save  the  national  life  from  utter  extinction  :  Elias,  and  Elisseus,  and  Jeremias, 
who  wrote  these  same  two  last  books  of  Kings,  what  names  and  what  undying  glory 
are  theirs  !  No  less  illustrious  and  combining  with  the  prophetic  gifts  of  the  others 
the  glory  of  being,  like  Jeremias,  an  historical  writer,  Isaias  has,  moreover,  the  honor 
f  being  numbered  among  the  martyrs  of  the  Old  Testament.  But  although  living 
ider  several  of  the  princes  whose  reigns  are  chronicled  in  the  Books  of  Kings,  this 
u  eat  Prophet-Martyr's  name  is  not  mentioned  therein. 

PARALIPOMENON  OR  CHRONICLES.— The  original  Hebrew  title  of  these  two 
1  )oks  literally  means  "daily  records,"  because  they  contain  the  substance  of  journals 
■ptby.the  official  annalists  of  the  two  kingdoms  of  Juda  and  Israel.     In  the  Sep- 
agint  they  are  called  "The  First  and  Second  Book  of  Paralipomenon,"  or  of  things 
'erlooked  in  the  Books  of  Kings.     The  books  of  Paralipomenon  are  therefore  supple- 
entary  »a,  the  preceding   historical  works  of  the  Bible.     The  title   "Chronicles," 
lopted  in  the  Protestant  version,  was  suggested  by  St.  Jerome.     The  books  themselves 
e  considered  to  be  the  work  of  Esdras,  the  restorer  of  the  temple  and  of  Jewish  wor- 
ship after  the  captivity.     He  evidently  made  use  of  documents  prepared  by  others  and 
dating  from  previous  times. 

One  of  his  main  objects,  if  not  his  chief  purpose,  seems  to  have  been  to  place  on 
record  a  scries  of  genealogies  which  might  assist  the  rulers  of  the  restored  remnants 
of  tribes  toward  giving  to  each  Jewish  family  the  inheritance  of  its  fathers,  as  allotted 
under  Josue.  As,  moreover,  the  perfect  regulation  of  divine  worship  in  the  Tempi* 
was  in  his  eyes  and  those  of  the  nation  a  matter  of  the  most  practical  importance,  he 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOUC    BIBLE. 


U 


^^''    '     ill 


Iff 


drew  up  also  genealogies  of  the  priestly  and  levitic  families,  so  that  they  might  perforre 
their  functions  in  the  order  and  with  the  regularity  prescribed  under  David  and  Solo- 
mon. These  families  had  to  live  on  the  tithes  and  offerings  given  them  while  discharg- 
ing their  sacred  functions,  each  in  their  turn,  in  Jerusalem.  It  thus  became  imperative 
to  have  a  public  and  authentic  list  of  these  families  and  their  numbers,  so  as  to  secure 
perfect  regularity  and  discipline  in  the  successive  bands  of  priests  and  levites  called  to 
minister  in  the  sanctuary.     This  Esdras  did,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  books  themselves. 

As  to  the  purely  historical  portion  of  the  books,  it  contains  what  is  the  very  heart 
of  the  national  life — the  detailed  story  of  David's  glorious  reign,  the  great  promise  and 
performance  of  Solomon's  youth,  together  with  the  incredible  splendor  and  luxury  that 
were  to  be  his  bane.  Of  his  licentiousness  and  open  encouragement  of  idolatry  within 
his  own  capital  and  household,  there  is  no  mention  here.  The  writer  refers  us  back  on 
this  subject  to  the  Second  Book  of  Kings.  The  inspired  Chronicler,  however,  is  care- 
ful to  describe  Solomon's  stolid  and  vicious  son  in  such  a  way,  that  we  are  forced  to 
behold  in  this  precocious  despot's  conduct  the  natural  result  of  the  paternal  training 
and  examples. 

Roboam  had  for  mother  an  Ammonite  princess,  one  of  those  women  which  God  had 
so  often  and  so  solemnly  forbidden  his  people  to  connect  with  themselves  by  marriage. 
What  the  influence  of  this  idolatrous  woman  over  the  perverted  and  prematurely  old 
monarch  (he  died  at  sixty)  may  have  been,  we  know  not  from  authentic  history.     The 
mere  fact  that  her  son  became  Solomon's  successor  allows  us  to  suppose  that  she  ruled 
supreme  over  the  silly,  pleasure-seeking  king.     Her  son,  as  well  as  "  the  young  men 
.  .  .  brought  up  with  him  in  pleasures,"  and  his  evil  counselors  from  the  beginning 
of  his  reign,  had  not  more  of  faith  than  he  had  of  kingly  prudence.     Even  after  the 
disruption  of  his  kingdom,  he  refuses  to  profit  by  the  terrible  prophetic  lessons  delivered 
to  Jeroboam  during  Solomon's  lifetime  (3  Kings  xi.  29).     "  When  the  kingdom  of 
Roboam  was  strengthened  and  fortified,  he  forsook  the  law  of  the  Lord,  and  all  Israel 
with  him."     And  what  is  the  consequence?     "In  the  fifth  year  of  the  reign  of  Ro- 
boam, Sesac   king   of  Egypt    came  up  against  Jerusalem    (because  they  had   sinned 
against  the  Lord."  .  .  .  There  is  terror  and  a  show  of  that  kind  of  repentance  which  is 
begotten  of  mortal  fear.     "The  Lord  is  just!"  both  prince  and  people  exclaim  in 
their  extremity.     But  the  Lord,  who  is  ever  more  merciful  than  just,  will  not  allow 
the  Egyptian  to  exterminate  the  guilty  ones.     They  become  vassals  and  tributaries  of 
their  old-time  foes  and  oppressors.      "  So  Sesac  king  of  Egypt  departed  from  Jerusalem, 
taking  away  the  treasures  of  the  house  of  the    Lord,  and   of  the    king's  house"  (2 
Paral.  ii.  9). 

The  gold  with  which  Solomon  had  so  magnificently  enriched  the  Sanctuary  had 
been,  every  bit  of  it,  the  gift  of  David,  the  fruit  of  his  conquests  and  pious  economies. 
The  lavish  profusion  of  gold  and  silver  with  which  Solomon  had  adorned  and  enriched 
his  own  palaces  and  harems,  had  been  ground  out  of  his  impoverished  and  over-taxed 
people.     All  is  now  swept  into  the  coffers  of  the  Egyptian  !     Brass  replaced  gold  in  the 


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=_        1 


temple  as  weh  as  in  the  palace.  But  the  faith,  the  love,  the  heart 
service  which  Jehovah  solely  prized,  and  which  would  have  madfe 
Roboam  and  his  people  invincible  against  every  enemy,  neither  the 
king  nor  his  subjects  thought  of  bringing  to  the  house  of  God  or 
to  their  own  homes.  "  He  did  evil,  and  did  not  prepare  his  heart 
to  seek  the  Lord  !  "  But  "even  in  Juda  there  were  found  good 
works  ;"  and  so  God  will  keep  to  the  promise  made  through  Ahias 
(3  Kings  xi.  36),  "  that  there  may  remain  a  lamp  for  My  servant 
David  before  Me  always  in  Jerusalem,  the  city  which  I  have  chosen, 
that  My  Name  might  be  there." 

And  so,  through  the  gloom  of  the  long  succeeding  centuries, 
this  "lamp,"  the  steady  light  of  the  Promise,  shall  continue  to 
cneer  faithful  hearts  both  in  Jerusalem  and  amid  the  sorrows  and 
despair  of  exile,  till  our  Day  Star,  our  "  Orient  from  on  high," 
shines  out  above  the  hill-tops  of  Bethlehem, 

THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  ESDRAS.— Esdras,  the  author  of  this 
book,  as  well  as  the  probable  author  of  the  preceding  Chronicles, 
is  justly  revered  as  the  second  parent  of  the  Hebrew  nation.  But 
before  we  speak  of  his  personal  merit  or  of  his  deeds,  let  us  give 
one  glance  at  the  last  chapter  of  Paralipomenon. 

Here  we  have  King  Eliakim  or  Joakim  placed  on  the  throne  of 
Jerusalem*  by  the  Egyptian  conqueror  who  has  deposed  Joachaz. 
"Joakim  was  five  and  twenty  years  old,"  the  sacred  historian  says, 
'•  when  he  began  to  reign,  and  he  reigned  eleven  years  in  Jerusalem; 
and  he  did  evil  before  the  Lord  his  God.  Against  him  came  up 
Nabuchodonosor  King  of  the  Chaldeans,  and  led  him  bound  in 
chains  to  Babylon." 

On  the  throne  of  this  unworthy  prince  is  placed  his  son  of  nearly 
the  same  name.  "Joachin  was  eight  years  old  when  he  began  to 
reign,  and  he  reigned  three  months  and  ten  days  in  Jerusalem,  and 
he  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  And,  at  the  return  of  the 
year,  King  Nabuchodonosor  sent  and  brought  him  to  Babylon." 
Seciecias,  an  uncle  of  this  boy-king,  and  brother  to  the  two  deposed 
and  exiled  monarchs,  now  succeeds  to  this  precarious  sceptre. 
"  Sedecias  was  one  and  twenty  years  old  when  he  began  to  reign  ; 
and  he  reigned  eleven  years  in  Jerusalem.  And  he  did  evil  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord  his  God,  and  did  not  reverence  the  face  of  Jere- 
mias  the  Prophet  speaking  to  him  from  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  .  .  . 
And  he  hardened  his  neck  and  his  heart  from  returning  to  the  Lore! 
the  Gotl  of  Israel." 


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17 


In  the  footstejK  of  this  wicked  prince  walk  the  leading  men  cm 
priests  and  people.  Their  patient  God  vainly  warns  them  of  the 
coming  evils.  "  But  they  mocked  the  messengers  of  God,  .  .  . 
until  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  arose  against  His  people.  For  he 
brought  upon  them  the  King  of  the  Chaldeans."  .  .  .  City,  temple, 
everything  strong  and  fair,  all  is  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth 
by  the  Babylonian  conqueror,  and  the  miserable  remnants  of  Juda 
are  driven  away  into  captivity.  Is  it  not  terrible?  and  is  not  such 
bhndriess,  such  perseverance  in  evil,  a  something  so  incredible  that 
one  is  staggered  by  the  recital  of  such  monstrous  perverseness  ? 

With  regard  to  the  Book  of  Esdras  itself,  it  is,  manifestly,  a 
continuation  of  the  preceding  book  of  annals  or  chronicles.  Cyrus 
the  Great  is  moved  to  restore  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem  and  to  re- 
vive thereby  the  Hebrew  nationality.  In  captivity  such  holy  priests 
as  Esdras  and  Nehemias,  and  such  prophets  as  Jeremias  and  Daniel, 
had  snea  on  the  Hebrew  name  and  religion  such  extraordinary 
splendor,  that  the  great  and  right-minded  Cyrus  was  drawn  toward 
the  true  faith  and  toward  a  people  whose  supernatural  virtues  formed 
such  a  contrast  with  the  surrrounding  corruption  of  heathendom. 
So,  both  priests  and  people  had  been  chastened  by  the  terrible 
trials  of  exile  and  bondage  !  And  God  would  once  more  gather 
together  His  scattered  ones  !  There  is  an  accurate  list  of  the  exiles 
«-hom  Cyrus  permitted  to  accompany  Zorobabel  and  Esdras  on 
their  touching  patriotic  mission.  And  what  pregnant  lessons  for  the 
most  generous  souls  aspiring  to  build  up  anew  'he  ruins  of  country 
and  home  are  founa  in  these  monumental  prices !  How  the  story 
of  patriotic  self-sacrifice  and  religious  faith  belonging  to  these  far- 
off  times  and  countries  apply  literally  to  this  t/ur  nineteenth  century 
and  the  long-cherished  aspirations  of  more  than  one  struggling 
people !  It  would  be  so  profitable  to  parents  themselves  in  every 
Christian  family  to  study,  with  their  whole  mind  and  heart,  this 
and  the  following  book,  and  then  hold  up  to  their  dear  ones  the 
golden  lessons  gleaned  from  such  attentive  perusal ! 


THE  BOOK  OF  NEHEMIAS,  OR  THE  SECOND  OF  ES- 
DRAS.— When  Esdr;  ■■.  had  succeeded  in  building  up  the  Temple 
and  in  restoring  and  leforming  the  remnants  of  his  people,  he 
Tetumed  to  Mesopotamia  to  report  on  his  accomplished  mission. 
Was,  it  required  the  eloquent  voice,  the  strong  hand,  and  con- 
tilia^ory  temper  of  the  truest  of  priests  and  wisest  of  statesmen  to 
f"»r  the  fickle  people  to  their  resolutions.     Such  of  the  Hebrew;> 


18 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


as  had  been  living  in  Judaea  before  the  arrival  of  Esdras  and  his 
colony  of  exiles  had  either  become  as  heathenish  and  corrupt  as 
the  neighboring  Chanaanites,  or  had  made  of  the  little  religion 
they  retained  a  mixture  of  idolatrous  practices  and  Hebrew  super- 
stitions. They  were,  at  best,  but  poor  auxiliaries  to  Esdras  and  his 
zealous  band  of  restorers.  But  what  shall  we  say  of  the  non-Hebrew 
populations,  the  old  enemies  of  God  and  of  his  people  ?  They  used 
every  exertion  and  every  artifice  to  prevent  the  restoration  of  Jeru- 
salem and  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple.  Wiien  force  and  fraud 
failed,  they  tried  on  the  faithful  Israelites  the  old  fascination  of 
their  idolatrous  customs,  of  their  licentious  celebrations,  and  pom- 
pous pagan  festivals.     And  they  succeeded. 

Nehemias  had  to  return  with  Esdras  to  Jerusalem  to  begin  anew 
this  unfinished  labor  of  social  and  religious  reform  and  material 
reconstruction.  The  story  grows  in  interest  from  chapter  to  chap- 
ter, as  the  two  great  men,  brother  priests  laboring  together  with 
one  mind  and  one  heart,  rekindle  by  voice  and  example  the  faith 
and  zeal  of  their  fellow-countrymen.  They  proclaim  the  Law 
anew,  and  induce  the  people  to  celebrate  with  extraordinary  fervor 
and  solemnity  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  (2  Esdras  viii.  and  ix.) 
With  one  voice  priests,  princes,  and  people  confess  God's  infinite 
goodness  in  their  behalf  and  their  own  inconceivable  ingratitude. 
"  Our  kings,  our  princes,  our  priests,  and  our  fathers  have  not  kept 
Thy  law  .  .  .  And  they  have  not  served  Thee  in  their  kingdoms, 
and  in  Thy  manifold  goodness,  .  .  .  and  in  the  large  and  fat  (wide 
and  fruitful)  land  which  Thou  deliveredst  before  them  .  .  .  Be- 
hold, we  ourselves  this  day  are  bondmen  :  and  the  land,  which  Thou 
gavest  our  fathers,  ...  we  ourselves  are  servants  in  it !  .  .  .  And 
because  of  all  this  we  ourselves  make  a  covenant,  and  write  it,  and 
our  princes,  our  Levites,  and  our  priests  sign  it  "  (Ibid.  ix.  34-38). 

THE  BOOK  OF  TOBIAS.— We  have,  in  the  saintly  man  after 
whom  this  book  is  called,  another  illustrious  instance  of  the  living 
faith  and  heroic  virtue  displayed  in  exile  by  so  many  of  God's 
people.  No  book  in  the  Old  Testament  affords  such  touching 
examples  of  filial  piety,  domestic  simplicity  and  purity,  and  that 
unflinching  devotion  to  one's  brethren  in  their  darkest  days  of 
suffering  and  oppression.  The  virtues  which  shine  forth  in  the  life 
and  home  of  Tobias  are  those  which  must  be  eternally  the  very  soul 
of  domestic  happiness  and  public  welfare.  The  morality  of  the 
whole  book  is  a  most  beautiful  commentary  on  the  law  of  life  de- 
livered through  Moses ;  a  splendid  mirror  in  which  even  Christians 
may  see  what  they  ought  to  be  and  are  not,  as  compared  with  the 
saintly  men  and  women  of  twenty-six  hundred  years  ago. 

Tobias  was  born  in  Cades  (Kedesh)-Nephtali,  in  the  northern 
part  of  Galilee.  It  was  the  native  city  of  Barac,  in  wliich  Debbora 
had  organized  the  little  army  that  was  to  prove  victorious  over  the 
proud  hosts  of  Jabin  and  Sisara.  From  time  immemorial  the  place 
was  a  famous  stronghold,  one  of  the  "  cities  of  refuge  "  established 
by  Josue.  Near  it  Jonathan  the  Machabee  fought  against  the 
treacherous  generals  of  Demetrius,  changing  a  disastrous  defeat  into 
a  glorious  victory.  Beneath  its  very  walls  was  shown  the  spot 
where  the  stout-hearted  Jael  completed  Debbora's  triumph  by 
slaying  with  her  own  hand  the  cruel  Sisara. 

Tobias,  nurtured  in  this  eagles'  nest,  displayed  from  earliest  boy- 
hood qualities  far  superior  to  those  of  the  soldier  and  conqueror. 
He  learned  even  when  a  child  in  years,  to  do  "  no  childish  thing 
in  his  work,"  and  when  his  fellow-countrymen  and  townsmen  "all 
went  to  the  golden  calves"  of  Jeroboam  in  Samaria,  "  he  alone 
fled  the  company  of  all,  and  went  to  Jerusalem  to  the  temple  of 
the  Lord."  He  appears  to  have  been  a  wealthy  youth  who  de- 
lighted in  devoting  generously  his  wealth  to  the  support  of  the  true 
religion.  What  he  had  been  in  childhood  and  youth  he  continued 
to  be  in  manhood  and  all  through  life.  "  He  took  to  wife  Anna 
of  his  own  tribe,  and  had  a  son  by  her  whom  he  called  after  his 
own  name ;  and  from  his  infancy  he  taught  him  to  fear  God  and 


to  abstain  from  all  sin."  Carried  with  his  wife  and  child  into 
captivity  by  Salmanasar  (Shalman-Ezor)  IV.,  King  of  Assyria, 
Tobias  shone  so  pre-eminently  above  his  fellow-captives  and  the 
Assyrian  nobles  and  courtiers  at  Niniveh  that  he  attracted  the 
notice  and  won  the  favor  of  the  monarch  himself,  and  was  by 
him  loaded  with  honor  and  wealth.  For  in  the  midst  of  this 
idolatrous  and  sensual  race,  when  his  Hebrew  fellow-captives  shared 
in  the  forbidden  rites  and  pleasures  of  their  captors,  Tobias  "  kept 
his  soul  and  never  was  defiled,"  being  ever  "mindful  of  the 
Lord  with  all  his  heart." 

The  book,  from  the  first  chapter  to  the  end,  reads  like  a  glorious 
epic  in  praise  of  exalted  piety  and  patriotism.  Two  kindred  fam- 
ilies, bound  still  more  closely  together  by  the  same  deep,  practical 
faith,  are  the  principal  personages,  while  evil  spirits  and  God's  own 
archangel  display  respectively  their  baneful  influences  and  healing 
power.  What  a  picture  is  that  household  in  the  mighty  Niniveh, 
in  which  the  now  poor  and  sightless  Tobias  is  made  the  butt  of  his 
wife's  unfeeling  sarcasm  and  headlong  temper  !  He  had  risked 
and  spent  everything  on  his  persecuted  countrymen  ;  and  now  as 
he  sits  at  home,  blind  and  destitute  of  all  earthly  comfort,  a  wo- 
man's foolish  tongue  ceases  not  to  lash  him.  "  Where  is  thy  hope, 
for  which  thou  gavest  alms,  and  buriedst  the  dead  ?  "  It  was  in  vain 
that  he  replied,  "  We  are  the  children  of  the  saints,  and  look  to 
that  life  which  God  will  give  to  those  that  never  change  their  faith 
from  Him."  The  pitiless  tongue  ceased  not  for  all  that  to  scourge 
him  with  the  reproof:  "  It  is  evident  thy  hope  is  come  to  nothing, 
and  thy  alms  now  appear!"  And  the  poor,  helpless  sufferer, 
seeing  no  further  aim  in  life,  would  lift  his  soul  to  God  on  high : 
"  Thou  art  just,  O  Lord,  and  all  Thy  ways  mercy  and  truth  and 
judgment !  .  .  .  Command  my  spirit  to  be  received  in  peace ;  for 
it  is  better  for  me  to  die  than  to  live." 

At  the  same  hour,  in  the  city  of  Northern  Ecbatane,  a  dear  friend 
and  kinsman  of  Tobias,  Raguel  by  name,  was  suffering  deep  afflic- 
tion in  the  person  of  his  only  child,  Sara.  This  man  was  both 
virtuous  and  wealthy.  But,  through  some  mysterious  dispensation 
of  Providence,  evil  spirits  were  allowed  to  persecute  him  and  his. 
Every  one  who  had  till  then  sought  the  hand  of  his  innocent  and 
pious  daughter  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  Evil  One.  This  drew 
suspicion  on  Sara,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  even  her  servant  maid 
openly  and  bitterly  taunted  her  with  being  a  murderess.  Prostrate 
before  the  Divine  Majesty  in  the  privacy  of  her  own  chamber,  the 
distressed  girl  was  sending  up  her  heart-cry  for  help:  "I  beg,  O 
Lord,  that  Thou  loose  me  from  the  bond  of  this  reproach,  or  else 
take  me  away  from  the  earth."  But  Northern  Ecbatane  (the 
capital  of  Cyrus)  is  on  the  road  to  Rages  (the  modern  Rhey,  a  few 
miles  southeast  of  Teheran);  and  in  this  last  city  lived  one  of 
Tobias'  tribesmen,  Gabelus,  to  whom  in  the  days  of  his  great  pros- 
perity the  former  had  lent  a  large  sum  of  money.  This  sum,  before 
dying  and  in  the  interest  both  of  his  wife  and  of  his  son,  Tobias 
is  now  anxious  to  recover.  And  here  comes  in  the  sweet  and  loving 
providence  of  the  Father.  Tlie  succor  needed  by  the  two  suffering 
families  will  not  be  delayed.  Then  is  told  the  marvelous  story 
of  the  Arcliangel  Raphael's  undertaking  to  guide  the  younger 
Tobias  all  the  way  to  the  distant  home  of  his  kinsman,  where  God 
was  keeping  in  store  for  him  the  spotless  soul  of  a  true  woman  as 
well  as  part  of  the  riches  which  were  to  raise  his  aged  parents  once 
more  to  afiluence.  To  his  father  also  the  angelic  guide,  on  their 
joyful  return  to  Niniveh,  restores  the  sight  so  long  lost.  How 
magnificent  is  the  hymn  of  prophetic  praise  and  exultation  which 
goes  up  from  this  tried  and  grateful  soul !  "  I  and  my  soul  will 
rejoice  in  Him.  Bless  ye  the  Lord  all  His  elect ;  keep  days  of 
joy,  and  give  glory  to  Him.  Jerusalem,  city  of  God,  the  Lord 
hath  chastised  thee  for  the  works  of  thy  hands.  Give  glory  to 
the  Lord  for  thy  good  things,  and  bless  the  God  eternal ;  that  He 
may  rebuild  His  tabernacle  in  thee,  and  call  back  thy  captives  to 
thee,  and  thou  mayst  rejoice  for  ever  and  ever  1 ' ' 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE     HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


19 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDITH. — Here  is  another  thrilling  page  of  sacred  history  taken 
from  the  annals  q(  that  same  epoch  of  partial  restoration  from  captivity  and  exile. 
Moses  had  been  saved  from  the  waters  of  the  Nile  by  the  watchful  love  of  his  sister, 
Mary,  who  also  continued  to  be  the  angel  of  his  life  in  the  court  of  Pharaoh,  and  till 
her  great  brother  could  openly  choose  between  the  service  of  the  Egyptian  oppressor 
and  that  of  his  own  oppressed  kinsmen.  With  him,  when  sent  on  his  divine  mission 
of  liberation,  was  associated  Mary,  who  thus  deserved  the  name  of  Deliverer.  Then 
came  Debbora  and  Jael  to  work  out  the  freedom  of  Israel  during  the  period  of  the 
Judges ;  and  now  Judith  stands  forth  to  deliver  the  restored  tribes  from  the  threatened 
renewal  of  their  subjugation  and  expulsion  from  their  native  land.  No  mere  analysis 
of  the  story  can  give  the  reader  a  truthful  idea  of  the  condition  of  things  in  Palestine 
or  of  the  desperate  extremities  from  which  a  woman's  inspired  heroism  treed  her 
country  and  people.  Even  those  who  see  in  Judith's  artifice  a  something  exceedingly 
like  criminal  fraud,  must  remember  that  Sacred  History  records  more  than  one  deed 
of  the  most  illustrious  personages  which  the  historian  does  not  pretend  to  excuse  or 
justify.  But,  to  one  who  calmly  considers  the  circumstances  of  the  age  and  country — 
the  brutal  lust  for  conquest  and  plunder  which  animated  the  Nabuchodonosors  and 
Holophemes  of  these  pagan  times — there  can  occur  no  valid  reason  for  refusing  to 
Judith  the  glorious  praise  due  to  a  woman,  who  devotes  her  own  life  and  imperils  her 
honor  in  order  to  save  the  honor  of  her  countrywomen  and  the  independence  of  her 
own  nation,  then  struggling  to  confirm  its  long-lost  and  scarcely  recovered  freedom. 
(See  the  Author's  reasoning  on  this  subject  in  Heroic  Women  of  the  Bible  and  the 
Church,  chap.  xvii.  pp.  180-81.) 

THE  BOOK  OF  ESTHER.— Just  as  the  God,  who  watched  so  lovingly  over  the 
destinies  of  that  race  which  was  to  give  to  the  world  Christ  and  His  Apostles,  showed 
again  and  again  how  easily  and  surely  He  could  employ  the  hand  of  a  single  man  to 
work  out  the  salvation  of  an  entire  people,  even  so  does  He  use  again  and  again  a  weak 
and  timid  woman  as  His  instrument,  in  order  to  render  still  more  irresistible  the 
demonstration  of  His  almighty  Power.  Modern  scholars  judge  it  probable,  that  the 
Assuerus  who  raised  Esther  to  the  throne,  was  no  other  than  the  blindly  proud  and 
blundering  Xerxes  who  attempted,  at  the  head  of  the  united  armies  and  fleets  of  all 
Western  Asia,  to  conquer  and  subjugate  the  little  republics  of  Greece.  The  indescrib- 
able splendor  and  magnificence  of  this  royal  despot  forms  a  kind  of  background  for 
the  picture  of  Esther's  loveliness  and  piety,  of  the  utter  helplessness  of  her  Hebrew 
fellow-exiles,  and  of  the  implacable  animosity  existing  between  them  and  their  old 
Amalekite  foes.  The  book,  although  affording  us  but  a  glimpse  of  that  fairy-like 
luxury  and  incredible  servility  prevailing  in  these  great  eastern  capitals,  enables  us, 
nevertheless,  to  see  the  fearful  extent  of  the  corruption  from  which  God  wished  to 
preserve  His  people,  by  keeping  them  from  intimate  communication  with  their  heathen 


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20 


HISTORY   OF   THE    BOOKS   OF   THE   HOLY   CATHOLIC   BIBLE. 


neighbors,  and  binding  them  to  his  own  service  by  inviolable  fidelity 
within  tlieir  own  national  territory. 

Their  existence  as  a  free  people  in  Palestine  was  to  be  the  con- 
sequence of  this  fidelity  to  the  law  of  Jehovah,  His  overshadowing 
protection  secured  them  from  disaster,  defeat,  and  subjugation,  so 
long  as  they  served  Him  with  their  whole  heart.  And  in  their 
exile  among  the  nations,  while  they  were  taking  to  heart  the  bitter 
lessons  of  experience,  He  ever  showed  Himself  ready  and  prompt 
to  assist  them  and  to  protect  them  from  utter  extinction,  when  the 
cry  of  their  heart  went  up  to  Him. 

Aman,  the  all-powerful  favorite  of  Assuerus,  has  taken  every 
means  to  annihilate  the  scattered  remnants  of  the  Hebrew  race  by 
one  fell  blow,  and  throughout  the  vast  Persian  empire.  The  young 
Hebrew  Empress  knows,  as  well  as  her  uncle  and  foster-father, 
Mardochseus,  that  the  hand  of  God  alone  can  arrest  the  blow  about 
to  fall,  and  that  united  prayer  to  Him  can  make  him  stretch  forth 
His  arm  to  save  the  innocent  and  strike  down  the  guilty  aggressor. 
Trusting  in  the  intervention  of  that  Power  and  Goodness  which 
will  have  us  entreat  it  in  our  direst  need,  Esther  employs  mean- 
while all  the  means  which  human  prudence  suggests  to  enlighten 
the  Emperor  on  liis  favorite's  character  and  designs.  Woman's 
wit  comes  to  the  aid  of  woman's  loveliness  and  patriotism;  iniquity 
falls  into  the  net  it  had  itself  spread  for  the  guiltless,  and  cruelty 
perishes  by  its  own  devices.  These  are  pages  to  be  read  again  and 
again  as  one  reads  the  most  enchanting  tale  of  eastern  romance. 
For  here  no  romance  can  come  up  to  the  reality. 

FIRST  AND  SECOND  MACHABEES.— The  two  books  bear- 
ing this  title  contain  the  history  of  a  heroic  family  of  priests  who 
conquered  the  national  independence  under  the  Greek  kings  of 
Syria,  and  were  also  the  successful  champions  of  religious  liberty. 
The  surname  of  "  Machabee,"  first  borne  by  Judas,  son  of  the  priest 
Mathathias,  arose,  according  to  some,  from  a  Hebrew  word  signi- 
fying "hammer" — both  the  father  and  his  sons  having  been  in 
the  hand  of  God  a  hammer  for  shattering  the  might  of  their  op- 
pressors. Others,  on  the  contrary,  derive  the  appellation  from  the 
initial  letters  of  the  Hebrew  sentence  in  Exodus  xv.  ii  :  "  Who  is 
like  to  Thee  among  the  strong,  O  Lord?"  These  letters,  it  is 
said,  were  inscribed  by  Judas  on  his  victorious  banners ;  and  hence 
the  surname.  The  name  is  bestowed  not  only  on  Judas  and  his 
brethren,  but  on  a  generous  widow  and  her  seven  sons  most 
cruelly  put  to  death  in  Antioch  by  the  pitiless  tyrant  Antiochus 
Epiphanes. 

The  first  book  of  Machabees — a  manuscript  copy  of  which  in 
Hebrew,  or,  rather,  in  the  popular  Syro-Chaldaic  of  the  Machabean 
age,  was  seen  by  St.  Jerome — is  the  history  of  forty  years,  from  tlie 
beginning  of  the  reign  of  .Antiochus  Epiphanes  to  the  death  of  the 
High  Priest  Simon  Machabee.  The  second  book  is  the  abridged 
history  of  the  persecutions  under  Antiochus  Epiphanes  and  Ptolemy 
Eupator  his  son,  being  compiled  from  a  full  and  complete  history 
of  the  same  in  five  books,  written  by  Jason,  and  now  lost.  This 
abridgment  describes  in  detail  many  of  the  principal  occurrences 
related  in  the  first  book.  Both  historians,  however,  seem  to  have 
written  independently  of  each  other,  neither  having  seen  the  other's 
work. 

No  history,  ancient  or  modern,  contains  a  more  vivid  and  thrill- 
ing story  of  living  faith  and  heroic  valor. 

THE  PROPHETS. 

We  must  not,  if  we  would  form  a  correct  conception  of  Sacred 
History,  separate  the  Prophets  and  their  utterances  from  their 
proper  connection  in  the  series  of  contemporary  events.  They, 
their  propiiecies,  and  their  lives,  form  an  integral  portion  of  the 
annals  of  the  epoch  in  which  they  lived.  The  very  historical 
books  we  have  been  just  passing  in  review  are  incomplete,  and,  in 
some  parts  incomprehensible,  if  severed  from  the  words  and  actions 


of  such  men  as  Isaias,  Jeremias,  Ezechiel,  Haggaeus,  and  other 
prophets,  who  acted  such  an  important  part  under  the  Kings  of 
Jerusalem  and  Samaria,  while  striving,  under  divine  inspiration,  to 
correct  and  convert  bad  sovereigns  and  their  sinful  people,  or  to 
direct  and  encourage  the  good. 

The  name  of  prophets  is  sometimes  given  in  Scripture  to  per- 
sons who  had  no  claim  to  prophetic  inspiration.  In  classic  Greek, 
the  word  irpoipf/nK,  "prophet,"  designates  any  person  who  speaks 
for  another,  especially  one  who  s])eaks  in  the  name  of  the  Godhead, 
and  thus  declares  or  interprets  His  will  to  men.  The  primary 
meaning  of  tlie  word  prophet  is,  therefore,  that  of  an  interpreter. 
In  the  Bible  the  word  has  several  significations :  ist.  It  applies  to 
all  persons  of  superior  learning  or  uncommon  intellectual  gifts, 
whether  their  knowledge  regards  divine  or  human  things.  Tims 
in  I  Corinthians  xiv.  6,  "prophecy"  means  the  supernatural  knowl- 
edge of  divine  things  bestowed  as  a  gift  on  certain  persons,  and 
in  the  infancy  of  the  Church,  to  enable  them  to  teach  others; 
whereas,  in  Titus  i.  12,  "a  prophet  of  their  own,"  means  a  Cretan 
author  who  had  accurately  described  his  own  countrymen  as  "al- 
ways liars,  evil  beasts,  etc.  2d.  He  is  called  a  prophet  who  has 
either  of  things  past  or  present  a  knowledge  exceeding  the  power 
of  nature.  Thus  Elisjeus  knew  that  his  servant  Giezi  had  secretly 
obtained  rich  presents  from  Naaman.  Thus  also  when  the  soldiers 
buffeted  our  Lord  the  night  before  his  death,  they  asked  Him  to 
"  prophesy  "  who  had  struck  Him.  3d.  Again,  a  man  is  said  to  be 
a  prophet  when  he  is  inspired  to  say  what  he  does  not  understand, 
as  Caiphas  (St.  John  xi.  51)  "  prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die  for 
the  nation."  4th.  In  the  proper  and  primitive  sense  of  the  word, 
Aaron  is  to  be  the  "prophet;"  that  is,  the  interpreter,  of  his 
brother  Moses  {Exodus  vii.)  Hence  both  our  Lord  and  St.  Stephen 
upbraid  the  Jews  with  having  persecuted  all  the  prophets ;  that  is, 
all  those  who  had  been  sent  to  declare  to  them  the  will  of  God. 
5th.  The  designation  of  prophets  was  also  given  to  all  those  who  sang 
hymns  or  psalms  with  extraordinary  enthusiasm,  so  as  to  seem  beyond 
themselves.  In  i  Kings  x.  12,  Saul  meets  a  troop  of  these  singers, 
joins  them,  is  seized  with  their  divine  enthusiasm,  and  it  is  there- 
fore said:  "Is  Saul  also  among  the  Prophets?"  This  same  mean- 
ing applies  on  several  occasions  to  David  and  Asaph  and  to  the 
young  men  trained  as  singers  for  the  temple,  and  who  are  therefore 
called  "  the  sons  of  the  prophets."  6th.  The  word  "  to  prophesy," 
again,  is  understood  of  the  power  of  working  miracles.  Hence 
(Ecclesiasticus  xlviii.  14)  it  is  said  of  Elisteus :  "  After  death  his 
body  prophesied,"  because  the  contact  with  the  holy  man's  corpse 
raised  a  dead  man  to  life.  7th.  But  this  gift  of  miracles  was  the 
seal  which  stamped  with  the  divine  authority  the  utterances  of  the 
Prophet  properly  so  called ;  that  is,  the  man  to  whom  God  has 
revealed  and  enjoined  to  announce  to  the  world  future  events 
which  no  created  mind  could  of  itself  have  foreseen.  (See  Bergier, 
Dictionnaire  de  Thi-ologie.')  Such  are  the  divinely  commissioned 
men  whose  books  we  are  now  to  consider. 

THE  FOUR  GREAT  PROPHETS. 

ISAIAS. — By  the  universal  consent  both  of  the  Jewish  Church 
and  of  the  Christian,  Isaias  is  given  precedence  in  rank  over  the 
other  propliets,  though  he  cannot  claim  priority  in  time.  He  was 
of  royal  birth,  and  the  elevation  and  beauty  of  his  style  are  in 
keeping  with  his  high  rank  and  nobility  of  soul.  He  is  by  far  the 
most  eloquent  of  the  Prophets.  Besides,  he  descsibes  so  minutely 
the  person  of  Christ  and  His  sufferings,  as  well  as  the  birth  and 
destiny  of  the  Cliristian  Church,  tliat  one  might  think  he  was  re- 
cording past  events  or  describing  what  was  present  before  his  eyes, 
rather  than  announcing  to  the  world  what  was  still  hidden  in  the 
night  of  ages,  and  could  only  be  the  secret  of  the  divine  mind 
and  power.  For  this  reason  the  book  of  Isaias  has  been  called 
a  fifth  Gospel,  so  clearly  does  he  perform  the  task  of  an  evan- 
gelist. 


HISTORY  OP  THE  BOOKS   OF  THE   HOLY   CATHOLIC   BIBLE. 

TT 


21 


WP 


h   I 


I 


I 


I'h--. 


The  prophetic  mission  of  this  great  man  and  great  saint  runs  through  the  reigns  ol 
four  kings  of  Juda — Ozias,  Joathan,  Achaz,  and  Ezechias,  his  life  having  been  gloriously 
crowned  with  a  cruel  martyrdom  under  Manasses.  Like  the  Prophet  Elias  before  him, 
and  like  John  the  Baptist  long  ages  after  him,  Isaias  in  performing  his  sublime  mission 
wore  the  penitential  garb  of  the  Nazarites,  the  long  blackish-gray  tunic  of  haircloth 
fastened  round  the  loins  with  a  rope  or  girdle  of  camel's  hair.  Thus  habited,  the  man 
of  God  would,  most  probably,  go  into  one  of  the  spacious  courts  of  the  Temple,  while 
the  people  were  flocking  in  to  some  solemn  sacrifice,  and  from  one  of  the  lofty  flights 
of  steps  leading  up  to  the  altar  of  burnt  offerings,  would  pour  forth  the  words  of  his 
divine  message  on  the  multitude  beneath  and  around.  The  very  first  words  of  these 
inspired  oracles  still  thrill  the  coldest  reader  with  emotion :  "  Hear,  O  ye  Heavens  I 
and  give  ear,  O  Earth  !  For  the  Lord  hath  spoken.  I  have  brought  up  children  and 
exalted  them ;  but  they  have  despised  Me.  The  ox  knoweth  his  owner,  and  the  ass 
his  master's  crib.  But  Israel  hath  not  known  Me,  and  My  people  hath  not  under- 
stood ! " 

No  words  could  more  aptly  state  God's  case  as  against  His  blind  and  ungrateful 
people  under  the  Old  Law,  as  well  against  the  professed  or  nominal  followers  of  Christ 
under  the  New  Law  of  Grace.  We  are,  all  of  us  who  believe  in  Christ  and  through 
Him  in  the  Father,  the  adopted  children,  the  family  of  God.  How  He  has  exalted  the 
sons  of  Adam !  How  tenderly  He  has  provided  for  the  bringing  up  of  the  human 
race  to  a  God-like  resemblance  with  their  all-bountiful  Parent  and  Benefactor !  And 
is  not  our  life  one  long  act  of  contempt  of  that  Adorable  Majesty  ? — one  long  and  per 
sistent  ignoring  and  misunderstanding  of  that  ever-present  and  patient  Goodness  ? 

To  understand  even  the  literal  sense  of  these  most  pregnant  chapters,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  read  not  only  the  history  of  the  four  kings  under  whom  Isaias  preached  and 
taught  and  performed  miracles,  but  also  the  two  preceding  reigns  of  Amasias  and  his 
father  Joas.  Joas,  saved  in  infancy,  and  by  a  miracle,  from  the  slaughter  of  all  the  male 
descendants  of  David,  and  brought  up  by  his  aunt  Josabet  in  the  very  sanctuary  of  the 
Temple,  would,  one  might  think,  be  sure  to  be  worthy  of  David  and  lovingly  faithful 
to  God  his  Protector.  And  yet,  in  the  very  flower  and  pride  of  his  manhood,  he  intro- 
duces among  his  people  the  abominable  worship  of  Baal  and  Ashtarte — murders  in  the 
very  sanctuary  which  had  sheltered  his  infancy  and  childhood  his  cousin  and  foster- 
brother,  the  High  Priest  Zacharias,  and  runs,  uncontrolled,  his  race  of  wickedness,  till 
he  is  himself  cut  off"  by  the  hand  of  a  murderer.  Not  much  better  is  his  son  Amasias. 
He  was  a  cruel  king :  he  caused  10,000  Edomite  prisoners  to  be  cast,  in  cold  blood, 
headlong  from  the  cliffs  of  Petra,  while  he  hesitated  not  in  the  hour  of  /ictory  to  cause 
sacrifices  to  be  offered  in  honor  of  the  idols  worshiped  by  his  victims.  A  cruel  soldier 
is  rarely  a  brave  man  ;  and  a  coward  is  always  a  vain  one.  So  Amasias  provokes  his 
father's  namesake,  Joas,  King  of  Samaria,  to  war ;  is  shamefully  beaten,  taken  prisoner, 
brought  in  chains  to  Jerusalem,  which  is  partially  dismantled  by  the  victor,  and  at 
length,  like  his  father,  is  cut  off  by  the  red  hand  of  murder.  There  is  no  use  in  teach- 
ing or  warning  these  purblind  princes,  in  whose  veins  the  heroic  blood  of  David  is 
changed  into  mud :  they  will  neither  be  taught,  nor  enlightened,  nor  wamed=   Such  were 


22 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


the  men  who  nad  ruled  the  Kingdom  of  Juda  immediately  before 
<he  birth  of  Isaias. 

Now  read  in  the  first  five  chapters  the  prophetic  denunciations 
and  warnings  which  apply  to  the  latter  part  of  the  long  reign  of 
Ozias.  Like  Solomon,  he  began  his  reign  young — at  the  age  of 
sixteen — and  by  his  piety  and  his  genius  raised  the  Kingdom  of 
Juda  to  a  height  of  glory  it  had  not  kpown  since  Solomon.  Though 
he  did  not  end  his  long  reign  like  this  prince,  so  unwise  with  all 
his  wisdom,  Ozias  forgot  himself  in  his  old  age,  and,  like  Saul, 
attempted  to  usurp  the  functions  of  the  priestly  office.  He  was 
stricken  with  leprosy  at  the  very  altar,  and  had  thenceforward  to 
yield  his  kingly  functions  to  his  son  Joathan,  and  live  in  the  rig- 
orous seclusion  imposed  on  lepers.  That  there  was  degeneracy  in 
the  body  of  the  nation,  as  well  as  in  the  ruler  himself,  we  may  well 
believe.  And  in  this  light  we  can  understand  the  denunciations 
of  the  first  five  chapters  of  Isaias.  "  O  my  people,  they  that  call 
thee  blessed,  the  same  deceive  thee,  and  destroy  the  way  of  thy 
steps  (that  is,  'lead  thee  along  the  way  to  destruction.').  The 
Lord  standeth  up  to  judge,  and  He  standeth  to  judge  the  people." 
Listen  to  the  fearful  description,  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  chapter, 
which  he  gives  of  the  coming  of  the  Babylonians  and  Assyrians  to 
chastise  the  insolence  and  ingratitude  of  this  wilfully  blind  people. 
The  hostile  armies  coming  on  from  the  shores  of  the  Persian  Gulf 
are  like  a  mighty  tidal  wave  which  rises  and  advances  swiftly,  bear- 
ing down  al)  resistance.  "And  they  shall  make  a  noise  against 
them  that  day  like  the  roaring  of  the  sea.  We  shall  look  towards 
the  land,  and  behold  darkness  of  tribulation,  and  the  light  is  dark- 
ened with  the  mist  thereof! " 

2.  With  chapter  vi.  begins  another  series  of  prophetical  teach- 
ings. "  In  the  year  that  Fang  Ozias  died,  I  saw  the  Lord  sitting 
upon  a  throne  high  and  elevated  ;  and  His  train  filled  the  temple." 
The  dead  monarch  had  dimmed  the  glory  of  his  long  reign  and 
splendid  services  to  religion  and  country,  by  an  obstinate  attempt 
to  thrust  himself  into  the  sanctuary  and  to  offer  with  hands  un- 
anointed  incense  upon  the  altar.  In  contrast  with  this  sacrilegious 
presumption  stands  out  the  shrinking  humility  of  Isaias — called 
and  chosen,  as  he  knew  himself  to  be,  to  the  sublime  and  perilous 
functions  of  the  prophetical  office.  "And  I  said,  '  Woe  is  me 
.  .  .  because  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst 
of  a  people  that  hath  unclean  lips,  and  I  have  seen  writh  my  eyes 
the  King  the  Lord  of  Hosts.'  " 

Touched  by  the  terrors  of  the  prophet's  humility,  one  of  the 
attendant  Seraphs  takes  a  live  coal  from  the  altar  of  the  heavenly 
temple,  and  touches  therewith  the  lips  which  are  to  speak  such 
mighty  things  to  the  world.  The  reign  of  Joathan  was  a  continua- 
tion of  the  best  traditions  of  the  preceding  reign.  In  one  par- 
ticular only  did  the  son  of  Ozias  fail  in  magnanimity  and  firmness 
of  purpose.  "  The  high  places  he  took  not  away :  the  people  still 
sacrificed  and  burnt  incense  in  the  high  places  "  (4  Kings  xv.  35). 
Had  the  people  of  Juda,  then,  become  so  addicted  to  these  clan- 
destine practices  of  idolatry  that  the  very  best  princes  dared  not 
attempt  their  suppression?  This  was,  therefore,  the  sin  of  the 
people,  and  argues  to  what  extent  the  abominable  idol-worship  of 
Palestine  and  Syria  had  taken  hold  of  the  popular  heart  in  Jeho- 
vah's special  inheritance.  This  fact  will  furnish  a  key  to  the  most 
terrible  denunciations  and  predictions  of  the  first  chapters  in  the 
book,  particularly  to  that  uttered  by  the  prophet  after  his  lips  had 
been  purified  by  the  sacred  fire.  "  Go  and  say  to  this  people, 
'  Hearing  hear,  and  understand  not !  And  see  the  vision  and  know 
it  not ! '  .  .  .  And  I  said  :  '  How  long,  O  Lord  ? '  And  He  said : 
'Until  the  cities  be  wasted  without  inhabitant,  and  the  houses 
without  man,  and  the  land  shall  be  left  desolate.'  " 

This  brief  and  magnificent  vision  of  the  Heavenly  Temple  on 
high,  and  of  the  enthroned  Majesty  of  the  infinite  God,  was,  doubt- 
less, proclaimed  in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  to  the  assembled  mul- 
titude of  tepid,  half-hearted  worshipers.     It  reminded  them  that 


the  splendors  of  God's  earthly  house  was  but  a  tatnt  image  of  the 
everlasting,  and  that  the  holiness  demanded  of  both  priests  jnd 
people  was  only  a  preparation  for  the  perfection  of  the  beatified 
state.  This  sublime  revelation,  together  with  the  clear  and  definite 
announcement  of  coming  ruin  to  both  temple  and  nation,  hung 
over  Juda  and  its  rulers  like  a  cloud  big  with  coming  storm  during 
the  entire  reign  of  Joathan. 

3.  The  prophecies  in  the  three  following  chapters,  vii.,  viii.,  and 
ix.,  were  delivered  during  the  reign  of  Joatham's  successor,  the  weak- 
minded  and  unprincipled  Achaz.  The  league  formed  against  Jeru- 
salem by  the  Kings  of  Israel  and  Syria  had  always  been  baffled  by 
the  unflinching  and  prudent  policy  of  Joathan.  His  son  inherited 
none  of  his  religious  faith  or  statesmanship ;  and,  threatened  as  he 
was  by  the  allied  armies,  he  bethought  him  of  calling  in  to  his  aid 
the  King  of  Assyria.  Besides,  one  chief  purpose  of  the  King  of 
Israel  was  to  dethrone  the  descendants  of  David  and  set  up  a  Syrian 
to  rule  in  Jerusalem.  This  moved  to  its  depths  the  patriotic  soul 
of  Isaias.  He  knew  that  the  Kingdom  of  Juda  had  nothing  to  fear 
from  the  designs  or  power  of  the  allied  kings ;  and  he  scorned  the 
idea  of  invoking  the  aid  of  the  foreigner  and  the  heathen  to  fight 
the  battles  of  Jehovah  and  to  protect  the  throne  of  David.  The 
enemy  is  already  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jerusalem,  and  it  becomes 
a  matter  of  life  or  death  to  prevent  him  from  cutting  off  its  supply 
of  water.  So  Achaz  marches  out  to  protect  the  Upper  Pool  wheni;e 
the  chief  supply  was  derived.  Thereupon  Isaias  is  bidden  to  take 
his  son  Sheas- Jashub  ("  Remnant  shall  Return  ")  and  to  confront 
Achaz  with  these  words :  "See  thou  be  quiet.  Fear  not,  and  let 
not  thy  heart  be  afraid  !  ..."  Speaking  of  the  formidable 
league  and  its  designs  against  the  House  of  David,  the  divine 
oracle  is  most  emphatic :  "  It  (the  league")  shall  D<^t  stand,  and  this 
shall  not  be!" 

But  the  unbelieving  and  timid  Achaz  cannot  set  aside  either  his 
terrors  at  the  sight  of  the  hostile  armies,  or  his  doubts  about  the 
victory  promised  by  Isaias.  Here  comes  in  the  famous  prophesy 
about  the  Deliverer  to  be  born  of  a  Virgin-Mother :  "Hear  ye, 
therefore,  O  house  of  David  !  Is  it  a  small  thing  for  you  to  be 
grievous  to  men,  that  you  are  grievous  to  my  God  also?  There- 
fore the  Lord  Himself  shall  give  you  a  sign.  Behold  a  virgin  shall 
conceive  and  bear  a  son,  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Emmanuel 
(God  with  us)."  It  was  in  vain  that  the  prophet  had  assured 
Achaz  that  "  within  three  score  and  five  years  Ephraim  (that  is, 
the  Ten  Schismatic  Tribes  forming  the  Kingdom  of  Israel  under 
the  leadership  of  the  powerful  tribe  of  Ephraim)  shall  cease  to  be 
a  people. ' '  The  young  king  will  not  believe  and  will  not  be  dis- 
suaded from  calling  in  the  Assyrians.  Then  comes  the  bitter  re- 
proof and  the  renewal  of  the  glorious  Promise  made  in  the  Garden 
to  Eve  and  Adam  guilty:  "  Behold  a  Virgin  shall  conceive,"  and 
God  shall  become  Man,  Our  God,  "God  with  us"  forever — the 
Son  of  David  of  whose  Kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end. 

Let  this  unbelieving  king,  who  will  not  trust  to  Jehovah's  power 
and  protection,  call  in  the  Heathen  from  the  banks  of  the  Tigris, 
and  let  his  idol-worshiping  people  become  the  allies  of  the  worst 
enemies  of  God.  "  The  Lord  shall  bring  upon  thee  (Achaz),  and 
upon  thy  people,  and  upon  the  house  of  thy  father,  days  that  have  not 
comesince  the  time  of  the  separation  of  Ephraim  from  Juda,  with  the 
King  of  the  Assyrians."  And  all  through  the  desolation  and  the 
long  captivity  of  these  coming  years,  there  is  for  Juda  a  twofold 
consolation,  like  a  twin  beacon  to  light  its  path  through  the  gloom  : 
their  "Remnant  shall  Return,"  and  in  the  fulness  of  time  Em 
manuel  shall  be  born  to  them.  As  for  the  prophet  himself,  with  the 
clear  foresight  both  of  the  devastation  that  is  soon  to  come,  and  of 
the  future  Redemption  of  Israel  and  the  entire  race  of  man,  he 
will  put  his  sole  trust  in  the  Lord:  "Behold,  I  and  my  children 
whom  the  Lord  hath  given  me  for  a  sign,  and  for  a  wonder  in 
Israel  from  the  Lord  of  hosts,  who  dwelleth  in  Mount  Sion  .  .  . 
I  will  wait  for  the  Lord  who  hath  hid  His  face  from  the  house  of 


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Jacob,  and  I  will  look  for  Him  !  "  His  two  sons  as  they  grow  up 
and  walk  by  his  side  in  Jerusalem  and  through  the  land  shall  be 
"a  sign,"  and  a  standing  prodigy  or  "wonder"  sent  to  Israel 
from  the  Lord  of  hosts.  We  have  seen  that  the  elder  Shear-Jashub, 
or  "Remnant  shall  Return,"  was  an  ever-present  warning,  by  the 
very  name  he  bore,  both  of  the  coming  desolation  and  exile  and  of 
the  restoration  of  a  remnant  of  the  race.  The  boy,  therefore,  was 
a  sign  of  the  Divine  justice  as  well  as  of  the  Fatherly  mercy  soon 
to  be  displayed.  In  chapter  viii.  the  birth  of  another  son  is  de- 
scribed as  attended  with  extraordinary  solemnities.  Isaias  is  com- 
manded to  set  up  a  large  scroll  or  tablet  bearing  the  words,  Maher- 
Shalal-Hash-Baz ;  that  is,  "Hasten,  Booty,  Speed,  Spoil;"  and 
when  his  younger  son  is  bom  he  is  bidden  to  call  him  by  this  pro- 
phetic name  so  full  of  terrible  significance  to  the  kingdom  of  Juda. 
Already  the  King  of  Assyria  had  come  down  with  an  army  on  his 
allied  enemies,  the  Kings  of  Damascus  and  Samaria,  and  had  de- 
populated not  only  a  portion  of  Syria  but  the  valley  of  the  Jordan 
around  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  carrying  the  inhabitants  away  into 
exile.  This  does  not  make  King  Achaz  heed  any  the  more  the 
warnings  and  exhortations  of  Isaias ;  this  prince  more  than  ever 
courts  an  alliance  with  the  Assyrian.  The  people,  however,  with- 
out ceasing  to  cling  to  their  vices  and  their  idolatry,  are  frightened 
into  favoring  a  league  with  Damascus  and  Samaria.  This  only 
hastens  the  coming  of  the  Assyrian.  It  is  in  vain  that  the  great 
prophet  tries  to  iire  the  national  heart  with  the  only  flame  that 
should  burn  therein,  the  love  of  their  fathers'  God  and  the  love 
of  their  fatherland.  Vainly  does  he  exhaust  himself  in  lepeating 
that  no  enemy  can  harm  Juda  and  Jerusalem  so  long  as  they 
repose  a  loving  trust  in  Jehovah.  "  Sanctify  the  Lord  of  hosts 
Himself;  and  lei  Him  be  your  fear,  and  let  Him  be  your  dread. 
And  He  shall  be  a  sanctification  to  you"  (viii.  13,  14).  .  .  . 
"  By  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  the  land  is  troubled,  and 
the  people  shall  be  as  fuel  for  the  fire :  no  man  shall  spare  his 
brother"  (ix.  19).  "What  will  you  do  in  the  day  of  visitation, 
and  of  the  calamity  which  cometh  from  afar  ?  to  whom  will  ye  flee 
for  help?  and  where  will  ye  leave  your  glory?  ...  As  my 
aand  hath  found  the  kingdoms  of  the  idol,  so  also  their  idols  of 
Jerusalem  and  of  Samaria.  Shall  I  not,  as  I  have  done  to  Samaria 
ind  her  idols,  so  do  to  Jerusalem  and  her  idols?"  (ix.  3-1 1). 
Then  will  come  the  turn  of  the  Assyrian  empire  itself.  "Shall 
the  axe  boast  itself  against  him  that  cutteth  with  it?  ...  As 
If  a  rod  should  lift  itself  against  him  who  taketh  it  up  I "  And 
again,  after  repeating  for  the  twentieth  time  His  promises  of  mercy 
and  final  restoration,  the  Lord  adjures  Jerusalem  in  these  touching 
words :  "  Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  the  God  of  hosts :  O,  my 
people,  that  dwellest  in  Sion,  be  not  afraid  of  the  Assyrian.  He 
shall  strike  thee  with  his  rod,  and  he  shall  lift  up  his  staff"  over  thee 
in  the  way  of  Egypt.  For  yet  a  little  and  a  very  little  while,  and 
My  indignation  shall  cease,  and  My  wrath  shall  be  upon  their 
wickedness.     And  the  Lord  shall  raise  up  a  scourge  against  him." 

Meanwhile,  in  favor  of  the  "  true  Israelites,"  the  men  of  pure 
lives,  unfaltering  faith,  and  unshaken  hope  in  the  promises,  the 
Prophet  ever  holds  up  their  sure  fulfillment.  "And  there  shall 
come  forth  a  rod  out  of  the  root  of  Jesse,  and  a  flower  shall  rise 
up  out  of  his  root.  And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon 
him  "  (xi.  I,  2). 

Surely  it  was  the  same  Spirit  who  rested  upon  the  patriot  pro- 
phet himself. 

3.  Chapters  xi.  and  xii.  form  one  of  these  exultant  hymns 
which  we  conceive  Faith  to  be  wont  to  sing  amid  the  darkness  of 
the  densest  idolatry  and  the  wrecks  of  home  and  country.  "And 
it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  the  Lordshall  set  His  hand 
the  second  time  to  possess  the  remnant  of  His  people,  which  shall 
be  left  from  the  Assyrians.  .  .  .  And  thou  shalt  say  in  that 
day:  I  will  give  thanks  to  Thee,  O  Lord,  for  Thou  wast  angry 
with  me :  Thy  wrath  is  turned  away,  and  Thou  hast  comforted  me. 


Behold,  God  is  my  Saviour,  I  will  deal  confidently  and  wiJl  not 
fear :  because  the  Lord  is  my  strength  and  my  praise,  and  He  is 
become  my  salvation." 

Then  come,  under  the  designation  of  "burdens,"  the  prediction 
of  the  terrible  retribution  which  is  to  be  dealt  out  on  each  of  the 
enemies  of  God  and  His  people — on  Babylon,  the  Philistines,  the 
Moabites,  on  Damascus,  Samaria,  the  Assyrians  and  Egyptians. 
He  pauses,  in  chapter  xxii.,  while  describing  the  devastation  of 
Juda,  to  utter  against  Sobna,  one  of  the  blind  and  vicious  coun- 
selors of  blind  and  vicious  princes  and  people,  the  divine  judg- 
ment gone  forth  against  him.  "  Thou  hast  hewed  thee  out  care- 
fiilly  a  monument  in  a  high  place,  a  dwelling  for  thyself  in  a  rock. 
Behold  the  Lord  will  cause  thee  to  be  carried  away,  as  a  cock  is 
carried  away,  and  He  will  lift  thee  up  as  a  garment.  He  will  toss 
thee  like  a  ball  into  a  large  and  spacious  country." 

Nor  shall  the  maritime  powers  of  that  age  be  spared  by  the 
scourge  of  divine  justice.  Tyre  and  Sidon  shall  fall.  "The  Lord 
of  hosts  hath  designed  it,  to  pull  down  the  pride  of  all  glory,  and 
bring  to  disgrace  all  the  mighty  ones  of  the  earth.  .  .  .  The 
earth  is  infected  by  the  inhabitants  thereof;  because  they  have 
transgressed  the  laws,  they  have  changed  the  ordinance,  they  have 
broken  the  everlasting  covenant.  Therefore  shall  a  curse  devour 
the  earth,  and  the  inhabitants  thereof  shall  sin.  ...  It  shall 
be  thus  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  in  the  midst  of  the  people,  as  if 
a  few  olives  that  remain  should  be  shaken  out  of  the  oi.vc-tree,  or 
grajjes,  when  the  vintage  is  ended.  .  .  .  With  breaking  shall 
the  earth  be  broken,  with  crushing  shall  the  earth  be  crushed,  with 
trembling  shall  the  earth  be  moved."  This  moral  and  social  con- 
vulsion, like  the  mighty  upheavals  that  are  recorded  in  geology,  is 
now  a  matter  of  history.  And  how  very  nearly  its  terrible  teach- 
ings come  home,  at  this  hour,  to  the  guilty  Christendom  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  with  the  decline  of  faith,  the  weakening  of 
all  authority,  human  and  divine,  the  spread  of  intellectual  and 
moral  corruption,  anri  the  breaking  up  of  the  whole  order  of  society 
in  opposition  to  the  laws  of  nature  and  the  solemn  ordinances  of 
nature's  God  I 

Together  with  this  breaking  up  of  the  old  Pagan  order  there  is 
present  to  the  eye  of  the  prophet  the  end  of  all  things,  the  final 
judgment  and  doom ;  the  wicked  ones  both  of  heaven  and  of  earth 
"gathered  together  as  in  the  gathering  of  one  bundle  into  the  Pit," 
and  the  eternal  reign  of  God  with  His  faithful  servants  in  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem.  At  this  prospect  the  rapt  soul  of  Isaias  bursts 
forth  into  a  shout  of  triumphsmt  song:  "O  Lord,  Thou  art  my 
God,  I  will  exalt  Thee,  and  give  glory  to  Thy  name ;  For  Thou 
hast  done  wonderful  things.  Thy  designs  of  old  faithful.  Amen  ! 
.  .  .  Therefore  shall  a  strong  people  praise  Thee,  the  city  of  the 
mighty  nations  shall  fear  Thee.  Because  Thou  hast  been  a  strength 
to  the  poor,  a  strength  to  the  needy  in  his  distress :  a  refuge  from 
the  whirlwind,  a  shadow  from  the  heat.  .  .  .  And  they  shall 
say  in  that  day :  Lo,  this  is  our  God ;  we  have  waited  for  Him,  and 
He  will  save  us :  this  is  the  Lord,  we  have  patiently  waited  for 
Him,  we  shall  rejoice  and  be  joyful  in  His  salvation." 

From  this  vision  of  the  Eternal  Rest  on  high  which  thrills  the 
soul  of  the  prophet,  he  passes  to  the  return  of  Israel  from  captivity, 
and  the  heart  of  the  patriot  bursts  forth  into  a  still  more  lofty 
strain,  because  with  the  vision  of  his  restored  people  is  mingled 
that  of  the  glory  of  the  Christian  church.  "  Sion,  the  city  of  our 
strength — a  Saviour !  A  wall  and  a  bulwark  shall  be  set  therein. 
Open  ye  the  gates,  and  let  the  just  nation  that  keepeth  the  truth 
enter  in  !  The  old  error  is  passed  away :  Thou  wilt  keep  peace, 
peace,  because  we  have  hoped  in  Thee  !  You  have  hoped  in  the 
Lord  for  evermore,  in  the  Lord  God  mighty  for  ever.  .  .  . 
And  in  the  way  of  Thy  judgments,  O  Lord,  we  have  patiently 
waited  for  Thee :  Thy  name  and  Thy  remembrance  (are)  the  desire 
of  the  soul!" 

Full  of  divinest  eloquence,  most  sublime  poetry,  of  tender  piety 


84 


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that  stirs  every  pulse  of  the  reader's  heart,  the  stream  of  Isaias' 
inspiration  flows  onward  in  its  rapid  and  majestic  course,  unlike 
anything  else  in  sacred  or  profane  literature, — the  glory  of  the 
Hebrew  intellect,  the  wonder  and  light  of  the  Christian  church. 

The  above  beautiful  canticle  may  have  been  written  arid  uttered 
when  Jerusalem,  during  the  invasion  of  Salmanasar  (Shalmanezer) 
IV.,  was  preserved  from  capture  and  spoliation,  while  Samaria  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  invader.  This  was  during  the  reign  of  the 
incomparable  Ezechias,  the  most  perfect  prince  who  ever  sat  on  the 
throne  of  David,  and  who  was  of  one  mind  and  one  heart  with  his 
kinsman,  the  great  prophet  of  Juda.  Ezechias  had  made  a  clean 
sweep  of  the  "high  places,"  and  of  every  other  relic  of  idolatry 
within  his  kingdom.  Without  positively  neglecting  what  is  called 
political  prudence  in  his  dealings  with  other  sovereigns,  he  placed 
his  whole  trust  in  Jehovah  alone,  and  spurned  every  alliance  that 
might  imperil  the  faith  or  weaken  the  proud  self-reliance  under 
God  with  which  he  inspired  his  jjeople.  There  were,  however, 
those  among  them,  Sobna  (Shebna),  the  high  treasurer,  for  instance, 
who  hankered  for  a  close  union  with  Egypt  as  a  means  of  resisting 
Assyria.  But  neither  the  prophet  nor  the  king  showed  any  mercy 
to  these  politicians.  We  have  seen  above  how  Sobna  was  disgraced, 
and  can  judge  from  his  case  how  it  fared  with  all  those  of  his  class. 
"  Woe  to  them  that  go  down  to  Egypt  for  help,  trusting  in  horses, 
and  putting  their  confidence  in  chariots,  because  they  are  many ; 
.  .  .  and  have  not  trusted  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel !  .  .  .  Egypt 
is  man,  and  not  God,  and  their  horses  flesh,  and  not  spirit :  and 
the  Lord  shall  put  down  (stretch  out)  his  hand,  and  the  helper  shall 
fall,  and  he  that  is  helped  shall  fall,  and  they  shall  be  confounded 
together"  (xxxi.  1-3).  Formidable  and  resistless  as  then  appeared 
the  power  of  the  Assyrians,  their  utter  defeat  is  announced  repeat- 
edly and  with  such  detailed  circumstances  as  cou!u  not  but  chal- 
lenge the  attention  of  the  whole  people.  "  Behold  the  name  of 
the  Lord  cometh  from  afar.  His  wrath  burneth.  .  .  .  You  shall 
have  a  song  as  in  the  night  of  the  sanctified  solemnity.  .  ,  .  And 
the  Lord  shall  make  the  Qiory  of  His  voice  to  be  heard.  .  .  .  For 
at  the  voice  of  the  Lord  the  Assyrian  shall  fear  being  struck  with 
the  rod  "  (xxx.  27-31).  But  with  these  notions  and  predictions  of 
deliverance  from  temporal  evils  and  earthly  foes  are  always  mixed 
up  visions  of  the  Divine  Liberator  and  of  the  long-delayed  Re- 
demption. "Behold  a  king  shall  reign  in  justice!"  (xxxii.  i); 
and  the  Spirit  is  "  poured  upon  us  from  on  high"  (xxxii.  15). 

Meanwhile  the  flood-gates  of  the  Assyrian  invasion  are  opened, 
fcnd  the  mighty  hosts  of  Sennacherib  inundate  Syria  and  Palestine. 
Jerusalem,  at  length,  is  beset  by  the  victorious  host.  To  the  faith- 
ful and  brave-hearted  King  Isaias,  in  this  extremity,  utters  mes- 
sages of  the  most  cheering  import.  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord :  Be 
not  afraid  of  the  words  that  thou  hast  heard,,  with  which  the 
servants  of  the  King  of  the  Assyrians  have  blasphemed  Me.  ...  I 
will  send  a  spirit  upon  him,  .  .  .  and  I  will  cause  him  to  fall  by 
the  sword  in  his  own  country."  When  the  invader  concentrates 
at  length  all  his  forces  round  the  beleaguered  city,  Ezechias,  in 
answer  to  his  blasphemous  insolence,  challenges  the  fatherly  love 
of  Jehovah  for  His  people:  "O  Lord  our  God,  save  us  out  of  his 
hand,  and  let  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  know  that  Thou  only 
art  the  Lord!"  (xxxvii.  20).  While  still  kneeling  before  the 
Mercy  Seat,  Ezechias  receives  through  Isaias  the  answer  to  his 
prayer.  It  is  Jehovah  who  speaks  to  the  proud  and  blasphemous 
Assyrian :  ..."  I  will  put  a  ring  in  thy  nose  and  a  bit  between 
thy  lips,  and  I  will  turn  thee  back  by  the  way  by  wliich  thou 
camest"  fxxxvii.  29).  That  very  night,  .  .  .  "  The  angel  of  the 
Lord  went  out,  and  slew  in  the  camp  of  the  Assyrians  a  hundred 
and  eighty-five  thousand." 

This,  miraculous  deliverance  had  been  the  great  event  toward 
which  all  the  preceding  prophecies,  all  the  denunciations,  and  all 
the  unceasing  activity  of  Isaias  pointed.  From  the  very  first  page 
he  knew  what  was  to  be  the  dreadful  fate  of  the  schismatic  and 


idolatrous  Ten  Tribes  forming  the  Northern  Kingdom,  that  ot 
Israel  or  Samaria.  They  were  to  be  swept  away  by  the  hand  of 
the  Assyrian,  and  for  them,  as  a  nation  or  a  body  politic,  there  was 
to  be  no  restoration.  To  avert  from  the  Kingdom  of  Juda  and 
Jerusalem,  its  capital,  a  similar  fate,  was  the  cherished  purpose  for 
which  Isaias  lived,  labored,  wrote,  and  prophesied.  To  inspire  his 
people  and  their  rulers  with  an  absolute  and  unwavering  trust  in 
Jehovah, — in  His  love.  His  willingness  and  power  to  protect  and 
shield  them  from  all  dangers,  he  bent  all  the  resources  of  his 
genius  and  influence,  and  discharged  most  faithfully  the  duties  of 
his  recognized  calling  as  a  Seer  and  Prophet.  When  the  epoch  of 
the  dreaded  Assyrian  invasion  was  near  at  hand,  God  sent  to  his 
people  a  perfect  king  in  Ezechias,  and  to  the  Prophet  a  most  zeal- 
ous auxiliary  in  his  mission  of  religious  reformation  and  patriotic 
revival.  Even  the  wretched  remnants  of  the  Ten  Tribes  which 
had  escaped  the  sword  or  the  greed  of  the  Assyrian,  understood  the 
lesson  which  both  Isaias  and  their  own  prophets  Micheas,  Osee, 
and  Amos  had  vainly  taught  them  throughout  all  these  years  of 
delusion  and  guilt.  When  they  found  the  glory  of  Samaria  gon<;, 
and  their  country  wasted  li^-e  a  stubble-field  over  which  the  fire  had 
passed,  they  turned  their  eyes  and  their  hearts  to  Jerusalem  and  its 
God,  and  sought  with  them  an  asylum  in  their  utter  despair. 

But  history  tells  us  that  the  turn  of  Juda  and  Jerusalem  was  yet 
to  come.  The  Babylonian  captivity  awaited  them.  This  God  had 
revealed  in  advance  to  Isaias, — and  this  forms  the  subject  of  the  last 
twenty-seven  chapters  of  this  book.  Chapters  xxxviii.  and  xxxix.  are 
out  of  their  place  in  the  order  of  time ;  the  sickness  of  Ezechias  hap- 
pened before  the  deliverance  of  Jerusalem  and  the  flight  of  Senna 
cherib.  But  as  the  Prophet's  soul  was  occupied  with  this  central 
event  in  his  life,  he  postponed  what  related  to  the  illness  and  cure 
of  the  holy  king  to  the  thrilling  recital  of  Jehovah's  victory. 
This  illness  had  occurred  two  years  before  the  siege  of  Jerusalem 
by  the  Assyrians,  and  fifteen  years  before  the  close  of  the  royal 
life.  But  connected  with  the  King's  restoration  to  health  is  an 
incident  which  had  great  influence  on  the  events  that  were  soon  to 
follow  on  the  flight  of  the  Assyrian  host. 

Merodach-Baladan  IV.,  King  of  Babylon,  anxious  to  cultivate 
friendly  relations  with  the  enemies  of  the  Assyrians,  had  sent 
ambassadors  to  compliment  the  King  of  Juda  on  his  recoVery. 
"Ezechias  rejoiced  at  their  coming,  and  he  showed  them  the  store- 
house of  his  aromatical  spices,  and  of  the  silver,  and  of  the  gold, 
.  .  .  and  all  things  that  were  found  in  his  treasures.  There  was 
nothing  in  his  house  nor  in  all  his  dominion  that  Ezechias  showed 
them  not."  It  was  a  display  prompted  by  a  vanity  unworthy  of 
so  great  -  character,  and  condemned  by  sound  policy  as  well  as  by 
sound  seii.-e.  Forthwith  the  divine  messenger  is  at  hand  to  ques- 
tion the  in.prudent  sovereign,  and  to  receive  a  frank  answer. 
"And  Isaias  said  to  Ezechias:  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  of  hosts. 
Behold  the  days  shall  come,  that  all  that  is  in  thy  house,  and  that  thy 
fathers  have  laid  up  in  store  until  this  day,  shall  be  carried  away 
unto  Babylon.  There  shall  not  be  anything  left,  saith  the  Lord. 
And  of  thy  children  that  shall  issue  from  thee,  .  .  .  they  shall 
take  away,  and  they  shall  be  eunuchs  in  the  palace  of  the  King  of 
Babylon." 

4.  This  Babylonian  captivity  and  the  means  to  be  employed  by 
Providence  to  restore  Juda  become  henceforth  to  the  prophet  not 
only  a  subject  of  continual  and  absorbing  interest,  but  one  which 
he  speaks  of  as  present.  Cyrus,  the  destroyer  of  the  Babylonian 
power,  though  yet  unborn,  is  mentioned  by  name  again  and  again, 
and  the  providential  mission  that  he  is  to  fulfill  is  clearly  sketched 
out.  But  the  crimes  which  bring  on  Juda  this  visitation,  and  the 
manifold  evils  of  exile  and  bondage  which  are  the  chastisement  of 
these  crimes, — only  remind  the  Prophet  of  the  sad  condition  of 
the  entire  race  of  man,  miserably  degraded  by  the  captivity  of  sio 
and  serving  false  gods  in  their  degradation.  Side  by  side  with  tbf 
restoration  by  Cvms  is  described  the  Redemption  by  the  Messiah  f 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


jSb 


end  together  with  the  person  of  Cyrus  we  are  made  to  behold  the  person  of  Christ. 
The  birth,  education,  labors,  sufferings,  and  death  of  the  Redeemer  are  set  forth  in 
colors  so  vivid,  minute,  and  life-like,  that  Isaias  may  be  well  said  to  be  fulfilling  the 
cflSce  of  Evangelist  rather  than  that  of  Prophet. 

It  is,  however,  to  the  book  itself  that  you  must  go,  dear  Reader,  to  find  in  its  inspired 
pages  so  much  of  light,  and  sweetness,  and  strength.  For  the  Spirit  who  spoke  by 
this  great  and  holy  man  never  fails  to  open  the  eyes  and  move  the  hearts  of  those  who 
study  his  writings  with  humble  and  earnest  faith. 

THE  BOOK  OF  JEREMIAS. — Two  of  the  darkest  reigns  that  ever  disgraced  any 
country,  oi  saddened  the  hearts  of  men  who  believe  in  a  Supreme  Being  and  in  the 
eternd  laws  of  morality,  separate  Isaias  from  Jeremias.  Manasser,  born  to  the  good 
King  iizechias  after  the  latter's  recovery  from  the  mortal  illness  mentioned  above, 
and  abtmi  the  very  period  of  the  siege  and  deliverance  of  Jerusalem,  was  as  unlike 
his  pious  and  public-spirited  parent  as  a  son  could  well  be.  The  alliance  which  the 
former  contracted  with  the  Babylonians,  and  from  which  Isaias  foretold  the  direst 
consequences,  became  a  state  necessity  with  his  successor.  Worse  than  that,  however — 
worse  indeea  than  any  calamity  which  had  ever  before  befallen  the  Kingdom  of  Juda 
— was  the  formal  and  open  apostasy  of  Manasses.  Not  only  did  he  forsake  the  faith  of 
his  father,  buc  he  introduced  in  its  stead  the  foulest  idol-worship  of  Babylon  and  Syria, 
banishing  from  the  Temple  every  remnant  of  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  desecrating  its 
jrecincts  and  the  Holy  of  holies  itself  with  the  most  odious  heathen  rites ;  blotting 
out,  so  far  as  he  could,  from  the  laws  and  institutions  of  his  native  country  every 
trace  of  the  Law  of  God,  every  memorial  of  His  past  mercies  to  Israel.  Not  content 
with  this,  he  persecuted  with  the  most  unsparing  cruelty  all  those  who  were  faithful  to 
their  conscience,  the  priests  and  prophets,  especially,  and,  among  these,  Isaias.  This 
great  man,  the  stay  of  religion  and  nationality,  the  glory  of  his  race  and  age,  was 
now  past  eighty.  Of  course,  years  had  not  diminished  his  zeal  in  the  service  of 
his  God  and  his  country.  And  the  last  chapters  in  his  prophecies  are  there  to  tell 
us  that  the  beautiful  mind  had  lost  none  of  its  power,  and  the  prophet's  divine 
eloquence  none  of  its  inspiration.  Had  the  Holy  Spirit  disclosed  to  him  the  secret 
of  his  own  cruel  death  at  the  hands  of  the  impious  Manasses  ?  We  cannot  say.  But 
there  is  a  touching  appositeness  in  the  last  utterances  recorded  by  Isaias.  "  For  Sion's 
sake,  I  will  not  hold  my  peace ;  and  for  the  sake  of  Jerusalem,  I  will  not  rest  till  her 
Just  One  come  forth  as  brightness,  and  her  Saviour  be  lighted  as  a  lamp  "  (Ixii.  i). 
"  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  garments  from  Bosra,  this  Beautiful 
One  in  His  robe,  walking  in  the  greatness  of  His  strength  ?  Why  then  is  Thy  apparel 
red,  and  Thy  garments  like  those  that  tread  in  the  wine-press"  (Ixiii.  i,  2)?  Are 
these  the  words  of  a  martyr,  conscious  of  his  approaching  fate,  and  gazing  from  afar  on 
the  form  of  the  King  of  Martyrs,  as  He  stands  alone,  with  blood-stained  garments 
and  torn  head  and  limbs  on  the  wood  of  His  cross,  about  to  stretch  forth  His  hands  to 
the  nails  ?     For  it  is  the  constant  tradition  of  both  the  Jewish  and  Christian  churches 


26 


HISTORY   OF   THE    BOOKS    OF   THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


that  Manasses  caused  the  great -souled  prophet  to  be  inclosed  in  the 
tpjnk  of  a  tree  and  sawn  in  the  middle. 

It  was  the  privilege  of  Jeremias  to  be  called  to  fulfill  his  prophetic 
mission  during  the  reign  of  Josias,  the  grandson  of  Manasses  and 
the  son  of  a  father  who  rivaled  Manasses  in  impiety  and  wicked- 
ness. During  the  reign  of  the  saintly  Josias  and  till  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  by  the  Chaldaeans — that  is,  during  a  period  of 
forty  years — Jeremias  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his 
sacred  office  with  a  heroism  and  eloquence  that  make  him  rank 
only  after  Isaias.  Like  St.  John  the  Baptist,  he  was  sanctified  be- 
fore his  birth  for  the  sublime  mission  to  which  he  was  destined. 
And  he  needed  all  the  extraordinary  graces  of  which  this  first  one 
was  a  pledge.  For  to  none  of  the  prophets  or  of  the  saints  of  the 
Old  Law  was  assigned  a  mission  so  barren  in  consolation,  so  full 
of  that  intense  bitterness  which  arises  from  the  spectacle  of  pro- 
longed national  degeneracy  and  apostasy,  and  from  the  utter  ruin 
of  the  dearest  hopes  of  the  priest  and  the  patriot.  It  was  a  life- 
long martyrdom.  When  he  first  heard  the  Divine  Voict  calling 
him  to  his  long  struggle  with  ignorance  and  iniquity — a  woman 
Holda  (Huldah)  was  the  sole  organ  of  the  divine  will  in  all  Juda. 
Though  afterward  he  was  to  have  as  his  auxiliaries  in  the  prophetic 
office  not  only  Holda  and  his  disciples,  the  brothers  Baruch  and 
Saraias,  but  Sophonias,  Habacuc,  and  Urias,  still,  scattered  as  were 
the  remnants  of  God's  people  both  in  Egypt  and  Mesopotamia, 
utterly  desolate  as  was  the  land  of  Juda  and  Israel,  and  obstinately 
perverse  as  his  countrymen  and  their  leaders  continued  to  be,  Jere- 
mias encountered  nothing  but  contradiction,  hatred,  and  persecu- 
tion. He  is  imprisoned  by  his  countrymen  during  the  siege  of 
Jerusalem,  because  he  counsels  them  to  make  terms  with  the  enemy, 
knowing  supernaturally,  as  he  does,  that  on  a  conditional  surrender 
depends  the  preservation  of  the  city  and  the  Temple,  as  well  as 
immunity  from  the  frightful  evils  of  a  place  carried  by  storm.  He 
opposed,  as  did  Isaias  before  him,  every  alliance  with  foreigners, 
and  advocated  as  the  only  safeguards  to  national  independence  a 
total  reform  in  manners  and  religion  and  unbounded  loyalty  to 
Jehovah.  Even  the  good  King  Josias  was  continually  hesitating 
between  an  alliance  with  Babylon  and  a  league  with  Egypt.  In 
spite  of  Jeremias'  earnest  remonstrances,  the  prince  did  attach  him- 
self to  the  Chaldaeans,  and  perished  by  the  hands  of  the  Egyptians 
whom  he  persisted  in  attacking  without  cause.  Thus  the  Prophet 
was  assailed  with  equal  hostility  by  both  political  parties  in  Jeru- 
salem who  happ)ened  to  incline  either  for  the  Babylonian  alliance 
or  for  the  Egyptian.  After  the  death  of  Josias  began  that  succes- 
sion of  deplorable  reigns  each  of  which  recalled  the  worst  crimes  of 
Manasses  and  Amon — princes  and  people  continuing  in  exile  and 
slavery  what  they  had  been  in  their  own  country,  God-defying  and 
God-forsaken. 

As  to  the  order  in  which  these  prophecies  were  given  and  con- 
signed to  writing,  we  are  informed  that,  up  to  the  fourth  year  of 
Joakim,  King  of  Juda,  Jeremias  had  not  recorded  his  prophecies  in 
writing.  He,  therefore,  by  divine  command  commits  to  writing  "all 
the  words  "  that  he  had  spoken  from  the  Lord  "  against  Israel  and 
Juda,  and  against  all  the  nations."  In  this  task  his  disciple  Baruch 
fills  the  office  of  secretary.  This  first  volume  is  destroyed  in  the 
wicked  King's  own  chamber,  and  Jeremias  is  bidden  to  write  another 
volume.  This  contains  all  that  had  been  put  down  in  the  first-"  be- 
sides many  more  words  than  had  been  before"  (chap,  xxxvi.  1-32). 

We  can  thus  take  these  first  thirty-six  chapters  as  containing  the 
first  and  principal  portion  of  the  prophecies  of  Jeremias,  as  well  as 
the  chief  incidents  of  his  own  personal  history  as  given  by  himself. 
Chapters  xxxv.  and  xxxvi.,  however,  interrupt  the  chronological 
order,  the  ^rst  to  set  forth  the  heroic  fidelity  of  the  Rechabites  as 
a  lesson  to  a  sensual  and  faithless  generation,  and  the  other  to  give 
a  history  of  the  book  itself,  as  well  as  to  warn  more  solemnly  both 
the  nation  and  its  King  that  the  Babylonian  captivity  so  long 
threatened  was  near  at  hand. 


In  chapter  xxxvii.  the  prophet  resumes  the  account  of  his  mis- 
sion under  King  Sedecias  just  where  his  narration  ended  in  chapter 
xxxiv.  At  this  point  we  find  the  Babylonians  besieging  Jerusalem, 
and  the  recreant  King  and  his  counselors  send,  in  their  terror,  to 
consult  Jeremias  about  the  final  issue.  For  the  enemy  had  with- 
drawn his  forces  momentarily  to  meet  the  Egyptians  advancing  to 
the  rescue.  There  is  but  one  answer — the  prediction  so  often 
repeated  in  vain :  "  The  Chaldaeans  shall  come  again,  and  fight 
against  this  city,  and  take  it,  and  burn  it  with  fire."  He  cannot 
deliver  to  them  a  false  message  from  the  God  of  truth ;  and  they 
will  not  bring  themselves  to  believe  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
as  foretold.  So,  he  is  cast  into  prison,  first,  and  then  the  Egyptian 
faction  demand  that  he  shall  be  put  to  death  (xxxviii.  4).  The 
King  consents,  and  the  prophet  is  cast  into  the  worst  of  dungeons 
as  a  preliminary  to  his  execution.  Saved  from  this  peril  by  an 
Ethiopian  slave,  he  is  pressed  more  vehemently  by  Sedecias  to  tell 
him,  the  King,  the  truth  as  he  desires  it.  "And  Jeremias  said  to 
Sedecias,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts  the  God  of  Israel :  If  thou 
wilt  take  a  resolution  and  go  out  to  the  princes  of  the  King  of 
Babylon,  thy  soul  shall  live,  and  this  city  shall  not  be  burnt  with 
fire;  and  thou  shalt  be  safe  and  thy  house."  Of  course  the  King 
would  not  assent. 

And  then  the  end  came  (xxxix).  The  remaining  chapters,  as  far 
as  xlv.,  recount  the  taking  of  Jerusalem  and  the  evils  which  fol- 
lowed. The  Prophet  remains  among  the  ruins  of  his  country  still 
bent  on  helping  the  miserable  remnants  of  his  people  left  behind 
by  the  conqueror  to  return  sincerely  to  the  God  of  their  fathers. 
He  knows  what  the  Almighty  can  do  with  a  few  faithful,  repentant, 
and  resolute  hearts  to  build  up  even  a  destroyed  nationality.  And 
so  his  crushing  grief  is  lightened  in  the  endeavor  to  make  of  the 
few  who  remain  of  Juda  and  Israel  true  worshipers  and  true  citizens. 
But  political  division  and  party  rivalries,  the  bane  of  falling  com- 
monwealths and  the  curse  of  such  as  strive  to  rise,  set  the  Jews 
against  each  other ;  caused  one  faction  to  massacre  the  leaders  of 
the  other,  and  then  to  seek  a  refuge  in  Egypt  against  the  vengeance 
of  the  Babylonians.  The  Prophet  and  his  disciple,  Baruch,  arc 
compelled  to  follow  them  thither.  In  vain  did  Jeremias  announce 
that  Egypt  should  not  protect  them ;  and  equally  in  vain,  during 
his  captivity  in  that  land,  did  he  try  to  convert  these  men  from 
their  evil  ways.  The  very  accomplishment  of  the  prophecies  which 
they  had  so  often  derided  before  the  event,  only  made  them  the 
more  bitterly  hostile  to  him,  and  only  rendered  more  intolerable 
his  denunciation  of  the  crimes  which  his  fellow-exiles  in  Egypt 
added  to  all  their  former  wickedness.  At  length — so  the  most 
ancient  and  venerable  traditions  say — they  put  him  to  death,  in 
order  to  silence  forever  the  voice  which  no  bribe  could  buy  and  no 
fear  intimidate.  But  they  could  not  thereby  still  the  voice  of  their 
own  conscience  nor  remove  from  above  their  own  heads  the  Al- 
mighty Hand  and  the  sword  of  the  divine  justice  toward  which 
Jeremias  had  so  often  directed  their  eyes  in  vain. 

The  remaining  chapters  of  the  book  must  be  read  in  the  light 
of  contemporaneous  history  and  with  the  aid  of  the  most  scholarly 
critics. 

THE  PROPHECY  OF  BARUCH.— All  agree  that  the  illus- 
trious  man,  who  has  given  his  name  to  this  book,  was  the  disciple, 
secretary,  and  associate  of  Jeremias.  His  noble  birth  and  powerful 
connections  were  so  well  known,  as  well  as  the  esteem  in  which  he 
was  held  by  his  master,  that  the  court  party  under  Joakim  attributed 
to  Baruch's  persuasion  the  great  prophet's  constancy  in  proclaim- 
ing the  certain  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Chaldaeans.  Both 
were  imprisoned  together,  and  both  would  have  doubtless  perished 
together  had  not  the  bad  King's  fears  caused  them  to  be  reprieved; 
the  taking  of  Jerusalem  found  them  stilJ  in  prison.  The  con- 
querors spared  them.  But  their  fate,  according  to  the  most  ancient 
traditions,  united  them  in  life  and  death.     They  both  died  toe;ethei 


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in  Egypt,  witnessing  to  the  end  to  the  truth  of  Jehovah's  pro- 
phecies. So  must  you,  dear  reader,  study  the  writings  and  the 
lives  of  these  two  heroic  men  as  one  inseparable  whole,  full  of  ele- 
vating examples  and  divinest  teachings. 

EZECHIEL. 

EZECHIEL,  the  son  of  Buzi,  was  of  a  priestly  family,  a  con- 
temporary of  the  two  preceding  prophets,  and  carried  off  a  prisoner 
to  Babylonia  by  Nabuchodonosor,  together  with  King  Jechonias, 
eleven  years  before  the  final  capture  and  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
He  tells  us  that  he  was  called  to  fulfill  his  prophetic  mission  "  in 
the  thirtieth  year."  And  it  has  puzzled  scholars  not  a  little  to 
find  out  from  what  event  he  reckons  these  years  up  to  the  "thir- 
tieth." Be  that  event  what  it  may,  we  know  that  the  thirtieth 
year  here  mentioned  coincided  with  the  fifth  of  the  captivity  of 
Jechonias,  as  well  as  the  fifth  of  the  reign  of  his  son,  Sedecias. 
During  the  twenty  years  which  followed  Ezechiel  did  not  cease  to 
fill  his  sacred  office.  His  chief  purpose  is  to  confirm  in  the  faith 
his  fellow-captives  in  Chaldaea.  They  despaired,  in  their  bondage, 
of  ever  seeing  their  race  restored  to  Palestine,  many  and  clear  as 
had  been  the  declarations  of  Jeremias  on  this  subject.  What  this 
great  prophet  had  so  often  announced  in  his  own  country,  what 
indeed  he  continued  to  predict  in  Jerusalem  all  through  these  first 
years  of  the  captivity,  Ezechiel  was  called  to  proclaim  on  the  banks 
of  the  Euphrates.  So  that  these  two  illustrious  contemporaries 
were  like  two  inspired  singers  taking  up  alternately  the  burden  of 
the  same  song,  the  one  in  the  far  northeast  amid  the  splendors  of 
Babylonia,  the  other  in  the  southwest  and  among  the  blindly- 
sinning  multitudes  of  fore-doomed  Jerusalem. 

No  other  prophet  has  clothed  his  predictions  and  teachings  under 
such  varied  and  striking  forms.  Sometimes  he  gives  his  utterances 
the  shape  of  distinct  predictions  (vi.,  vii.,  xx.,  etc.);  sometimes 
they  are  proposed  as  allegories  (xxiii.,  xxiv.);  again  as  symbolical 
actions  (iv.,  viii.),  or  similitudes  (xii.,  xv.),  or  parables  (xvii.);  or 
as  proverbs  (xii.  22  ;  xviii.  i  and  following);  or,  finally,  as  visions 
(viii.-xi.)  "The  book,"  says  Dr.  SmitYi  {Dictionary  of  the  Bible, 
art.  "Ezekiel"),  "is  divided  into  two  great  parts,  of  which  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  is  the  turning-point ;  chapters  i.-xxiv.  con- 
tain predictions  delivered  before  that  event,  and  xxv.-xlviii.  after 
it,  as  we  see  from  xxvi.  2.  Again,  chapters  i.-xxxii.  are  mainly 
occupied  with  correction,  denunciation  and  reproof,  while  the 
remainder  deal  chiefly  in  consolation  and  promise.  A  parenthet- 
ical section  in  the  middle  of  the  book  (xxv.-xxxii.)  contains  a 
group  of  prophecies  against  seven  foreign  nations." 

Another  very  convenient  grouping  of  the  prophecies,  according 
to  the  same  author,  is  that  of  Havernick,  who  divides  the  book  into 
nine  sections,  as  follows:  I.  Ezechiel's  call,  i.-iii.  15.  II.  The 
general  carrying  out  of  the  commission,  iii.  iS-wW.  III.  The  re- 
jection of  the  people  because  of  their  idolatry,  viii.-xi.  IV.  The 
sins  of  the  age  rebuked  in  detail,  xii.-xix.  V.  The  nature  of  the 
judgment  and  the  guilt  which  caused  it,  xx.-xxiii.  VI.  The 
meaning  of  the  now  commencing  punishment,  xxiv.  VII.  God's 
judgment  denounced  on  seven  heathen  nations :  Ammonites,  xxv. 
1-7;  Moab,  S-14;  the  Philistines,  15-17;  Tyre,  xxvi.-xxviii.  19; 
Sidon,  20-24;  Egypt,  xxix.-xxxii.  VIII.  Prophecies  after  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  concerning  the  future  condition  of  Israel, 
xxxiii.-xxxix.     IX.   The  glorious  consummation,  xl.-xlviii. 

One  most  touching  incident  in  the  prophet's  life  deserves  especial 
mention.  During  the  ninth  year  of  his  captivity,  his  wife  died  at 
the  very  time  that  Jerusalem  was  sorely  pressed  by  Nabuchodonosor. 
"Son  of  man,  write  thee  the  name  of  this  day  on  which  the  King 
of  Babylon  hath  set  himself  against  Jerusalem.  .  .  .  Woe  to  the 
bloody  city  of  which  I  shall  make  a  great  bonfire.  ...  I  will  judge 
thee  according  to  thy  ways,  and  according  to  thy  doings,  saith  the 
Lord.     And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  me,  saying ;  I  take 


from  thee  the  desire  of  thy  eyes  with  a  stroke;  and  thou  shalt  not 
lament,  nor  weep;  neither  shall  thy  tears  run  down.  Sigh  in 
silence,  make  no  mourning  for  the  dead :  let  the  tire  of  thy  head 
be  upon  thee,  and  thy  shoes  on  thy  feet,  and  cover  not  thy  face, 
nor  eat  the  meat  of  mourners.  So  I  spoke  to  the  people  in  the 
morning,  and  my  wife  died  in  the  evening  ;  and  I  did  in  the  morn- 
ing as  He  had  commanded  me.  And  the  people  said  to  me:  Why 
dost  thou  not  tell  us  what  these  things  mean  that  thou  doest?  And 
I  said.  The  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  me,  saying,  Speak  to  the 
house  of  Israel :  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  'Behold,  I  will  profane 
My  sanctuary,  the  glory  of  your  realm,  and  the  thing  that  your 
eyes  desire,  and  for  which  your  soul  feareth :  your  sons  and  your 
daughters  shall  fall  by  the  sword.'  And  you  shall  do  as  I  have 
done;  you  shall  not  cover  your  faces,  nor  shall  you  eat  the  meat 
of  mourners.  You  shall  have  crowns  on  your  head,  and  shoes  on 
your  feet"  (xxiv.  1-23). 

Alas,  grievous  as  was  the  lot  of  these  poor  wrong-headed  exiles 
in  Babylonia  at  the  moment  of  this  particular  prediction,  it  was  to 
become  incomparably  worse  after  the  return  of  Nabuchodonosor. 
They  were  to  be  separated  and  scattered  through  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  empire,  most  of  them  to  perish  through  misery  and 
hardship.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  latter  misfortune  is  so  grea' 
as  compared  with  the  former,  that  even  the  loss  of  the  nearest  and 
dearest,  and  the  annihilation  of  the  most  cherished  national  hopes 
are  as  nothing  compared  with  the  intolerable  bitterness  of  theii 
coming  ills. 

DANIEL. — While  the  Hebrews  were  enduring  all  the  humilia- 
tions and  hardships  of  captivity  and  exile  under  the  yoke  of  their 
Assyrian  masters,  Providence  was  preparing  avengers  for  all  the 
impiety  and  cruelty  displayed  in  Palestine  and  elsewhere  by  Senna- 
cherib and  his  successors.  The  Chaldaeans  had  ever  borne  with 
impatience  the  rule  of  Nineveh ;  and  before  this  proud  city  fell 
forever  Babylon  began  to  reassert  its  own  independence  and  su- 
periority. Nabopolassar,  the  father  of  Nabuchodonosor,  firmly  es- 
tablished the  Babylonian  supremacy,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Medes  under  Cyaxares  effected  the  utter  and  final  destruction  of 
Nineveh. 

For  the  exiled  Hebrews  the  annihilation  of  the  Assyrian  powet 
only  meant  a  change  of  masters,  not  freedom  from  the  yoke  ot 
restoration  to  their  native  land.  The  most  extravagant  despotism 
and  the  most  repulsive  forms  of  idolatry  marked  the  new  Chaldaean 
empire,  as  we  may  judge  not  only  from  the  Book  of  Daniel,  but 
from  the  very  annals  which  are  daily  brought  to  light  from  the 
ruins  of  the  Babylonian  cities. 

Daniel  too,  like  Isaias,  was  of  the  royal  race  of  David,  was 
carried  away  into  captivity  in  the  third  year  of  King  Joakim, 
and  with  three  young  companions  was  brought  up  as  a  page  in  the 
royal  palace.  As  the  idolatrous  practices  of  the  Chaldaeans  de- 
manded that  all  animal  food  served  on  the  royal  tables  should 
have  been  previously  offered  to  the  gods,  to  partake  of  them  im- 
plied a  participation  in  this  idol-worship.  This  to  the  worshipers 
of  the  true  God  was  a  defilement  and  an  abomination.  And  such 
meats  Daniel  and  his  companions  refused  to  touch,  preferring  to 
feed  exclusively  on  vegetable  food.  On  this  fare  they  grew  up  to 
robust  and  comely  manhood.  And,  as  had  long  before  happened 
to  Joseph  in  the  house  of  Putiphar,  heroic  temperance  brought 
them  supernatural  wisdom.  Though  scarcely  emerged  from  boy- 
hood, Daniel,  as  the  story  of  Susanna  proves,  was  known  among 
his  fellow-captives  to  be  possessed  of  a  knowledge  all  divine.  In 
the  fourth  year  of  the  noble  youth's  exile  happened  the  famous 
vision  sent  to  the  king  of  the  statue  made  of  divers  metals,  and  the 
stern  interpretation  given  of  the  monarch's  dream  by  Daniel.  The 
despot  is  awed  for  the  moment  into  acknowledging  the  God  of 
Israel  as  the  only  living  God.     But  his  subsequent  career  of  cop 


28 


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^M 


quest  turns  his  head,  and  he,  too,  will  have  himself  worshiped  after  the  manner  of  his 
ancestor  Bel  or  Baal.  Then  comes  a  second  terrific  dream  (iv.  8-27)  which  Daniel 
also  explains,  and  is  followed  by  the  proud  king's  salutary  expiation.  Finally,  under 
Baltassar  (Belshazzar),  a  third  fearful  vision  is  sent,  prophetic  of  the  impending  doom 
of  the  empire  itself.  Daniel  is  again  sent  for  to  read  "the  hand-writing  on  the 
wall;"  and  that  very  night  Babylon  is  taken  by  Cyrus  and  his  Persians,  and  by 
Darius  and  his  Medes. 

Tlie  seven  first  chapters  of  the  Book  of  Daniel  are  partly  historical  and  partly  pro- 
phetical, while  the  four  following  relate  to  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  great  empires  which 
are  to  rule  the  earth,  and  among  which  shall  be  cast  the  lot  of  the  children  of  God 
till  the  end  of  time.  In  chapter  ix.  occurs  the  celebrated  prophecy  of  the  "seventy 
weeks  of  years"  after  the  expiration  of  which  Christ  the  Messiah  was  to  consummate 
the  work  of  redemption.  In  the  last  two  chapters,  xiii.  and  xiv.,  are  found  the  story 
of  Susanna  and  that  of  Bel  and  the  Dragon. 

THE  TWELVE  MINOR  PEOPHETS. 

All  the  writers,  who  in  the  Old  Testament  are  designated  under  the  title  of  Pro- 
phets, lived  within  the  period  elapsed  from  the  year  before  Christ,  784  to  445,  the  date 
of  Nehemias'  governorship  over  Judaea,  a  space,  therefore,  of  about  three  hundred  and 
forty  years.  Of  the  Four  Greater  Prophets  we  have  already  spoken.  But,  as  the 
Twelve  Lesser  Prophets  have  lived  at  the  same  time  with  their  more  illustrious  brethren 
in  the  prophetic  office,  giving  to  these,  under  God''  inspiration  and  direction,  the 
aid  of  their  ministry,  so  it  seems  but  rational  to  group  them  together  in  the  order 
in  which  they  lived.  Thus  we  shall  have  four  groups:  ist.  Osee,  Amos,  Jonas, 
Michseas,  and  Nahum,  who  were  contemporaries  of  Isaias.  2d.  Sophonias,  Joel  and 
Habacue,  who  belong  to  the  epoch  of  Jeremias.  3d.  Abdias,  who  lived  during  the 
period  of  the  captivity,  thus  is  a  contemporary  of  Daniel  and  Ezechiel.  4th.  Aggias, 
Zacharias,  and  Malachias  belong  to  the  time  of  the  Restoration,  extending  from 
Zorobabel  in  546  to  Nehemias  in  445. 

So,  dear  reader,  it  will  help  you  not  a  little  toward  the  understanding  of  what  is 
most  important  in  each  prophecy,  if  you  will  go  to  the  table  on  page  00,  and  then 
read  a  brief  summary  of  the  reigns  of  the  contemporary  kings  whether  of  Israel 
or  Juda.  Thereby  you  will  be  better  able  to  see  the  drift  of  the  prophecy  and  to 
compare  each  prediction  with  what  is  contained  in  the  book  of  the  Greater  Prophet, 
who  lived  at  the  same  epoch,  and  for  whose  assistance  God  inspired  and  sent  the 
Minor  Prophets  of  his  age. 

Another  advice  we  must  here  give  parents  or  others  who  are  desirous  or  accus- 
tomed to  read  for  the  young  and  innocent  select  passages  from  the  Scripture,  is — to 
be  very  careful  not  to  allow  their  pure-minded  and  unsuspecting  charge  to  read  for 
themselves  and  without  discrimination  the  books  of  the  prophets.  There  are  passages 
in  them  which  might  and  would  disedify  or  shock  the  sense  of  English  readers. 


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I 


Eastern  nations,  in  the  days  of  Isaias  and  Daniel,  were  anything 
rather  than  refined  in  their  manners,  their  sentiments,  or  their 
language,  although  they  were  far  advanced  in  the  arts  of  mere 
material  civilizatiorj  Even  in  Palestine,  all  through  the  centuries 
over  which  extended  the  lives  and  teachings  of  the  prophets, 
there  existed  a  sensuality  in  manners,  derived  from  the  too  com- 
mon practice  of  the  abominable  idolatry  of  their  Chanaanite  and 
Babylonian  neighbors,  and  a  corresponding  coarseness  of  language, 
of  which  but  few  among  ns,  happily,  have  any  conception. 

Hence  it  is,  that  the  prophets  sent  to  rouse  men  steeped  in  vice 
and  almost  brutified  by  the  prevailing  idol-worship  from  their  deep 
sleep  of  forgetfulness  or  insensibility  to  divine  things,  use  figures, 
comparisons,  parables,  allegories,  expressions  which  to  us  are  most 
shocking,  but  which  conveyed  the  truth  in  the  only  form  calculated 
to  strike  and  startle  the  God-forgetting  generations  among  whom 
they  lived.  Over  these  passages  the  guides  of  youth  will  pass  to 
find  what  is  edifying  and  beautiful  and  instructive  in  these  inspired 
writings. 

I.  OSEE,  AMOS,  JONAS,  MICH^EAS,  AND  NAHUM.— 
1.  OsEE  began  his  mission  most  probably  in  the  last  year  of  Jero- 
boam II.,  King  of  Israel  (died  B.  c.  784),  and  continued  his  labors 
during  sixty  years  down  to  the  reign  of  Ezechias,  King  of  Juda. 
He  with  his  brother  prophets  in  the  northern  kingdom  did  for  the 
enlightenment  and  salvation  of  the  Ten  Tribes  what  Isaias  was  at 
the  same  time  doing  for  the  Kingdom  of  Juda.  Jeroboam  II.  had 
been  the  most  fortunate  of  all  the  rulers  of  the  northern  kingdom ; 
had  wrested  from  the  surrounding  Pagan  nations  not  only  the  terri- 
tories belonging  to  his  own  subject  tribes,  but  also  that  which 
belonged  to  Juda  and  Benjamin  and  which  had  been  long  held  by 
their  enemies.  This  restoration  of  the  entire  patrimony  of  God's 
people  had  been  the  subject  of  more  than  one  prophecy,  and  the 
restorer  had  even  been  designated  as  a  deliverer  in  the  inspired 
utterances.  However  Jeroboam  II.  was  not  the  man  .0  unite  piety 
toward  the  true  God  with  the  courage  of  the  soldier  and  the  wis- 
dom of  the  statesman.  He  could  not  or  would  not  understand 
that  unity  of  belief  and  worship  was  the  great  secret  of  national 
strength,  prosperity,  and  invincibility.  In  religious  matters  he 
was  the  worthy  successor  of  Jeroboam  I.  and  of  Jehu,  favored 
idolatry  to  the  exclusion  of  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  and  allowed 
himself  and  his  people  to  float  unresistingly  down  the  stream  of 
drunkenness  and  licentiousness.  As  we  shal!  see,  Amos  (vii.  9)  pre- 
dicted the  utter  overthrow  of  this  prevaricating  dynasty. 

The  first  three  chapters  of  Osee  are  filled  by  one  terrible  allegory 
full  of  light  and  menace  for  both  kingdoms.  God  again  and  again 
in  Scripture  speaks  of  His  love  for  this  chosen  race  as  that  of  a 
husband  for  the  woman  whom  he  has  made  his  wife,  choosing  her 
from  among  all  living  women.  The  favors  conferred  on  Israel  He 
continually  likens  to  the  extraordinary  proofs  of  affection,  tender- 
ness, and  profuse  liberality,  which  the  most  devoted  of  husbands 
never  wearies  in  bestowing  on  the  bride  of  his  choice.  It  was  the 
divine  purpose  to  make  of  the  privileged  people  a  queen  among 
nations.  This  purpose  had  been  thwarted  by  the  incurable  per- 
versity of  the  chosen  one,  and  all  the  divine  liberality  and  magnifi- 
cence made  the  occasion  of  the  foulest  guilt.  What  reason  would 
not  favored  Israel  have  of  accusing  the  Most  High  of  being  untrue 
to  His  covenant,  if  He  had  neglected  His  own  people  despite  their 
inviolable  fidelity  and  heroic  devotion,  and  lavished  on  the  idola- 
trous nations  round  about  the  favors  promised  exclusively  to  His 
own?  What  if  all  the  transgressions  and  the  odium  of  faithless- 
ness and  inconstancy  could  be  laid  to  His  account  ?  This  is  what 
is  implied  in  the  fearful  allegory  of  these  first  chapters.  Their 
thought,  imagery,  and  expressions,  are  borrowed  from  the  life  and 
language  of  a  people  lost  to  all  sense  of  guilt  and  shame,  and  ac- 
cessible only  to  the  terrible  threats  implied  in  the  converse  of  the 
»bove  flupposition,  and  wggested  by  the  awakened  consciousness 


of  a  nation  that  had  so  often  in  the  p)ast  experienced  the  prodigies 
of  Jehovah's  love,  and  which  is  now  threatened  with  the  extremity 
of  His  vengeance.  "  The  children  of  Israel  shall  sit  many  days 
without  king,  and  without  prince,  and  without  sacrifice,  and  without 
altar.  .  .  .  And  after  this  the  children  of  Israel  shall  return,  and 
shall  seek  the  Lord  their  God,  and  David  their  King:  and  they 
shall  fear  the  Lord  and  His  goodness  in  the  last  days^'  (iii.  4,  5). 
This  first  portion  may  well  apply  to  the  close  of  Jeroboam's  brill- 
iant reign,  while  the  troublous  interregnum  of  eleven  years  which 
followed  on  his  death  may  have  filled  the  popular  mind  with  serious 
apprehensions  about  the  near  fulfillmant  of  the  prophet's  threat. 

The  succeeding  chapters  strike  the  reader  of  biblical  history  with 
the  same  feeling  of  singular  aptness,  when  one  remembers  that  the 
popular  leaders  in  the  northern,  as  well  as  in  the  southern  kingdom 
were  always  hankering  after  an  alliance  with  the  Egyptian  or  the 
Mesipotamian  kings,  while  they  and  the  blind  multitude  they  mis- 
led were  plunging  deeper  every  day  into  the  criminal  excesses  re- 
proved by  the  divine  law.  "  Ephraim  saw  his  sickness  and  Juda 
his  band :  and  Ephraim  went  to  the  Assyrian,  and  sent  to  the 
avenging  king.  And  he  shall  not  be  able  to  heal  you,  neither 
shall  he  be  able  to  take  off  the  band  from  you.  For  I  will  be  like 
a  lioness  to  Ephraim  and  like  a  lion's  whelp  to  the  house  of  Juda : 
I  will  catch,  and  go :  I  will  take  away,  and  there  is  none  that  can 
rescue"  (v.  13-15).  "Ephraim  himself  is  mixed  among  the 
nations:  Ephraim  is  become  as  bread  baked  under  the  ashes,  that 
is  not  turned.  .  .  .  They  called  upon  Egypt  and  went  to  the  As- 
syrians" (vii.  8-1 1).  ..."  Egypt  shall  gather  them  together,  Mem- 
phis shall  bury  them :  nettles  shall  inherit  their  beloved  silver,  the 
bur  shall  be  in  their  tabernacles.  The  days  of  visitation  are  come, 
th?  days  of  repaying  are  come :  Know  ye,  O  Israel,  that  the  pro- 
phet was  foolish,  the  spiritual  man  was  mad,  for  the  multitude  of 
thy  iniquity,  and  the  multitude  of  thy  madness.  .  .  .  My  God 
shall  cast  them  away,  because  they  hearkened  not  to  him :  and 
they  shall  be  wanderers  among  the  nations!  "  (ix.  6-17.) 

So  Osee  in  Samaria,  as  Isaias  in  Jerusalem,  was  looked  upon  by 
the  scheming  politicians  as  a  madman,  and  by  the  pleasure-seeking 
populace  as  a  fool,  because  he  dared  threaten  the  nation  in  the 
noonday  of  its  prosperity  and  pride  with  defeat  and  dispersion. 
And  yet  the  burthen  is  laid  on  them  both  to  proclaim  the  coming 
doom  to  every  prince  who  ascended  the  throne,  and  to  the  daily 
crowd  who  rushed  to  the  groves  and  high  places,  to  the  altars  of 
Ashtarte  and  haunts  of  forbidden  pleasure. 

But  these  incorruptible  and  fearless  men,  in  whose  hearts  the 
love  of  country  and  race  was  inseparable  from  the  love  of  their 
Master,  ceased  not  to  bear  their  witness  in  the  midst  of  the  sinful 
crowd.  "  Ephraim  feedeth  on  the  wind,  and  followeth  the 
[changes  of  the]  heat:  all  the  daylong  he  multiplied  lies  and 
desolation :  and  he  hath  made  a  covenant  with  the  Assyrians,  and 
carried  oil  into  Egypt.  Therefore  there  is  a  judgment  of  the  Lord 
with  Juda,  and  a  visitation  for  Jacob:  He  will  render  to  him  ac- 
cording to  his  ways,  and  according  to  his  devices.  .  .  .  Therefore 
turn  thou  to  thy  God :  Keep  mercy  and  judgment,  and  hope  in  thy 
God  always"  (xii.  1-6). 

Would  you,  dear  reader,  understand  both  the  purpose  and  the 
mission  of  such  prophets  as  Osee,  then  go  back  to  2  Paralipomenon 
xviii.,  and  peruse  the  entire  chapter  carefully.  Few  scenes  in 
sacred  or  profane  history  are  so  full  of  salutary  instruction,  or  so 
powerfully  drawn  as  that  in  which  the  wily  and  impious  Achab  and 
the  pious  but  inconsistent  Joshaphat  are  placed,  in  presence  of  the 
population  of  Samaria,  directly  beneath  the  successive  influence  of 
the  lying  prophets  of  Baal  and  the  cruelly-treated  minister  of  Je- 
hovah. Samaria  is  the  capital  of  "Ephraim"  or  the  Kingdom  of 
Israel.  From  the  penisal  of  that  single  chapter  you  can  understand 
what  enemies  the  worshipers  of  the  true  God  found  among  theii 
own  brethren,  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  the  descendants  even  nf 
Ephraim,  the  &vored  son  of  Joseph. 


so 


HISTORY    OF   THE    BOOKS    OF    THb    liCM.Y    CATHOUC    BIBLE. 


a.  Amos. — This  man  of  God  had  not  been  trained  in  the  schools 
of  the  prophets,  and,  as  we  may  judge  from  his  style,  knew  little, 
if  anything,  of  book-learning.  He  was  by  profession  a  dresser  of 
sycamore  or  wild  fig  trees,  and  one  of  the  numerous  "herdsmen 
of  Thecua,"  alternately  pasturing  his  flocks  or  dressing  his  trees  on 
the  hills  that  stretch  around  his  native  town  between  Hebron  and 
the  Dead  Sea.  He  was  older  than  Osee,  and  exercised  the  pro- 
phetic office  before  him,  about  the  middle  of  the  reign  of  Jeroboam 
II. ;  that  is,  about  the  year  800  before  Christ.  If  you  have  read, 
as  we  suggested,  of  the  visit  paid  to  the  idolatrous  Samaria  and 
its  dissolute  court  by  the  good  King  Josaphat,  you  may  begin  to 
have  some  conception  of  the  dreadful  apostasy  of  Ephraim  or  the 
Northern  Kingdom.  Not  content  with  the  Egyptian  idols — the 
images  of  the  ox  worshiped  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and  which 
Jeroboam  I.  had  solemnly  set  up  in  the  sanctuary  of  Bethel — Achab 
had  filled  Samaria  with  the  abominable  statues  of  Baal,  and  its 
palaces  and  temples  with  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  priests,  magi- 
cians, and  prophets  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  Sidonian  god. 
These  were  the  sights  and  this  the  worship  with  which  Josaphat 
did  not  fear  to  defile  his  own  soul  and  those  of  his  followers  in 
visiting  the  beautiful  city  where  reigned  Achab  and  Jezabel.  But 
the  power  and  splendor  of  Jezabel,  Achab,  and  the  First  Jeroboam 
were  cast  into  the  shade  by  the  military  genius,  the  conquests,  and 
the  prudent  administration  of  the  Second.  Israel  (Ephraim)  was 
*hen  at  the  very  highest  point  of  glory,  and  with  the  prosperity 
of  the  Kingdom  had  increased  the  splendor  of  idolatry,  the  cor- 
ruption of  all  classes,  and  the  uncontrolled  oppression  of  the  poor 
by  the  rich. 

Just  when  Samaria  was  thus  steeped  in  sensual  pleasure,  and 
intoxicated  with  its  recent  greatness  and  glory,  God  sent  the  poor, 
illiterate  herdsman  of  Thecua  all  the  way  to  Samaria  and  Bethel  to 
rebuke  the  prince,  the  priests,  and  the  people  for  their  crimes,  and 
to  announce  the  approach  of  the  Assyrians  with  chains  and  a  yoke 
..."  Hear  ye  this  word,  ye  fat  kine  that  are  in  the  mountains 
of  Samaria — you  that  oppress  the  needy,  and  crush  the  poor.  .  .  . 
Come  ye  to  Bethel  and  do  wickedly ;  to  Galgal,  and  multiply  trans- 
gressions ;  and  bring  in  the  morning  your  victims,  your  tithes  in 
three  days  ...  I  destroyed  [some  of]  you,  as  God  destroyed 
Sodom  and  Gomorrha,  and  you  were  as  a  firebrand  plucked  out  of 
the  burning :  yet  you  returned  not  to  Me,  saith  the  Lord  .  .  . 
Hear  ye  this  word  which  I  take  up  concerning  you  for  a  lamenta- 
tion. The  House  of  Israel  is  fallen,  and  it  shall  rise  no  more ' ' 
(iv.,  V.)  1  "And  the  high  places  of  the  idol  shall  be  thrown  down, 
and  the  sanctuaries  of  Israel  shall  be  laid  waste :  and  I  will  rise  up 
jgainst  the  house  of  Jeroboam  with  the  sword  "  (vii.  9). 

Thereupon  Amasias  the  High  Priest  of  Bethel  expels  the  prophet 
from  the  land.  But  the  fearless  Seer,  ere  he  departs,  declares  to 
Israel  one  last  vision,  in  which  the  terrible  justice  which  strikes  the 
unrepentant  is  blended  with  the  tender  mercy  that  will  spare  and 
not  destroy  utterly.  "Behold,  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  God  are  upon 
the  sinful  kingdom,  and  I  will  destroy  it  from  the  face  of  the  earth : 
but  yet  I  will  not  utterly  destroy  the  house  of  Jacob,  saith  the  Lord. 
For  behold  I  will  command,  and  I  will  sift  the  house  of  Israel 
among  all  nations,  as  corn  is  sifted  in  a  sieve :  and  there  shall  not 
a  little  stone  fall  to  the  ground"  (ix.  8,  9). 

3.  Jonas. — It  is  a  not  improbable  opinion  among  biblical  scholars 
that  Jonas  was  anterior  in  time  to  both  Amos  and  Osee.  He  is 
generally  thought  to  have  exercised  his  ministry  during  the  reigns 
of  Joas,  King  of  Israel,  and  of  his  son,  Jeroboam  II.  He  is  the 
representative  of  our  Lord  both  in  His  death  and  in  His  glorious 
resurrection.  The  mission  on  which  the  prophet  was  sent — that 
of  procuring  the  conversion  and  the  salvation  of  an  entire  people; 
his  being  cast  into  the  sea  during  a  storm  to  save  the  remaining 
ship's  crew  from  perishing;  the  miracle  by  which  his  life  is  pre- 
served amid  the  depths  of  the  sea,  and  he  is  cast  ashore  the  third 


day  to  continue  his  journey  and  perform  the  errand  on  which  h* 

is  divinely  sent ;  all  this  is  most  wonderful,  even  in  the  history  of 
that  people  whose  life  was  a  series  of  stupendous  miracles,  and  whoso 
existence  down  to  the  present  day  is  a  miracle  that  arrests  the  atten- 
tion of  all  serious-minded  persons.  The  resurrection  of  Christ — 
the  basis  of  the  Christian's  faith  and  highest  hopes — is  the  great 
central  miracle  in  the  history  of  Revealed  Religion.  The  conver- 
sion of  the  pagan  world  hinged  on  a  belief  in  it.  The  men  who 
proclaimed  it,  and  who  had  witnessed  it,  sealed  their  testimony 
both  by  miracles  and  their  own  blood.  It  was  a  supernatural  fact, 
supernaturally  proven  to  the  world.  The  miracle  of  Jonas,  which 
prefigured  it,  was  also  a  supernatural  fact  to  which  God's  people 
bore  constant  witness.  The  Divine  Power  which  shone  forth  so 
transcendently  on  Calvary,  shone  also  with  surpassing  evidence  in 
the  case  of  him  who  bore  the  figure  of  Christ  buried  in  the  sep- 
ulchre and  arisen  on  the  third  day.  To  one  who  believes  in  the 
Living  God  and  in  His  omnipotence,  it  is  worse  than  folly  to  ques- 
tion the  power  of  preserving  life  amid  the  most  terrible  dangers, 
and  where  no  hope  of  escape  appears  to  the  eye  of  mere  reason. 
If  I  believe  in  that  Fatherly  Hand  which  saved  Daniel  in  the  Lions* 
Den,  and  his  three  young  companions  amidst  the  flames  of  the 
Chaldaean  furnace,  why  should  I  hesitate  to  believe  that  the  same 
Hand  could  shield  from  harm  in  the  deepest  depths  of  ocean — the 
servant,  albeit  a  momentarily  recreant  one — on  whose  mission  a 
nation's  welfare  depended? 

We  cannot  measure  by  the  rule  and  square  the  power  of  Him 
who  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  with  whom  alone  are  the 
incommunicable  secrets  of  life  and  death. 

4.  MiCHEAS. — He  was  a  native  of  Morasthi  or  Maresheth,  a 
village  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  territory  of  Juda,  and  a  con- 
temporary of  Isaias,  whose  phraseology  he  sometimes  borrows  (com- 
pare Micheas  iv.  1-13;  Isaias  ii.  2,  and  xli.  15).  During  the 
reign  of  Ezechias,  as  we  learn  from  Jeremias  xxvi.  6-18,  Micheas 
prophesied  the  chastisements  about  to  befall  both  the  northern  and 
the  southern  kingdom.  He  foretells  the  coming  of  Salmanazar, 
the  ruin  of  Samaria,  which  shall  be  made  to  resemble  "a  heap  of 
stones  in  the  field  when  a  vineyard  is  planted."  Then  he  predicts 
the  evils  which  the  invasion  of  Sennacherib  will  bring  on  Juda  and 
Jerusalem.  "I  am  filled  with  the  strength  of  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord,  with  judgment  and  power,  to  declare  unto  Jacob  his  wicked- 
ness, and  to  Israel  his  sin.  Hear  this,  ye  princes  of  the  house  of 
Jacob,  and  ye  judges  of  the  house  of  Israel ;  you  that  abhor  judg- 
ment, and  pervert  all  that  is  right  .  .  .  Because  of  you,  Sion  shall 
be  ploughed  as  a  field,  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  as  a  heap  of  stones, 
and  the  mountain  of  the  Temple  as  the  high  places  of  the  forests" 
(iii.  8-12).  By  the  side  of  these  clear  and  stern  denunciations  of 
coming  woe  and  dispersion,  are  found  no  less  clear  and  comforting 
promises  of  redemption  from  captivity,  especially  of  the  universal 
Redemption  to  be  wrought  by  Christ.  "And  thou,  Bethlehem 
Ephrata,  art  a  little  one  among  the  thousands  of  Juda ;  out  of  thee 
shall  He  come  forth  unto  Me  that  is  to  be  the  Ruler  in  Israel : 
and  His  going  forth  [is]  from  the  beginning,  from  the  days  of 
eternity"  (v.  2).  Then  come  touching  adjurations  in  which  the 
Most  High  recalls  to  his  ungrateful  people  the  miracles  performed  of 
old  for  their  deliverance,  and  the  worthlessness  of  their  present  sacri- 
ficial worship,  while  they  themselves  lack  all  the  virtues  which  ar» 
alone  pleasing  to  the  Deity.  "  I  will  show  thee,  O  man,  what  ii 
good,  and  what  the  Lord  requireth  of  thee :  Verily,  to  do  judg- 
ment, and  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  solicitous  with  thy  God !  " 
Such  are  the  divine  lessons  of  righteousness  and  piety  which  these 
inspired  men  ceased  not  to  teach,  not  for  their  own  generation 
only,  but  for  all  time. 

5.  Nahum. — He  prophesied  under  Ei,echias;  and  the  desolation 
which  had  befallen  the  northern  kingdom,  as  well  as  the  destruction 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


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which  had  been  wrought  in  the  Kingdom  of  Juda  by  the  mighty  and  pitiless  hosts  of 
Sennacherib  had  fired  the  projihet's  soul  against  the  Assyrians.  The  downfall  of  their 
power  and  the  utter  ruin  of  Nineveh,  their  capital,  form  the  subject  of  Nahum's  three 
magnificent  chapters.  "The  burden  of  Ninive  !  "  he  begins,  one  may  imagine  after 
the  sudden  and  miraculous  overthrow  of  Sennacherib's  army  before  Jerusalem.  The 
entire  prophecy  is  colored  by  the  spectacle  of  this  terrible  rout  of  the  Assyrians.  "  The 
Lord  is  patient,  and  great  in  power,  and  will  not  cleanse  and  acquit  [the  guilty].  The 
Lord's  ways  [are]  in  the  tempest  and  a  whirlwind,  and  clouds  [are]  the  dust  of  His  feet. 
He  rebuketh  the  sea  and  drieth  it  up :  and  bringeth  all  the  rivers  to  be  a  desert."  One 
may  almost  see  the  breath  of  the  divine  vengeance  blowing  on  the  countless  army  of 
horsemen,  spearmen,  and  chariots  that  encompassed  Jerusalem,  like  a  surging  tide  which 
had  hitherto  overborne  everything  in  its  course.  And  lo  !  Jehovah  blows  upon  it  and 
it  disappears  with  the  morning  light,  living  wave  impelling  living  wave  before  it,  and 
leaving  the  land  covered  far  and  wide  with  the  wreck  of  chariots,  horsemen,  and  in- 
fantry !  "Who  can  stand  before  the  face  of  his  indignation?  and  who  shall  resist  the 
fierceness  of  His  anger?  "  Then  comes  the  prophecy  of  the  fall  of  Nineveh— the  mis- 
tress and  corruptor  of  all  Asia,  at  the  zenith  of  her  glory  and  power  when  the  Seer 
pronounced  her  doom.  "  Woe  to  thee,  O  city  of  blood,  all  full  of  lies  and  violence ! 
Rapine  shall  not  depart  from  thee.  The  noise  of  the  whip,  and  the  noise  of  the  rat- 
tling of  the  wheels,  and  of  the  neighing  horse,  and  of  the  running  chariot,  and  of  the 
horsemen  coming  up:  and  of  the  shining  sword,  and  of  the  glittering  spear,  and  of  a 
multitude  slain,  and  of  grievous  destruction  !   .   .   ." 

Compare  these  pregnant  chapters  with  the  accounts  given  in  our  own  d^/s  of  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh  and  her  palaces,  and  of  the  monuments  and  annals  that  had  lain  buried 
for  thousands  of  years  in  this  vast  ./"rave  of  a  pitiless  despotism. 

II.  SOPHONIAS,  JOEL,  AND  HABACUC— i.  Sophonias.— He  lived  in  the 
reign  of  Josias,  King  of  Juda,  and  was,  it  is  thought,  descended  from  the  holy  King 
Ezechias.  He  began  his  prophetic  office  some  time  before  Jeremias  entered  on  his, 
and  also  before  Josias  had  seriously  begun  to  reform  the  abuses  and  corruptions  Wiiich 
Sophonias  so  bitterly  denounces.  There  are  but  three  chapters,  the  first  of  which  sets 
forth  the  national  sins  and  the  certain  retribution  they  shall  bring  on  Juda.  The 
Church  has  embodied  in  her  liturgic  hymns  some  of  the  sublime  and  terrible  imagery 
of  the  prophet.  "The  great  day  of  the  Lord  is  near,  it  is  near  and  exceeding  swift: 
The  voice  of  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  bitter  .  .  .  That  day  [is]  a  day  of  wrath,  a  day 
of  tribulation  and  distress,  a  day  of  calamity  and  misery,  a  day  of  darkness  and  ob- 
scurity, a  day  of  clouds  and  whirlwinds,  a  day  of  the  trumpet  and  alarm  against  the 
fenced  cities,  and  against  the  high  bulwarks."  The  Chaldaians  are  to  be  the  instru- 
ment of  the  divine  wrath  in  chastising  all  Palestins  ,  and  then  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
shall  *.n  heavily  on  both  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  i.ie  remnants  cf  Israel  shall  be 
•gathered  together  and  the  Gentiles  themselves  shall  f...d  salvation. 


2.  Joel. — ^Some  weighty  Jewish  and  Christian  authorities  make  this  prophet  a  con- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


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temporary  of  Joram,  son  of  Achab,  and  King  of  Israel,  who  died  in  the  year 
889  li.  c.  For  the  mention  by  Joel  of  a  great  famine  similar  to  that  which 
oc(  urred  during  the  reign  of  that  prince  afforded  a  foundation  for  their  opinion. 
If,  however,  this  famine  is  identical  with  that  mentioned  by  Jeremias  (viii.  13), 
then  this  as  well  as  other  reasons  allow  us  to  make  Joel  a  contemporary  of  the 
latter  prophet.  Jeremias  says:  "There  is  no  grape  on  the  vines,  and  there 
are  no  figs  on  the  fig-tree,  the  leaf  is  fallen  :  and  I  have  given  them  the  things 
that  are  passed  away."  Joel,  on  the  other  hand,  says  :  "  That  which  the  palmer- 
worm  hath  left,  the  locust  hath  eaten:  and  that  which  the  locust  hath  left, 
the  bruchus  (cankerworm)  hath  eaten :  and  that  which  the  bruchus  hath  left,  the 
mildew  hath  destroyed."  This  plague,  however,  is  only  sent  in  mercy  to  rouse 
men  to  do  penance  for  their  sins.  "  Because  the  Day  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand, 
and  It  shall  come  like  destruction  from  the  mighty."  The  description  of  this 
dreadful  day  reminds  one  forcibly  of  that  given  in  the  prophecy  of  Sophonias, 
as  quoted  above.  From  this  twofold  picture  of  the  temporal  visitation  of 
famme  and  the  terrible  judgment  of  the  Last  Day,  Joel  turns  to  the  first  com- 
ing of  Christ — the  "  Teacher  of  Justice,  and  He  will  make  the  early  and  the 
latter  rain  to  come  down  to  you  as  in  the  beginning."  Thus  with  the  visions 
of  judgment,  and  rigorous  judgment,  are  always  blended  visions  of  mercy  and 
reconciliation;  and  with  the  calamities  and  miseries  of  the  present  are  mixed 
the  glorious  perspectives  of  future  redemption  and  everlasting  peace. 

3.  Habacuc. — The  Rabbinical  traditions  assign  the  reign  of  Manasses  as  the 
time  of  this  prophet's  mission.  The  latest  researches,  however,  place  him  with 
Sophonias  in  the  reign  of  Josias,  thereby  making  him  contemporary  with  the 
beginning  of  Jeremias'  career.  He  and  his  two  brother-prophets,  Joel  and 
Nahum,  are  looked  upon  by  Hebrew  scholars  as  classical  models  of  diction. 
He  predicts  the  downfall  of  the  Chaldaean  empire,  brought  on  by  the  national 
vices,  insatiable  ambition,  greed,  cruelty,  dninkenness,  and  manifold  idolatry. 
How  aptly  the  prophet's  description  and  denunciation  of  all  and  each  of  thes« 
vices  apply  to  the  conquerors,  statesmen,  and  politicians  of  our  own  day  t  .  .  . 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF   THE    HOLY  CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


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"  The  proud  man  .  .  .  who  hath  enlarged  his  desire  like  hell  [the  grave]  :  and  is  him- 
self like  death,  and  he  is  never  satisfied  :  but  will  gather  together  to  him  all  nations, 
and  heap  together  to  him  all  people.  Shall  not  all  these  take  up  a  parable  against  him, 
and  a  dark  speech  concerning  him  :  and  it  shall  be  said,  Woe  to  him  that  heapeth 
together  that  which  is  not  his  own  ?  how  long  also  doth  he  load  himself  with  thick  clay  ? 
Shall  they  not  rise  up  suddenly  that  shall  bite  thee?  and  they  be  stirred  up  that  shall 
tear  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  a  spoil  to  them?  .  .  .  Woe  to  him  that  buildeth  a  town 
with  blood,  and  prepareth  a  city  by  iniquity"  (ii.  5-12)  !  The  third  and  last  chapter 
contains  one  of  the  most  sublime  hymns  to  be  foimd  in  the  Bible  :  the  Church  in  her 
solemn  office  applies  it  to  the  triumph  of  the  Redeemer. 

III.  ABDIAS. — It  is  quite  uncertain  when  this  prophet  lived.  Pome  scholars  think 
that  he  lived  at  the  same  time  with  Elias.  But  others,  with  much  more  probability, 
say  that  he  lived  during  the  Babylonian  captivity.  He  denounces  the  cruel  persecu- 
tions got  up  against  the  exiled  Jews  by  their  traditional  enemies  the  Edomites,  of  which 
we  have  an  instance  in  the  book  of  Esther.  They  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  Chal- 
daean  conquerors,  watching  every  road  and  by-way  through  which  the  fugitive  Jews 
could  escape,  and  cut  them  down  mercilessl)'.  The  prophet  predicts  that  Edom  shall 
in  its  turn  share  the  fate  of  its  neighbors,  without  ever  sharing  their  restoration  to 
national  independence  and  prosperity.  On  the  ontrarv^  they  are  to  become  the 
vassals  of  their  restored  Jew'ch  brethren. 

IV.  AGGEUS,  ZACHAAIAS,  AND  MALACHIAS.— The  first  two  of  these  pro- 
phets date  their  mission  from  the  same  year,  "  the  second  year  of  Darius."  Both  were 
probably  born  in  exile  and  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  Zorobabel,  in  conformity  with 
the  edict  of  Cyrus.  The  building  of  the  temple  had  been  suspended  during  the  space 
of  fourteen  years  in  consequence  of  the  hostility  of  the  neighboring  Samaritans  and 
Edomites  fMoabites  and  Ammonites).  Aggeus  is  sent  to  Zorobabel,  the  Governor  of 
Judsea,  and  to  Jesus,  the  son  of  Josedec,  the  High  Priest,  to  rouse  their  zeal  for  the 
completion  of  the  sacred  edifice,  the  very  symbol  and  soul  of  Hebrew  nationality. 
They  and  their  countrymen  are  consoled  for  the  inferiority  of  the  second  temple,  as 
compared  to  the  first,  by  the  divine  assurance  that  the  former  shall  be  glorified  by  the 
personal  presence  of  the  Messiah  Himself.  The  resumption  of  this  great  national  work 
was  also  the  first  object  of  Zacharias'  prophetic  labors.  The  first  six  chapters  contain 
visions  regarding  the  events  which  were  then  happening  in  Judaea,  mingled  with  the 
prospective  glories  of  the  Christian  Church  and  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles.  The 
completion  of  the  Temple  structure,  as  a  thing  essential  to  the  national  religion  and  a 
vital  condition  of  the  national  existence,  is  insisted  on  in  each  of  these  successive  visions. 
"Thus  saith  the  Lord:  I  will  return  to  Jerusalem  in  mercies  :  My  house  shall  be  built 
in  it,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts"  (i.  16).  The  nations  which  have  dispersed  and  op- 
pressed Juda  shall  see  theif  power  broken,  and  shall  no  longer  oppose  the  restoration 
of  Hebrew  nationality.  Jerusalem  shall  so  increase  in  extent  through  the  mnltitudes  . 
of  returning  exiles,  that  no  wall  can  contain  them.      "  I  will  be  to  it.  saith  the  Lord,  a 


Ik 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    UATHOLiC    BIBLE. 


wall  of  fire  round  about "  (ii.  4).  The  zealous  priests  who  devote  themselves  io  this  grea-> 
work  of  reconstruction  shall  be  divinely  protected  against  the  calumnies  of  their  enemies  and 
the  disfavor  of  the  Chaldaean  Kings.  Jesus  the  son  of  Josedec,  to  whom  this  personally  applies, 
brings,  by  his  very  name,  the  vision  of  the  future  Jesus  before  the  prophet's  mind.  "  Hear,  O 
Jesus,  thou  High  Priest,  thou  and  thy  friends  that  dwell  before  thee,  .  .  .  behold,  I  will  bring 
My  Servant  the  Orient"  (iii.  8).  And  so  the  prophetic  visions  continue,  consoling  and 
encouraging  the  toilers  under  Zorobabel,  and  strengthening  their  faith  with  the  reiterated  promise 
of  His  coming,  who  should  reign  over  the  whole  earth.  "  Thou  shalt  take  gold  and  silver,  and 
shalt  make  crowns,  and  thou  shalt  set  them  on  the  head  of  Jesus  the  son  of  Josedec  the  High 
Priest.  And  thou  shalt  speak  to  him,  saying :  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  .  .  .  Behold  a 
Man,  the  Orient  is  His  Name  ...  He  shall  build  a  temple  to  the  Lord  :  and  He  shall  bear 
the  glory,  and  shall  sit  and  rule  upon  His  throne ;  and  He  shall  be  a  priest  upon  His  throne  " 
(vi.  11-13). 

To  the  zealous  men  who  desire  to  see  the  great  ordained  fasts  kept  solemnly  as  a  means  of 
propitiating  the  divine  favor,  Zacharias  gives  a  reasonable  answer.  In  the  days  of  their  former 
prosperity,  the  solemn  fasts  were  kept  in  a  narrow  and  selfis'i  spirit.  God  had  commanded 
them,  while  they  fasted,  "  Judge  ye  true  judgment,  and  show  ye  mercy  and  compassion  every  man  to  his  brother.  And  oppress  not  the 
widow,  and  the  fatherless,  and  the  stranger  and  the  poor;  and  let  not  a  man  devise  evil  in  his  heart  against  his  brother"  (vii.  9,  10). 
Now  that  they  and  their  fathers  have  paid  so  dearly  for  the  violation  of  these  divine  precepts,  the  new  generations  must  observe  the 
spirit  of  the  law  while  attending  to  the  letter.  "  These  then  are  the  things  which  ye  shall  do.  Speak  ye  truth  every  one  to  his  neighbor : 
judge  ye  truth  and  judgment  of  peace  in  your  gates.  And  let  none  of  you  imagine  evil  in  his  heart  against  his  friend  :  and  love  not  a 
false  oath:  for  all  these  are  the  things  that  I  hate,  saith  the  Lord"  (viii.  16,  17).  Let  true  religion  but  shine  forth  in  these  godly 
virtues,  "And  many  peoples  and  strong  nations  shall  come  to  seek  the  Lord  of  hosts  in  Jerusalem.  ...  In  those  days  .  .  .  ten  men 
of  all  languages  of  the  Gentiles  shall  take  '.lold,  and  shall  hold  fast  the  skirt  of  one  that  is  a  Jew,  saying  :  '  We  will  go  with  you ;  for  we 
have  heard  that  God  is  with  you'  "  (viii.  22,  23).  Are  we  not  made  to  assist  at  the  preaching  of  the  Twelve  Fishermen  of  Galilee 
among  the  proud  nations  of  the  Roman  Empire  ? 

The  three  succeeding  chapters,  ix.-xi.,  are  different  in  character  from  the  preceding.     They  contain  threatening  prophecies  against 


HISTORY  OF  THE  BOOKS  OF  THE  H01.Y  CATHOLIC  BIBI,E. 


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the  cities  of  Syria,  Phoenicia,  and  the  Philistine  seaboard— threats  which  soon  after- 
ward found  their  realisation  through  the  arms  of  Alexander  the  Great.  Juda  iscom- 
forted  with  the  assurance  that,  meanwhile,  no  harm  shall  befall  its  children.  'These 
prophetic  utterances,  however,  are  in  many  cases  only  applicable  to  the  epoch  of  the 
Messiah;  for  here  we  find  th«  very  words  which  the  Evangelist  St.  Matthew  applies  to 
our  Lord  on  his  last  entrance  into  Jerusalem  :  "Rejoice  greatly,  O  daughter  of  Sion  ! 
shout  for  joy,  O  daughter  of  Jerusalem  !  Behold  thy  King  will  come  to  thee,  the 
Just  and  Saviour:  He  is  poor  and  riding  upon  an  ass,  and  upon  a  colt  the  foal  of  an 
ass  "  (ix.  9)  !  There  are  menaces  against  guilty  priests;  a  glowing  description  of  the 
triumphs  of  Christianity ;  a  distinct  prediction  of  the  final  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and 
the  Temple  under  the  Romans,  and  of  the  rejection  of  the  Jews.  The  three  last  chap- 
ters, xii.-xiv.,  have  for  heading  "The  burden  of  the  word  of  the  Lord  upon  Israel." 
The  events  of  the  life  of  Christ,  and  the  characters  of  His  Person  and  sufferings,  are 
portrayed  with  extraordinary  vividness.  A  few  pregnant  sentences  point  out  the  trials 
of  His  church :  xiii.  8,  9. 

Zacharias  is  the  most  diffuse  and  obscure  of  all  the  Minor  Prophets. 

Malachias,  the  last  of  these  inspired  men,  has  been  thought  by  some  scholars  to  be 
an  angel  in  human  form — the  name  itself  meaning  in  Hebrew  "  a  messenger  of  leho- 
vah,"  Malachijah.  Some  writers  have  identified  him  with  Esdras.  What,  how-^ver, 
seems  most  probable  is  that  he  lived  after  Aggeus  and  Zacharias,  and  during  the  mle 


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36 


HISTORY  OF  THE  BOOKS  OF  THE  HOI^Y  CATHOUC  BIBLE. 


of  Esdras  and  Nehemias.  In  spite  of  the  reformation  which  thesa 
great  men  labored  so  strenuously  to  effect  in  the  morals  and  religious 
discipline  of  the  restored  people,  Malachias,  like  his  two  elder 
brother-prophets,  was  offended  by  the  scandals  and  abuses  which 
were  constantly  occurring,  and  which  inspired  but  little  hope  of  a 
general  and  lasting  improvement.  The  leading  classes,  whose  ex- 
ample was  to  be  the  light  of  the  nation,  were  themselves  a  prey  to 
corruption  even  at  this  early  stage  of  the  Restoration.  "To  you, 
O  Priests,  that  despise  My  Name,  and  have  said,  Wherein  have  we 
despised  Thy  Name  ?  You  offer  polluted  bread  upon  My  altar, 
and  you  say.  Wherein  have  we  polluted  Thee  ?  In  that  you  say. 
The  table  of  the  Lord  is  contemptible.  .  .  .  Who  is  there  among 
you  that  will  shut  the  doors,  and  will  kindle  the  fire  on  My  altar 
gratis?  I  have  no  pleasure  in  you,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts  "  (i.  9, 
10).  And  then  comes  the  famous  prophecy  of  "  the  clean  obla- 
tion,"' to  be  offered  in  His  Name  "in  every  place  from  the  rising 
of  the  sun  even  to  the  going  down."  Besides,  the  priests,  who  are 
the  guardians  and  expounders  of  the  law,  were  giving  at  that  very 
time  the  fatal  example  of  marrying  Gentile  wives,  thereby  renew- 
ing the  sin  which,  more  than  any  other  in  the  past,  had  led  to  the 
national  corruption,  apostasy,  and  ruin.  To  this  incurable  incon- 
stancy and  unfaithfulness  there  remains  but  one  remedy,  the  rejec- 
tion of  the  Jewish  dispensation  and  worship.  "  Presently  the  Lord 
whom  you  seek,  and  the  Angel  of  the  Testament  whom  you  desire, 
shall  come  to  His  Temple.  Behold,  He  cometh,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts"  (iii.  i). 

TV.  POETICAL  AND  DIDACTIC  BOOKS, 

THE  BOOK  OF  JOB.— This  book— the  authorship  of  which 
the  most  respectable  Hebrew  tradition,  that  of  the  Targum,  attrib- 
utes to  Moses — is  now  acknowledged  to  resemble  in  style  the  Penta- 
teuch and  other  most  ancient  Hebrew  writings.  It  is  generally 
believed  among  scholars  that  Job,  whose  name  signifies  "one 
persecuted  or  afflicted,"  lived  in  the  northern  part  of  Arabia. 
Indeed,  St.  Jerome,  in  his  day,  remarked,  that  Job's  diction  bore 
a  wonderful  resemblance  to  the  best  Arabic  compositions.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  the  great  lesson  taught  by  the  life  of  Job  is,  that  one  who 
had  "  none  like  him  in  the  earth,  a  simple  and  upright  man,  and 
fearing  God,  and  avoiding  evil,"  remains  faithful  to  God  and  true 
to  his  Ovvn  conscience,  amid  the  most  terrible  afflictions.  There 
is  also  that  other  sweet  and  consoling  lesson  taught  at  the  same 
time,  that  the  Father  who  permits  His  own  to  be  most  sorely  tried. 


HISTORY    OF     IHE    BOOKS    Of    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBIM 


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never  allows  the  trial  to  be  too  much  for  the  sufferer.  His  own  Divine  Spirit  is  evei 
nigh  flouding  the  soul  with  light  from  above,  even  when  the  night  of  suffering  is  darkest, 
and  always  warming  the  heart  to  love,  to  bear,  to  hope,  when  all  human  joys  fail  and 
all  earthly  affection  is  turned  into  bitterness.  He  who  marks  out  for  each  star  its  fixed 
orbit  in  the  heavens,  and  who  sets  to  the  ocean  the  limits  beyond  which  its  fury  cannot 
prevail,  also  knows  how  to  limit  our  misfortunes,  to  revisit  us  even  here  below  with 
hours  of  sunshine  and  felicity  that  give  us  an  earnest  of  the  eternal  joys.  Read  for 
yourselves,  O  children  of  God,  and  learn  from  Job  how  to  bear,  and  how  to  hope  in 
the  Living  God. 

THE  BOOK  OF  PSALMS.— David,  "the  sweet  singer  of  Israel,"  is  not  only  tha 
great  national  poet  of  the  chosen  race,  but  the  loved  songster  of  the  Christian  church; 
whose  words  of  prayer,  praise,  and  triumph  all  true  Christian  homes  and  hearts  have 
ever  made  thel  own  These  inspired  songs  reflect  the  whole  personal  history  of  David 
from  the  time  that  he  was  secretly  anointed  King  by  Samuel,  called  to  become  the 
defender  of  the  Kingdom  against  Goliath  and  his  Philistines,  obliged  to  charm  with  the 
sweet  sounds  of  harp  and  voice  the  evil  spirit  of  jealousy  that  possessed  Saul,  tried  by 
persecution,  exile,  and  treachery  all  through  the  remaining  years  of  Saul's  ill-starred 
reign,  down  to  the  dark  days  of  Gilboe.  The  shepherd-lad  of  Bethlehem,  the  young 
conqueror  of  the  Philistines,  the  son-in-law  of  Saul,  the  fugitive  among  the  desert  places 
of  Israel,  was  still  the  man  whose  heart  "  thirsted  after  God,"  and  whose  frequent 
songs  breathe  the  faith  and  hope  and  fervent  love  of  these  chequered  years.  How  he 
delighted,  when  in  possession  of  ihe  throne,  to  fom.  bodies  of  singers  for  the  service  of 
the  Tabernacle,  and  to  compose  the  most  thrilling  hymns  for  the  solemn  feasts  of  the 
nation !  When  he  brought, .  <;  length,  the  Ark  in  triumph  to  the  city  of  David,  he 
would  himself  be  foremost  amcng  the  singers,  casting  aside  the  warrior's  armor  and  the 
kingly  robes,  to  sing  and  dance  in  a  simple  linen  tunic  before  the  Ark — the  visible 
resting-place  of  his  loved  and  adored  Jehovah  in  the  midst  of  the  people.  And  when 
the  Queen  ridiculed  her  royal  husband  for  what  she  thought  so  unseemly  an  exhibition, 
how  David's  indignation  breaks  forth  !  "  Before  the  Lord  who  chose  me  rather  than 
thy  father  (Saul)  and  than  all  his  house,  ...  I  will  both  play,  and  make  myself 
meaner  than  I  have  done :  and  I  will  be  little  in  my  own  eyes."  .  .  .  David  is  still  in 
heart  the  shepherd-lad  of  Bethlehem,  whom  God  had  so  often  protected  against  the 
assault  of  beasts  of  prey  prowling  in  the  night,  and  whose  soul  even  then  delighted  in 
singing  the  praises  of  his  Almighty  Protector.  So  will  he  contiime  to  the  end.  His 
one  dreadful  fall  in  the  heyday  of  his  power,  only  creates  in  his  repentant  soul  a  deeper 
humility,  and  calls  forth  those  penitential  psalms  which  are  the  comfort  of  "U  souls 
acquainted  with  sin  and  sorrow. 

To  the  people  whom  he  had  made  so  great  and  so  happy  his  psalms  continued  to  be 
the  cry  of  the  national  heart  on  all  solemn  festivals.  Even  in  captivity  they  found  in 
these  inspired  and  prophetic  strains  incentives  to  sincere  repentance  for  their  past 
ingratitude,  and  the  most  cheering  promises  of  future  restoration  to  country  and  free- 
dom.    The  Christiai  Church,  ever  since  the  day  of  Sion's  finai  destruction,  has 


88 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


continued  to  make  of  David's  psalms  her  own  book  ot  praise  and 
prayer.  Around  the  altar  of  the  Lamb  in  Jerusalem,  as  well  as 
around  every  altar  where  He  abides  from  the  rising  to  the  setting 
3un,  we  sing  evermore  the  canticles  of  Sion's  prophet-King.  Other 
Hebrew  poets,  inspired  like  David  himself,  have  added  song  after 
song  to  his  immortal  book ;  theirs,  however,  are  only  a  few.  David 
is  still  rightly  called  the  Psalmist. 

THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS.— This  is  the  production  of 
King  Solomon.  The  first  nine  chapters  excel  the  remainder  of  the 
book  in  poetic  beauty  of  diction  as  well  as  in  continuity  of  thought. 
The  next  twelve  chapters  are  composed  of  separate  and,  apparently, 
independent  maxims.  Chapters  xxv.-xxix.  were  composed  under 
the  reign  of  the  best  and  greatest  of  Solomon's  successors,  the 
saintly  King  Ezechias,  who  collected  the  scattered  maxims  and 
utterances  of  his  ancestor  and  added  them  to  Solomon's  book. 
The  last  two  chapters  are  of  uncertain  authorship. 

THE  BOOK  OF  ECCLESIASTES.— This  is  also  the  work  of 
Solomon,  who  throughout  the  book  speaks  of  himself  as  the 
Koheleth,  "preacher,"  ecclesiastes  in  Greek.  We  know  from 
sacred  history  how  wisely  Solomon  began  his  reign,  and  with  what 
shameful  folly  and  guilt  he  tarnished  its  premature  close.  This 
book  is  the  composition  of  a  man  who  has  had  his  fill  of  worldly 
greatness  and  enjoyment,  who  has  drunk  to  the  dregs  the  cup  of 
life,  and  found  only  bitterness  and  weariness  at  the  bottom.  It  is 
as  if  the  Spirit  of  God  had  forced  the  guilty  King  to  confess  that 
all  is  "vanity  of  vanities,"  save  to  fear  God  from  one's  youth  and 
inviolably  to  keep  His  commandments.  "And  all  things  that  are 
done  God  will  bring  to  judgment !  "  What  must  have  been,  at 
its  latest  hour,  the  terrors  of  that  soul  so  privileged  and  so  guilty! 

SOLOMON'S  CANTICLE  OF  CANTICLES.— The  God  of 
Israel  had  designed  that  the  chosen  nation  should  be,  under  Solo- 
mon (Hebrew,  Shelomoh,  peaceful,  pacific),  a  living  and  ravishing 
picture  of  the  state  of  the  Christian  people  under  the  Redeemer, 


the  Prince  of  Peace.  Solomon,  on  whom  had  descended  in  youtn 
the  spirit  of  supernatural  wisdom  as  well  as  prophecy,  afterward 
proved  utterly  unfaithful  to  the  graces  lavished  on  him.  Still, 
just  as  the  unworthy  Balaam  was  forced  by  the  Divine  Spirit  to 
prophesy  the  blessedness  and  final  triumph  of  the  Church,  even  so 
was  the  apostate  soul  of  Solomon  forced  to  sing  in  this  Song  the 
undying  mutual  love  which  binds  the  true  Solomon  to  His  Bride, 
the  Church,  and  the  Church  to  Him  through  all  the  struggles  and 
persecutions  of  ages. 

THE  BOOK  OF  WISDOM.— The  author  of  this  book  has  for 
his  chief  object  to  teach  rulers,  statesmen,  and  judges.  By  many 
scholars  the  work  is  ascribed  to  Solomon.  The  authorship,  how- 
ever, remains  uncertain.  The  first  six  chapters  are  a  compendium 
of  the  first  nine  chapters  of  Proverbs.  In  vii.,  viii.,  ix.,  the  writer 
describes  the  road  by  which  he  attained  tht  possession  of  Wisdom, 
as  well  as  her  innate  excellences.  From  the  tenth  chapter  to  the 
end  a  series  of  examples  are  quoted  from  sacred  history  to  demon- 
strate the  manifold  utility  of  Wisdom,  to  show  the  wickedness  of 
sin,  the  blissful  reward  of  faithful  souls,  the  undying  punishment 
of  the  wicked. 

THE  BOOK  OF  ECCLESIASTICUS.— This  book  is  also  en- 
titled "The  Wisdom  of  Jesus  the  Son  of  Sirach,"  or  "  Ecclesias- 
ticus,"  i.  e.,  preacher.  Like  the  book  of  Ecclesiastes,  the  present 
work  contains  a  body  of  moral  precepts  and  exhortations  tending 
to  enforce  the  practice  of  all  virtue  and  to  exalt  the  excellence  of 
wisdom.  The  author  would  appear  to  have  aimed  at  following  the 
plan  of  the  three  preceding  books  in  composing  his  own.  Hence 
we  have  first  a  body  of  maxims  in  imitation  of  the  Proverbs,  then 
a  series  of  reflexions  somewhat  in  the  style  of  Ecclesiastes,  and 
finally  a  long  poetical  panegyric  of  great  and  holy  men,  recalling 
the  style  of  the  Canticle  of  Canticles.  It  was  written  in  the  second 
century  before  Christ  under  the  Asmonean  or  Machabean  dynasty. 
It  gives  a  very  high  idea  of  the  culture  of  the  Jewish  schools  of  th< 
periods      Some  passages  recall  the  poetry  and  eloquence  of  Isaias. 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT 


Most  fittingly  does  the  word  "  testament "  apply  to  the  body 
of  inspired  writings  which  contain  the  record  of  His  death  and 
last  will,  who  is  the  great  "  Father  of  the  world  to  come."  From 
the  lamb,  the  firstling  of  his  flock,  offered  up  in  sacrifice  by  the 
martyred  Abel  in  the  first  age  of  human  history,  and  whose  blood 
was  mixed  with  the  life-blood  of  the  holy  priest  himself,  all  the 
victims  offered  to  God  by  the  patriarchs  before  Moses  and  by  the 
sons  of  Aaron  after  him,  only  pointed  to  the  one  infinite  and  all- 
atoning  Victim,  Christ  Jesus,  "  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  the  world."  He  came  as  our  true  brother,  flesh 
of  our  flesh  and  bone  of  our  bone,  to  teach  us  how  to  sanctify  the 
present  life  by  labor  and  suffering  and  God-like  charity,  in  order 
thereby  to  make  ourselves  worthy  of  the  eternal  life  to  come  and  the 
everlasting  Kingdom  that  He  reconquered  for  His  own  redeemed. 
From  His  blood  sprang  up  an  immortal  and  world-wide  society,  the 
Church,  which  He  made  the  heir  to  His  Kingdom,  the  unfailing 
depositary  of  His  power,  the  infallible  interpreter  of  His  last  Will 
and  Testament  for  tlie  sanctification  and  salvation  of  the  nations. 

So,  then,  as  the  Old  Testament  was  the  Will  of  God  solemnly 
and  repeatedly  expressed  to  send  us  a  Saviour  and  sanctifier,  even 
so  is  the  New  Testament  this  same  Will  carried  out  in  the  death 
of  the  Saviour  and  in  the  ordinances  by  which  the  fruit  of  His 
redemption,  the  means  of  salvation  and  sanctification,  are  secured 
to  the  entire  race  of  man  in  all  coming  ages.  The  Second  Adam, 
the  Father  of  the  new  life,  has  left  us  a  Mother  upqn  earth  to  hold 
His  place,  to  love  us,  to  teach  us,  to  train  us  to  walk  in  the  royal 
road  of  generosity  and  holiness  marked  out  for  us  by  the  precepts 
«id  examples  of  God  made  Man. 


"  The  Old  Testament,"  says  Cardinal  Errtt,  "  sliows  God  creat- 
ing the  universe  by  a  word ;  the  New,  on  the  contrary,  shows  God 
repairing  the  world  by  His  death.  The  former,  by  repeating  the 
promises  relating  to  a  future  Redeemer,  kept  alive,  without  satisfy- 
ing them,  the  ardent  hopes  of  mankind,  while  shadowing  forth 
dimly  the  design  of  Redemption.  But  no  sooner  has  Christ  come 
into  the  world,  and  the  new  covenant  taken  the  place  of  the  old, 
than  the  former  obscurities  disappear  in  the  light  of  His  coming, 
and  all  the  ancient  figures,  all  the  predictions  of  the  Prophets  are 
verified  in  His  Person.  The  covenant  made  on  Mount  Sinai  was 
only  in  favor  of  the  single  house  of  Israel ;  the  covenant  signed  on 
Calvary  regards  all  mankind.  The  one  was  sealed  with  the  blood 
of  goats  and  oxen,  the  other  with  the  blood  of  God's  own  Son. 
The  spirit  of  the  Old  Law  v/as  one  of  fear  and  bondage ;  the  glory 
of  the  New  is  the  Spirit  of  Love  and  adoption.  The  one  was  tho 
covenant  of  a  brief  period  of  time;  the  other  is  to  be  everlasting. 
Christ's  Gospel  promises  rewards  that  are  to  be  perpetual,  infinite, 
spiritual,  and  heavenly ;  the  law  of  Moses  only  held  out  a  perish 
able,  limited,  visible,  and  earthly  recompense.  The  Jews  did,  in 
deed,  hope  for  the  life  to  come;  but  they  could  only  attain  to  its 
unspeakable  felicity  througn  faith  in  Christ."  {^Historia  utriusque 
testamenti,  lib.  xi.,  chap,  i.) 

The  New  Testament  writings  contain  twenty-seven  books, 
divided  by  biblical  scholars  as  follows. 

Five  Historical  Books;  namely,  the  four  Gospels  and  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Fourteen  Epistles  of  St.  Paul.  Seven 
Catholic  or  General  Epistles.  The  Ai>ocalypse  or  Revelation  of 
St.  John. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE     HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 

BLJi 


1  HE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  MATTHEW.— Independent  of  all  th« 
curious  learning  which  fill  the  books  published  in  our  day  about  the  distinctive  char* 
acters  of  each  of  the  f»ur  Gospels,  is  the  exquisite  pleasure  which  the  devout  Christian 
mind  never  fails  to  find  in  reading  and  meditating  the  history  of  our  dear  Lord's  life 
and  death.  The  naked  text  of  St.  Matthew,  or  of  any  one  of  his  brother  Evangelists — 
take  it  up  wherever  you  will — affords  to  the  soul  athirst  for  Him  who  is  the  Life  of  our 
life  so  much  of  sweet  instruction,  so  much  of  consolation  and  strength,  that  one  arises 
from  the  study  of  the  chosen  page  with  a  great  desire  to  return  to  it  again.  To  all 
who  sincerely  and  humbly  seek  to  know  Christ  more  and  more,  and  to  become  more 
and  more  like  to  Him  in  thought  and  word  and  deed,  God  never  fails  to  open,  in 
every  page  of  the  Gospels,  and  sometimes  in  every  verse,  springs  of  thought  so  abundant, 
so  unfailing,  so  refreshing,  that  one  can  scarcely  tear  one's  lips  away  from  these  living 
waters.  St.  Ignatius  Loyola  was  but  a  young  and  half-educated  soldier,  when  he  shut 
himself  up  behind  the  bushes  and  brambles  of  the  Cavern  of  Manresa  to  study  the 
mysteries  of  eternal  life  with  only  two  books,  the  New  Testament  and  the  "  Imitation  of  Christ."  While  there,  as  he  afterward  was 
impelled  to  declare  for  our  edification,  he  learned  more  in  a  single  hour  spent  alone  with  God  in  meditating  on  the  life  of  our  Lord, 
than  years  spent  in  listening  to  the  most  learned  theologians  could  have  taught  him.  And  ever  since  his  day,  all  who  take  up  the 
Mysteries  of  Christ's  life,  passion,  and  resurrection,  as  laid  down  in  the  Saint's  book  of  Spiritual  Exercises,  and  meditate  them 
reverently  and  humbly  as  he  did,  will  learn  more  of  Christ  and  of  heavenly  things  than  a  lifetime  of  study  could  impart.  "  Was  not 
our  heart  burning  within  us,  whilst  He  spoke  in  the  way,  and  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures?"  said  the  two  disciples  of  Emmaus  to  each 
Jther,  when  Christ  had  disappeared  from  their  sight.  To  you,  dear  Reader,  remembering  our  own  sweet  and  frequent  experience,  we 
can  only  say :  "  Oh,  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  sweet :  blessed  is  the  man  that  hopeth  in  Him  ! " 

Let  a  modern  writer,  one — we  would  venture  to  affirm — who  has  drawn  from  this  same  source  his  deep  knowledge  of  the  Gospel 
and  of  its  divine  doctrines,  instruct  us  on  what  distinguishes  St.  Matthew  in  particular.  His  Gospel,  Father  Coleridge  says,  "  is 
penetrated  from  beginning  to  end  with  the  thought  that  in  our  Lord  were  fulfilled  all  the  types,  all  the  anticipations,  all  the  prophecier 
of  the  older  dispensation.  This  and  other  features  lie  on  the  surface  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel.  It  is  not  so  obvious,  but  it  seems 
»^ially  true,  )r>  o«v  that  it  is  penned  with  a  carefulness  of  design  which  makes  it  almost  as  much  a  treatbe  as  a  narrative :  with  a  distircf 


HISTORY   OF   THE   BOOKS    OF   THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC   BIBLE 


purpose  of  embodying  our  Lord's  general  teaching  to  an  extent  and  with  a  complete- 
ness which  can  be  asserted  of  no  other  of  the  Gospels.  It  alone  contains  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  and  it  gives  us  a  far  greater  number  of  the  parables  and  of  the.  teach- 
ings of  our  Lord  as  to  the  counsels  of  perfection  than  any  other.  To  tliese  purposes 
St.  Matthew  has  frequently,  as  might  be  expected  in  the  writer  of  such  a  treatise, 
made  the  order  of  time  subservient.  .  .  .  The  plan  of  this  Gospel  is  very  sirnple  and 
very  obvious,  and  explains  in  a  manner  quite  sufficiently  satisfactory  that  apparent 
neglect  of  order  which  is,  in  truth,  the  faithful  adherence  to  an  order  of  a  higher 
kind  than  that  of  mere  historical  sequence." 

The  sections  into  which  St.  Matthew's  Gospel  may  be  naturally  divided  are  as  fol- 
lows:  I.  The  birth,  infancy,  private  life  of  Christ  at  Nazareth;  the  mission  and 
preaching  of  the  Precursor;  the  baptism  of  our  Lord,  with  His  fasting  and  temptation  j 
chaps,  i.-iv.  ii.  II.  The  first  mission  of  our  Lord  in  Galilee,  together  with  the 
pregnant  summary  of  His  doctrine,  known  as  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  chaps,  iv. 
ii-vii.  III.  The  seal  of  our  Lord's  divine  mission  in  the  various  displays  of  His 
miraculous  power:  chaps,  viii.,  ix.  IV.  The  mission  of  the  Apostles  and  the  instruc- 
tions delivered  to  them  by  the  Master  and  destined  for  all  future  apostolic  laborers; 
chap.  X.  v.  St.  John  Baptist  sends  his  disciples  to  Christ,  and  Christ's  formal  recog. 
nition  of  the  Precursor's  holiness,  as  well  as  the  responsibility  incurred  by  rejecting 
both  the  Precursor  and  the  Messiah  ;  chap.  xi.  VI.  The  doubts  and  opposition  which 
neutralized  the  effects  of  Christ's  miracles  and  preaching;  chap.  xii.  VII.  Christ's 
teaching  by  parables ;  chap.  xiii.  VIII.  The  missionary  work  in  Galilee  described,  as 
well  as  the  miracles  with  which  it  was  accompanied,  and  opposition  of  Christ's 
enemies;  chaps,  xiv.,  xv.,  xvi.  12.  IX.  The  confession  of  Peter  in  Northern  Galilee, 
and  the  solemn  announcement  of  the  Passion ;  xvi.  13.  X.  The  Transfiguration  and 
the  preaching  of  the  mystery  of  the  Cross;  xvii.-xx.  XI.  Christ  enters  Jerusalem  on 
the  Day  of  Palms,  and  His  teaching  in  that  city  till  the  beginning  of  His  Passion  ;  xx. 
17  ;  XXV.     XII.  The  Passion  ;  chaps,  xxvi.,  xxvii.     XIII.  The  Resurrection ;  chap,  xxviii. 

THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  MARK.— It  is  thought  that  Mark  the 
Evangelist  is  the  same  person  as  "John  who  was  surnamed  Mark"  (Acts  xii.  12). 
In  this  case  his  mother,  Mary,  is  one  of  the  most  illustrious  and  blessed  women  of 
the  early  Church.  For,  beside  being  the  sister  of  St.  Barnabas,  her  son  would  thus 
have  the  twofold  privilege  of  being  an  Evangelist  and  the  associate  of  St.  Paul  in  his 
apostolic  labors.  It  is,  moreover,  a  most  venerable  tradition,  dating  from  the  infancy 
of  the  Church,  that  St.  Mark  the  Evangelist  was  even  more  closely  bound  to  St.  Peter 
by  constant  companionship;  and  that  the  Gosjiel  which  bears  his  name  was  written 
in  Rome  under  the  direction  of  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  at  the  request  of  the 
Roman  Christians.  Hence  it  is  that  St.  Irenaeus  calls  St.  Mark  "the  interpreter  and 
disciple  of  Peter,"  inierpres  et  sectator  Petri.  St.  Mark  was,  therefore,  the  son  of  the 
heroic  and  generous  woman  whose  home  in  Jerusalem  was  not  only  that  of  Peter 
and  his  fellow-laborers,  the  asylum  of  the  faithful  in  the  first  persecution,  but  the  house 
which  was  the  very  first  temple  of  the  Christian  religion  in  the  City  of  David.     It 


HISTORY    OF    IHE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


is  no  wonder  that  the  son  of  such  a  mother  should  have  been  the  loved  and  trusted  companion 
of  the  two  great  Apostles. 

The  Gospel  itself,  as  comparea  with  that  of  St.  Matthew,  is  more  simple  and  elementary  in 
its  character.  Some  scholars  have  even  considered  it  to  be  only  an  abridgment  of  the  latter. 
Nevertheless,  although  St.  Mark  omits  much  of  our  Lord's  teaching,  whether  discourses  oi 
parables,  he  dwells  at  greater  length  upon  His  miracles,  as  being  more  iitted  to  strike  the  pagan 
mind.  "  He  drops  the  incidents  and  sayings  which  require  special  knowledge  of  the  Jewish 
system  or  customs  .  .  .  The  departures  from  the  chronological  order,  which  St.  Matthew  has 
made  .  .  .  are  usually  corrected  by  St.  Mark"  (Father  Coleridge). 

He  begins  with  the  missionary  labors  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  lis  baptism  of  our  Lord, 
the  Temptation,  and  the  first  preaching  in  Galilee.  At  the  close  of  the  second  chapter  we 
have,  in  the  controversy  about  the  Sabbath,  a  key  to  the  opposition  which  the  Pharisees 
are  getting  up  against  the  Master  and  His  teaching.  In  the  third  chapter  Christ's  labors  and 
miracles  are  at  once  introduced ;  then  the  selection  of  the  Apostles.  The  multitude  drawn  by 
the  new  Teacher  and  His  wondrous  cures  is  such,  and  the  labor  of  the  little  band  of  work- 
men is  so  unceasing  and  overwhelming,  "that  they  could  not  so  much  as  eat  bread"  The 
Scribes  from  Jerusalem  declare  the  miracles  to  be  the  effect  of  Satanic  power.  There  is  a  mighty  fermentation  of  opinion  and  a  pas 
sionate  contention  among  the  masses.  There  is  such  danger,  too,  in  the  bold  speeches  of  Jesus,  that  "when  His  friends  heard  of  it, 
they  went  out  to  lay  hold  on  Him.  For  they  said,  He  is  become  mad."  Presently  His  mother  and  His  near  relatives  or  "  brethren  " 
appear  on  the  scene,  anxious  about  His  safety.  But  He,  who  knows  that  His  time  of  suffering  has  not  yet  come,  and  who  is  solely 
unxious  to  impress  upon  His  hearers  the  divine  value  of  His  own  message  to  them,  and  the  renovating  virtue  of  the  supernatural  truth 
and  grace  He  brings  to  His  nation,  only  answers :  "  AVho  is  My  Mother  and  My  brethren  ?  .  .  .  Whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  God, 
he  is  My  brother,  and  My  sister,  and  Mother."  With  the  fourth  chapter  begins  the  teaching  by  parables,  which,  however,  is  but 
briefly  dwelt  on,  the  Evangelist  insisting  chiefly  in  the  four  follo.ving  .  ;vapters  on  Christ's  labors  and  miracles  in  Galilee.  The  tenth 
chapter  describes  the  Divine  Master's  work  in  Peraea  or  "Judaea  beyond  the  Jordan."  The  remainder  of  the  book,  from  the  eleventh 
chapter  inclusively,  recounts  our  Lord's  teaching,  trials,  and  sufferings  in  Jerusalem  down  to  His  death,  resurrection,  and  ascension. 

THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  LUKE.— St.  Luke  wrote  his  Gospel  at  a  time  when  the  faith  had  spread,  and  several 
attempts  had  been  made  to  compose  a  satisfactory  history  of  its  Author,  its  origin,  and  its  progress.  He  had  been  the  companion 
of  St.  Paul,  as  he  relates  himself  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  which  he  also  wrote.  It  has  been  the  constant  tradition,  both  of 
the  eastern  and  the  western  churches,  that  St.  Luke  was  by  profession  a  physician.     Another  but   less  accepted  tradition  attributes 


42 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BUOKS    OF    THE    HOL\     CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


to  him  some  skill  as  a  painter.  He  remained  the  associate  of  St.  Paul  till  after  this 
apostle's  first  imprisonment  in  Rome  ;  and  obtained  himself  the  crown  of  martyrdom 
like  his  beloved  master.  St.  Irenseus,  Tertullian,  Origen,  and  Eusebius  bear  witness  to 
the  general  and  early  belief  that  he  wrote  his  Gospel  under  the  direction  of  St.  Paul, 
as  St.  Mark  had  written  his  under  that  of  St.  Peter. 

Being  a  native  of  Antioch,  Luke  was  familiar  with  the  Greek  language  and  culture. 
Hence  the  superior  purity  of  his  diction.  "His  work,"  says  Father  Coleridge,  "is 
more  like  a  regular  history  than  that  of  the  other  Evangelists.  He  covers  the  whole 
ground  from  the  Annunciation  to  the  Ascension,  and  there  is  no  prominent  or  im- 
portant feature  in  the  whole  series  of  the  mysteries  and  actions  of  our  Lord's  Life  which 
he  has  left  untouched.  At  the  same  time,  his  Gospel  is  to  a  great  extent  new — new 
either  in  the  events  which  it  relates  or  in  the  fresh  incidents  which  it  adds  to  tho 
history  of  what  has  been  already  related,  and  he  seems  to  make  it  his  rule  to  suppl  • 
omissions,  and  to  illustrate  the  method  and  principles  of  our  Lord's  conduct  by  anec  ■ 
dotes  or  discourses,  which  resemble  very  much  those  which  others  have  inserted,  but 
which  are  not  the  same  ...  If  we  consider  St.  Matthew  as  addressing  himself  pri- 
marily to  the  Hebrew  Christians,  or  rather  to  their  teachers,  and  St.  Mark  as  turning 
upon  the  direct  converts  from  heathenism,  we  may  look  upon  St.  Luke  as  the  Evan- 
gelist of  the  Churches  in  which  the  Jewish  element  had  been  more  or  less  absorbed  by 
the  larger  influx  of  Gentiles  ...  He  dwells  with  particular  care  upon  the  sacerdotal 
character  of  our  Lord,  upon  the  healing  and  compassionate  aspect  of  His  life,  upon 
His  love  for  penitents  and  sinners,  and  the  like.  .  .  ." 
The  first  section,  chaps,  i.,  ii.,  supplies  the  omissions  of  the  other  Gospels,  giving 
le  history  of  the  conception  and  birth  of  our  Lord  and  John  Baptist,  together  with 
lis  presentation  in  the  Temple,  His  hidden  life  at  Nazareth,  and  His  appearing  among 
iiie  Doctors  in  Jerusalem  at  the  age  of  twelve.  The  incidents  of  this  early  portion  of 
'  hrist's  career  mentioned  by  the  two  preceding  Evangelists  are  passed  over  by  St. 
l-uke.  The  second  section  comprises  chaps,  iii.,  iv.  and  v.,  bringing  the  narrative 
down  to  the  first  preaching  in  Galilee.  Chaps,  vi.-ix.  20  give  the  entire  second  period 
of  our  Lord's  life  down  to  the  Confession  of  St.  Peter.  From  chap.  ix.  21  to  chap, 
xviii.  30  St.  Luke  relates  what  regards  the  doctrine  of  the  Cross,  the  Transfiguration 
and  our  Lord's  labors  in  Judaea,  a  portion  of  his  life — the  last  year — not  mentioned 
in  the  other  Gospels.  From  chap,  xviii.  31  to  chap.  xix.  27  are  detailed  the  occur- 
rences and  sayings  that  took  place  between  Christ's  leaving  Perasa  and  His  arrival  in 
Jerusalem.  The  remaining  chapters  are  the  history  of  His  labors  and  sufferings  in  JerU' 
ilem,  of  His  resurrection.  His  manifestation  to  His  disciples,  and  His  ascension. 


:^ 


THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.— John,  as  well  as  James  the  Elder 
or  Greater,  was  by  his  mother,  Mary-Salome,  the  first  cousin  of  our  Lord ;  James 
the  Less  or  Younger  and  Jude  or  Thadaeus  being  the  sons  of  another  sister — all  four, 
on  account  of  their  near  relationship,  being  designated  in  Jewish  phrase  as  the  brothers 
of  our  Lord.  John  was  especially  dear  to  Him ;  and  this  special  affection  has  ever 
been  attributed  in  the  Church  to  John's  virginal  purity  of  heart.    Of  the  life  of  thi» 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


Evangelist  we  shall  speak  more  fully  when  we  treat  of  his  Epistles. 
At  present  it  is  very  important  that  the  reader  should  have  a  clear 
notion  of  what  is  distinctive  in  his  Gospel. 

St.  Irenaeus  states  that  John  published  his  Gospel  while  he  was 
residing  in  Ephesus.  St.  Jerome  says  that  he  wrote  it  at  the  request 
of  the  Asiatic  bishops,  who  besought  him  to  treat  in  a  special  man- 
ner of  the  divinity  of  Christ.  It  is  thought  that  this  Gospel,  al- 
though completed  and  published  in  Ephesus,  was  chiefly,  if  not 
wholly,  written  in  the  isle  of  Patmos,  and,  not  improbably,  after 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 

In  its  contents  and  scope  it  is  evidently  supplementary  to  the 
three  other  Gospels.  "In  truth,  St.  John's  Gospel  touches  the 
Others  only  at  one  single  point  before  he  comes  to  the  last  few  days 
of  our  Lord's  Life,  and  even  as  to  those,  nine-tenths  of  what  he 
relates  are  altogether  supplementary.  St.  John  is  distinguished 
for  the  great  length  at  which  he  relates  the  words  of  our  Lord,  and 
the  large  space  which  he  spends  upon  single  incidents  or  occasions. 
Thus  no  Gospel  is  so  easily  broken  up  into  its  component  parts  as 
this ;  its  arrangement  becomes  perfectly  simple  as  soon  as  its  supple- 
mentary character  is  recognized."  Such  is  the  judgment  of  Father 
Coleridge. 

The  book  may  be  divided  into  two  very  distinct  parts ;  the  first 
part  embracing  eleven  chapters  ending  with  the  recalling  Lazarus 
to  life  ;  and  the  second,  ten  chapters,  the  incidents  and  discourses 
pertaining  to  the  Last  Supper,  the  Passion,  the  Resurrection,  and 
the  Ascension.  The  first  part  comprises  two  sections :  I.  Chaps, 
i.-iv.  describe  incidents  and  events  of  which  nothing  is  said  by 
the  other  Evangelists.  The  time  they  cover  extends  from  Christ's 
baptism  to  the  beginning  of  his  first  missionary  tour  through  Galilee. 
The  occurrences  take  place  alternately  in  Judaea — on  the  banks  of 
the  Jordan,  in  Jerusalem  or  the  adjacent  territory — and  in  Galilee. 
II.  The  scene  of  the  next  six  chapters,  v.-x. ,  is  mostly  in  Jerusalem. 
Chapter  v.  recounts  the  healing  on  the  Sabbath  of  the  man  sick 
for  thirty-eight  years,  and  the  assertion  by  Christ  of  His  own 
divinity  during  the  public  discussion  occasioned  by  this  miracle. 
Chapter  vi.  describes  the  multiplication  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  in 
Galilee,  just  before  the  second  Pasch  of  Christ's  public  ministry, 
together  with  the  discussion  relating  to  the  Manna  and  the  Bread 
of  Life  figured  by  the  Manna.  The  next  four  chapters,  vii.-x., 
relate  our  Lord's  sayings  and  doings  during  the  last  year  of  His 
Life,  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  in  the  beginning  of  October,  and 
at  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  of  the  Temple  in  the  December  fol- 
lowing. III.  This  section,  comprising  the  eleventh  chapter,  gives  an 
account  of  the  miracle  performed  in  favor  of  Lazarus.  The  Second 
Part  of  this  Gospel  gives,  chapter  after  chapter,  the  Evangelist's 
additions  to  what  had  been  already  recorded  in  the  other  Gospels. 

To  the  attentive  and  devout  student  of  the  New  Testament,  St. 
John's  Gospel  will  give  much  light  to  understand  the  Life  of  our 
Lord  as  a  whole,  and  much  food  for  pious  contemplation.  The 
Beloved  Disciple  has  been  called  "  the  Theologian  "  by  the  early 
Church  Fathers,  because  he  alone  affirms  again  and  again  the  divin- 
ity of  our  Lord.  He  knew  him  to  be  true  man,  born  of  his  own 
near  kinswoman,  reared  in  his  own  country  among  his  own  kins- 
folk, and,  during  the  last  period  of  the  life  ended  so  tragically, 
admitted  into  the  closest  companionship  and  loving  intimacy  with 
Him  who  was  the  true  Son  of  God  as  well  as  the  true  Son  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.  It  is  the  Divine  Sonship  of  the  Master  that  John 
proclaims  in  the  very  preface  to  his  Gospel,  lifting  our  souls  up 
to  these  eternal  splendors  amid  which  the  Word  dwells  evermore 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Father. 

THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES.— This  book,  which  is  also 
ttie  work  of  the  Evangelist  St.  Luke,  is  the  only  inspired  history — 
sven  though  a  very  partial  one — of  the  infancy  of  the  Christian 
Church.  The  events  which  it  records  cover  a  space  of  about  thirty 
years.    As  the  verv  title,  "Acts,"  indicates,  it  is  the  record  of  an 


eye-witness.     Still  it  is  not,  and  does  not  purport  to  be,  a  fall  and 

complete  history  of  the  acts  or  labors  of  all  the  Apostles  during 
that  period.  It  relates,  in  the  first  part,  principally  the  labors  of 
St.  Peter,  and  those  of  St.  Paul  in  the  second.  Around  these  two 
great  figures,  indeed,  are  grouped  subordinate  laborers;  thesa 
two,  nevertheless,  stand  out  in  the  narration  as  the  central  per- 
sonages. 

We  see,  in  the  very  first  chapter,  the  promise  of  Christ  about  the 
coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit  fulfilled,  and  the  timid  Galilsean  fisher- 
men  transformed  into  the  dauntless  and  eloquent  apostles  of  theii 
crucified  Master.  Peter  and  John,  the  first  in  authority  and  the 
foremost  in  love,  are  also  the  boldest  in  confessing  Him  before 
the  very  people  who  had  put  Him  to  death.  "  Immediately  after 
the  Ascension,"  writes  the  Protestant  Henry  Alford,  "St.  Peter, 
the  first  of  the  Twelve,  designated  by  our  Lord  as  the  Rock  on 
which  the  Church  was  to  be  built,  the  holder  of  the  Keys  of  the 
Kingdom,  becomes  the  prime  actor  under  God  in  the  founding  of 
the  Church.  He  is  the  centre  of  the  first  group  of  sayings  and 
doings.  The  opening  of  the  door  to  the  Jews  (chap,  ii.)  and  Gen- 
tiles (chap.  X.)  is  his  oflSce,  and  by  him,  in  good  time,  is  accom- 
plished." L^t  us  listen  to  the  great  Bossuet  as  he  resumes  the  belief 
of  the  Chuich  on  this  point.  "  Peter  appears  as  the  first  (among 
the  apostles)  in  every  way:  the  first  to  confess  the  faith  (St.  Matt, 
xvi.  i6);  the  first  in  the  obligation  of  exercising  brotherly  love 
(St.  John  xxi.  15  and  following);  the  first  of  all  the  apostles  who 
saw  Christ  risen  from  the  dead  (i  Cor.  xv.  5),  as  he  was  to  be  the 
first  to  bear  witness  to  the  Resurrection  in  presence  of  the  whole 
people  (Acts  ii.  14) ;  the  first  to  move  in  filling  up  the  vacant  place 
among  the  apostles  (Acts  i.  15);  the  first  to  confirm  the  faith  by 
a  miracle  {/i.  iii.  6,  7);  the  first  to  convert  the  Jews  {/&.  ii.  14); 
the  first  to  admit  the  Gentiles  (73.  x.);  the  first  in  everything." 
Hear  him  again  tracing  out  the  design  of  Providence  in  the  career 
of  the  two  great  Apostles.  "  Christ  doth  not  speak  in  vain. 
Peter  shall  bear  with  him,  whithersoever  he  goeth,  in  this  open 
confession  of  the  faith  (St.  Matt.  xvi.  16),  the  foundation  on  which 
stand  all  the  churches.  And  here  is  the  road  the  Apostle  has  to 
follow.  Through  Jerusalem,  the  holy  city  in  which  Christ  mani- 
fested Himself;  in  which  the  Church  was  to  "begin"  (St.  Luke 
xxiv.  47),  before  continuing  the  succession  of  God's  people  ;  in 
which  consequently  Peter  was  to  be  for  a  long  time  the  foremost  in 
teaching  and  in  directing ;  whence  he  was  wont  to  go  round  about 
visiting  the  persecuted  churches  (Acts  ix.  32),  and  confirming  them 
in  the  faith  ;  in  which  it  was  needful  for  the  great  Paul — Paul  come 
back  from  the  third  heaven — to  go  "  to  see  Peter"  (Galat.  i.  18), 
not  James,  though  he,  so  great  an  apostle,  the  "  brother  of  the 
Lord,"  the  Bishop  of  Jenisalem,  surnamed  the  Just,  and  equally 
revered  by  both  Jews  and  Christians,  was  also  there.  But  it  was 
not  James  that  Paul  was  bound  to  come  "to  see."  He  came  to 
see  Peter,  and  to  see  him,  as  the  original  text  suggests,  as  a  thing 
full  of  wonders  and  worthy  of  being  sought  after.  He  came  to 
contemplate  and  study  Peter,  as  St.  John  Chrysostom  hath  it  (/« 
Epist.  ad  Gal.,  c.  i.,  n.  1 1) :  to  see  him  as  some  one  greater  and  older 
than  himself:  to  see  Peter,  nevertheless,  not  to  be  instructed  by 
him,  for  Christ  instructed  Paul  by  a  special  revelation ;  but  in  order 
to  leave  a  model  to  future  ages,  and  to  establish,  once  for  all,  that 
no  matter  how  learned  a  man  might  be,  no  matter  how  holy— - 
were  he  even  another  Paul — he  must  go  to  see  Peter.  .  ,  .  Through 
this  holy  city,  then,  and  through  Antioch,  the  metropolitan  city  of 
the  East,  ...  far  more  than  that,  the  most  illustrious  church  on 
earth,  since  in  it  the  Christian  name  arose ;  .  .  .  through  these  two 
glorious  cities,  so  dear  to  the  Church,  and  distinguished  by  such 
opposite  features,  Peter  had  to  come  to  Rome — Rome  still  more 
illustrious,  the  head  of  Paganism  and  of  the  Empire,  and  which 
to  seal  the  triumph  of  Christ  over  the  world,  is  predestined  to  b« 
the  capital  of  religion,  the  head  of  the  Church,  Peter's  own  city 
Thither  was  he  per  force  to  come  by  Jerusalem  and  Antioch.     Bw 


44 


HISTORV    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF   THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


why  do  we  see  St.  Paul  in  it?  Th^  inysterious  design  would  take  long  to  explain.  Only  bear  la 
mind  the  great  division  of  the  world  between  Peter  and  Paul,  in  which  Peter,  though  given  the 
whole  world  in  charge  in  consequence  of  his  primacy,  and  charged  by  an  express  command  (Acts 
X.)  to  have  a  care  of  the  Gentiles  whom  he  admitted  in  the  person  of  Cornelius  the  Centurion, 
did,  nevertheless,  take  on  himself  the  special  care  of  the  Jews  even  as  Paul  took  a  special  care  of 
the  Gentiles  (Galat.  ii.  7,  8,  9).  As  a  division  was  necessary,  it  was  fitting  that  the  first  of  the 
apostles  should  have  the  first-born  among  the  peoples  (the  Jews) ;  that  he  who  was  the  head,  and 
to  whom  all  the  rest  must  be  united,  should  have  the  nation  on  which  the  others  must  be  grafted, 
and  that  the  Vicar  of  Christ  should  have  Christ's  own  share.  That,  however,  is  not  enough :  Rome 
itself  must  fall  to  Peter's  share.  For,  although,  as  the  capital  of  Paganism,  Rome  belonged  in  a 
special  manner  to  Paul,  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  nevertheless,  it  was  in  Rome  that  PetT,  the 
head  of  Christendom,  was  bound  to  found  the  Church.  Nor  is  this  all :  the  extraordinary  com- 
mission of  St.  Paul  must  die  there  with  him,  and  thus  returning  to  the  supreme  Chair  of  Peter, 
to  which  it  was  subordinated,  the  power  of  Paul  must  raise  the  Roman  church  to  the  highest  point 
of  authority  and  splendor  "  (Sermon  on  the  Unity  of  the  Church). 

THE  FOUETEEN  EPISTLES  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  St.  Luke  describes  the  first  growth  of  the  Church  in  Jerusalem  and 
throughout  Palestine,  and,  outside  of  Palestine,  in  various  countries  of  Western  Asia  and  Eastern 
Europe.  A  society  arises  and  rapidly  increases  around  the  teaching  and  ruling  body  of  Apostles  so  carefully  chosen,  trained,  and 
instructed  by  our  Lord  Himself.  They  and  their  successors  after  them  to  the  end  of  time  were  to  teach  the  nations  of  earth  "  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever"  the  Master  had  revealed  as  the  law  of  life  for  mankind  (St.  Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20).  This  immortal 
wciety  thus  springing  into  existence  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  Cross  of  Calvary,  was  np*  only  'o  teach  with  the  fulnes."!  of  Christ't 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOUC    BIBLE. 


4S 


own  authority,  but  to  baptize  and  administer  to  the  faithful  all 

Christ's  saving  and  sanctifying  ordinances;  and  on  the  human  race 
who  hear  this  preaching  and  this  call  to  baptism  and  newness  of 
life  is  imposed  the  necessity  of  complying  under  pain  of  eternal 
loss.  "He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved:  but  he 
that  believeth  not,  shall  be  condemned  "  (St.  Markxvi.  i6).  Bap- 
tism is  but  the  door  by  which  one  enters  into  this  Society :  it  is 
the  indispensable  initiatory  rite  and  new  birth  in  which  the  children 
»f  the  fallen  Adam  are  born  again  of  the  blood  of  the  Second — 
the  blood  of  a  God.  Other  divine  ordinances,  sacraments  of  heav- 
enly origin,  and  pregnant  with  divine  virtue,  are  administered  in 
due  course,  and  according  to  the  soul's  needs,  to  maintain,  renew, 
increase,  and  perfect  the  supernatural  life  bestowed  in  the  new  birth 
of  Baptism. 

And  so  this  -..ociety  divinely  commissioned  to  teach,  to  regene- 
rate, and  govern  the  race  of  man  in  all  things  pertaining  to  eternal 
salvation,  stands  forth  in  the  full  consciousness  of  its  power,  and 
speaks  to  Jerusalem  and  to  the  world  by  the  mouth  of  Peter,  its 
visible  chief,  on  the  day  of  the  first  Christian  Pentecost.  Three 
thousand  men  baptized  and  admitted  forthwith  into  fellowship  with 
the  preacher  and  his  associates,  attest  the  might  of  the  Spirit  who 
moves  both  the  speaker  and  his  hearers.  Thenceforward  the  mighty 
movement  is  propagated  far  and  wide.  They  teach — these  Tathers 
of  the  new  moral  world  which  Christ  came  down  to  create — they 
baptize,  they  govern  their  flocks,  with  unquestioned  authority, 
both  the  rulers  and  the  subjects  in  the  infant  Church  appreciating 
sensibly  and  to  the  full  the  last  utterance  of  Christ :  "  Behold,  I 
am  with  you  all  days  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world  "  (St. 
Matt,  xxviii.  20). 

In  every  one  of  tne  following  epistles  or  levcers  addressed  by  St. 
Paul  to  the  churches  v/hich  he  had  founded  or  visited,  or  to  the 
bishops  he  had  set  over  them,  the  consciousness  of  this  divinely- 
given  authority  is  evident  in  the  writer,  and  evidently  supposed  in 
the  persons  to  whom  they  are  written.  He  is  in  prison  at  Rome, 
and  from  there  writes  four  of  these  touching  letters,  to  Philemon, 
to  the  Colossians,  the  Philippians,  and  to  the  Ephesians.  Just 
listen  to  some  of  the  divine  lessons  of  the  imprisoned  Apostle.  To 
the  noble  Philemon  whose  forgiveness  and  brotherly  charity  he 
bespeaks  for  the  fugitive  slave  Onesimus:  "  Though  I  have  much 
confidence  in  Christ  Jesus,  to  command  thee  that  which  is  to  the 
purpose,,  for  charity  sake  I  rather  beseech,  whereas  thou  art  such 
an  one,  as  Paul  an  old  man,  and  now  a  prisoner  also  of  Jesus 
Christ :  I  beseech  thee  for  my  son,  whom  I  have  begotten  in  my 
bands,  Onesimus  .  .  .  Trusting  in  thy  obedience,  I  have  written 
to  thee,  knowing  that  thou  wilt  also  do  more  than  I  say. ' '  Thus 
does  apostolic  charity  address  itself  to  the  work  of  abolishing  the 
inveterate  evil  of  slavery  along  with  the  manifold  corruptions  of 
the  Pagan  world. — To  the  Colossians :  "  We  (Timothy  and  Paul) 
.  .  .  cease  not  to  pray  for  you  and  to  beg  that  you  may  be  filled 
with  the  knowledge  of  His  will,  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual  under- 
standing ...  If  so  ye  continue  in  the  feith,  grounded,  and  settled, 
and  immovable  from  the  hope  of  the  Gospel  ^.'hich  ye  have  heard, 
which  is  preached  in  all  the  creation  that  is  under  heaven,  whereof 
I  Paul  am  made  a  minister  Who  now  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for 
you,  and  fill  up  those  things  that  are  wanting  of  the  sufferings  of 
Christ,  in  my  flesh  for  His  body,  which  is  the  Church  ...  If  you 
be  risen  with  Christ,  seek  the  things  that  are  above  where  Christ  is 
sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  Mind  the  things  that  are  above, 
not  the  things  that  are  upon  the  earth.  For  you  arc  dead,  a^-d 
your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God  .  .  .  Mortify  therefore  your 
members  which  are  upon  the  earth  .  .  .  uncleanness,  lust,  evil  con- 
cupiscence, and  covetousness  .  .  .  Stripping  yourselves  of  the  old 
man  with  hia  deeds,  and  putting  on  the  new,  him  who  is  renewed 
unto  knowledge,  according  to  the  image  of  Him  that  created  him." 
This  God-like  virtue  was  the  new  wine  which  could  not  be  held  in 
old  vessels ;  all  had  to  be  divine  in  the  Christian  man. — ^To  the 


Philippians,  who  were  especially  dear  to  Paul :  "  My  dearly  be- 
loved, my  joy,  and  my  crown  :  so  stand  fast  in  the  Lo^rd,  my  dearly 
beloved  !  .  .  .  Let  your  modesty  be  known  to  all  men  .  .  .  Whatso- 
ever things  are  true,  whatsoever  modest,  whatsoever  just,  whatso- 
ever holy,  whatsoever  lovely,  whatsoever  of  good  fame — if  there 
be  any  virtue,  if  any  praise  of  discipline — think  on  *hese  things. 
The  things  which  you  have  both  learned,  and  received,  and  heard, 
and  seen  in  me,  these  do  ye  !  and  the  God  of  peace  shall  be  with 
you!" — Finally,  to  the  Ephesians:  "Blessed  be  th^  God  and 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  spiritual 
blessings  ...  in  Christ.  As  He  chose  us  in  Him  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  that  we  should  be  holy  and  unspot^sd  in  His 
sight  in  charity  ...  I  bow  my  knees  to  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  .  .  .  that  He  would  grant  you,  ...  to  be  strengthened 
by  His  Spirit  with  might  unto  the  inward  man.  That  Christ  may 
dwell  by  faith  in  your  hearts :  that  being  rooted  and  founded  in 
charity,  you  may  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all  the  saints  what  is 
the  breadth,  and  length,  and  height,  and  depth.  To  know  also 
the  charity  of  Christ,  which  surpasseth  all  knowledge,  that  you.may 
be  filled  unto  all  the  fulness  of  God." 

"Anyone,  in  reading  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,"  says  Bergier, 
"  must  see  that  they  were  written  on  the  spur  of  some  particular 
occurrence,  to  clear  up  some  question  put  to  the  writer,  to  correct 
some  dangerous  abuse,  to  inculcate  some  special  duties ;  that  his 
purpose,  in  no  one  of  these  letters,  was  to  draw  up  for  the  faithful 
a  profession  of  faith,  or  an  exposition  of  all  the  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tian belief,  or  of  all  its  moral  duties ;  that,  while  writing  to  one 
Church,  he  never  prescribes  that  his  letter  shall  be  communicated 
to  all  the  others.  It  is,  therefore,  perverse  obstinacy  in  Protestants 
to  maintain  that  whenever  St.  Paul  preached  or  taught  by  word 
of  mouth,  he  confined  himself  to  repeating  the  instructions  con- 
tained in  some  one  of  his  letters  j  and  that  no  truth  which  is  not 
laid  down  in  writing  can  belong  to  the  Christian  doctrine."  On 
the  contrary,  it  is  evident  from  a  cursory  glance  at  the  Epistles 
themselves,  that  St.  Paul  refers  to  a  previous  body  of  truths  de- 
livered by  oral  teaching,  and  to  the  acknowledged  fact  that  the 
members  of  each  church  had  been  thoroughly  grounded  by  such 
teaching  in  the  great  truths  of  the  new  Revelation. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS.— This  was,  most  prob- 
ably, written  from  Corinth,  in  the  5 8th  year  after  the  birth  of 
Christ,  two  years  before  St.  Paul  went  to  Rome,  and  twenty-four 
years  after  his  conversion.  During  this  quarter  of  a  century  the 
Christian  faith  had  grown  wonderfully  in  the  capital  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  The  church  there,  as  in  most  other  cities  of  the  empire, 
was  composed  of  Jewish  and  Gentile  converts,  among  whom  a  dis' 
cussion  arose  as  to  their  relative  claims  to  the  esteem  of  the  great 
body  of  believers  throughout  the  world.  The  Jews  prided  them- 
selves on  their  being  the  descendants  of  Abraham,  on  their  ances- 
tors having  lived  under  a  theocracy  governed  by  a  system  of  law 
and  religion  solemnly  revealed  to  their  own  nation,  while  the  rest 
of  the  human  race  remained  in  the  darkness  and  horrid  corruptions 
of  idolatry.  The  converted  Gentiles,  on  the  other  hand,  nursed 
the  belief  that  they  had  obtained  the  grace  of  conversion  as  a  reward 
of  their  fidelity  to  the  law  of  nature,  and  pointed  out  the  manj 
great  and  pure  names  of  their  philosophers,  warriors,  and  states 
men.  Thus  the  Jewish  Christians  seemed  to  think  that  their  faith- 
ful observance  of  the  Mosaic  law  had  deserved  the  grace  of  the 
divine  adoption  and  justification  in  Christ,  while  their  Gentile 
brethren  attributed  their  possessing  a  like  privilege  to  their  having 
followed  the  guidance  of  the  natural  light  of  reason.  St.  Paul, 
who  had  been  specially  chosen  to  teach  the  Gentile  world,  wrote 
this  Epistle  to  convince  both  these  classes  of  converts  of  their  serious 
error,  by  showing  that  the  supernatural  grace  of  our  adoption  as 
children  of  God,  and  the  whole  subsequent  train  of  graces  which 
.  lead  the  soul  to  believe  and  to  be  iustified.  are  bestowed  on  vf 


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gratuitously,  as  the  effect  of  God's  pure  mercy,  without  any  previous  merit  of 
our  own.  To  stop  the  vain  boasting  of  both  Jew  and  Gentile,  St.  Paul  shows 
how  both  were  the  slaves  of  sin,  and,  therefore,  unable  to  merit  the  gift  of 
justification  by  their  own  good  deed.^,  The  condition  of  the  people  of  God 
was,  indeed,  attended  with  many  singular  spiritual  advantages  and  privileges, 
as  compared  with  that  of  the  pagan  world.  Nevertheless,  neither  Jew  nor  Pagan 
could  by  their  own  merits  lift  themselves  up  to  the  supernatural  rank  and 
regenerated  condition  of  the  Christian  people.  In  order  to  convey  a  conviction  of  this  truth  to  the  minds  of  the  faithful  at  Rome, 
St.  Paul  begins  by  exposing  the  horrible  crimes  committed  among  Pagans  even  by  the  most  enlightened  philosophers — chap.  i.  In  chap, 
ii.  he  enumerates  the  transgressions  of  the  Jews;  and  concludes,  in  chap,  iii.,  that  in  as  much  as  both  were  thus  subject  to  sin,  so  the 
justification  vouchsafed  them  in  Christ  must  be  absolutely  gratuitous,  the  effect  of  grace  and  not  of  legal  justice  or  natural  virtue,  and 
therefore  to  be  attributed  to  supernatural  faith,  which  is  a  gift  of  God.  This  position  is  confirmed  and  illustrated  by  the  example  of 
Abraham's  heroic  faith  and  justification,  chap.  iv.  In  chap.  v.  is  set  forth  the  excellence  of  this  grace  of  Christ ;  in  chap.  vi.  the 
Christian  soul  is  urged  to  preserve,  cherish,  and  increase  this  priceless  gift.  In  chap.  vii.  he  teaches  that  even  in  the  Christian,  after 
baptism  and  justification,  the  evil  forces  of  nature  still  remain  with  the  low  animal  appetites  (concupiscence)  that  drag  the  soul  down 
toward  sensual  gratification  :  this  concupiscence  is  a  force  which  rebels  against  the  restraints  of  the  Mosaic  law  or  the  law  of  nature, 
without  being  put  down  by  them,  the  victory  over  it  being  reserved  to  the  grace  received  through  Christ.  St.  Paul  then  proceeds  to 
enumerate  the  fruits  of  faith,  chap.  viii. ;  shows  in  chaps,  ix.,  x.,  xi.,  that  the  grace  of  justification  was  bestowed  on  the  Gentiles  m 
preference  to  the  Jews,  because  the  former  readily  submitted  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  while  the  latter  rejected  Christ ;  that, 
whereas  the  supernatural  gift  of  faith  was  a  thing  not  due  to  either  Jews  or  Gentiles,  the  promises  made  to  Abraham  and  his  posterity 
do  not  therefore  fail,  nor  can  the  divine  justice  be  impugned.  In  chaps,  xii.-xvi.,  the  Apostle  inculcates  the  cardinal  precepts  of 
morality  so  necessary  to  all  who  believe  in  the  Gospel  (see  Picquigny's  Commentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans). 

Vainly  have  those  who  reject  the  infallible  authority  of  the  Catholic  Church  endeavored  to  build  on  the  words  of  St.  Paul  a  system 
of  blind  and  fatal  predestination,  alike  injurious  to  the  divine  goodness  and  destructive  of  man's  free  will  under  the  aciion  of  divine 
grace.  From  the  passage,  chap.  ix.  13,  "Jacob  I  have  loved,  but  Esau  I  have  hated,"  we  must  not  conclude  that  our  good  God,  without 
any  regard  to  the  merits  of  men  and  independently  of  His  foreknowledge  of  their  good  and  evil  deeds,  predestines  some  to  be  the  objects 
of  His  hate  and  others  to  be  the  objects  of  His  love.  On  the  contrary,  we  are  to  believe  that  this  predestination  in  its  twofold  ^aspect 
is  based  on  the  foreknowledge  God  must  needs  have  of  the  good  or  evil  deeds  of  every  human  being.  Even  so  the  words,  "  I  will 
have  mercy  on  whom  I  will  have  mercy,"  etc.  (Ibid.  15),  are  not  to  be  construed  into  an  absolute  election  of  a  certain  class  of  persons 
destined  to  everlasting  happiness,  independently  of  all  prevision  of  their  good  or  evil  deeds.     They  simply  imply  that  the  almighty 


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goodness  is  ever  free  to  grant  the  grace  of  faith  and  justification  to  who  i^evei 
it  pleases.  It  is  a  supernatural  gift,  one  not  due  to  nature  or  natural  /nerits. 
Hence  St.  Paul  says  (Ibid.  i6)  :  "  So  then  it  is  not  of  him  that  willeth,,  nor  of 
him  that  runneth,  but  of  God  that  shovveth  mercy.  .  .  .  Therefore  iie  hatli 
mercy  on  whom  He  will ;  and,  whom  He  will,  He  hardeneth ; ' '  that  is.  He  allows 
the  hard  and  rebellious  heart  to  persist  in  its  rejection  of  His  graces,  as  He  die 
in  the  case  of  Pharaoh  and  in  that  of  the  apostate  Judas.  So  "  to  harden  "  i. 
not  to  predestine  to  eternal  damnation,  anymore  than  "to  show  mercy  "  or 
"  to  have  mercy"  is  to  predestine  to  eternal  bliss. 

Let  us  Catholics  rest  sweetly  in  the  assurance  that  we  have  in  the  living  voice 
of  the  Church  an  infallible  interpreter  of  the  dead  letter  of  Scripture,  whether 
it  be  the  writings  of  St.  Paul  or  any  other  book  of  the  Old  or  New  Testament. 

I.  AND  II.  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS.— Corinth,  situated  on  a  narrow  neck 
of  land  that  separated  the  ^gean  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  was  thus  the 
central  point  on  the  very  highway  of  commerce  between  Italy  and  Asia.  The 
city  was  rich  and  beautiful,  and  the  climate  lovely.  When  it  first  fell  beneath 
the  arms  of  the  Roman  Republic,  the  seduction  of  its  evil  arts  on  that  hitherto 
austere  commonwealth  was  such,  that  from  that  time  dates  the  decline  of  Roman 
virtue  and  liberty.  The  city  had  been  visited  by  St.  Peter  before  St.  Paul  came  there,  and  the  Christian  faith  had  made  such  rapid 
conquests,  and  operated  so  extraordinary  a  change  in  the  manners  of  the  local  Christian  society,  that  it  was  the  wonder  of  all  Greece. 
Still,  both  because  of  the  great  mental  activity  which  prevailed  among  Corinthians  of  all  classes,  and  because  of  the  concourse  of  strangers 
from  the  East  and  the  West  who  met  here  like  two  adverse  tides,  there  was  a  great  diversity  of  opinion  and  sentiment  among  the  faithful. 
St.  Peter  had  left  there  as  elsewhere  the  impress  of  his  authority  and  the  memory  of  his  virtues.  After  him  St.  Paul  had  come,  and  the 
eloquence  of  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  had,  not  improbably,  cast  into  the  shade  the  preaching  of  the  poor  fisherman  of  Galilee ;  then 
had  come  from  Alexandria  Apollos,  more  eloquent  even  than  Paul,  and  one  who  had  the  secret  of  all  the  philosophies  of  Egypt,  Asia, 
and  Greece.  And  so,  as  was  the  wont  in  the  East,  these  cultured  Christians  would  discuss  the  respective  merits  of  their  teactie?rs,  as 
the  university  students  in  Athens  and  Alexandria  criticised  the  eloquence  and  doctrines  of  their  rhetoricians  and  philosophers.  This 
was  one  source  of  contention.  Another  came  from  their  very  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the  moral  law  of  the  Gospel — the  Jewish 
converts,  probably,  contending  for  the  maintenance  of  Jewish  customs,  while  tha  Gentile  proselytes  refused  to  be  goveroed  by  the 


<8 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


prescriptions  of  the  Mosaic  law.  The  Corinthians  themselves  had, 
besides,  written  to  St.  Paul,  begging  to  be  instructed  on  several 
matters  of  doctrine  and  discipline.  This  letter  is  an  answer  to  this 
prayer,  as  well  as  a  general  admonition  to  the  Church  of  Corinth 
to  discountenance  unwise  and  uncharitable  discussions,  and  to 
cherish,  above  all  things,  union  of  souls  by  firm  faith  and  inviol- 
able charity  "Every  one  of  you  saith  :  I  indeed  arii  of  Paul ;  and 
I  am  of  Apollo;  and  I  of  Cephas;  and  I  of  Christ.  Is  Christ 
divided  ?  Was  Paul  then  crucified  for  you  ?  or  were  you  baptized 
in  the  name  of  Paul?"  Such  are  the  words  of  weighty  remon- 
strance with  which  the  Apostle  begins  his  instruction,  and  they 
let  us  into  the  secret  of  these  lamentable  divisions.  To  the  proud 
and  vain  Greeks,  who  sought  and  prized  philosophical  wisdom 
above  all  else,  the  Apostle  declares  that  he  knows  but  one  wisdom  : 
that  by  which  God  has  redeemed  and  is  converting  the  world 
through  the  mystery  of  the  Cross,  and  the  humiliations  of  the 
Crucified — a  means  of  all  the  most  inadequate  according  to  the 
judgment  of  the  worldly-wise.  "  But  we  have  the  mind  of  Christ," 
he  declares,  as  the  sole  rule  and  measure  of  our  judgments  in  things 
spiritual. 

Wherefore,  as  the  merits  of  their  teachers  did  not  bring  about 
the  ciiange  of  heart  wrought  in  the  converts,  but  the  hidden  virtue 
of  the  Cross  and  the  grace  of  the  Crucified,  so  the  labors  of  Apos- 
tolic men  had  been  barren  of  all  heavenly  fruit  without  that  same 
grace.  "Let  no  man  therefore  glory  in  men.  For  all  things  are 
yours  .  .  .  And  you  are  Christ's:  and  Christ  is  God's."  It  is 
worse  than  folly,  then,  to  dispute  about  the  personal  qualities  or 
merits  of  the  Apostle  through  whom  one  has  received  the  word  of 
«>alvation,  seeing  that  the  Church  and  the  whole  body  of  the  divine 
ordinances  are  God's  gift  to  man  in  Christ,  and  that  one  ought  to 
look  to  the  Almiglity  Giver  and  the  priceless  gift  rather  than  to  the 
earthly  channel  through  which  it  is  communicated.  Nevertheless, 
as  the  Apostles  are  the  workmen  and  servants  of  the  Master,  to  Him 
alone  are  tliey  amenable  in  judgment.  Hence,  chap,  iv.,  the  severe 
reproof  given  to  all  who  permit  themselves  to  arraign  the  conduct 
of  God's  ministers. 

To  humble  these  vain-glorious  and  self-sufficient  Corinthians,  the 
Apostle,  in  chap,  v.,  touches  on  the  festering  sore  both  of  Pagan 
and  Christian  society  in  the  beautiful  city — unbridled  licentious- 
ness. A  Christian  man  had  forgotten  himself  so  far  as  to  marry 
his  own  stepmother.  Him  the  Apostle  excommunicates,  and  then 
comes  the  solemn  admonition  to  the  young  Church  of  the  place: 
"Your  glorying  is  not  good.  Know  ye  not  that  a  little  leaven 
corrupteth  the  whole  lump?  Purge  out  the  old  leaven,  that  you 
may  be  a  new  paste  .  .  .  Put  away  the  Evil  One  from  among 
yourselves!" 

Then  follow  authoritative  admonitions  against  the  unbrotherly 
practice  of  bringing  their  wrongs  for  judgment  before  the  Pagan 
tribunals,  and  against  those  sins  of  impurity  that  are  so  opposed  to 
the  ideal  of  Christian  holiness,  chap.  vi. ;  lessons  on  marriage, 
virginity,  and  celibacy,  chap.  vii. ;  on  abstinence  from  meats  offered 
to  idols,  chap.  viii.  ;  on  his  own  voluntary  poverty,  his  working  at 
a  trade,  and  his  bodily  austerities,  chap.  ix.  ;  on  the  abstinertce 
from  certain  meats  to  be  observed  by  the  faithful,  x.  ;  on  the  dress 
and  functions  of  women  in  the  church-services,  and  the  celebration 
of  the  Holy  Eucharist,  xi. ;  on  the  divine  economy  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  extraordinary  gifts  and  graces,  xii.  ;  on  the  incomparable 
excellence  of  charity  as  the  great  central  virtue  to  be  sought  and 
practiced  by  all,  xiii. ;  on  the  preference  to  be  given  to  the  gift  or 
talent  of  prophesying;  that  is,  of  understanding  and  expounding 
divine  things,  xiv.  In  the  xvth  chapter  he  answers  the  last  ques- 
tion put  to  him  by  the  Corinthians  on  the  final  resurrection,  con- 
cluding, in  the  last  chapter,  with  directions  about  collecting  alms 
for  the  needy  churches  and  varioi»  farewell  words  of  admonition 
and  blessing. 

The  Second  Epistle,  written  u  few  months  after  the  First,  was 


penned  by  the  Apostle  to  relieve  the  excommunicated  Corinthian 
of  his  heavy  censure,  and  to  encourage  the  prompt  good-will  of  all 
those  who  had  profited  by  the  reproofs  and  teachings  detailed  above. 
St.  Paul  once  more  reasserts  his  apostolic  independence  of  all 
earthly  praise  and  commendation.  The  Judaizing  faction,  instead 
of  yielding  to  Paul's  appeal  in  favor  of  union  and  charity,  still  per- 
sisted in  accusing  him  of  undue  leaning  to  the  Gentiles  and  of 
defaming  Moses  and  the  law.  They  evidently  went  so  far  as  to 
deny  him  the  rank  and  quality  of  a  true  Apostle,  thereby  belittling 
his  ministry  and  destroying  his  influence  with  a  great  number  of 
people.  These  factious  intrigues  had,  perhaps,  induced  the  Cor- 
inthians to  draw  up  letters  commendatory  of  Paul  and  his  labors. 
At  any  rate,  he  declines  any  such  commendation,  affirms  the 
independence  of  the  ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  exalts  the 
mission  entrusted  to  liimself  and  his  associates  (chap,  iv.)  ;  urges 
them  to  be  liberal  in  their  charity  toward  the  needy  sister  churches ; 
and  exhorts  them  to  make  a  good  use  of  God's  liberality  toward 
themselves.  From  chapter  x.  to  the  end  he  nobly  defends  himself 
and  his  labors  against  the  detractors  who  had  been  so  busy  among 
the  Corinthians. 

EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS.— This  Epistle  was  written 
from  Ephesus,  according  to  the  opinion  of  the  best  biblical  scholars. 
The  Galatians  were  the  Gauls  or  Celts  of  Western  Asia ;  they  had 
been  instructed  in  the  faith  by  St.  Paul,  but,  in  his  absence,  had 
been,  like  the  Corinthians,  sadly  disturbed  by  Judaizing  mischief- 
makers,  who  persuaded  them  of  the  necessity  of  conforming  to  the 
law  of  circumcision  and  to  other  Jewish  observances,  depreciating 
at  the  same  time  the  apostolic  rank  and  services  of  Paul.  He 
therefore  writes  to  undo  what  these  false  teachers  and  pernicious 
zealots  had  been  doing  among  the  fervent,  hot-headed,  and  impul- 
sive Galatians.  He  establishes  his  own  claim  to  the  Apostolate  by 
relating  the  fact  of  his  miraculous  conversion  and  his  special  mission 
to  the  Gentiles,  a  mission  received  immediately  from  Christ,  and 
expressly  approved  by  the  body  of  the  Apostles  and  by  Peter  in 
particular.  He  shows,  moreover,  that  Peter  as  well  as  his  col- 
leagues had  sanctioned  the  stand  that  he  (Paul)  had  taken  on  the 
questions  arising  about  the  Mosaic  Law,  and  the  free  and  sinless 
intercourse  of  converted  Jews  with  their  Gentile  brethren  an<! 
others.  He  solemnly  rejects  the  obligation  which  Judaizing  Chris- 
tians sought  to  impose  on  the  Church  of  submitting  to  the  prescrip- 
tions of  the  ceremonial  law  of  Moses  ;  and  asserts  the  freedom  from 
that  law  of  servitude  as  the  spiritual  birthright  of  Christians.  He, 
therefore,  exhorts  them  to  free  themselves,  from  the  bondage  of 
sensual  superstitions  to  which  both  the  modern  Jews  and  the  Gentiles 
were  slaves,  and  to  serve  Christ  in  that  lofty  freedom  of  soul  into 
which  the  apostolic  teaching  and  the  infallible  guidance  of  the 
Church  were  sure  to  lead  them.  "  Stand  fast,  and  be  not  held 
again  under  the  yoke  of  bondage.  Behold,  I  Paul  tell  you,  that  if 
you  be  circumcised,  Christ  shall  profit  you  nothing  .  .  .  You  are 
made  void  of  Christ,  you  who  are  justified  in  the  law :  you  are 
fallen  from  grace  .  .  .  You  did  run  well :  who  hath  hindered  you, 
that  you  should  not  obey  the  truth  ?  This  persuasion  is  not  from 
Him  that  calleth  you." 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.— The  city  of  Ephesus 
has  many  claims  on  our  veneration.  It  became,  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  by  Titus,  the  chief  residence  of  the  Apostle  St. 
John,  and  the  residence  as  well  to  the  end  of  her  life  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary.  There,  also,  as  tradition  hath  it,  her  blessed  body 
was  buried  during  the  brief  interval  between  her  death  and  her 
assumption  into  heaven.  Ephesus,  moreover,  was  at  that  time  not 
only  the  great  stronghold  of  Pagan  superstition — containing  the 
incomparable  Temple  of  Diana — but  the  great  intellectual  centre 
of  Western  Asia.  Its  schools  rivaled  in  influence  those  of  Alex- 
andria and  Athens,  while  its  philosophers  boasted  of  possessing 


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49 


all  the  secrets  of  the  most  ancient  philosophies  of  the  East.  During  the  first  seve» 
centuries  of  Christianity  Ephesus  held  a  commanding  place  among  the  Asiatic  churches, 
and  was  tlie  scene  of  events  and  discussions  famous  in  ecclesiastical  history.  Even 
when  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Mohammedans,  its  traditions  and  monuments  secured 
to  the  remnants  of  its  Catholic  population  unusual  protection  and  privileges. 

As  St.  Paul  had  repeatedly  visited  Ephesus  and  labored  there  with  extraordinary  zeal 
and  success,  he  could  not  but  feel  a  most  fatherly  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  a  church 
holding  such  a  position,  and  destined  to  wield  such  a  powerful  influence  on  the  sister- 
churches  of  Asia  Minor.     There  is  a  most  touching  passage  in  Acts  xx.  15-38,  describ- 
ing Paul's  interview  at  Miletus  with  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  Ephesus.     The  beautiful 
farewell  discourse  which  the  Apostle  addresses  to  them  ought  to  be  read  in  conjunction  with  this  Epistle,  written  during  Paul's  first  im- 
prisonment at  Rome,  in  the  year  62.     This  farewell  address  shows  what  a  tender  heart  was  beating  beneath  the  rugged  exterior  of  the 
great  Apostle.     Although  he  had  suffered  many  persecutions  at  Ephesus,  he  is  the  same  zealous  and  forgiving  man  he  had  always  been. 

The  Epistle  itself  is  one  of  the  most  sublime  productions  of  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  To  the  infant  and  persecuted  Church  of 
Ephesus,  surrounded  by  schools  in  which  were  taught  all  the  systems  of  Grecian  and  Asiatic  philosophy,  all  the  seductive  theories  of 
Persian  Gnosticism,  St.  Paul  exposes  in  this  letter  the  whole  scheme  of  God's  supernatural  providence  in  the  Incarnation,  the  Redemption, 
and  tiij  es^aulishment  of  the  Church,  the  great  instrument  by  which  the  human  race,  through  all  succeeding  generations,  might  become 
incorporated  into  one  undying  Society  under  Christ  as  Head,  and  thus  be  made  sharers  of  all  the  temporal  and  eternal  benefits  of  His 
redemption.  The  Christian  family  are  thus  "  the  adopted  children  of  God,"  i.  5,  under  Christ,  the  God-Man,  elevated  in  Heaven 
above  all  created  beings,  and  being  made  "  Head  over  all  the  Church,  which  is  His  body,  and  the  fulness  of  Him,  who  is  filled  all  in 
all,"  i.  20-23.  I"  Him.  in  this  blessed  society  which  is  His  mystic  Body,  all  the  social  barriers  established  by  oriental  castes  and  preju- 
dices are  broken  down  ;  there  is  neither  Greek  nor  Barbarian,  nor  slave  nor  free,  nor  Jew  nor  Gentile :  "  the  Gentiles  "  are  "  fellow-heirs 
and  copartners  of  His  promise  in  Christ  Jesus  by  the  Gospel,"  iii.  6 ;  Paul  hath  been  sent  to  preach  "  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ, 
and  to  enlighten  all  men,"  without  distinction,  on  the  merciful  design  of  the  eternal  God,  iii.  8-21. 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.— Of  this  sufficient  mention  was  made  in  the  section  on  the  "  Fourteen  Epistles  of  St. 
Paul."  It  is  the  sweet  and  affectionate  expression  of  the  Apostle's  gratitude  and  fatherly  tenderness  toward  a  church  which  sent  him  in 
Vis  dire  need  substantial  proofs  of  love,  and  which  gave,  amid  continual  'Persecutions,  evidence  of  heroic  constancy  and  piety. 


to 


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THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.— Colossae  was  a  beautiful  and  flourishing 
city,  situated  inland  from  Ephesus,  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Mfeander  and  near  the 
high-road  from  Ephesus  to  the  Euphrates.  Colossae  was  thus  exposed  to  the  same 
dangerous  influences  against  which  St.  Paul  wished  to  guard  the  Ephesians  in  the  Epistle 
addressed  to  them.  There  is  a  striking  resemblance  both  in  the  doctrinal  lessons  he 
gives  to  the  Colossians  and  in  the  practical  virtues  which  he  recommends  to  them,  and 
the  substance  of  his  great  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.  The  letter  to  the  Church  of  Col- 
ossae was  also  written  by  the  Apostle  from  his  prison  in  Rome,  and  sent  by  Tychicus. 
Epaphras,  and  Onesimus,  the  two  latter  being  themselves  Colossians  by  birth,  and 
Epaphras  having  been,  moreover,  the  first  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  his  native  city.  In 
the  first,  or  doctrinal  portion,  St.  Paul  clearly  warns  the  Colossians  against  the  Gnostic 
theories,  as  well  as  the  narrow  exclusiveness  of  the  Judaizing  preachers.  We  have  been 
"translated  (by  God  the  Father)  into  the  Kingdom  of  the  Son  of  His  love,  .  .  who 
is  the  first-born  of  every  creature  :  for  in  Him  were  all  things  created  in  Heaven  and 
on  earth,  visible  and  invisible,"  i.  13-16. 

The  whole  "mystery"  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  the  whole  purpose  of  Chnst'a 

work  and  government,  is  to  present  the  Christian  man   "  holy  and  unspotted  and 

Paul  labors  and  suffers:  "We  preach  admonishing  every  man,  and  teaching 

i.  28.     They  are  to  glory  in  Christ  as  being  the 

"As  therefore  you  have  received  (been  taught)  Jesus  Christ,  walk  ye  in  Him,"  ii.  6.     They  are 

16-23.     They  are  to  shine  forth  in  supernatural 


-j,.^,ii..ii ..„ 

blameless  before  Him,"  i.  aa.    It  is  to  attain  this  end  that 

every  man  in  all  wisdom,  that  we  may  present  every  man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus, 

infinite  God  and  the  infinite  Wisdom. 

not  to  go  back  to  the  imperfect  and  now  empty  forms  and  observances  of  Judaism,  ii, 

newness  of  life,  iii.,  iv. 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.— St.  Paul  had  a  special  and  well-merited  affection  for  the  churches  of 
Thessalonica  and  Philippi.  In  both  these  cities  the  Gospel  had  been  received  willingly,  and  its  professors  there  had  shown  themselves 
worthy  followers  of  Paul  and  of  his  Master,  Christ.  There,  however — throughout  all  Greece,  indeed,  as  well  as  in  Asia  Minor — the 
Jews  had  shown  themselves  the  bitter  and  unscrupulous  opponents  of  the  Apostles,  and  the  unrelenting  persecutors  of  all  who  embraced 
the  Christian  faith.  Through  their  misrepresentations  Paul  had  to  fly  from  Philippi,  and  had  been  assailed  in  Thessalonica  with  still 
greater  violence.  Nevertheless,  a  flourishing'church  had  sprung  up  there,  composed  principally  of  converts  from  Paganism.  After  St. 
Paul's  departure,  the  Jewish  Synagogue  in  Thessalonica — powerful  even  then,  and  comprising  at  present  fully  one-third  of  the  entire 
population — employed  its  whole  influence  in  shaking  the  fidelity  of  the  new  Christians,  and  in  persecuting  all  those  whose  constancy 
remained  proof  against  persecution.  St.  Timothy,  Paul's  indefatigable  companion,  had  been  sent  to  comfort  the  Thessalonians  in  their 
distress  and  to  inquire  carefully  into  their  spiritual  progress.  On  his  return,  he  reported  most  favorably  to  his  master.  Thereupon  St. 
Paul  wrote  to  Thes.salonica.  It  is  the  letter  of  a  true  fatherly,  apostolic  heart,  written,  most  probably,  from  Corinth  in  the  last  months 
t">f  the  year  52.  After  expressing  his  devout  gratitude  for  their  progress  and  perseverance  in  virtue  and  piety,  he  replies  to  the  personal 
ubuse  heaped  on  him  by  the  Jews  by  recalling  to  the  minds  of  his  converts  with  what  heroic  zeal  and  disinterestedness  he  had  labored 
among  them,  supporting  himself  the  while  by  the  work  of  his  own  hands.  They  have  not,  therefore,  any  cause  to  blush  for  their  spiritual 
father.  In  thg  impossibility  of  returning  to  their  city,  he  beseeches  them  to  increase  their  fidelity  and  fervor ;  praises  their  extraor- 
dinary charity ;  urges  them  to  attend,  in  all  peacefulness  and  quietness,  to  their  respective  avocations,  and  to  those  steady  habits  of 
industry  which  secure  independence.  They  are  not  to  mourn  hopelessly  for  their  dead.  They  are  destined  to  share  in  Christ's  glorious 
resurrection.  Being  certain  that  this  Great  Day  of  awakening  shall  come  for  all,  "  Let  us  not  sleep  as  others  do;  but  Ht  us  watch  and  be 
■ober  .  .  .  And  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  rebuke  the  unquiet,  comfort  the  feeble-minded,  support  the  weak,  be  patient  towards  all  men.'- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


SI 


THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.— 

This  was  also  written  from  Corinth  very  soon  after  the  First,  and 
for  a  like  purpose.  He  particularly  instructs  them  not  to  be 
alarmed  by  the  predictions  of  some  false  teachers  who  went  about 
announcing  that  the  end  of  the  world  was  near  at  hand.  "  There- 
fore, brethren,  stand  fast !  and  hold  the  traditions  which  you  have 
learned,  whether  by  word,  or  by  our  epistle. ' ' 

THE   FIRST  AND   SECOND  EPISTLE   TO  TIMOTHY.— 

This  faithful  companion  and  fellow-laborer  of  St.  Paul  was  a  native 
of  Derbe  or  Lystra  in  Lycaonia,  the  son  of  a  Greek  father,  and  of 
a  Jewish  mother,  Eunice,  to  whose  careful  training  as  well  as  to 
that  of  his  grandmother,  Lois,  he  owed  not  only  his  knowledge  of 
the  Old  Testament  writings,  but  his  conversion  to  Christianity. 
From  his  first  meeting  with  Paul  at  Lystra,  the  Apostle's  soul  was 
drawn  to  the  heroic  youth  in  whom  he  discovered  all  the  great 
qualities  that  go  to  make  the  apostolic  missionary  and  ruler  of  God's 
church.  This  was  during  St.  Paul's  firct  missionary  tour,  when 
Timothy  was  only  a  stripling.  Seven  years  afterward,  during  Paul's 
second  tour,  Timothy  was  set  apart  and  ordained  for  the  apostolic 
ministry.  Thenceforward  he  became  Paul's  right  hand  in  his 
gigantic  labors,  going  whithersoever  the  latter  would,  to  confirm 
and  console  the  faithful  of  Europe  or  Asia,  following  his  master  to 
Rome  and  sharing,  it  is  thought,  his  first  imprisonment  there. 
After  their  liberation,  Paul  and  his  companion  revisited  Asia  to- 
gether, Timothy  being  placed  in  charge  of  the  Church  of  Ephesus, 
while  St.  Paul  went  over  to  Macedonia. 

The  First  Epistle,  written  at  some  uncertain  date  after  the 
separation,  is,  manifestly,  an  instruction  on  the  duties  of  the  pas- 
toral office,  every  line  of  which  has  been  for  eighteen  centuries  the 
delightful  spiritual  food  of  bishops  and  priests  all  over  the  world. 
The  Second  Epistle  was  written  from  St.  Paul's  prison  in  Rome, 
md  most  probably  a  very  short  time  before  his  death.  "  I  have  a 
remembrance  of  thee  in  my  prayers,  night  and  day,  desiring  to  see 
thee,  being  mindful  of  thy  tears,  that  I  may  be  filled  with  joy ; 
calling  to  mind  that  faith  which  is  in  thee  unfeigned,  which  also 
dwelt  first  in  thy  grandmother  Lois,  and  in  thy  mother  Eunice,  and 
I  am  certain  that  in  thee  also"  (i.  3-5).  Thus  does  the  fatherly 
heart  of  the  aged  Apostle  go  out  to  the  young  bishop,  touching 
and  moving  powerfully  every  heroic  fibre  in  it,  before  he  lays  be- 
fore him  the  details  of  the  high  and  holy  duties  which  are  incum- 
bent on  him.  It  is  like  the  eagle  encouraging  its  young  to  try  the 
loftiest  flights. 

"Only  Luke  is  with  me,"  the  imprisoned  Apostle  says  in  con- 
cluding; "take  Mark  and  bring  him  with  thee  .  .  .  The  cloak 
that  I  left  at  Troas  with  Carpus,  when  thou  comest,  bring  with 
thee,  and  the  books,  especially  the  parchments."  Such  is  the 
poverty  of  this  glorious  apostle  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  !  Would  you 
see  a  further  resemblance  of  Paul  with  his  Master,  listen  to  what 
the  apostle  says  of  his  first  appearance  before  the  Roman  magis- 
trates, probably  of  his  first  trial  by  torture  :  "At  my  first  answer  no 
man  stood  with  me,  but  all  forsook  me :  may  it  not  be  laid  to  their 
charge !  But  the  Lord  stood  by  me  and  strengthened  me,"  2 
Tim.  iv.  16,  17. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  TITUS.— Titus  was  the  son  of  Greek 
parents,  by  birth  a  Gentile,  consequently.  He  was  a  fellow-laborer 
of  St.  Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Antioch,  and  assisted  with  them  at 
the  Council  of  Jerusalem,  in  which  it  was  decided  that  the  Gentile 
converts  should  not  be  compelled  to  receive  circumcision.  He  was 
employed  by  St.  Paul  on  various  missions  to  the  churches,  such  as 
were  intrusted  to  Timothy,  and,  like  the  latter,  was  appointed  by 
the  Apostle  to  discharge  the  episcopal  functions.  In  the  interval 
between  St.  Paul's  first  and  second  imprisonment  at  Rome,  he 
visited  Crete  in  company  with  Titus,  and  left  the  latter  in  the  island 
after  him  to  govern  the  church  there.     The  Epistle  addressed  to 


Titus  from  Nicopolis  (in  Epirus,  probably,  where  St.  Paul  was 
afterward  arrested  and  carried  a  prisoner  to  Rome),  after  enumerat- 
ing the  chief  virtues  that  should  adorn  a  bishop,  points  out  those 
which  Titus  is  to  insist  on  among  the  people  he  has  to  govern. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON.— This  is  a  touching  plea  for 
a  fugitive  slave,  Onesimus,  whom  St.  Paul  had  converted  in  Rome, 
whom  he  found  a  useful  auxiliary  in  his  ministrations,  and  jyhom  he 
sends  back  to  his  native  city,  Colossae,  where  he  expects  Philemon 
to  receive  him  as  a  brother. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS.— The  constant  belief 
of  the  Catholic  Church  ascribes  the  authorship  of  this  most  beautiful 
epistle  to  St.  Paul.  The  doubts  which  modern  critics  have  en- 
deavored to  cast  on  its  authenticity  are  of  too  evanescent  a  nature 
to  cloud  the  faith  of  the  true  Christian  scholar.  It  was  probably 
written  from  Rome,  and  in  the  year  63.  It  was  addressed,  not  so 
much  to  the  Hebrew  race  in  general,  as  to  the  Hebrew  Christians 
of  Palestine,  and,  particularly,  those  of  Jerusalem.  For  many  years 
before  this  Jerusalem  had  been  held  in  terror  by  an  organized  band 
of  assassins  (the  Sicarii),  and  in  the  year  62  the  new  High  Priest 
Annas,  or  Ananus  II.,  a  rigid  Sadducee,  began  a  formidable  persecu- 
tion against  the  Christians,  and  summoned  before  the  Sanhedrim  St. 
James,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  and  other  leading  Christians.  The  other 
James  had,  several  years  before,  been  put  to  death  by  order  of  Herod 
Agrippa,  and  since  then,  as  if  in  atonement  of  this  innocent  blood, 
the  Sicarii,  with  the  connivance  of  Felix,  the  Roman  Governor, 
had  killed  the  High  Priest  Jonathan  at  the  altar  and  in  the  very  act 
of  sacrificing.  Everything  in  Judaea  portended  the  near  accom- 
plishment of  our  Lord's  prediction — the  utter  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem and  thp  '''"•nple,  and  the  final  dispersion  of  the  Jewish  nation. 
It  was  thus  a  period  of  terrible  and  manifold  trial  for  the  Christian 
Hebrews  of  Palestine.  What  was  to  compensate  them  for  the  loss 
of  their  nationality,  the  destruction  of  the  Holy  City,  the  blotting 
out  of  the  national  sanctuary,  and  the  cessation  of  the  worship  of 
their  forefathers  ? 

No  one  better  than  St.  Paul  could  lift  up  the  soul  of  these  suffer- 
ing Christians,  confirm  their  faith  by  showing  how  the  ancient 
promises  were  all  fulfilled  in  Christ,  how  the  trials  of  the  Hebrews 
of  old  should  animate  their  descendants  to  heroic  constancy,  and 
sustain  their  hopes  by  laying  before  them  in  the  glorious  spectacle 
of  Christ's  universal  Kingdom  and  everlasting  priesthood — the 
consummation  of  their  most  patriotic  aspirations?  To  understand, 
therefore,  both  the  purpose  and  the  scope'  of  this  epistle,  we  must 
recall  to  mind  the  objections  which  non-believing  Jews  were  con- 
tinually making  against  the  Christian  religion  and  its  Founder. 
Christ,  they  said,  the  author  of  this  new  faith,  was  a  man  put  to 
the  most  shameful  death  by  a  solemn  sentence  of  the  magistrates 
and  the  people,  whereas  the  Jewish  religion  could  boast  of  a  Law 
delivered  to  their  nation  by  Angels  acting  in  God's  name,  and 
promulgated  by  Moses,  the  holiest  and  most  illustrious  of  men. 
Moreover,  the  Christians,  instead  of  the  glorious  Temple  of  Jeru- 
salem, the  splendid  sacrificial  ritual  ordained  by  Moses,  the  unin- 
terrupted succession  of  priests  and  Levites  descended  from  Aaron, 
and  the  sacred  and  solemn  yearly  festivals  which  assembled  the 
Hebrew  people  aroiind  the  altars  of  the  living  God,  had  only  ob- 
scure and  mysterious  rites  celebrated  in  holes  and  corners,  without 
any  hereditary  priesthood  or  recognized  public  temple.  Where 
could  the  Hebrew  people  go,  as  of  old,  in  their  manifold  needs,  in 
their  consciousness  of  sin,  to  find  the  Mercy  Seat  on  which  Jehovah 
dwelt,  or  the  altar  of  holocausts  on  which  to  offer  the  atoning 
victims  of  their  guilt? 

St.  Paul  purposes  to  show  that  the  Christian  Religion  is  incom- 
parably above  the  Jewish,  in  this,  that  its  Author  and  Lawgiver  is 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God  and  very  God  Himself,  as  superior  to  the 
angels  and  to  Moses  as  the  Creator  is  to  His  creatures.     Moses^ 


02 


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no  stood  as  mediator  between  God  and  His  people,  was  but  a  mortal  man, 
whereas  in  our  Mediator  Christ,  we  have  an  infinite  Person.  The  same  tran- 
scendent excellence  prevails  in  the  rites  and  sacrifice  of  the  New  Law,  and  in 
the  spiritual  and  eternal  goods  it  bestows  on  its  subjects. 

In  order  to  follow  without  confusion  the  course  of  St.  Paul's  demonstration, 
you  have  only  to  examine  the  natural  divisions  of  this  Epistle.  I.  From  chap. 
1.  to  chap,  iv.,  the  Apostle  shows  the  superiority  of  Christ's  mediatorship  above 
that  intrusted  either  to  the  Angels  or  to  Moses.  He  teaches  (chap.  i.  1-14) 
that  Christ  is  above  the  Angels,  although  He  has  only  spoken  to  us  after  the 
Prophets.  For  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  while  they  are  only  His  messengers  and 
ministers.  Nor  (ii.  6-8)  does  the  fact  of  His  being  man  argue  His  inferiority 
to  the  Angels,  since  even  as  Man,  Christ  hath  been  placed  over  all  things.  Be- 
sides, it  was  a  necessary  part  of  the  divine  plan  of  our  redemption,  that  the  Son 
should  stoop  to  assume  our  human  nature.  "Because  the  children  are  partakers 
of  flesh  and  blood.  He  also  Himself  in  like  manner  hath  been  partaker  of  the 
same,  thai  iluuugh  death  He  might  destroy  him  who  had  the  empire  of  death,  that  is  to  say,  the  Devil." 

Again  (chaps,  iii.,  iv.),  Moses  did  not  build  the  house  in  which  he  was  a  minister,  whereas  our  Great  High  Priest  is  the  builder  and 
the  master  of  God's  House  and  Kingdom  here  below — a  house  and  kingdom  indeed  which  are  only  the  figure  of  the  heavenly  and 
eternal.  Moses,  though  fai*hful  and  true  in  his  ministry,  offended,  and  so  did  the  people  he  guided,  and  they  entered  not  into  the 
rest  of  the  Promised  Land.  Hence  we  Christians  should  take  warning,  and  yearn  for  the  eternal  repose  into  which  our  Divine  Leader 
hath  already  entered.  "  We  have  not  a  High  Priest  who  cannot  have  compassion  on  our  infirmities  ;  but  one  tempted  in  all  things, 
like  as  we  are,  without  sin.  Let  us  go  therefore  with  confidence  to  the  throne  of  grace :  that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find  grace  in 
seasonable  aid  "  (iv.  15,16).  In  these  two  last  chapters  the  Apostle,  with  the  art  of  a  true  orator,  presses  upon  his  afflicted  and 
wavering  brethren  the  danger  and  fearful  consequences  of  apostasy  or  falling  away  from  the  faith.  Those  who  followed  Moses  out 
of  Egypt,  who  heard  the  word  of  the  Lord  in  the  wilderness  and  beheld  His  wonderful  ways,  wavered  and  failed  in  their  faith  ;  therefore 
did  they  not  enter  into  the  promised  rest.  How  many  perished  in  the  desert !  Even  under  Josue  {Jesus  iv.  8)  they  did  not,  in  the 
land  of  Chanaan,  obtain  that  divine  and  everlasting  repose,  which  it  belongs  to  the  true  Jesus,  the  only  Saviour,  to  bestow.  But  firm 
faith  in  Him  is  already  the  beginning  of  possession,  the  anticipated  enjoyment  of  that  rest  which  gives  God  to  the  soul  and  the  soul  to 
God.  Let  us  then  give  to  Him  through  that  living  faith  our  whole  heart  and  soul.  "  Having  therefore  a  great  High  Priest  that  hath 
passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our  confession." 

II.  St.  Paul  now  proceeds  to  discuss  the  dignity  and  prerogatives  of  Christ's  priesthood  and  the  infinite  virtue  of  His  sacrifice,  as  the 
One  Victim  and  oblation  prefigured  by  the  sacrificial  offerings  of  the  Old  Law.  In  chap.  v.  i-ii,  St.  Paul  proves  that  Christ  per- 
formed the  functions  of  the  priestly  office  by  offering  up  "  gifts  and  sacrifices  for  sins."  Moreover,  He  closed  His  earthly  career  by 
fulfilling  in  His  own  person  and  by  His  last  acts  the  prophecy  which  likened  Him  to  Melchisedech.  "And  being  consummated,  He 
became,  to  all  that  obey  Him,  the  cause  of  eternal  salvation,  called  by  God  a  High  Priest  according  to  the  order  of  Melchisedech." 

As  if  the  Reality  prefigured  in  the  sacrifice  of  Melchisedech,  and  consummated  in  the  Bread  and  Wine  offered  up  by  Christ,  recalled 
some  formidable  practical  difficulties,  the  Apostle  here  turns  aside  (v.  11 ;  vi.  20)  to  solve  them  for  his  readers.  "  Of  whom  (Mel- 
chisedech) we  have  much  to  say,  and  hard  to  be  intelligibly  uttered,  because  you  are  become  weak  to  bear.  .  .  .  Strong  meat  is  for 
the  perfect,  for  them  who  by  custom  have  their  senses  exercised  to  the  discerning  of  good  and  evil."  The  Apostle  is  unwilling  to 
rehearse  for  these  vaccilating  Christians  the  elementary  truths  delivered  to  catechumens.     And  then  comes  the  terrible  warning  to 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLr    CAIHOLIC    BIBLt. 


/ftose  who  allow  their  first  fervor  to  cool  during  a  time  of  persecu- 
tion and  their  faith  to  waver,  who  have  abused  the  most  precious 
graces,  and  by  this  abuse  placed  themselves  on  the  road  to  apostasy. 
"  It  is  impossible  for  those  who  were  once  illuminated,  have  tasted 
also  the  heavenly  Gift,  and  were  made  partakers  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  have,  moreover,  tasted  the  good  word  of  God,  and  the 
powers  of  the  world  to  come,  and  are  fallen  away,  to  be  renewed 
again  to  penance!"  .  .  .  Woe  to  "the  earth  that  drinketh  in 
the  rain  which  cometh  often  upon  it  •  .  .  but  .  .  .  bringeth  forth 
thorns  and  briars  1 "  .  .  .  "It  is  reprobate  and  very  near  to  a 
curse  .  .  ."  Then  come  words  of  generous  praise  for  their  former 
noble  deeds  of  piety  and  charity,  and  a  most  beautiful  exhortation 
to  constant  and  increasing  carefulness  under  present  trials.  Theirs 
must  be  the  invincible  patience  and  living  faith  of  Abraham,  who 
was  rewarded  after  so  much  suffering  and  waiting.  Even  so  must 
they  anchor  their  faith  and  hope  in  Heaven,  '-  Where  the  fore- 
runner Jesus  is  entered  for  us." 

Taking  up  the  thread  of  his  argument  where  he  had  left  it  at  the 
Aiention  of  Christ's  priesthood  in  connection  with  that  of  Mel- 
chisedech,  the  Apostle  proceeds  to  show  that  even  as  the  typical 
Melchisedech,  the  King-priest  of  Salem,  was  superior  in  dignity  to 
Abraham,  and  to  Levi  descended  from  Abraham  with  his  sacer- 
dotal progeny,  so  and  far  more  so  He  who  is  "  a  Priest  forever 
according  to  the  order  of  Melchisedech,"  transcends  both  the 
priest-King  of  Salem  and  the  Levitical  priesthood.  "  By  so  much 
is  Jesus  made  a  surety  of  a  better  testament,"  vii.  22.  "  We  have 
auch  an  High  Priest,  who  is  set  on  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of 
majesty  in  the  Heavens,  a  minister  of  the  Holies  and  of  the  true 
tabernacle,  which  the  Lord  hath  pitched,  and  not  man,"  viii.  i,  2. 
This  High  Priest,  this  Priesthood,  this  Tabernacle,  this  sacrificial 
worship,  are  that  most  perfect  and  divine  exemplar  which  all  pre- 
ceding types  and  systems  copied  and  foreshadowed. 

The  blood  which  flowed  in  the  manifold  Mosaic  sacrifices  was 
figurative  of  the  blood  of  the  One  Infinite  Victim ;  the  sacrifices 
were  many  and  daily  renewed  because  of  themselves  inefficacious 
toward  atonement  or  sanctification,  ix.  i-io.  "  But  Christ  being 
come  an  High  Priest  of  the  good  things  to  come,  ...  by  His  own 
blood  entered  once  Into  the  Holies,  having  obtained  eternal  redemp- 
tion," ix.  II,  13. 

The  national  Jewish  religion  with  its  gorgeous  worship  was  thus 
only  "  a  shadow  of  the  good  things  to  come,  not  the  very  image 
of  the  things,"  x.  i — could  "  never  make  the  comers  thereunto 
perfect."  Now  we  have  in  the  Lamb  of  God  the  victim  of  infinite 
price  and  merit ;  and,  therefore,  "  we  are  sanctified  by  the  oblation 
of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  once,"  x.  10.  So,  "  this  [great  High 
Priest]  offering  one  sacrifice  for  sins,  for  ever  sitteth  at  the  right 
aand  of  God  ...  By  one  oblation  He  hath  perfected  for  ever 
them  that  are  sanctified,"  x.  12,  14.  Thus  by  the  application  to 
Bs  of  the  infinite  atoning  merits  of  this  one  bloody  sacrifice  of  Cal- 
fary  is  the  guilt  of  all  sin  remitted,  and  through  that  Blood  applied 
to  our  souls  in  every  sacrament  and  every  individual  grace,  are  we 
enabled  to  go  on  from  degree  to  degree  of  spiritual  perfection  and 
holiness.  O  Jews,  wherefore,  then,  do  ye  weep  over  the  prospect 
of  the  near  destruction  of  your  Temple  and  the  coming  ruin  of 
your  Sion?  Wherefore  refuse  to  be  comforted  because  with  the 
Temple  shall  cease  forever  the  sacrificial  worship  of  your  fore- 
fathers? Look  up  to  Jesus  promised  by  Moses  and  the  Prophets, 
prefigured  by  Melchisedech  and  his  oblation.  He,  the  Great  High 
Priest  of  the  perfect  and  everlasting  Covenant,  hath  fulfilled  both 
the  unbloody  oblation  of  the  King-Priest  of  Salem  and  the  bloody 
expiation  foreshown  by  the  Levi  tic  sacrifices.  Our  Divine  Mel- 
chisedech sits  forever  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  offering  ever- 
more for  all  succeedmg  generations  His  Body  and  Blood  as  the 
price  of  their  ransom  and  the  source  of  all  saving  and  sanctifying 
graces.  And  on  earth,  even  when  your  Temple  disappears,  and 
'>ot  one  drop  of  blood  shall  reddec  the  spot  where  11  aow  stands. 


there  shall  continue  all  over  the  earth  from  the  rising  to  the  settinj 
sun  the  Everlasting  Commemoration  of  Christ's  bloody  sacrifice, 
the  unbloody  offering  of  Melchisedech.  Thus  heaven  and  earth 
shall  ever  unite  in  the  divine  and  perfect  offering  of  Him  who  is  a 
Priest  forever  according  to  the  order  of  Melchisedech. 

Having  thus  established  the  superiority  of  the  New  Covenant 
over  the  Old,  St.  Paul  once  more  appeals  to  his  Hebrew  coreligion- 
ists to  continue  steadfast  in  the  faith,  x.  19-30.  "  Let  us  consider 
one  another  to  provoke  unto  charity  and  good  works."  The  Chris- 
tian Church  may  not  punish  with  death  apostates  and  transgressors, 
as  was  the  wont  of  the  Jewish  (x.  28) ;  but  the  spiritual  and  unseen 
punishment  reserved  to  the  apostate  from  Christianity  is  not  the  less 
terrible  or  uncertain,  because  unseen.  "  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God  ! "  The  bitter  trials  which 
the  Church  has  to  endure  will  soon  be  ended.  Meanwhile  her 
sons  must  arm  themselves  with  faith  and  the  heroic  patience  faith 
begets. 

III.  The  three  remaining  chapters  are  taken  up  with  a  descrip- 
tion  of  that  living  faith — the  mightiest  of  moral  forces — and  its 
wonderful  effects,  as  exemplified  in  their  own  illustrious  ancestors 
(chap,  xi.) ;  with  a  stirring  exhortation  to  his  Christian  brethren  to 
emulate  such  glorious  examples  (chap,  xii.),  and  to  devote  them- 
selves to  the  practice  of  brotherly  c'.r.rity  and  its  kindred  active 
virtues — the  most  efficacious  preservative  against  human  respect 
and  loss  of  fervor  (chap,  xiii.) 

III.  THE  SEVEN  CATHOLIC  EPISTLES 

THE  EPISTLE  OF  ST.  JAMES.— Although  some  writers  have 
attributed  the  authorship  of  this  Epistle  to  St.  James  the  Elder,  the 
brother  of  St.  John,  the  great  majority  of  biblical  scholars  ascribe 
it  to  St.  James  the  Less  or  the  Younger,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  and 
brother  of  St.  Jude.  The  former  was  put  to  death  by  Herod 
Agrippa  in  the  year  44,  and  the  latter  suffered  martyrdom  about 
62  or  63  by  order  of  the  High  Priest  Annas  or  Ananus  II.  It  ii 
thought  that  he  wrote  this  Epistle  in  the  year  59,  some  three  years 
before  his  death.  This  glorious  relative  of  our  Lord  was  one  of 
those  to  whom  He  deigned  to  show  Himself  in  a  special  manner 
after  the  resurrection  (i  Cor.  xv.  7).  He  had  his  residence  in 
Jerusalem,  where  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  pillar  of  the  Church, 
and  where  he  was  visited  by  St.  Paul  soon  after  the  conversion  of 
the  latter  (Galat.  i.  18);  and  where  also  he  assisted  at  the  council 
held  by  the  Apostles,  and  pronounced  a  discourse  to  which  the 
others  assented.  From  his  coreligionists,  fellow-citizens,  and  con- 
temporaries he  received  the  surname  of  "  the  Just,"  and  was,  be- 
sides, popularly  designated  as  "Oblias"  or  "the  bulwark  of  the 
people,"  on  account  of  his  extraordinary  devotion  to  prayer  and 
his  influence  with  the  Divine  Majesty.  St.  Epiphanius  says  that 
he  was  appointed  by  our  Lord  Himself  to  govern  the  Church  of 
Jerusalem. 

In  his  Epistle,  which  he  addressed  to  all  the  Christian  Churches, 
St.  James  insists  on  the  necessity  of  good  works  as  the  proper  fruits 
of  a  soul  filled  with  a  living  and  active  faith.  He  insisted  on  this 
in  order  to  confute  the  erroneous  interpretation  given  in  many 
places  to  the  doctrine  of  St.  Paul,  on  the  inadequacy  of  works  per- 
formed in  fulfillment  either  of  the  Law  of  Moses  or  the  Law  of 
Nature  to  merit  or  effect  justification  :  this  was  to  be  the  effect  of 
divine  grace  alone.  The  false  interpreters  of  St.  Paul  affirmed  that 
the  works  performed  by  charity  were  not  necessary  to  salvation ; 
that  faith  alone  sufficed.  Hence  the  declaration  of  the  Apostle : 
"Be  ye  doers  of  the  word,  and  not  hearers  only,  deceiving  youi 
own  selves"  (i.  22).  "  If  then  you  fulfill  the  royal  law,  according 
to  the  Scriptures,  T/im  shall  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,  you  do 
well"  (ii.  8).  "What  shall  it  profit,  my  brethren,  if  a  man  say 
he  hath  faith,  but  hath  not  works  ?  Shall  faith  be  able  to  save 
him?"  (ii.  m).    "For  even  as  the  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead; 


54 


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so  also  faith  without  works  is  dead  "  (ii.  26).     Both  St.  Paul  and 
t.  James  taught  that  in  the  Christian  soul  supernatural  faith  and 
harity  should  go  hand  in  hand  working  out  man's  salvation  under 
he  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  producing  deeds  worthy 
f  an  adopted  child  of  God.     Both  the  one  and  the  other  taught 
hat  suj)ernatural  faith  and  charity,  and  all  the  divine  forces  that 
lift  the  soul  of  the  sinner  or  the  natural  man  to  the  state  of  grace 
or  justification,  are  the  free  gift  of  God    through  Jesus  Christ. 
Man's  part  in  the  vital  acts  which  enter  into  the  process  of  justifi- 
cation consists  in  yielding  a  free  assent  to  the  light  vouchsafed 
him  and  obeying  the  impulse  of  the  Spirit  who  moves  his  heart. 

In  this  Epistle  St.  James,  as  is  the  common  opinion,  promulgated 
the  doctrine  relating  to  Extreme  Unction,  which  had  been  insti- 
tuted by  our  Lord,  and  which  He  taught  His  disciples  to  practice 
as  is  hinted  in  St.  Mark  vi.  13. 

THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  EPISTLES  OF  ST.  PETER.— 

These  are  also  termed  "Catholic,"  because  addressed  to  the  faithful 
at  large.  The  First  Epistle  is  dated  from  "  Babylon ; "  that  is, 
Rome,  according  to  the  common  interpretation  of  Catholics.  Its 
substance,  form,  and  tone  remind  one  forcibly  of  the  doctrinal 
encyclicals  of  the  Roman  Pontiffs,  Peter's  successors.  Its  purpose 
evidently  is  to  instruct  the  Hebrew  converts  of  Asia  Minor,  while 
edifying  also  those  of  other  nationalities.  He  bids  them  adorn  their 
Christian  profession  by  holiness  of  life.  Like  St.  Paul,  Peter  lifts 
the  souls  of  his  readers  to  the  contemplation  of  the  unchangeable 
Kingdom  which  is  to  be  their  inheritance  in  heaven,  as  the  adopted 
children  of  the  Father  in  Christ.  This,  however,  is  only  the  prize 
to  be  won  by  long-suffering  patience  here.  This  glorious  and  fruit- 
ful trial  of  their  faith,  as  well  as  its  unspeakable  reward,  has  been 
the  subject  of  the  Prophecies  so  familiar  to  the  Jews  and  now  not 
unknown  to  their  Gentile  fellow-believers;  for  this  trial  they  have 
been  also  prepared  by  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel  (i.  1-12).  Pur- 
chased from  sin  by  an  infinite  price,  "  the  precious  blood  of  Christ, 
as  of  a  Lamb  unspotted  and  undefiled,"  let  them  be  holy  even  as 
He  is  holy  (13-25).  In  chap.  ii.  the  Apostle  continues  to  describe 
in  fuller  detail  the  means  by  which  Christian  humanity,  regene- 
rated or  born  anew  of  the  blood  of  a  God,  may  form  a  society 
of  God-like  brothers.  Laying  aside  all  the  passions  that  are  born 
)f  pride  and  selfishness,  they  are  to  be  "as  new-born  babes" 
desiring  earnestly  the  milk  of  this  heavenly  truth  which  feeds  and 
elevates  their  rational  nature,  that  thereby  they  may  "grow  unto 
salvation.'-  Nay,  more  than  that,  the  members  of  this  society  are 
likened  to  "living  stones  built  up,  a  spiritual  house"  (ii.  5),  the 
"  chief  come: -stone"  of  which  is  Christ.  Anxious  to  see  this 
glorious  edifice  brought  to  perfection  and  filling  the  earth,  Peter, 
who  is,  under  Christ,  the  Rock  and  foundation  on  which  the  whole 
structure  reposes,  addresses  the  faithful  on  the  virtues  that  are  most 
conducive  to  edification.  "  Dearly  beloved,  I  beseech  you  as 
strangers  and  pilgrims,  to  refrain  yourselves  from  carnal  desires 
which  war  against  the  soul,  having  your  conversation  (manner  of 
living)  good  among  the  Gentiles :  that,  whereas  they  speak  against 
you  as  evil  doers,  they  may,  by  the  good  works  which  they  shall 
behold  in  you,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation  "  (ii,  12). 
And  so,  throughout  the  remainder  of  the  Epistle,  he  continues  to 
inculcate  the  practice  of  the  private  and  public  virtues  that  are 
ever  sure  to  win  Christians  the  love  and  reverence  of  mankind. 

In  the  Second  Epistle,  written,  most  probably,  from  prison  and 
shortly  before  his  death,  St.  Peter  insists  on  the  divine  rank  to 
which  regenerated  man  is  lifted  in  Jesus  Christ.  This  great  and 
fundamental  truth  must  be,  for  converted  Jews  and  Gentiles,  like 
a  beacon-light  placed  on  high  above  the  road  of  life  and  guiding 
all  the  followers  of  Christ  to  the  loftiest  aims  and  the  noblest 
leeds.  "All  things  of  His  divine  power,  which  appertain  to  life 
*nd  godliness,  are  given  ys  through  the  knowledge  of  Him  who 
iw**»  cblled  us  by  His  own  proper  glory  and  virtue.     By  whom  He 


hath  given  us  most  great  and  precious  promises ;  that  by  these  yo* 
may  be  made  partakers  of  the  djvine  nature,  flying  the  cor 
ruption  of  that  concupiscence  which  is  in  the  world  "  (i.  3,  4). 

The  supernatural  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  of  the  Christian'^ 
sublime  destinies  in  Him,  is  not  only  light  in  the  mind  but  fir& 
in  the  heart,  purging  it  from  the  dross  of  all  earthly  and  impure 
affections.  This  sacred  fire  cannot  be  concealed  within  the  soul, 
but  must  needs  break  forth  in  one's  whole  outward  life,  enlighten- 
ing all  who  come  within  its  reach,  and  communicating  to  them  the 
ardor  of  that  heavenly  charity  which  is  as  inseparable  from  the 
words  and  deeds  of  the  true  Christian  as  the  sun's  radiance  and 
warmth  are  from  the  sun  itself.  Ponder  every  line  and  word 
throughout  these  too  short  chapters,  and  see  how  the  inspired 
admonitions  of  the  first  Roman  Pontiff  are  fitted  to  the  needs  of 
our  own  nineteenth  century,  warning  Ui  against  the  apostate  Chris- 
tians who  put  away  Revealed  Truth  from  them,  because  they,  too, 
have  "  eyes  full  of  adultery  and  of  sin  that  ceaseth  not  "  (ii.  14) ; 
..."  Speaking  proud  words  of  vanity,  they  allure  by  the  desires 
of  fleshly  riotousness  those  who  for  a  little  while  escape,  such  as 
converse  in  error :  promising  them  liberty,  whereas  they  themselves 
are  the  slaves  of  corruption  "  (18,  19). 

And  how  touching  is  the  allusion  to  the  Apostle's  own  death, 
so  near  at  hand  and  so  clearly  revealed  to  himself!  "I  think  it 
meet  as  long  as  I  am  in  this  tabernacle,  to  stir  you  up  by  putting 
you  in  remembrance,  being  assured  that  the  laying  away  of  my 
tabernacle  is  at  hand,  according  as  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  also  hath 
signified  to  me  "  (ii.  13,  14).  The  truth  which  this  man,  who  is 
already  in  chains  for  his  faith,  and  who  is  about  to  crown  his 
apostleship  by  martyrdom  and  thus  to  seal  his  witness  by  his  own 
blood,  has  preached  throughout  the  Roman  Empire  and  planted 
in  Rome  itself,  is  neither  fiction  nor  imposture,  "  For  we  have 
not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables,  when  we  made  known  to 
you  the  power  and  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  but  having 
been  made  eye-witness  of  His  majesty  .  .  .  And  we  have  the  more 
firm  prophetical  word,  whereunto  you  do  well  to  attend,  as  to  a 
light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place,  until  the  day  dawn,  and  the  Day- 
Star  arise  in  your  hearts :  understanding  this  first,  that  no  prophecy 
of  Scripture  is  made  by  private  interpretation.  For  prophecy 
came  not  by  the  will  of  man  at  any  time :  but  the  holy  men  of 
God  spoke,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  But  there  were  also 
false  prophets  among  the  [Jewish]  people,  even  as  there  shall  be 
among  you  lying  teachers,  who  shall  bring  in  sects  of  perdition, 
and  deny  the  Lord  who  bought  them  .  .  .  And  many  sha-11  follow 
their  riotousnesses,  through  whom  the  Way  of  Truth  shali-  be  evil 
spoken  of"  (ii.  16-21 ;  iii.  i,  2). 

THE  THREE  EPISTLES  OF  ST.  JOHN  THE  APOSTLE. 
— ^The  first  of  these  bore  anciently  the  title  of  "  Epistle  to  the 
Parthians,"  and  was  therefore  supposed  to  have  been  addressed  to 
such  Jewish  Christians  as  resided  within  the  Parthian  Empire. 
It  is  directed  against  the  followers  of  Simon  Magus,  Cerinthus,  and 
of  Gnosticism.  Simon  maintained  that  Christ  was  not  the  Messiah, 
and  claimed  for  himself  the  glory  which  he  denied  to  Jesus,  affirm- 
ing that  He  only  bore  the  semblance  of  our  humanity,  and  that  the 
body  nailed  to  the  Cross  was  not  a  substantial  body.  This  was 
also,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  error  of  the  Gnostics  and  the  Docetse, 
who  denied  the  reality  of  Christ's  birth  and  death.  Finally,  Cer- 
inthus taught  that  Jesus  was  nothing  but  an  ordinary  man,  the 
real  son  of  Joseph,  on  whom,  at  His  baptism  by  John,  the  Holy 
Ghost  or  Christ  descended  in  the  form  of  a  dove,  forsaking  Him 
during  His  death  agony.  Thus,  all  of  these  agreed  in  denying  the 
divinity  of  Christ.  Against  them  all,  and  in  favor  of  the  One  true 
Messiah  whom  he  knew  to  be  both  very  God  and  very  man,  John 
wrote.  "That  which  was  from  the  beginning,  which  we  have 
heard,  which  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we  have  looked 
upon  and  our  bands  have  hsndled,  of  the  v>r4  of  Ut*;  for  tb* 


HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


life  was  manifested  ,  and  we  have  seen  and  do  bear  witness,  and  declare  unto  you  the  life  eternal, 
which  was  with  the  Father,  and  hath  appeared  unto  us  "  (i.  i,  2).  "Every  spirit  which  confesseth 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh,  is  of  God :  and  every  spirit  that  dissolveth  Jesus,  is  not 
of  God"  (iv.  2,  3).  On  the  necessity  of  good  work,  especially  of  brotherly  charity  and  its 
fruits,  St.  John  insists  with  the  other  Apostles,  Peter,  Paul,  and  James,  while  inculcating  a  firm 
faith,  invincible  patience  and  spotless  purity  of  life. 

The  authenticity  of  the  Second  and  Third  Epistles  was  denied  by  some  scholars.  They  be- 
long, however,  to  the  canon  received  by  the  Church,  and  bear  intrinsic  evidence  of  St.  John's 
authorship,  besides  the  external  weight  of  authority  which  ascribes  these  two  letters  to  him. 

THE  EPISTLE  OF  ST.  JUDE  THE  APOSTLE.— Jude  was  the  brother  of  St.  James  the 
Younger  or  the  Just,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem.  He  was,  consequently,  a  son  of  Alpheus  or  Cleophas, 
and  a  near  relative  of  our  Lord.  It  is  not  known  when  and  where  this  epistle  was  written.  It 
warns  the  faithful  against  following  certain  false  teachers  and  sharing  their  awful  doom.  The 
reader  will  perceive,  on  an  attentive  perusal,  how  closely  it  resembles  the  Second  Epistle  of  St.  Peter. 

THE  APOCALYPSE  OF  ST.  JOHN  THE  APOSTLE.— The  Greek  word  Apocalypsis  means 
"ail  unveiling;"  hence  the  Protestant  translators  have  called  it  The  Revelation  ol  St.  John.  It 
|.p.Mii  is  thought  to  have  been  written  about  the  year  of  our  Lord  95  or  97,  and,  most  likely,  in  the 
Island  of  Patmos.  It  is  the  only  prophetic  book  among  the  New  Testament  Scriptures,  and 
its  inherent  obscurity  has  exercised,  during  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years,  the  ingenuity  of  the  most  eminent  biblical  scholars  and 
theologians. 

It  may  suffice,  however,  to  tafec  up  the  text  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  to  find  in  the  natural  sequence  of  the  chapters  themselves 
the  light  which  will  enable  one  to  understand  more  clearly  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church  in  the  past,  to  appreciate  her  struggles 
in  the  present,  and  to  look  forward  with  the  eye  of  exultant  hope  to  her  certain  victories  in  the  future,  as  well  as  to  that  Supreme  Day 
of  Judgment  which  will  vindicate  the  whole  mysterious  order  of  God's  providence. 

We  can  divide  the  whole  matter  of  this  sublime  book  into  two  parts.  In  the  first,  embracing  the  first  three  chapters,  St.  John 
addresses  himself  in  particular  to  the  faithful  of  Proconsular  Asia,  who  were  his  special  charge,  and  reproves  what  he  finds  censurable 
in  the  seven  dioceses  or  churches  within  the  Proconsulate.  This  portion,  therefore,  is  strictly  ethical  and  historical.  The  second 
and  prophetical  portion  embraces  the  remainder  of  the  book  from  chap.  iv.  to  the  end,  and  describes,  under  various  allegorical  and 
mystical  forms,  the  stages'  through  which  the  Church  has  to  pass,  especially  the  last  period  of  her  existence,  the  times  of  Antichrist. 
Such  is  the  view  presented  by  the  learned  and  saintly  Cornelius  a  Lapide.  The  purpose  of  the  Apostle,  according  to  this  author,  is  to 
animate  the  faithful  of  the  apostolic  age  and  of  all  future  times  to  invincible  constancy  in  the  faith,  to  the  highest  forms  of  holiness, 
and  more  particularly  to  strengthen  the  martyrs  in  the  days  of  persecution  to  bear  their  witness  with  unflinching  firmness.  Let  me 
add  here  to  the  learned  Jesuit's  thought,  that  St.  John  regarded  in  a  special  manner  the  condition  and  the  needs  of  the  numerous 
Jewish  Christians  at  the  close  of  the  first  century.  St.  Paul,  in  almost  every  one  of  his  epistles,  shows  them  in  the  magnificent 
realities  promised  in  the  Gospel  a  compensation  for  their  loss  of  caste  among  their  non-Christian  countrymen,  and  a  sublime  consolation 
for  the  dispersion  of  their  race,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  annihilation  of  their  national  worship.  The  spectacle  disclosed 
to  the  Apostle  of  the  Eternal  Temple  on  high,  the  Throne  with  its  ineffable  splendors,  the  seventy  Elders  on  their  royal  seats,  the 
twelve  times  twelve  thousand   from  the  Tribes  of  Israel  forming  the  glorious  nucleus  of  the  beatified  multitude  which  nc  naan  could 


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HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    HOLY    CATHOLIC    BIBLE. 


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number,  and  the  Altar  with  its  Lamb  ever  sacrificed  and  ever  immortal — ah 
that  went  home  to  the  hearts  of  the  poor  down-trodden  Jewish  exiles ;  all  that 
was  calculated  to  make  them  find  in  the  daily  AgapcB  or  celebrations  of  the 
Eucharistic  sacrifice  a  significance,  a  divine  and  blissful  Reality  that  could 
well  make  them  feel  that  Heaven  was  not  far  from  earth,  and  that  the  earthly 
house  of  God,  though  but  a  corner  in  the  Catacombs,  had  some  of  the  intense 
and  unspeakable  enjoyments  of  the  Eternal  Home.  And  so  the  seed  of 
Abraham  continued  to  be,  among  the  Gentiles,  the  fruitful  seed  of  Christianity, 
thanks  to  the  skilful  and  loving  husbandry  of  Peter  and  Paul  and  John  and 
James  and  Jude. 

Besides,  all  throughout  Asia  Minor,  during  the  age  of  St.  John  and  lon^ 
afterward,  such  heretics  as  Cerinthus  and  Ebion  denied  openly,  and  in  Ephesut 
itself,  the  divinity  of  Christ,  although  they  persisted  in  calling  themselves  His 
followers,  as  do  to  this  day  airjong  ourselves  Sects  ti»at  we  need  not  name. 
They  also  taught  that  Christ,  even  as  the  Son  of  God,  had  no  existence  before 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  As  it  was  to  prepare  an  antidote  to  this  heretical 
poison  that  St.  John  wrote  his  Gospel,  and  proclaimed  "In  the  beginning  was 
the  Word,  etc.,  .  .  .  ."  so  in  the  Apocalypse  he  makes  Christ  Himself  declare : 
"  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end,  .  .  .  who  is,  and  who 
was,  and  who  is  to  come,  the  Almighty"  (i.  8).  Others,  again,  never  ceased 
to  say,  amid  the  horrible  and  unceasing  persecutions  with  which  the  young 
Christian  Church  was  assailed,  that  she  must  of  a  necessity  be  crushed  by 
the  irresistible  might  of  the  hostile  powers,  and  that  there  could  be  no  reward 
for  the  Confessors  and  martyrs  of  Christ.  John  shows,  on  the  contrarv,  that 
the  tree  of  the  Church  waxes  strong  amid  all  the  fury  of  the  tempest,  and 
that  for  those  who  struggle  here  for  the  good  cause  there  is  laid  up  an  eternal 
reward.  It  is  this  triumph  of  the  »ust  which  he  describes  in  dvqA-  wti 
and  xxi'. 


B^ 


THE  PARABLES  OF  OUR  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST. 


Well  do  we  know  that  no  portion  of  the  New  Testament  will  be 
Hore  lovingly  or  fruitfully  read  in  the  bosom  of  the  Christian  family 
ihan  this,  which  embraces  the  divine  lessons  given  us  in  the  Par- 
ables. We,  therefore,  abstain  from  giving  any  theory  of  our  own 
to  enable  the  reader  to  understand  thoroughly  not  only  the  sublime 
truths  that  underlie  each 
parable  in  particular, 
but  the  reason  that  in- 
duced our  Lord  to  teach 
by  parables,  and  the 
general  scope  of  this 
portion  of  His  teaching. 
Fortunately,  in  our  own 
days  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  minds  which 
Oxford  has  given  to  the 
Catholic  Church,  and 
one  of  those  who  have 
best  caught  the  spirit  of 
St.  Ignatius  in  interpret- 
ingthe  Scriptures,  Father 
Henry  James  Coleridge, 
has  found  a  Key  to  the 
Parables.  We,  there- 
fore, deem  it  a  precious 
service  to  Christian  fam- 
ilies to  abridge  here  for 
them  the  pregnant  pages 
taken  from  "The  Life 
of  our  Life." 

Although  in  the  first 
period  of  our  Lord's 
teaching  there  is  more 
than  one  instance  of  His 
conveying  instruction  in 
the  form  of  a  parable,  as 
in  St.  Luke  vii.  40-48, 
nevertheless,  it  is  only  a 
short  time  before  the 
death  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist  and  the  sending 
of  His  disciples  on  their 
first  mission.  Tlie  op- 
position of  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees  had  taken 
a  much  more  violent  and 
malignant  form,  not  only 
with  regard  to  our  Lord's 
way  of  understanding 
how  the  Sabbath  was  to 
be  kept,  but  concerning 
His  miracles  themselves;  which  these  wilfully  blind  men  attributed 
to  Beelzebub.  It  is  near  Capharnaum  or  Bethsaida,  on  the  border 
of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  seated  on  a  fishing-boat  near  the  shore 
and  within  hearing  of  the  mixed  multitude,  that  He  began  to  teach 
in  this  form.  It  was,  like  fables  and  similitudes,  a  way  of  putting 
truths  which  the  memory  seized  and  retained.  The  well-disposed 
hearers  bore  the  parable  away  with  them,  like  a  precious  fruit  to 
be  eaten  with  delight  in  their  own  privacy.  The  inattentive  did 
not  care  to  remember  and  to  understand,  letting  the  precious  fruit 
tlropped  from  the  Tree  of  Knowledge  lie  unheeded  on  the  ground. 


While  the  evil-minded  hearers  could  not  find  in  this  indirect  and 
covert  mode  of  teaching  or  rebuke  a  subject  for  formal  accusation. 
"  There  never  seems  to  have  been  a  time  when  our  Lord  lost 
His  wonderful  charm  and  power  in  their  eyes.  But  the  con- 
tinuance of  His  preaching  in  Galilee  must  have  taken  away  the 

freshness  of   His   influ- 


ence,   and 
have   been 
who    had 
without 
what  they 


there  must 
very  many 
heard  Him 
profiting  by 
heard,  with 


whom,  according  to  the 
inevitable  law  which 
prevails  in  the  Spiritual 
order,  opportunities  ne- 
glected and  warnings 
unheeded,  revenged 
themselves,  as  it  were, 
in  increasing  hardness 
and  dulness  at  heai't. 
There  may  also  have 
been  some  who  grew 
colder  towards  Him  in 
proportion  as  it  became 
apparent  that  He  was  in. 
disfavor  with  the  eccles- 
iastical authorities.  The 
power  of  the  rulers  at 
Jerusalem  wasvery  great, 
as  we  see  both  in  our 
Lord's  own  Life  and  in 
the  history  of  the  Acts, 
and  when  this  influence 
was  thrown  continually 
and  strongly  into  the 
scale  against  Him,  there 
must  have  been  very 
many  whom  it  would 
tend  to  drive  away 
from  Him.  Our  Lord 
met  this  difference  in  the 
people  by  a  change  in 
the  manner  of  His  teach- 
ing, which  is  noticed  as 
important  by  each  of 
the  three  historical 
Evangelists.  This  form 
of  teaching  has  the  great 
advantage  of  being  in- 
telligible to  those  who 
are  attentive  and  dili- 
gent, and  whose  hearts  are  eager  for  Divine  truth,  while  it  convey.s  ; 
comparatively  little  or  nothing  to  those  who  are  taken  up  with 
worldly  cares,  or  who  are  the  servants  of  passion.  Thus  it  avoids 
the  danger  of  which  our  Lord  spoke  in  His  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
of  what,  using  at  the  time  a  parabolic  image,  He  called  casting 
pearls  before  swine,  and  giving  that  which  is  holy  to  dogs.  Again, 
such  a  method  of  teaching  is  a  shield  against  any  malevolence 
which  may  exist  in  a  part  of  the  audience,  and  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  as  we  shall  see,  must  have  b*f3ed  our  Lord's  enemies 
watchful  and  insidious  as  tbey  were 


THE    PARABLES    OF    OUR    LORD   JESUS    CHRIST. 


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52 


THE    PARABLES    OF    OUR    LORD    JESUS    CHRigr. 


spiritual  creation,  to  waste  so  many  beginnings  which  do  not  come 
to  maturity,  for  the  sake,  if  we  may  so  speak,  of  the  rich  and  multi- 
plied beauty  and  fruitfulness  of  a  few.  This  law  which  runs  through 
the  whole  of  God's  Kingdom,  as  far  as  we  know  it,  suggests  many 
truths  concerning  Him — His  magnificence  and  liberality,  the  man- 
ner in  which  even  imperfect  works,  as  they  seem  to  us,  manifest 
His  glory,  the  dignity  which  His  grace  gives  to  those  who  co- 
operate with  it,  and  the  like ;  while  it  has  a  clearer  significance 
when  seen  working  on  creations  of  free  beings,  who  can  co-operate 
with  that  grace  or  not,  and  furnishes  a  silent  commentary  on  the 
failure  of  our  Lord's  own  particular  mission  of  which  He  had 
lately  been  so  mourn- 
fully complaining.  The 
minute  details  of  the 
parable,  giving  so  vivid 
a  picture  that  we  almost 
seem  to  see  the  spot 
near  the  sea-shore  from 
which  every  feature  of 
the  image  may  have  been 
taken,  are  explained  by 
our  Lord  of  the  differ- 
ent circumstances  under 
which  so  much  of  the 
good  seed  of  the  Word 
of  God  is  wasted,  while 
only  a  part  of  it  takes 
root  in  good  ground .  .  . 
•'  The  next  parable, 
known  as  that  of  the 
Tares  or  Cockle  (St. 
Matt,  xiii.),  tells  us  still 
more  about  the  mystery 
of  the  Kingdom,  for  in 
this  not  only  is  the  good 
seed  wasted,  but  bad  seed 
is  actually  sown,  and 
springs  up  by  the  side 
of  the  good  that  is  not 
wasted.  How  many  of 
the  difficulties  as  to 
God's  providence  may 
not  be  solved  by  the 
simple  words,  '  Suffer 
both  to  grow  until  the 
harvest?'  .  .  .  The  six 
parables — those  of  the 
Seed  that  grows  secretly, 
of  the  Grain  of  Mustard- 
seed,  of  the  Leaven,  of 
the  Hidden  Treasure, 
the  Precious  Pearl,  and 
the  Draw-net  —  which 
follow  those  of  the  Sower 
and  the  Tares,  may  be 
considered  as  complet- 
ing, each  by  the  addition  of  some  special  feature,  the  picture  drawn 
by  our  Lord  in  His  general  dealings  in  His  Kingdom.  God 
addresses  Himself  to  His  creatures,  and  allows  them  to  accept  or 
refuse  Him  .  .  .  The  image  of  the  grain  of  mustard-seed  seems  to 
represent  the  outward  development  and  magnificent  growth  of  the 
work  of  God  in  the  world,  while  that  of  the  Leaven  explains  the 
law  of  its  growth,  which  is  from  within,  by  the  silent  spread  of  the 
influence  of  grace  ...  It  need  not  be  questioned  that  these  par- 
ables, like  many  others,  are  historical  and  prophetical.  But  they 
come  true  in  history,  because  they  represent  the  principles  on  which 
God   works,  and  these  principles   are   ultimately  the  echoes  and 


reflections  of  His  character,  His  wisdom,  Hi"-  patience,  His  ^n^ 
ning  ways  with  His  creatures — fhat  sweetness  with  which  He 
'  ordereth  all  things  '  of  which  the  Scripture  speaks  .   .  . 

"In  the  parables  of  the  Pearl  and  of  the  Treasure  the  holy  in- 
stinct which  seeks  the  pearl  comes  from  Him,  and  the  seeming 
accident  of  finding  the  treasure  comes  from  Him,  as  well  as  the 
grace  by  which  he  that  finds  either  pearl  or  treasure  understands  its 
value,  and  has  the  courage  and  prudence  to  sell  all  that  he  has  and 
give  it  for  what  he  has  found  .  .  .  Another  interpretation  of  these 
two  parables  .  .  .  applies  them  directly  to  God,  Who  seeks  or 
£nds  human  nature,  the  human  soul,  the  Church,  the  great  body 

of  His  elect,  and  gives 
Himself  and  all  that  He 
has  in  the  incarnation  to 
make  the  treasure  or  the 
pearl  His  own.  .  .  .  The 
primary  meaning  of  the 
parables  may  be  to  rep- 
resent the  action  of  God 
in  seeking  us,  the  one 
great  ineffable,  inexpli- 
cable outpouring  of  love 
of  which  Creation  is  the 
first  fruit.  Preservation, 
Providence,  Redemp- 
tion, Sanctification,  and 
Glorification  in  the  pos- 
session of  God  by  the 
beatific  vision  forever, 
the  final  ciown  ;  and  the 
sense  which  speaks  to  us 
of  the  return  of  the  tide  of 
love  from  our  small  and 
miserable  hearts  towards 
God,  a  return  set  in  mo- 
tion and  guided  and 
maintained  by  Himself, 
may  be  not  only  true, 
though  secondary,  but 
absolutely  involved  in 
and  founded  on  and  a 
part  of  the  first.  The 
parable  of  the  Draw-net 
comes  in  at  the  end  of 
the  first  series  of  parables 
as  answering  to  and  in  a 
certain  sense  balancing 
the  parable  of  the  Sower. 
For  in  that  first  parable 
we  have  the  image  of  God 
scattering  His  seed  at 
random,  as  it  appears, 
and  submitting  to  the  loss 
of  a  great  part  of  it  for 
the  sake  of  the  return 
brought  in  by  that  which 
takes  root  in  good  soil.  In  the  parable  of  the  Draw-net  we  see 
that  God  acts  thus  for  His  own  purposes,  and  brings  both  good 
and  bad  within  the  range  of  His  action,  in  order  that  in  the  end 
He  may  select  His  own  and  reject  those  who  are  not  to  be  His  .  .  . 
Thus,  at  the  beginning  of  this  series  of  parables,  God  is  represented 
as  freely  offering  His  grace  to  men  who  in  various  ways  reject  the 
good  seed ;  and  now  at  the  end  of  the  series,  the  other  side  of  the 
truth  is  put  forward,  and  it  is  God  who  rejects  and  even  punishes; 
for  no  one  is  rejected  by  Him  save  through  fault  of  his  own." 

The  parable  of  the  Unmerciful  Servant  (St.  Matt,  xviii,  21-35) 
comes  between  the  first  and  second  series  of  parables. 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS: 


BEIIiTG- 


k  Series  of  Concise  and  Comprehensive  Accounts 

OF 

SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURES,  THE  MANNERS.  CUS70MS, 
LAWS,  RELIGIOUS  RITES,  &c.,  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

^WTETH  iDEscRiFTioisrs  -A.3sriD  EXLFL.A.isr.A.Tioasrs 

OF 

7c6n6&  In  the  Lives  of  the  Patriarchs,  Prophets  and  Kings  of  the  Old  Testament; 

Scenes  and  Ijicidents  in  the  Life  of  Christ;  TJie  Cities  and  Towns 

of  the  Bible  ;  The  Life  of  St.  Paul,  etc. 

003i^:E>I3L.E3D  mOl^  TliE  Is^LOST  .A.TJTI3:E3SrTia  SOXJUOES. 

Copyright,  b.v  J.  R.  Jones.  1862. 


THE    BUILDING   OF   SOLOMON'S   TEMPLE. 
The  actual  building  of  Solomon's  Temple  was  commenced  in  the  i  reign,  b.  c.  1005.     An  arrangement  was  made,  by  which  Hiram, 


fourth  year  of  the  king's  reign,  and  the  four  hundred  and  eightieth 
year  from  the  Exodus,  B.  c.  1012.  So  complete  were  the  prepara- 
tions, that  no  sound  of  axe  or  hammer  was  heard  about  the  build- 
ing during  its  whole  erection  ;  and  it  was  completed  in  seven  and 
a  half  years,  in  the  eighth  month  of  the  eleventh  year  of  Solomon's 
C 


the  King  of  Tyre,  gave  cedars  and  fir-trees  out  of  Lebanon,  which 
his  servants  felled,  while  those  of  Solomon  squared  and  fitted  them 
for  their  places  in  the  building.  The  prepared  timber  was  brought 
down  to  the  sea,  and  floated  round  to  Joppa,  whence  Solomon 
undertook  the  thirty  miles  transport  to  Jerusalem. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Phceitiua  was  to  the  ancient  what  England  is  to  the  modern 
world — the  chief  commercial  nation  of  the  globe.  Her  ships  cov- 
ered every  sea,  and  brought  to  her  ports  the  wealth  of  every  land. 
At  the  establishment  of  the  Israelitish  monarchy,  Tyre  had  brought 
all  the  Phoenician  cities  under  her  supremacy,  and  had  become 
the  capital  of  the  kingdom.  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  made  an  alli- 
ance with  David,  and  became  the  friend  and  ally  of  David's  spn 
And  successor,  Solomon.  At  the  commencement  of  Solomon's 
reign,  Hiram  sent  him  rich  presents.  It  was  this  alliance  that 
enabled  Solomon  to  secure  the  services  of  the  Phoenician  architects, 
the  most  skilful  of  their  day,  and  the  wood  and  stone  needed,  for 
the  construction  of  the  temple  at  Jerusalem.  The  Phoenician 
architects  also  constructed  a  palace  for  David  on  Mount  Sion,  and 


a  larger  and  more  splendid  palace  for  Solomon,  which  is  ftelievii 
to  have  stood  on  Mount  Moriah,  adjoining  the  temple.  The  alii 
ance  with  Phoenicia  was  of  the  greatest  value  to  Solomon,  but  of 
little  service  to  his  people.  It  enabled  him  to  establish  a  valuable 
commerce  with  India  and  other  nations  which  yielded  large  sums 
as  profits  to  the  royal  treasury.  It  added  nothing  to  the  wealth  of 
the  people,  who  were  required  to  contribute  to  its  expenses  without 
enjoying  any  of  its  profits.  The  connection  of  Israel  with  Phoeni- 
cia had  a  most  pernicious  effect  upon  the  former  nation.  It  fas- 
tened upon  it  the  worship  of  Baal  and  Ashtoreth,  the  chief  deities 
of  Phoenicia,  and  led  the  nation  into  a  deep  and  most  degrading 
idolatry,  from  which  only  the  severest  punishments  could  draw  it, 
and  then  only  after  centuries  of  suffering. 


THE  SERVANTS  OF  HIRAM  OF  TYRE  BRINGING  PRESENTS  TO  KING  SOLOMON. 


The  Kingdom  of  Judah  and  Israel  reached  its  greatest  degree  of 
splendor,  prosperity,  and  strength  under  Solomon,  the  son  of 
David.  Peace  reigned  throughout  the  whole  land,  and  Jerusalem 
became  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  famous  cities  of  the  East. 
The  Court  of  Solomon  was  conducted  upon  a  scale  of  magnificence 
absolutely  bewildering  ;  but  all  this  magnificence  was  transcended 
by  the  personal  qualities  of  Solomon  himself  He  was  the  wisest 
man  of  his  day,  and  to  his  great  mental  gifts  was  added  the  fasci- 
nation and  the  grace  of  3  noble  presence.     Seated  "high  on  his 


throne  of  royal  state,"  which  shone  with  "  the  wealth  of  Ormuz 
and  Ind,"  and  "exceeding  all  the  kings  of  the  earth  for  riches  and 
for  wisdom,"  Solomon  dispensed  justice,  and  received  the  visitors 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  who  came  to  hear  his  wisdom,  bring- 
ing their  presents  of  vessels  of  gold  and  silver,  garments,  armor, 
spices,  horses,  and  mules.  He  received  tribute  from  almost  the 
whole  of  Western  Asia,  and  conducted  a  great  and  prosperous  trade 
with  India  and  other  Eastern  nations. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS, 


bOLOMOX  KLCtlMNG  Tllli  IIUMAUL  Ol'    1  UK  I'KINCES  OF  ISRAEL. 


FIRE  FROM  HEAVEN  AT  THE  DEDICATION  OF  THE  TEMPLE. 


The  magnificent  ceremonies  of 
the  Dedication  of  Solomon's  Tem- 
ple are  recorded  at  length  in  3  Kings 
and  2  Paralipomenon,  together  with 
the  sublime  prayer  of  the  king. 
This  was  followed  by  a  miraculous 
sign  of  God's  presence  in  the  House 
built  unto  his  name.  The  fire  came 
down  from  heaven,  and  consumed 
the  sacrifices,  while  the  Shekinah 
again  filled  the  house,  preventing  the 
entrance  of  the  priests,  as  if  for  that 
one  day  God  claimed  the  sanctuary 
as  his  very  own,  to  the  exclusion  of 
all  mere  creatures.  Then  Solomon 
and  all  the  people  offered  their  sac- 
rifices on  the  altar,  the  priests  exe- 
cuting their  office,  while  the  Levites 
played  upon  their  musical  instru- 
ments and  sang  in  the  order  and  to 
the  words  of  David.  A  great  feast 
followed,  and  lasted  fourteen  days, 
seven  for  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
and  seven  for  the  Dedication,  and 
on  the  23d  day  of  the  month  Solo- 
mon dismissed  the  people  to  their 
homes,  and  they  departed  from  Jeru- 
salem with  rejoicing,  glad  and  merry 
in  heart  for  all  the  goodness  that  Je- 
hovah had  showed  unto  David,  and  to 
Solomon,  and  to  Israel,  his  people. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  QUEEN  OF  SAiiA   AT  THE  C(.)URT  OF  SOLOMON. 


WILDERNESS  OF  CADES 


The  Queen  of  Saba,  liav- 
iiig  heard  of  the  great  wisdom 
of  King  Solomon,  nndertook 
a  journey  to  Jerusalem  to  see 
and  converse  with  the  wisest 
of  men.  She  brought  with  her 
rich  and  valuable  presents,  and 
was  received  and  entertained 
by  him  with  a  splendid  hospi- 
tality worthy  of  his  great 
fame.  Her  kingdom  of  SabS 
embraced  the  greater  part  of 
the  Yemen  or  Arabia  Felix. 
Its  chief  cities,  and  probably 
successive  capitals,  were  Seba, 
San'a  (Uzal),  and  Zafar  (Se- 
phar).  The  city  of  Seba  was 
the  centre  of  the  ancient  power 
of  the  Jektanite  Arabs.  It  was 
named  after  Saba,  the  son  of 
Jektan,  who  was  the  grandson 
of  the  Patriarch  Sem.  Very 
little  is  known  with  certainty 
concerning  the  history  of  this 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


,<nij^<lom.  It  is  worthy  of  remark 
that  the  late  Emperor,  Theodore 
of  Abyssinia,  claimed  to  be  de- 
scended from  King  Solomon  and 
the  Queen  of  Saba.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  an  examination 
of  the  existing  remains  of  Sabsean 
and  Himyerite  cities  and  build- 
ings would  add  much  to  our  pres- 
ent knowledge  of  the  history  of 
this  kingdom.  The  ancient  build- 
ings are  of  massive  masonry,  and 
evidently  of  Cushite  workmanship 
or  origin.  Later  temples,  and 
palace  temples,  of  which  the  Arabs 
give  no  description,  were  probably 
of  less  massive  character ;  but  the 
Sabasan  art  is  an  almost  unknown 
and  interesting  subject  of  inquiry. 


The  settlement  of  the  location 
of  Cades  is  one  of  the  most  diffi- 
cult questions  of  sacred  geography. 
Dr.  Robinson  and  others  place  it 
at  the  modern  'Ain  el-Weibeh. 
Professor  Palmer,  whose  researches 
in  the  Sinai  Peninsula  are  of  the 
highest  importance,  locates  it  at 
'Ain  Gadis,  some  distance  west  of 
the  site  advocated  by  Dr.  Robin- 
son. The  wilderness  around  it 
was  the  scene  of  the  thirty-eight 
yeare  of  wandering.  It  is  now 
known  as  the  Desert  of  Et-Tih 
(the  Wandering).  According  to 
Professor  Palmer's  theory,  "The 
Israelites  were  encamped  at  the 
foot  of  the  line  of  the  cliffs  in 
which  'Ain  Gadis  takes  its  rise, 
and  their  intention  was  evidently 
to  march  straight  upon  Palestine 
by  the  short  and  easy  route  which 
skirts  the  western  edge  of  the 
mountains."  

Upon  the  receipt  of  the  letter 
of  ST'jinacherib,  demanding  the 
surrender  of  Jerusalem,  in  which 
the  Assyrian  king  blasphemously 
asserted  his  superiority  in  power 
to  Jehovah,  Ezechias,  King  of 
Juda,  took  the  letter  into  the 
Temple,  and,  spreading  it  out  be- 
fore the  Lord,  besought  Him  in 
prayer  to  vindicate  His  Majesty,  and  to  save  His  holy  city.  The 
answer  to  the  prayer  was  the  destruction  of  Pelusium,  on  the  borders 
of  Egypt,  of  the  vast  host  with  which  Sennacherib  hoped  to  conquer 
Juda.  We  are  not  informed  of  the  exact  manner  in  which  the  judg- 
ment of  God  was  executed  upon  the  Assyrians;  but  of  the  miraculous 
character  of  the  visitation  there  can  be  no  doubt.  When  the  watch- 
men looked  forth  in  the  early  morning  the  plain  was  covered  with  the 
vast  multitude  of  corpses.  There  is  no  doubt  that  some  secondary 
cause  was  employed  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  miracle.  The  As- 
syrians may  have  been  suffocated  by  the  hot  wind  of  the  desert,  or 


EZECHIAS'   PRAYER. 


_:;^p|K^^^-^-^^,*,,/,,,JJMj|||ljj|j||jpi 


i:iinl'lli!|i;«!i,'iiii;i|llliniJiili||i;' 

■J;  :,  ',1     Ml': 


ARTA.KERXES   GIVING  THE 


ESDRAS. 


they  may  have  fallen  by  tens  of  thousands  before  "  the  pestilence  that 
walketh  in  darkness."  The  main  facts  of  the  Bible  narration  are  fully 
borne  out  by  the  records  of  Assyria,  which  the  researches  of  the 
learned  orientalists  of  the  present  day  are  successfully  deciphering. 
These  distinctly  assert  that  the  disaster  to  Sennacherib's  army  was  of 
an  extraordinary  and  supernatural  character,  and  they  seem  to 
attribute  it  to  the  hostility  of  the  gods  of  Egypt,  as  it  occurred  on  the 
border  of  that  country.  

EsDRAS  was  a  learned  and  pious  Jewish  priest  residing  at  Babylon  in 


6 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


BUILDING  THE  WALLS  OF  JERUSALEM, 


to  impress  them  with  the  enonnirc 
of  the  sin.  Theexampleof  his  pub- 
lic mourning  and  prayer  led  some 
of  the  chief  persons  to  come  for- 
ward, and  at  their  suggestion  the 
whole  people  were  summoned  to 
Jerusalem  on  penalty  of  forfeiture 
and  expulsion  from  the  congre- 
gation. They  assembled  on  the 
twentieth  day  of  the  ninth  month 
(December,  b.  c.  458)  amid  a 
storm  of  rain,  and  having  con- 
fessed their  sin,  they  proceeded 
to  the  remedy  with  order  and  de- 
liberation. All  the  strange  wives 
were  put  away,  including  even 
those  who  had  borne  children, 
by  the  beginning  of  the  new  year 
(end  of  March,  b.  c.  457).  At 
this  point  the  account  of  Esdras' 
proceedings  ends  abruptly  with 
the  book  that  bears  his  name, 
and  he  does  not  appear  again 
until  thirteen  years  later  as  the 
associate  of  Nehemias,  his  name 
appearing  in  the  eighth  chapter 
of  the  book  written  by  that 
prophet.  He  applied  himself 
with  zeal  to  the  task  of  collecting 
in  one  volume  all  the  sacred  writ- 
ings of  the  Jews.  The  volume 
thus  completed  formed  what  we 
call  the  Book  of  the  Old  Covenant. 


EI.IAS   AND   THE   WIDOW  OF   SAREPHTA. 


the  time  of  Artaxerxes  Longimanus.  In  some  way  he  obtained  the 
favor  of  the  king,  who,  in  the  seventh  year  of  his  reign,  granted  Esdras 
leave  to  go  to  Jerusalem  with  a  company  of  priests,  Levites,  singers, 
etc.  Esdras'  object  was  to  establish  a  religious  reform  among  the 
Jews,  who  were  in  danger  of  losing  their  distinctive  character  as  wor- 
shi])pers  of  God.  His  mission  was  successful.  On  applying  himself 
to  the  work  ot  reformation,  Esdras  found  the  people  already  infected 
with  the  evil  that  had  proved  the  root  of  all  former  mischief,  inter- 
marriage with  the  idolatrous  nations  around  them.     His  first  care  was 


The  effort  of  Nehemias  to  re- 
build the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
though  sanctioned  and  encour- 
aged by  the  Persian  king,  met 
with  a  stubborn  resistance  from 
the  Samaritans  and  the  neij^hbor- 
ing  tribes.  The  builders  worked 
with  their  swords  at  their  sides 
and  under  the  protection  of  an 
armed  guard.  They  were  fre- 
quently attacked,  but  always  beat 
off  their  assailants,  and  at  length 
brought  their  work  to  a  success- 
ful close.  The  walls  were  built 
and  solemnly  dedicated  amid 
great  rejoicings.  The  walls  and 
the  Temple  being  finished,  it  be- 
came necessary  to  take  measures 
to  secure  a  population  sufliiciently 
numerous  to  keep  the  Holy  City  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  its 
enemies,  and  before  the  people  dejiarted  for  their  homes  lots  were 
drawn  to  see  who  should  reside  in  Jerusalem,  which  would  have  been 
left  almost  without  inhabitants  had  all  taken  up  their  residence  on 
their  old  family  allotments  about  the  several  cities  and  villages.  It  is 
a  striking  jjroof  of  the  attachment  of  the  Jews  to  their  patrimonial 
possessions  that  the  safer  residence  behind  the  walls  of  Jerusalem 
should  not  have  been  the  object  of  competition.  But  it  was  regarded 
as  a  sacrifice  to  live  there  ;  "And  the  people  blessed  all  the  men  that 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


willingly  offered  themselves  to  dwell  at 
Jerusalem.  The  rulers  took  up  their 
abode  in  the  capital ;  and  for  the  rest 
every  tenth  man  was  chosen  by  lot  to 
live  there."  The  language  of  Nehe- 
mias  would  almost  seem  to  impl)'  that 
those  of  the  people  who  belonged  to 
Israel  (the  Ten  Tribes)  had  their  pos- 
sessions assigned  in  the  cities  of  Juda, 
and  that  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
were  taken  from  the  tribes  of  Juda  and 
Benjamin.  The  priests  and  Levites 
were  divided  in  due  proportion  be- 
tween the  city  and  the  country. 


When  the  drought  in  Israel  had 
dried  up  all  the  water-courses,  the 
Prophet  Elias  was  commanded  by 
God  to  take  refuge  in  Phoenicia. 
He  repaired  to  the  city  of  Sarephta, 
and  sought  shelter  with  a  poor  widow, 
who  did  not  hesitate  to  share  her 
scanty  supply  of  food  with  him.  As 
a  reward  for  her  faith  and  hospi- 
tality, her  stock  of  provisions  was 
miraculously  increased  until  the  re- 
turn of  the  rain  brought  back  an 
abundance  of  food.  The  widow  in 
whose  house  the  prophet  was  shel- 
tered during  this  jjeriod  seems  not  to 
have  been  an  Israelite,  but  a  wor- 
shipper of  Baal,  if  we  may  take  her  ad- 
juration by  "Jehovah,  ihy  God,"  as 
an  indication.  As  to  the  location  of 
the  town  itself  the  Bible  gives  us  no 
clew,  save  the  assertion  that  it  was  near 
to  or  dependent  upon  Sidon.  Josephus 
states  that  it  was  "  not  far  from  Sidon 
and  Tyre ;  for  it  lies  between  them." 
Jerome  adds  that  it  "  lay  on  the  public 
road"  along  the  coast.  Both  these 
conditions  are  implied  in  the  mention 
of  it  in  the  Itinerary  of  Paula  by  Je- 
rome, and  both  are  fulfilled  in  the 
situation  of  the  modern  village  of 
SurafeiuL  Of  the  old  town  consider- 
able indications  remain.  One  group 
of  foundations  is  on  a  headland  called 
'Ain  el-Kantarah ;  but  the  chief  re- 
mains are  south  of  this,  and  extend  for 
a  mile  or  more,  with  many  fragments 
of  columns,  slabs,  and  other  architec- 
tural features.  It  is  believed  that  this 
city  was  honored  by  the  presence  of 
our  Lord  during  His  journey  to  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 


BALAAM   RECEIVING  BALAC'S   MESSENGERS. 


Balaam  was  a  Madianite,  and  was  endowed  with  the  gift  of 
prophecy.  It  has  been  supposed  that  he  enjoyed  among  his  own 
people  the  same  authority  that  Moses  did  among  the  Israelites.  He 
is  one  of  those  instances  which  meet  us  in  Scripture  of  persons 
dwelling  among  heathens,  but  possessing  a  certain  knowledge  of  the 
one  true  God.  Balac,  the  King  of  Moab,  having  organized  a  league 
of  the  neighboring  nations  against  the  Israelites,  who  were  at  this 
tiiiie  encamped  in  the  plains  of  Moab,  sent  to  Balaam  to  ask  him  to 


BALAAM   AND  THE  ANGEL. 

come  and  curse  his  enemies,  or  to  devote  them  to  destruction.  Balaan 
consulted  God,  and  was  directed  to  refuse  the  king's  offer.  Balar 
sent  again,  and  Balaam,  anxious  to  gain  the  rewards  promised  by 
the  king,  again  consulted  God,  instead  of  refusing  at  once.  God 
granted  him  the  desired  permission,  but  warned  him  that  his  actions 
Avould  be  overruled  according  to  the  Divine  will.  Balaam  therefore 
proceeded  on  his  way  with  the  messengers  of  Balac.  But  God's 
anger  was  kindled  at  this  manifestation  of  determined  self-will,  and 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  in  the  way  for  an  adversary  against  him. 
"The  dumb  ass,  speaking  with  man's  voice,  forbade  the  madness  of 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


THE   SENTENCE  OF   AMAN. 


inireisf-ii'''.;!:,;    ■ 


'V-,A, 


the  prophet."  As  God  had 
warned  him,  his  actions  were 
overruled,  and  he  was  made  to 
bless  the  Israelites,  and  to  jjredict 
their  ultimate  triumph.  Unable 
to  curse  them,  Balaam  suggested 
;o  the  Moabites  the  expedient 
of  seducing  the  Israelites  into 
fornication.  He  took  sides  with 
the  Madianites,  and  was  soon 
afterward  slain  in  a  battle  with 
the  children  of  Israel.  It  is 
evident  that  Balaam,  although 
acquainted  with  God,  was  de- 
sirous of  throwing  an  air  of  mys- 
tery round  his  wisdom,  from  the 
instructions  he  gave  to  Balac  to 
offer  a  bullock  and  a  ram  on  the 
seven  altars  he  everywhere  pre- 
pared for  him.  His  religion, 
therefore,  was  probably  such  as 
would  be  the  natural  result  of  a 
general  acquaintance  with  God 
not  confirmed  by  any  covenant. 
There  is  an  allusion  to  Balaam  in 
the  prophet  Micheas(vi.  5),  where 
some  writers  think  that  a  con- 
versation is  preserved  which  oc- 
curred between  him  and  the  King 
of  Moab  on  this  occasion.  But 
such  an  opinion  is  hardly  tenable. 


The  Assuerus,  King  of  Per- 
sia, mentioned  in  the  Bible,  is 
believed  to  have  been  Xer.xes  the 
Great,  who,  after  the  failure  of 
his  memorable  effort  to  enslave 
Greece,  abandoned  his  former 
energy  and  enterprise,  and  sank, 
into  the  inaction  and  sensuality  of  the 
worst  of  Eastern  despots.  Having 
divorced  his  queen,  Vasti,  for  refus- 
ing to  appear  in  public  at  a  banquet, 
he  married,  four  years  afterwards,  the 
Jewess  Esther,  the  cousin  and  ward  of 
Mordechai.  It  is  not  necessary  to  re- 
peat here  the  narrative  of  the  Book  of 
Esther.  The  engraving  represents 
Aman  at  the  moment  he  is  discovered  by 
the  king,  abjectly  plead'.ng  with  Queen 
Esther  for  his  life,  afte;  he  has  incurred 
the  anger  of  the  king.  The  executioners 
are  at  hand  to  carry  him  forth  to  his 
death.  He  was  har  ged  upon  the  gaU 
lows  he  had  constricted  for  the  execu^ 
tion  of  Mordechai,  His  terror  and  the 
rage  of  the  king  ire  well  portrayed  by  ' 
the  artist. 


MORDECHAI   AT  THE   KING'S  GATE. 


MoKDELHAi  was  the  uncle  and  guar- 
dian of  Queen  Esther,  the  wife  of 
Assuerus,  or  Xerxes  2,  the  Persian 
king.  He  was  a  resident  of  Susa 
during  the  Captivity,  and  after  the 
elevation  of  Esther  to  the  royal  dignity 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


he  was  one  of  those  "who  sat  in  the 
-jng's  gate."  In  this  situation  he 
saved  the  king's  life  by  discovering 
the  conspiracy  of  two  eunuchs  to  kill 
him.  Later  on  he  became,  under  Di- 
vine Providence,  the  deliverer  of  the 
Jews  from  the  destruction  plotted 
against  them  by  Aman,  the  chief 
minister  of  Xerxes.  As  regards  his 
place  in  profane  history,  the  domestic 
annals  of  the  reign  of  Xerxes  are  so 
scanty  that  it  would  not  surprise  us  to 
find  no  mention  of  Mordechai.  But 
there  is  a  person  named  by  Cetesias, 
who  probably  saw  the  chronicles  of 
the  kings  of  Media  and  Persia  referred 
to  in  Esther  x.  2,  whose  name  and 
character  present  some  points  of  re- 
semblance with  Mordechai,  viz.,  Mat- 
acas  or  Natacas  whom  he  describes 
as  Xerxes'  chief  favorite,  and  the  most 
powerful  of  them  all.  He  relates  of 
him,  that  when  Xerxes,  after  his  re- 
turn from  Greece,  had  commissioned 
Megabyzus  to  go  and  plunder  the 
Temple  of  Apollo  at  Delphi,  upon  his 
refusal,  he  sent  Matacas  the  eunuch 
to  insult  the  god,  and  to  plunder  his 
property,  which  Matacas  did,  and  re- 
turned to  Xerxes.  The  known  ha- 
tred of  Xerxes  to  idol-worship  makes 
his  selection  of  a  Jew  for  his  prime 
minister  very  probable ;  and  there 
are  strong  points  of  resemblance  in 
what  is  thus  related  of  Matacas  and 
what  we  know  from  Scripture  of 
Mordechai. 


KING  JOSIAS   DESTROYING  THE   IDOLS  OF   B.\.\L. 


JosiAS,  King  of  Juda,  began  to 
reign  in  b.  c.  641,  in  the  eighth  year 
of  his  age.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he 
began  the  destruction  of  the  idols, 
which  liad  become  very  numerous  in 
Juda.  For  six  years  this  work  of 
destruction  went  on  throughout  the 
dominions  of  Juda  and  Israel.  TJie 
Temple  was  restored,  and  the  worship 
of  God  re-established.  Josias  was 
one  of  the  best  of  the  Jewish  kings, 
but  his  virtues  were  powerless  to  pre- 
vent the  results  of  the  evils  which 
had  been  accumulating  during  the 
previous  reigns.  He  was  killed  in 
battle  in  b.  c.  610,  in  the  vain  attempt  to  stay  the  march  of  Pharaoh 
Necho  towards  Babylon,  and  with  him  expired  the  last  hope  of  Juda. 


Balthassar,  who  had  been  associated  in  the  kingdom  of  Babylon 
by  his  father,  Nabonadius,  had  been  left  by  him  in  charge  of  the  cap- 
ital while  the  latter  made  his  vain  attempt  to  stay  the  march  of  Cyrus. 
Having  defeated  Nabonadius,  Cyrus  besieged  Babylon.  Balthassar, 
fancying  the  city  impregnable,  gave  himself  up  to  luxury  and  feasting, 
and  neglected  the  defence.  On  the  last  night  of  the  siege  he  held  a  great 
feast  in  honor  of  his  gods,  and  impiously  used  at  his  banquet  the  sacred 


DANIEL   INTERPRETING   THE   WRITING   ON   THE   WALL. 


vessels  from  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem.  In  the  midst  of  the  banquet  a 
strange  writing  appeared  on  the  wall  of  the  royal  hall.  None  of  thp 
magi  could  read  it.  The  Prophet  Daniel  being  summoned,  interpreted 
it  as  a  message  from  Jehovah  announcing  the  overthrow  of  the  king- 
dom. That  night  Cyrus  gained  the  city  by  a  stratagem,  and  destroyed 
the  Babylonish  empire.      The  means  by  which  Cyrus  gained  an  en- 

\  trance  into  the  city  exhibits  his  skill  as  a  general  in  the  highest  light. 

]  Babylon  was  a  square  city,  at  least  five  times  as  large  as  London,  and 
was  traversed  diagonally  by  the  river  Euphrates.  It  was  defended  by 
walls  .i-?8  fppf  high  and  8";  ff^et  thick,  which  were  lined  with  towers. 


10 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


dries,"  thus  confirming  the  ac- 
count given  in  tlie  Scriptures  con- 
cerning the  circumstances  of  tiie 
capture.  The  conquest  of  Babylon 
by  Cyrus  was  the  first  step  in  the 
Divine  plan  for  the  return  of  thw 
Jews  from  Captivity. 


THE   MEETING   OF   MOSES   AND   JETHRO. 


As  the  Israelites,  on  their  march  ;o 
Sinai,  were  nearing  the  mountain  of 
God,  Jethro,  the  father-in-law  of  Mo- 
ses, arrived  in  the  Hebrew  camp, 
bringing  with  him  the  wife  and  two 
sons  of  Moses.  He  was  received 
with  honor,  and  gave  Moses  some 
sage  advice  with  respect  to  the  man- 
agement of  the  people,  but  declined 
the  invitation  of  Moses  to  accompany 
them  to  Chanaan  and  cast  his  lot 
with  them.  Jethro  was  priest  or 
prince  of  Madian,  both  offices  prob- 
ably being  combined  in  one  per- 
son. His  knowledge  of  the  Sinaitic 
Peninsula  made  Moses  desirous  of 
retaining  him  in  the  journey  of  the 
tribes.  The  land  of  Madian,  the 
country  over  which  he  ruled,  is  believed 
to  have  been  the  Peninsula  of  Sinai.  The 
Madianites  were  descended  from  Ma- 
dian, the  son  of  Abraham  by  Ceturah. 
They  were  mostly  dwellers  in  tents,  not 
in  towns,  and  pursued  a  roving  life.  It 
has  been  argued  that  the  Peninsula  of 
Sinai  could  not  have  been  their  home,  as 
it  affords  now  but  a  scanty  subsistence 
to  man  and  beast,  and  sustains  but  a 
small  roving  population.  All  the  re- 
searches, of  modern  investigators,  how- 
ever, point  conclusively  to  the  fact  that 
the  character  of  the  Peninsula  has 
greatly  changed  ;  that  it  was  in  ancient 
times  better  wooded  and  watered,  more 
abundantly  supplied  with  vegetation, 
and  did  support  a  numerous  population 
of  roving  Arabs.  The  possessions  of 
the  Madianites  were  not  confined  to  this 
Peninsula,  but  extended  to  the  oppo- 
site or  Arabian  shore  of  the  Gulf,  as  well 
as  to  the  country  north  of  the  Peninsula 
of  .\rabia  itself. 


G.A.THERING   MAN.VA. 

Its  gates  were  of  brass  and  very  strong.  Such  a  city  was  impreg- 
nable to  a  direct  attack.  Cyrus,  who  thoroughly  appreciated  the 
character  of  its  defences,  resolved  to  reduce  it  by  a  means  as  yet 
untried.  He  marched  a  large  force  to  a  point  several  miles  beyond  the 
city,  and  caused  them  to  dig  a  canal  by  which  the  waters  of  the 
stream  were  diverted  from  their  original  bed-and  made  to  overflow 
the  adjacent  plain,  which  is  of  a  lower  level.  Upon  the  designated 
night  the  sluices  were  opened,  and,  when  the  water  had  left  the  river 
bed  sufficiently  dry,  the  Persian  army  entered  Babylon  by  the  channel 
of  the  river.     Herodotus  states  that  Babylon  was  taken  "amid  rev- 


DuRiNG  the  wanderings  of  thv.  Is- 
raelites in  the  desert  they  were  divinely 
sustained  by  manna,  a  substance  which  fell  from  heaven  every 
morning  except  the  Sabbath.  It  was  in  the  form  of  a  small  round 
seed  resembling  the  hoar  frost,  and  was  gathered  early  before  the 
sun  became  hot  enough  to  melt  it.  It  was  prepared  for  food  by 
grinding  and  baking.  The  whole  nation  subsisted  upon  it  for 
forty  years.  It  suddenly  ceased  when  they  got  the  first  new  corn 
of  the  land  of  Chanaan.  It  was  always  regarded  by  the  Hebrews  as 
a  miraculous  gift  direct  from  God,  and  not  as  a  product  of  nature. 
The  natural  ])roducts  of  the  Arabian  deserts  and  other  Oriental  re- 
gions, which  bear  the  name  of  manna,  have  not  the  quality  or  the 


SCRIPTURE   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


u 


uses  ascribed  to  the  manna  of  Scripture. 
The  substance  now  called  manna  in 
the  Arabian  desert,  through  which  the 
Israelites  passed,  is  collected  in  the 
month  of  June  from  the  tarfa  or  tam- 
arisk shrub.  According  to  Burckhardt, 
it  drops  from  the  thorns  on  the  sticks 
and  leaves  with  which  the  ground  is 
covered,  and  must  be  gathered  early  in 
the  day,  or  it  will  be  melted  by  the 
sun.  The  Arabs  c'eanse  a  id  boil  it, 
strain  it  through  a  cloth,  and  put  it  in 
leathern  bottles;  and  in  this  way  it 
can  be  kept  uninjured  for  several 
years.  They  use  it  like  honey  or  but- 
ter with  their  unleavened  bread,  but 
never  make  it  into  cakes  or  use  it  by 
Itself.  The  manna  of  European  com- 
merce comes  mostly  from  Calabria 
and  Sicily.  It  is  gathered  during  the 
months  of  June  and  July  from  some 
species  of  ash,  from  which  it  drops  in 
consequence  of  a  puncture  by  an  in- 
sect resembling  the  locust,  but  dis- 
tinguished from  it  by  having  a  sting 
under  its  body.  The  substance  is 
fluid  at  night,  and  resembles  the  dew, 
but  in  the  morning  it  begins  to 
harden. 


MOSES  VIEWING  THE  PROMISED   LAND. 


It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  clearly 
the  sin  of  Moses  which  was  punished 
by  his  exclusion  from  the  Promised 
Land.  Though  forbidden  to  enter 
the  land,  God  granted  him  the  priv- 
ilege of  seeing  it  before  his  death. 
From  the  summit  of  Phasga,  a 
mountain  on  the  borders  of  Moab, 
God  showed  him  the  Promised  Land. 
Commentators  are  generally  agreed 
that  the  view  included  only  a  por- 
tion of  Canaan,  but  Dr.  Thompson, 
in  his  valuable  work,  The  Land  and 
the  Book,  declares  that  he  saw  the 
head  of  Mount  Hermon  distinctly 
from  the  Dead  Sea.  "  Nor  shall  I 
ever  forget,"  says  he,  "the  unex- 
pected appearance  of  Mount  Her- 
mon, towering  to  the  sky,  far  up  the 
ghor  to  the  north,  which  convinced 
me  that  Moses  saw  it  also  from  the 
mountains  of  Moab.''  Piiasga,  the 
mountain  from  which  God  showed 
Moses  the  Promised  Land,  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  a  range  of  mountains,  or  at  least  to  have  had 
several  summits.  The  highest  of  these  was  called  Nebo,  and  from 
it  Moses  obtained  his  view.  The  mountain  is  so  miiiutely  described 
in  the  sacred  narrative,  that  it  would  seem  impossible  not  to  recog- 
nize it ;  in  the  land  of  Moab ;  facing  Jericho  ;  the  head  or  summit 
of  a  mountain  called  the  Phasga,  which  again  seems  to  have  formed  a 
portion  of  the  general  range  of  the  "mountains  of  Abarim."  Its 
position  is  further  denoted  by  the  mention  of  the  valley  (or  perhaps 
more  correctly  the  ravine)  in  which  Moses  was  buried,  and  which  was 
apparently  one  of  the  clefts  of  the  mountain  itself,  "  a  valley  in  the 
land  of  Moab  over  against  (or  facing)  Bethpeor."     And  yot.   T«t- 


JONAS   CAST   INTO  THE   SEA. 

withstanding  the  minuteness  of  this  description,  no  one  has  yet  suc- 
ceeded in  pointing  out  any  spot  which  answers  to  Nebo.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  exploring  parties  now  at  work  in  Palestine  and  in  the 
country  beyond  Jordan  may  succeed  in  identifying  this  most  interesting 

mountain. 


The  Prophet  Jonas  was  the  son  of  Amittai,  and  was  a  native  of 
the  kingdom  of  Israel.  He  is  believed  to  have  lived  about  the  time 
of  Jeroboam  II.  Upon  being  ordered  to  go  to  Ninive  and  prophesy, 
he  attempted  to  flee  from  God,  and  took  ship  to  Tarshish,  as  he  was 
not   willing  to  warn    a  hostile  nation  of  its  doom.     His  ship  was 


12 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


THE  PLAGUE  OF  LOCUSTS. 


other  prophets  would  afterwards  tes- 
tify by  word,  the  capacity  of  Gen- 
tiles for  salvation,  and  the  design  of 
God  to  make  them  partakers  of  it 
This  Was  "  the  sign  of  the  Prophet 
Jonas,"  spoken  of  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. But  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
itself  was  also  shadowed  forth  in  the 
history  of  the  prophet.  The  mission 
of  Jonas  illustrates  in  a  striking  man- 
ner the  great  truth  that  God  regards 
all  men  as  His  children  and  desires 
their  happiness  and  final  salvation. 
The  great  city  of  Ninive  was  the  cen- 
tre of  an  immense  population,  given 
over  to  a  corrupt  religion  and  ignorant 
of  Jehovah.  Its  wickedness  was  rap- 
idly drawing  upon  it  the  Divine  ven- 
geance; but  in  order  that  it  might 
have  an  opportunity  to  repent  and 
make  atonement  for  its  sins,  God  sent 
the  prophet  to  give  it  the  warning 
which  it  could  never  have  gotten 
from  its  own  faith,  and  so  gave  it  ano- 
ther chance  for  mercy. 


DESTRUCTION   Ol  CORE,   DATHAN   AND  ABIRON. 


The  Plague  of  Locusts  was  the  eighth 
r  the  terrible  visitations  by  which 
he  Almighty  broke  the  pride  of  the 
I  .gyptian  king,  and  compelled  him  to 
render  an  unwilling  obedience  to  the 
Divine  commands.  This  plague  dif- 
fered from  an  ordinary  visitation  of 
locusts  in  that  it  was  more  intense  and 
covered  a  wider  range  of  country.  The 
destruction  ordinarily  caused  by  the 
ravages  of  swarms  of  these  insects  is 
very  great ;  in  this  case  it  was  over- 
whelming.   

Core,  the  great-grandson  of  Levi, 
jealous  of  the  honors  enjoyed  by  his 
cousins  Moses  and  Aaron,  organized  a 
rebellion  against  them  in  the  wilderness, 
together  with  Dathan  and  Abiron,  of  the 
tribe  of  Ruben.     They  thrust  tliemselves 


overtaken  by  a  storm,  and  the  sailors  thinking  to  appease  God  for  i  into  the  priests'  office,  and  attempted  to  perform  the  sacred  functions 


Jonas's  flight  cast  him  into  the  sea,  where  he  was  swallowed  by  a  great 
fish  for  three  days  and  nights.  Upon  his  escape,  he  proceeded  to 
Ninive  and  executed  his  mission,  and  succeeded  in  awakening  the 
city  to  a  repentance  which  averted  its  punishment  for  a  while. 
The  prophet,  not  from  personal  but  national  feelings,  grudged  the 
mercy  shown  to  a  heathen  nation.  He  was  therefore  taught  by  the 
significant  lesson  of  the  "gourd,"  whose  growth  and  decay  brought 
*be  truth  at  once  home  to  him,  that  he  was  sent  to  testify  by  deed,  as 


of  that  rank.  They  were  punished,  together  with  all  their  followers, 
with  death  by  the  hand  of  God.  The  earth  opened  and  swallowed 
nearly  all  of  them,  and  the  remainder  were  killed  by  fire  from  heaven. 
In  the  New  Testament,  Core  is  coupled  with  Cain  and  Balaam.  The 
particular  grievance  which  rankled  in  the  mind  of  Core  and  his  com- 
pany was  their  exclusion  from  the  office  of  the  priesthood,  and  their 
being  confined — those  among  them  who  were  Levites — to  the  inferio"" 
service  of  the  tabernacle.     Their  appointment  of  Eliasaph  to  be  chief 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS, 


18 


©r  the  Caathites  may  have  furtner 
inflamed  his  jealousy.  Core's  posi- 
tion as  leader  in  this  rebellion  was 
evidently  the  result  of  his  personal 
character,  which  was  that  of  a  bold, 
haughty,  and  ambitious  man.  From 
some  cause  which  does  not  clearly 
appear,  the  children  of  Core  were 
not  involved  in  the  destruction  of 
their  father  (Num.  xxvi.  ii).  Per- 
haps the  fissure  of  the  ground  which 
swallowed  up  the  tents  of  Dathan  and 
Abiron  did  not  extend  beyond  those 
of  the  Rubenites.  From  verse  27  it 
seems  clear  that  Core  himself  was  not 
with  Dathan  and  Abiron  at  the  mo- 
ment. He  himself  was  doubtless  with 
the  250  men  who  bare  censers  near 
the  tabernacle  (ver.  19)  and  perished 
with  them  by  the  "fire  from  Jehovah  " 
which  accompanied  the  earthquake.        n^^^ma^gi^- 


The  engraving  is  a  beautiful  illus- 
tration of  the  idea  embodied  in  the 
9th  verse  of  the  148th  Psalm.  All 
ancient  nations  regarded  the  woods 
as  tenanted  by  sylvan  spirits.  To  the 
Hebrew  the  only  spirits  of  the  groves, 
if  he  acknowledged  any,  were  the 
angels  of  God,  whose  delight  was  in 
praising  and  magnifying  His  Holy 
Name,  and  who  claimed  no  honor 
for  themselves. 


■iix.%l,-.L   THE   LORD,   ALL   CEDAR.S." 


Among  the  captives  carried  away 
from  Jerusalem  by  Nabuchodonosor, 
upon  his  first  capture  of  that  city, 
were  four  Hebrew  youths  of  noble 
birth,  who  were  carefully  trained  for 
the  royal  service.  One  of  these, 
Daniel  by  name,  was  advanced  to 
high  positions  of  trust  in  the  king- 
dom. ■  He  remained  true  to  the  wor- 
ship of  God,  however,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  favored  Prophets  of  {_ 
the  Lord.  At  the  close  of  his  train- 
ing  Daniel    had  an    opportunity  of 

exercising  his  peculiar  gift  of  interpreting  dreams,  on  the  occasion  of 
Nabuchodonosor' s  decree  against  the  Magi.  In  consequence  of  his  suc- 
cess, he  was  made  "ruler  of  the  whole  province  of  Babylon,"  and 
"  chief  of  the  governors  over  all  the  wise  men  in  Babylon.  '  He  after- 
wards interpreted  the  second  dream  of  Nabuchodonosor  and  the  hand- 
writing on  the  wall  which  disturbed  the  feast  of  Baltassar,  though  he 
po  longer  held  his  official  position  among  the  Magi.     At  the  acces- 


DANIEL   AND    HIS   COMPANIONS   BEFORE   NABUCHODONOSOR. 


sion  of  Darius  he  was  made  first  of  the  "three  presidents"  of  the 
empire,  and  was  delivered  from  the  lions'  den,  into  which  he  had  been 
cast  for  his  faithfulness  to  the  rites  of  his  religion.  At  the  accession  of 
Cyrus  he  still  retained  his  prosperity,  though  he  does  not  appear  to  have 
remained  at  Babylon,  and  in  the  third  year  of  Cyrus  saw  his  last  recorded 
vision  on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris.  In  the  prophecies  of  Ezechiel 
mention  is  made  of  Daniel  as  a  pattern  of  righteousness  and  wisdom. 


14 


SCRIPTURE     ILLUSTRATIONS. 


THE   PARTING   OF   DAVID   AND  JONATHAN. 


seen  in  the  streets  of  Bethlehem, 
The  task  assigned  him  was  that  of  a 
slave,  but  fortunately  for  him  his 
natural  abilities  enabled  him  to 
make  good  use  of  the  life  thus 
forced  upon  him.  While  in  charge 
of  the  flock  he  was  his  own  master, 
and  the  dangers  to  which  his  charge 
was  exposed  developed  in  him  quali- 
ties which  subsequently  made  him 
a  leader  of  men.  He  became  an 
expert  slinger,  and  in  the  defence 
of  his  flock  acquired  the  daring 
and  self-reliance  of  a  trained  soldier 
and  hunter,  encountering  and  slay- 
ing single-handed  the  fiercest  of 
wild  beasts,  and  driving  back  the 
scarcely  less  fierce  Bedaween  in  their 
forays  upon  his  father's  possessions. 
He  became  hardened  to  fatigue  and 
hunger,  and  indifferent  to  the  ele- 
ments. He  learned  to  make  lutes 
and  harps,  and  became  a  skilful 
performer  upon  them,  beguiling  the 
long  watches  of  the  night  with  his 
minstrelsy.  Under  the  silent  ex- 
panse of  heaven,  and  in  communion 
with  the  glittering  stars,  the  poetic 
instinct  of  the  young  shepherd  was 
aroused,  and  he  learned  to  give  ut- 
terance to  the  emotions  of  his  soul 
in  those  exquisite  Psalms  which  have 
made  him  for  all  time  the  sweet 
singer  of  Israel.  This  talent  for 
music  caused  Saul  to  summon  him 
to  court  that  he  might  find  relief 
from  his  madness  in  the  strains  of 
David's  harp.  His  adventures  at 
Saul's  court,  his  encounter  with  and 
defeat  of  Goliath,  the  Philistine 
champion,  his  persecution  by  Saul, 
are  related  in  the  various  portions 
of  these  scripture  illustrations^ 
Saul's  anger  was  drawn  upon  David, 
partly  by  his  madness  and  partly  by 
liis  fear  that  David  was  to  succeed 
to  the  throne  to  the  exclusion  of 
Saul's  own  children.  Saul  having 
determined  to  put  David  to  death, 
the  latter  was  assisted  to  escape 
from  the  royal  city  by  Michol,  his 
wife,  Saul's  daughter,  and  Jonathan, 
the  heir  apparent  to  the  crown. 
Between  David  and  Jonathan  there 
had  existed  a  tender  friendship  since 
The  life  of  David,  King  of  Israel,  forms  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ^  the  conflict  with  Goliath.     David  escaped  to  the  suburbs  of  the  city, 


DAVID   SPARES   THE   LIFE   OF   SAUL. 


and  thrilling  romances  to  be  met  with  in  the  whole  range  of  sacred 
or  secular  literature.  He  was  born  at  Bethlehem,  and  was  the  great- 
grandson  of  the  beautiful  Ruth.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  his 
father  Jesse,  and  for  this  reason  held  rather  an  insignificant  position 
in  his  father's  household,  being  set  to  mind  his  father's  flocks,  which 
roamed  over  the  country  between  Bethlehem  and  the  Wilderness  of 
Judaea.  He  was  a  comely  youth,  slight  of  stature,  fair  of  face,  and 
with  reddish  hair  and  light  eyes — such  a  youth  as  may  even  now  be 


and  Jonathan  the  next  morning  by  a  preconcerted  signal  warned  him  . 
to  continue  his  flight.  The  two  took  a  touching  farewell,  and  then  . 
parted  never  to  meet  again  on  earth.  Their  affection  did  not  cease, 
however,  with  this  interview,  and  David's  lament  for  his  "brother 
Jonathan  "  is  one  of  the  most  exquisite  productions  of  the  poet  king. 
"  The  illustrious  of  Israel  are  slain  upon  thy  mountains :  how  are  the 
valiant  fallen  !  .  .  .  Saul  and  Jonathan,  lovely  and  comely  in  theil 
life,  even  in  death  they  were  not  divided.  ...  I  grieve  for  thee,  my  • 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


15 


brother  Jonathan,  exceeding  beau- 
tiful, and  amiable  [to  mej  above 
the  love  of  woman.  As  the  mother 
loveth  ^tr  only  son,  so  did  I  love 
thee."  

While  David  was  a  fugitive  from 
Saul  in  the  wilderness  of  Engaddi, 
he  twice  surprised  the  king  asleep 
and  helpless,  but  generously  refused 
to  take  advantage  of  this  and  rid 
himself  of  his  enemy.  On  one 
occasion  he  cut  off  the  skirt  of  the 
robe  of  the  king,  as  he  lay  asleep 
in  a  cave,  and  as  the  king  was 
withdrawing  called  to  him  and  ex- 
hibited the  fragment  of  his  robe 
as  a  proof  of  his  generosity. 
Touched  by  this  magnanimity, 
Saul  consented  to  a  reconciliation 
with  David.  "And  he  said  to 
David  :  Thou  art  more  just  than 
I :  for  thou  hast  done  good  to  me, 
and  I  have  rewarded  thee  with 
evil.  And  thou  hast  shown  this 
day  what  good  things  thou  hast 
done  to  me :  how  the  Lord  de- 
livered me  into  thy  hand,  and 
thou  liast  not  killed  me.  For  who, 
when  he  hath  found  his  enemy, 
will  let  him  go  well  away?  But 
the  Lord  reward  thee  for  this  good 
turn,  for  what  thou  hast  done  to 
me  this  day.  And  now  as  I  know 
that  thou  shalt  surely  be  king,  and 
have  the  kingdom  of  Israel  in  thy 
hand :  swear  to  me  by  the  Lord, 
that  thou  wilt  not  destroy  my 
seed  after  me,  nor  take  away  my 
name  from  the  house  of  my  father. 
And  David  swore  to  Saul.  So 
Saul  went  home :  and  David  and 
his  men  went  up  to  safer  places." 


DAVID   PLAYING    BEFORE    SAUL 


Saul,  having  offended  God  by 
his  constant  and  determined  dis- 
obedience, was  afflicted  with  the 
spirit  of  madness.  The  only  thing 
that  had  power  to  soothe  his  frenzy 
was  music.  The  most  skilful  musi- 
cian known  to  the  king's  attend- 
ants was  David,  the  son  of  Jesse, 

then  a  young  shepherd  of  Bethlehem  ;  and  he  was  summoned  to  court 
and  made  the  king's  minstrel.  "And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  evil 
spirit  from  God  was  upon  Saul,  that  David  took  a  harp,  and  played 
with  his  hand  ;  so  Saul  was  refreshed,  and  was  well,  and  the  evil 
spirit  departed  from  him."  It  is  most  likely  that  Saul  paid  but  little 
attention  to  his  young  musician  in  his  lucid  intervals.  He  saw  him 
only  in  his  fits  of  madness,  and  soon  forgot  him.  When  David  pre- 
sented himself  before  the  king  as  he  was  about  to  set  out  to  meet 
Goliath,  Saul  regarded  him  as  a  stranger.  He  did  not  recognize  him 
as  the  minstrel  whose  sweet  strains  had  soothed  his  troubled  soul,  and 


ISHMAEL'S    WIFE. 

turning  to  his  chief  officer,  asked,  "Abner,  whose  son  is  this  youth? 
And  Abner  said,  As  thy  soul  liveth,  O  king,  I  cannot  tell." 


When  Ismael  arrived  at  manhood,  his  mother  chose  him  a  wife: 
She  made  her  selection  from  among  her  own  people,  the  Egyp- 
tians. This  was  not  unnatural,  as  the  treatment  she  had  received 
among  the  Hebrews  had  not  inclined  her  to  wish  to  ally  her  son 
with  them.  As  no  mention  is  made  of  any  other  wife  of  Ismael, 
we  may  infer  that  this  one  was  the  mother  of  his  twelve  sons  and  his 
daughter. 


16 


SCRIPIURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


costly  sacrifice,  Aaron  asked 
for  their  gold  earrings,  from 
which  he  made  a  "Molten 
Calf,"  the  symbol  of  the 
Egyptian  Apis.  This  he  ex- 
hibited to  the  people  as  the 
image  of  the  God  who  had 
brought  them  out  of  Egypt, 
and  he  built  an  altar  before 
the  idol.  Moses  descending 
from  the  mountain  in  the 
midst  of  the  sinful  rejoicings 
of  the  Israelites  over  their 
idol,  proclaimed  the  anger  of 
Jehovah  against  the  offenders. 
He  destroyed  the  "  molten 
calf,"  and  calling  upon  the 
sons  of  Levi  to  aid  him,  put 
over  3000  of  the  people  to  the 
sword. 


THE   MOLTEN    CALF. 


At  the  death  of  Joseph,  he 
was  placed,   according  to    his 
instructions,    in    a   coffin,    his 
body   having   been    first    em- 
balmed.    This    was    done    in 
order  that  the  Israelites  might 
be  able  to  carry  his  "bones" 
with  them  upon  their  depart- 
ure from  Egypt,  which  he  pre- 
dicted would   take  place  under  the 
leadership  of  Jehovah  himself   (Gen. 
xlvii.  24-26.) 


EMBALMING  THE   BODY   OF  JOSEPH 

Moses  remained  on  Mount  Sinai  forty  days  in  communion  with 
Jehovah,  upon  the  solemn  occasion  of  the  giving  of  the  Law  to  Israel, 
and  the  people,  discouraged  by  his  long  absence,  imagined  that  he 
was  dead,  or  had  deserted  them.  They,  therefore,  demanded  of  Aaron 
that  he  should  make  them  gods  to  go  before  them.  Weakly  yielding 
to  their  demand,  and,  perhaps,  hoping  that  they  would  not  make  the 


The  City  of  Ninive  was  the  me- 
tropolis of  ancient  Assyria.  It  was 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Tigris, 
opposite  and  below  the  modern  Mosul. 
It  is  described  as  an  immense  city, 
three  days  journey  in  circuit.  Its 
inhabitants  were  warlike,  wealthy, 
and  far  advanced  in  civilization. 
The  great  city  had  long  been  the  mis- 
tress of  the  East ;  but  it  was  steeped 
in  wickedness  and  luxury.  The 
pro]5het  Jonas  was  sent  more  than 
800  years  before  Christ  to  warn  it 
of  its  approaching  destruction.  By 
a  timely  repentance  it  averted  its 
doom  for  a  while  J  but  about  753  B.C., 
the  period  of  the  founding  of  Rome, 
it  was  raptured  by  the  Medes  under 
Arbaces,  and  nearly  a  century  later, 
in  strict  accordance  with  the  prophe- 
cies of  Nahum  (i.  3)  and  Sophonias 
(ii.  13),  it  was  a  second  time  captured 
by  Cyaraxes  and  Nabopolassar ;  and  so  complete  was  its  destruction 
that,  for  ages,  its  site  has  been  well  nigh  lost.  Infidels  have  denied 
that  the  Ninive  of  the  Bible  ever  existed.  The  mounds  which 
were  the  "grave"  of  its  ruins  (Nah.  i.  14)  were  so  covered  with 
soil  as  to  seem  like  natural  hills.  Since  1841,  Layard  and  Bottf 
have  excavated  its  ruins,  making  many  important  discoveries. 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


17 


THE    RO\AI,    I'Ai.Ai  r-.    Ai     A;3i\h.. 


20 


BLOWING   THE  TRUMPliT  AT  THE    KEAST   OF  THE   NEW   MOON. 


1» 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  kings  offered  sacrifices  and 
feasted,  on  the  New  Moon,  and 
pious  disciples  chose  this  as  a  stated 
period  for  visiting  the  prophets. 


As  the  Israelites  approached  the 
Promised  Land,  they  found  their 
progress  barred  by  the  strong  cit)r 
of  Jericho.  Josue  was  commanded 
by  God  to  take  and  destroy  this 
city.  In  order  to  ascertain  its- 
Strength  he  sent  two  spies  into  the 
city.  They  were  harbored  by  a 
woman  named  Rahab,  in  whose 
mind  the  terror  that  had  fallen  on. 
the  Canaanites,  when  they  heard  alll 
that  God  had  done  for  Israel,  had 
produced  belief  in  Jehovah  as  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth.  She 
aided  the  spies  to  escape  from  the- 
city,  and  in  return  for  this,  was, 
with  her  father's  family,  spared  from 
the  general  extermination  of  the  in- 
habitants. She  became  the  ances- 
tress of  Ruth,  David  and  Jesus. 


ESCAPE  OF  THE  SPIES  FROM   JERICHO. 


THE   HEAP  OF  WITNESS. 

The  completion  of  the  month  was  observed  among  the  Israelites 
by  the  Feast  of  the  New  Moon.  In  every  nation  which  uses  a  strictly 
lunar  calendar,  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  distinct  public  announcement 
of  the  beginning  of  each  month.  This  announcement  was  made  to 
Israel  by  the  sounding  of  the  two  sacred  silver  trumpets.  The  day 
was  not  kept  as  a  Sabbath,  but,  besides  the  daily  sacrifice,  a  burnt- 
offering  was  made  of  two  bullocks,  a  rarn  and  seven  lambs,  with  a 
meat  and  drink-offering,  and  a  goaf  for  a  sin-offering.    In  later  times, 


When  Jacob  fled  from  his  father- 
in-law  Laban,  the  latter  pursued 
him,  his  anger  at  the  escape  of  his. 
profitable  son-in-law  being  in- 
creased by  the  loss  of  his  "  house- 
hold gods,"  which  Rachel  had 
carried  away  with  her.  Being 
warned  of  God  not  to  injure  Jacob, 
Laban  made  a  covenant  with  him, 
and  a  heap  of  stones  was  erected  as- 
a  boundary  between  them,  and. 
called  Galeed  (^t/ie  heap  of  witness)^ 
This  boundary  was  preserved  itt 
later  ages,  and  the  site  was  subse- 
quently occupied  by  the  frontier- 
fortress  of  Gilead,  the  most  ad- 
vanced post  of  Israel  in  that  quar- 
ter.   

Babylon  was  taken  by  assault  by 
the  army  of  the  Medes  and  Persians, 
under  the  great  conqueror  Cyrus,. 
B.  c.  539.  With  it  fell  the  Chal- 
dean empire,  only  twenty  years 
after  it  had  been  carried  to  the 
height  of  its   prosperity  by  Nabu- 

chodonosor.      Its  fate   furnished  a. 

remarkable  example  of  the  fulfilling 
of  ancient  and  recent  prophecies, 
especially  those  of  Isaias,  Jeremias,  and  Ezechiel. 


The  Philistines,  the  ancient  enemies  of  Israel,  oppressed  the  peopft 
of  God  very  sorely  until  David,  by  his  splendid  victories  over  them, 
broke  their  power.  They  made  frequent  incursions  into  the  posses 
sions  of  Israel,  and  seized  and  carried  off  both  the  people  and  their 
property,  burning  what  they  could  not  take  with  them.  During  the 
reigns  of  David  and  Solomon,  these  inroads  were  impossible. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


19 


CYRUS    ENTERING    liAliVLON. 


ISRAELITES   CARRIED    INTO   CAPTIVITY. 


ao 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


SEDECIAS   BEFORE  THE   KING  OF   BABYLON. 


JEWISH   CAPTIVES   IN   BABYLONIA. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


21 


Upon  the  taking  of  Je- 
rusalem by  Nabuchodono- 
sor,  B.  c.  586,  Sedecias, 
the  Jewish  king,  was  taken 
prisoner.  He  was  carried 
to  Nabuchodonosor  at  Rib- 
lah,  in  Hamath,  whither 
the  king  had  gone  to  watch 
the  siege  of  Tyre.  Sede- 
cias spoke  with  his  con- 
queror face  to  face,  as 
Jeremias  had  predicted. 
Having  seen  the  slaughter 
of  all  his  sons  and  the 
princes  of  Juda,  his  eyes 
were  put  out,  and  he  was 
sent  to  Babylon,  where  he 
remained  a  close  prisoner 
until  his  death. 


The  Jews  remained  in 
captivity  in  the  Province 
of  Babylon  from  the  fall 
of  Jerusalem,  b.  c.  586,  to 
the  first  year  of  the  sole 
reign  of  King  Cyrus,  B.  C. 
536,  a  period  of  fifty  years. 
This  term  of  captivity  was 
characterized  by  much  suf- 
fering and  many  severe 
trials,  but  these  trials  were,  under  the 
providence  of  God,  a  benefit  to  them, 
as  is  shown  by  the  changes  in  the  na- 
tion and  the  improvement  in  adminis- 
tration of  public  affairs  subsequent  to 
the  rebuilding  of  the  Holy  City 


11  IE   BRAZEN   .SERPENT. 


During  the  march  of  Israel  from 
Cades  to  the  Jordan,  the  route  at 
one  time  lay  along  the  margin  of  the 
great  desert  of  Nejd,  "  and  the  soul 
of  the  people  was  much  discouraged 
because  of  the  way."  God  punished 
their  murmurs  by  sending  among 
them  serpents,  whose  fiery  bite  was 
fatal.  Moses  was  commanded  to 
make  a  serpent  of  brass,  and  to  set  it 
up  on  the  banner  pole  in  the  midst 
of  the  people  ;  and  whosoever  was 
bitten  by  a  serpent  had  but  to  look 
upon  it  and  live.  The  Brazen  Serpent 
was  long  preserved  as  a  relic,  and  at 
length  became  an  object  of  idolatrous 
veneration  in  the  reign  of  Achaz. 


The  division  of  the  descendants  of  Noe  into  nations  did  not  take 
place  until  the  days  of  Phaleg,  the  fifth  in  descent  from  the  Patriarch. 
The  people  having  settled  in  the  plain  of  Babylon,  and  remembering 
the  terrible  deluge,  determined  to  build  a  tower  which  should  afford 
them  a  sure  refuge  in  the  event  of  a  second  deluge.  God  suffered 
them  to  carry  out  a  portion  of  their  plan,  and  when  their  pride  was 
at  its  height,  he  suddenly  put  a  stop  to  their  work  by  causing  them  to 


THE    TOWER   OF    BABEL. 

Speak  different  languages,  so  that  they  could  neither  understand  each 
other's  words  any  more,  nor  preserve  the  concert  of  action  necessary 
to  the  success  of  their  scheme.  From  this  confusion  of  tongues,  the 
city  received  the  name  of  Babel,  but  is  better  known  under  the  Greek 
form  of  Babylon.  It  is  supposed  that  the  Tower  of  Babel  was  after- 
wards completed,  forming  the  hugest  structure  of  the  then  known 
world,  though,  of  course,  not  so  lofty  as  its  originators  had  designed. 


S2 


SCRIPTURE   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


BATTLE   BETWEEN   THE   ISRAELITES   AND   THE  TRIBE   OF  JUDA. 


DESPAIR    OF   THE   DEFENDERS   OF   JERUSALEM. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


23 


The  revow  of  the  ten  tribes  after 
the  death  of  Solomon  was  followed 
by  many  wars  between  Israel  and 
Juda.  In  one  of  these,  Abijah, 
King  of  Juda,  defeated  Jeroboam, 
King  of  Israel,  in  a  terrible  battle  in 
Mount  Ephraim,  inflicting  upon  the 
Israelites  a  loss  of  500,000  men, 
and  capturing  the  strongholds  of 
Ephraim,  Bethel,  and  Jeshanah.  A 
peculiar  feature  of  this  engagement 
•was  the  appearance  of  the  priests  of 
Juda  on  an  eminence  overlooking 
the  battle,  with  the  sacred  silver 
trumpets  used  in  the  worship  of  Je- 
hovah. The  victory  is  in  a  large 
degree  attributed  to  the  sounding 
of  these  trumpets  at  the  critical  mo- 
«ient.   (2  Paralip.  xiii.  14.) 


During  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  by 
the  Roman  army  under  Titus,  the 
temple  was  set  on  fire,  and  in  spite 
-of  the  efforts  of  the  Roman  com- 
mander to  save  it,  was  burned  to 
the  ground.  The  Jewish  defenders 
of  the  city,  who,  until  now,  had  re- 
tained some  degree  of  hope,  as  they 
beheld  the  beautiful  house  of  God 
in  flames,  gave  way  to  despair,  and 
vented  their  feelings  in  loud  cries. 
The  echoes  of  the  mountains  replied 
■or  brought  back  the  shrieks  of  the 
people  on  the  heights ;  all  along  the 
walls  resounded  screams  and  wail- 
ings ;  men  who  were  expiring  with 
famine  rallied  their  remaining 
strength  to  utter  a  cry  of  desolation 
and  anguish. 


THE   RIVER   OF   LIFE 


"And  he  showed  me  a  pure  river 
of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal,  pro- 
ceeding out  of  the  throne  of  God 
and  of  the  Lamb.  In  the  midst  of 
the  street  of  it,  and  on  either  side 
of  the  river,  was  there  the  tree  of 
life,  which  bare  twelve  manner  of 
fruits,  and  yielded  her  fruit  every 
month ;  and  the  leaves  of  the  tree 
were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations." 
(Apocalypse  xxii.  i,  2.)  Such  is  the 
description  given  by  the  inspired 
Seer  of  Patmos  of  the  river  that 
waters  the  heavenly  Jerusalem. 


AGAR   AND   ISMAEL  IN  THE   DESERT. 


Having  been  driven  from  his  home  by  Abraham,  Agar  and  Ismael 
went  into  the  desert  of  Bersabee,  which  lies  south  of  Palestine,  and 
wandered  there.  Ismael  soon  sunk  under  the  severe  heat  after  their 
water  was  exhausted.  As  he  was  at  the  point  of  death,  God  sent 
an  angel  to  show  the  mother  a  fountain  or  spring  of  water  close  at 
hand,  by  means  of  which  the  lad  was  revived.  God  also  repeated 
to  Agar  the  promise  that  he  had  made  to  Abraham  that  Ismael 
should  be  the  father  of  a  great  nation,  which  was  fulfilled  in  his  being 


the  ancestor  of  the  Arabs,  who  trace  their  descent  from  him.  The 
Arabs  have  a  tradition  that  Ismael  was  the  legitimate  son  and  the 
true  heir  of  his  father,  Abraham,  and  that  the  trial  of  the  patriarch's 
faith  consisted  in  the  command  of  God  to  offer  up  Ismael,  and  not 
Isaac  for  a  burnt  sacrifice.  They  regard  Ismael  as  having  inherited 
the  promises  made  to  Abraham,  and  consider  those  promises  fulfilled 
in  the  triumph  of  the  Mohammedan  faith  among  the  people  of  the 
East. 


24 


SCRIPTURE     ILLUSTRATIONS. 


REJOICINGS   OF  THE  ISRAELITES  UPON  THE  REBUILDING  OF   JERUSALEM. 


THE   ENTHRONEMENT  OF   JOAS. 


SCRIPTURE     ILLUSTRATIONS. 


25 


The  return  of  Israel  from  the  Babylonish 
captivity,  and  the  rebuilding  of  the  Holy 
City  and  the  Temple,  are  related  with 
great  minuteness  in  the  Books  of  Esdras  and 
Nehemias.  They  constitute  one  of  the 
most  important  epochs  of  Jewish  history. 
The  temple  was  twenty-one  years  in  build- 
ing, and  was  finished  on  the  third  of  the 
twelfth  month  (Adar=February-March), 
in  the  sixth  year  of  Darius  (b.  c.  515.) 
The  Feast  of  Dedication  was  kept  with 
great  rejoicing;  for  "God  had  made 
them  to  rejoice  with  great  joy ;  the  wives 
also  and  the  children  rejoiced ;  so  that  the 
joy  of  Jerusalem  was  heard  even  afar  off." 


JOAS  (abbreviated  from   Jehoash),    the 
eighth  King  of  Juda,  was   the   youngest 
son  of  Ochozias,  the  sixth  king.     In  the 
year  b.  c.  S84,  he  was  left  apparently  the 
sole    survivor    of    the    stem    of    David, 
lopped  as  it  had  been  by  repeated  mas- 
sacres.     Josaphat's  sons  were    all    slain 
by    their    eldest    brother,    Joram.       All 
Joram's  sons  were  killed  by  the  invading 
Philistines  and  Arabians,  except  Ochozias. 
Ochozias'  collateral  kindred  were  put  to 
death    by  Jehu,    and   his   sons   were   all 
massacred  by  their  grandmother  Athalia, 
except  Joas,  who  was  saved  from  that  fate  by 
the  priest  Joad,  who   concealed   him   until  he 
attained  the  age  of  seven  years,  when  he  showed 
him  to  the  army  and  people  assembled  in  the 
Temple,  as  the  true  heir  of  David,  and  crowned 
him    amidst    great    rejoicings.      Joas    reigned 
forty  years  in  Jerusalem. 


Denderah  is  a  village  of  Upper  Egypt,  near 
the  left  bank  of  the  Nile,  and  stands  on  the 
site  of  the  ancient  Tantyra.  It  is  important  for 
its  antiquities,  the  most  prominent  of  which  is 
its  beautiful  ruined  temple,  which  is  one  of  the 
grandest  monwments  of  ancient  art  remaining  in 
Egypt.  It  is  220  feet  in  length,  by  50  in 
breadth,  with  a  portico  supported  by  24  col- 
umns. The  ceilings,  walls  and  columns  are 
magnificently  adorned  with  paintings  and  hiero- 
glyphics relating  the  deeds  of  the  ancient  mon- 
archs  of  Egypt.  The  beauty  of  these  paintings, 
and  the  brilliance  of  their  colors,  which  have 
withstood  the  ravages  of  centuries,  excite  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  tourists.  The  colors 
are  as  fresh  and  vivid  as  if  laid  on  yesterday. 


At  Ibsarabul,  in  Egypt,  are  two  of  the  most 
remarkable  structures  on  the  globe.  These  are 
the  famous  rock  temples.  They  are  hewn  into 
the  solid  sandstone  which  forms  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  and  in  their  day  were  magnificent 
and  imposing  works.  The  fronts  were  orna- 
mented with  massive  figures,  each  of  which  was 
eighty  feet  high.  The  engraving  on  the  pre- 
vious page  represents  the  front  of  one  of  these 
temples  before  its  destruction. 


1  RUNT  or  THE  ROCK  TEMPLE  OF   IBSAMBUL,  EGYPT, 


26 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


A    1;1RI)'S   EVE  VIEW   C)F   EGVIT, 


Egypt  occupies  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  the 
African  continent,  from  the  Mediterranean  on  the 
north  to  latitude  24°  on  the  south,  and  from  the 
Red  Sea  on  the  east  to  the  Great  or  Libyan  Desert 
on  the  west.  Through  the  centre  of  Egypt  flows 
the  Nile — its  only  river.  The  Valley  of  the  Nile 
(  onstitiites  the  only  fertile  part  of  the  country,  and 
is  really  Egypt ;  the  fertile  land  extends  only  a 
few  miles  from  the  banks  of  the  river  on  either 
side.  Beyond  these  strips  of  land  is  the  desert. 
About  ninety  miles  from  the  sea  the  river  divides 
itself  into  three  separate  channels,  which  enclose  a 
fertile  region  known  as  "the  Delta,"  from  its 
resemblance  in  -shape  to  the  fourth  letter  of  the 
Greek  alphabet.  The  average  breadth  of  the  Nile 
Valley,  from  Cairo  to  the  First  Cataract,  does  not 
exceed  fifteen  miles.  The  land  in  this  valley  is 
one  of  the  most  fertile  regions  in  the  world.  The 
richness  of  the  soil  is  due  to  the  annual  overflow 
of  the  Nile,  which  begins  in  June,  and  lasts  until 
December.  In  ancient  times  the  Delta  was  thickly 
studded  with  cities  of  note.  The  most  important 
cities  of  the  kingdom,  however,  lay  within  the 
narrow  valley.  These  were  Memphis,  just  above 
the  apex  of  the  Delta,  and  Thebes  in  Upper  Egypt. 
The  population  of  ancient  Egypt  is  known  to  have 
been  at  least  five  millions,  and  may  have  been 
greater.  The  people  were  highly  civilized,  cleanly 
in  their  food  and  habits,  and  consequently  healthy. 


ANCIENT   EGYPTiAN   TEMPLE. 


The  public  works  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  were 
among  the  most  remarkable  constructions  of  any 
age  or  people ;  they  were  built  without  regard  to 
labor  or' expense,  and  were  intended  to  last  far  into 
distant  ages.     The  decay  of  Egypt  after  the  Per- 
sian, Greek,  and  Roman  Conquests,  caused  these 
great  works  to  fall  into  neglect,  and  many  of  them 
were  covered  over  by  the  sands,  which  the  winds 
drifted  in  from  the  desert.     In  this  way  they  were 
preserved  until  the  present  day.     During  the  past 
fifty  years  many  of  them  have  been  cleared  of  the 
sands  in  which  they  lay  buried  for  so  long.     Mod- 
ern explorers  are  surprised  at  the  beauty  and  fresh- 
ness of  the  decorations  as  well  as  at  the  massive- 
ness  of  the  buildings.    One  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  these  ancient  structures  is  the  Menephtheion,  a 
palace  temple  of  the  Nineteenth  Dynasty,  which 
was  among  the  grandest  works  of  the  wonderful 
city  of  No,  or  Thebes.     Thousands  of  workmen 
were  employed  in  the  construction  of  this  grand 
building,   and   the  greatest  skill  in   architecture 
and  art  was  lavished  upon  it.     Its  ruins  are  beau- 
tiful  and   impressive.      Not   far  distant  was  the 
famous  temple  of  Karnak,  which  covered  an  area 
of  about  one  and  a  half  square  miles.     This  beau- 
tiful temple  received  its  embellishments  from  a 
succession  of  monarchs,  who  vied  with  each  other 
in   the  lavishness  of  their  expenditures  upon  it. 
Numerous  historical  sculptures  are  carved  on  the 
various  parts  of  the  temple,  and  more  especially 
on  the  interior  of  its  great  hall,  and  furnish  vivid 
representations  of  the  events  to  which  they  refer. 
These  sculptures  and  frescoes  constituted  the  oflS- 
cial  history  of  the  Egyptian  monarchs- 


SCRIPTURE   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


27 


JOB   AND   HIS   THREE   FRIENDS. 


Apart  from  the  beauty  of  its  lan- 
guage, and  the  grandeur  and  sublimity 
of  the  subjects  discussed  in  it,  the  book 
of  Job  comprises  one  of  the  most  touch- 
ing and  memorable  instances  of  un- 
shaken faith  in  God  and  perfect  sub- 
mission to  his  will  to  be  met  with  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures.  Job,  in  his  deep- 
est affliction,  never  loses  his  trust  in 
his  Maker,  and  out  of  the  most  agon- 
izing of  his  sufferings  comes  the  cry, 
"Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust 
in  him."  His  three  friends  are  fair 
specimens  of  the  self-righteous  people 
of  our  own  day,  who  can  see  the  hand 
of  God  in  each  and  every  one  of  a 
neighbor's  afflictions,  and  can  tell  ac- 
curately for  what  sin  the  visitation  is 
inflicted,  but  fail  to  pull  out  the  beam 
that  is  in  their  own  eye.  In  the  end 
God  vindicated  the  righteousness  of 
Job  by  restoring  to  him  his  prosperity, 
and  rebuked  the  hypocrisy  of  the  three 
friends,  but  pardoned  it  at  Job's  inter- 
cession. 


SHAMGAR   SLAYING  THE   PHILISTINES   WITH   AN   OX-GOAD. 


Shamgar  is  commonly  regarded  as  the  third  of  the  Judges  of 
Israel.  He  was  the  son  of  Anath,  and  is  memorable  for  having 
delivered  his  country  from  the  tyranny  of  the  Philistines.  He 
displayed  his  personal  strength  and  courage  by  slaying  six  hundred 
Philistines  with  an   ox-goad.      The  acts  of  Sharngar  seem   to   have 


been  like  those  of  Samson,  irregular  acts  of  personal  prowess,  having 
but  little  lasting  effect  on  the  condition  of  the  people  at  large.  They 
gave  them  courage,  however,  and  showed  them  that  the  Philistines 
were  not  invincible.  The  deliverance  begun  by  Shamgar  was  not 
completpri  until  the  time  of  Deborah  and  Barak. 


28 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


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SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


29 


champion,  but  gloried 
in  David's  triumph  as 
though  it  had  been  his 
own.  When  his  father, 
in  after  years,  persecuted 
David,  and  drove  him 
from  his  home  and  coun- 
try, Jonathan's  attach- 
ment to  his  friend  re- 
mained unshaken,  and  hv 
gave  David  warning  of 
his  danger  and  enabled 
him  to  escape  in  safety. 
Their  last  meeting  was  in 
the  forest  of  Ziph,  during 
Saul's  pursuit  of  David 
(i  Kings  xxiii.  16-18). 
All  this  while  Jonathan 
■was  aware  that  David  was 
to  be  King  of  Israel  in- 
stead of  himself,  but  it 
made  no  difference  in  his 
friendship.  His  gener- 
ous heart  could  not  har- 
bor distrust  or  ill-will. 


One  of  the  first  of  the 
Eastern  nations  to  ai 
knowledge  the  royal  dig 
nity  of  David,  and  to 
seek  the  friendship  and 
alliance  of  the  Israelitish 
monarch,  was  the  little 
kingdom  of  Phcenicia, 
■which  lay  along  the  coast 
of  the  Mediterranean, 
and  adjoined  the  king- 
dom of  Israel.  Hiram, 
King  of  Tyre,  became  the 
■warm  friend  and  ally  of 

David,  and  sent  him  rich  presents,  and  cedar  timber 
from  the  forests  of  Lebanon,  with  masons  and  car- 
penters to  build  David  a  palace.  This  friendship 
■was  renewed  by  Hiram  with  Solomon,  the  son  and 
successor  of  David,  who,  as  has  been  elsewhere 
related,  obtained  from  Hiram  the  materials  of  which 
the  beautiful  Temple  at  Jerusalem  was  constructed 
and  the  artisans  by  whom  it  was  erected. 


HIRAM   SENDS  PRESENTS   TO   KING   DAVID. 


Sargon  was  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  Kings  of 
Assyria.  He  headed  a  revolt  against  Shalmaneser, 
dethroned  that  king,  and  seized  his  crown.  He 
proved  himself  a  great  and  wise  ruler.  He  built 
himself  an  immense  palace  at  Khorsabad,  and 
adorned  it  with  magnificent  sculptures  and  paint- 
ings. It  consisted  of  a  palace,  a  temple  and  an 
observatory,  and  was  famed  throughout  the  Eastern 
world  for  its  splendor.  The  engraving  represents 
the  great  central  court-yard  upon  which  opened  the 
state  apartments  of  the  palace,  and  from  which  pas- 
sages led  to  the  women's  apartments  and  the  private 
rooms  of  the  king.  Sargon  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  the  celebrated  Sennacherib. 


COURT   OF  SARGON'S   PALACE. 


30 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


DESTRUCTION  OF  SENNACHERIB'S  ARMY. 


and  he  retreated  in  haste  to  his  own 
country,  where  he  was  slain  some- 
years  later  by  two  of  his  sons  in  the 
Temple  of  Nisroch.  The  murderers 
were  forced  to  flee  into  Armenia^ 
and  their  brother,  Esarhaddon,  suc- 
ceeded to  his  father's  throne. 


JACOB   SETTING  OUT  FOR  EGYPT. 

Thb  destruction  of  the  army  of  Sennacherib,  King  of  Assyria,  was 
one  of  the  most  terrible  punishments  ever  visited  by  God  upon  the 
enemies  of  Israel.  The  Assyrian  army  was,  at  the  time  of  the  dread- 
ful event,  encamped  before  Libnah,  being  on  the  march  to  Egypt. 
Ip  a  single  night  185,000  men  were  slain  by  "the  angel  of  Jehovah." 
This  disaster  at  once  put  an  end  to  the  plans  of  the  Assyrian  King, 


Joseph,  after  making  himself 
known  to  his  brethren  during  their 
last  journey  to  Egypt  to  buy  corn^ 
addressed  himself  to  the  task  of 
bringing  his  father  and  family  dowrt 
to  Egypt,  where  he  could  provide  for 
their  temporal  wants.  He  sent  wag- 
ons, provisions,  and  aHendants  to 
Palestine,  in  order  that  his  father 
and  the  wives  and  children  of  his 
brethren  might  make  the  journey 
in  comfort.  When  Jacob  heard 
that  his  long-lost  son  was  a  rich  and 
])o\vcrful  prince,  the  Viceroy  of  the 
great  King  of  Egypt,  who  was  at  that 
time  the  sovereign  lord  of  Canaan 
also,  he  refused  to  believe  the  good 
news ;  but  the  sight  of  the  wagons 
and  splendid  retinue  which  Joseph 
had  provided  for  him,  convinced 
him  that  his  sons  had  not  deceived  him.  He  at  once  resolved  to- 
go  down  into  Egypt,  and  accept  the  protection  offered  him  by  his 
beloved  son.  "And  Israel  said,  It  is  enough;  Joseph,  my  son,  is 
yet  alive;  I  will  go  and  see  him  before  I  die."  Having  come  to- 
this  determination,  he  set  out  with  his  whole  family  for  Egypt,  where 
he  was  joyfully  welcomed  by  Joseph,  and  given  lands  by  the  king. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


31 


Thb  cruel  persecutions  to  which  the 
jiews  were  subjected  by  Antiochus 
Epiphanes,  King  of  Syria,  culminated 
in  an  attempt  to  compel  the  Jews  to 
abandon  the  worship  of  God  and  em- 
brace that  of  Syria.  Mathathias,  a 
Jewish  priest  of  the  town  of  Modin, 
determined  to  resist  this  effort  of  the 
king.  He  slew  the  royal  messenger, 
and  called  on  his  countrymen  to  unite 
with  him  in  an  effort  to  recover  the 
independence  of  their  country.  His 
appeal  was  readily  answered,  and  he 
and  his  party  took  up  arms  and  fled 
to  the  mountains,  where  they  were 
joined  by  others.  He  did  not  long 
survive  his  bold  effort,  and,  dying,  left 
the  leadership  of  the  patriot  forces  to 
his  heroic  son,  Judas,  one  of  the 
truest  heroes  of  ancient  history.  The 
brilliant  exploits  of  Judas  won  him 
the  surname  of  Machabceiis,  or  "The 
Hammer."  Though  Judas  was  cut 
short  in  his  great  career,  his  efforts 
were  not  lost.  Under  his  successors 
the  independence  of  Judsea  was  re- 
gained, and  the  Asmonsean  monarchy 
firmly  established  on  the  Jewish  throne.  The  engraving  represents 
Judas  assembling  his  handful  of  warriors  on  the  eve  of  his  last  battle, 


JUDAS    M.\CHAB.EUS    ASSEMBLING    HIS    WAKKiuRS. 


and  addressing   them  in   those  spiriting,  stirring  words  by  which  he 
encouraged  his  little  band  in  his  attack  on  the  Syrian  nrmv. 


The  exploits  of  Judas  Mach- 
abaeus  form  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  chapters  of  an»",ient 
history,  and  stamp  him  as  one 
of  the  greatest  heroes  of  any 
age.  With  only  a  handful  of 
poorly  armed  men  he  defeated 
the  powerful  and  splendidly 
equipped  armies  of  Syria,  and 
won  for  his  country  a  proud 
independence  and  freedom 
from  persecution.  His  greatest 
victory  was  won  at  Adasa. 
The  Syrian  army  was  routed 
with  terrible  slaughter,  and 
Nicanor,  its  commander,  was 
killed.  This  victory  practi- 
cally decided  the  question  of 
Jewish  independence,  but  it 
was  f6llowed  by  a  severe  reverse 
a  short  time  later.  Judas  was 
defeated — his  army  having  de- 
serted him  save  a  few  devoted 
souls — at  Eleasa,  the  Jewish 
Thermopylse.  His  great  sac- 
rifices and  labors  bore  their 
fruit,  however,  and  the  inde- 
pendence of  Judaea  was  suc- 
cessfully established  under  his 
successors. 


DEFEAT  OF   THE   SYRIANS   BY  THE    ISRAELITES,  UNDER   JUDAS    MACHAByEUS. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


to  him  in  the  symbol  of  a  burning 
bush,  and  announced  his  intention  t<i 
put  an  end  to  the  captivity  of  thfc 
Israehtes,  and  to  lead  them  into  thfi 
land  He  had  promised  their  fathei 
Abraham.  He  commanded  Moses  to 
become  His  messenger  to  the  king  of 
Egypt,  and  the  leader  of  liis  people. 
Jehovah  met  his  protestation  of  his 
unworthiness  to  accept  so  great  a 
charge  by  assuring  him  that  He  would 
be  with  him  to  sustain  him  in  all 
things.  He  then  revealed  to  Moses 
the  name  by  which  the  God  of  the 
Hebrews  has  ever  since  been  known. 


MOSES   AND   THE    BURNING   BUSH. 


MOSES   AND   JOSUE    BEARING   THE   LAW. 

When  Moses  grew  to  man's  estate,  he  felt  keenly  the  wrongs  in- 
flicted upon  his  people ;  and  once,  his  indignation  having  mastered 
him,  he  slew  an  Egyptian  whom  he  saw  beating  a  Hebrew.  The  af- 
fair coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the  king,  Moses  was  obliged  to  fly 
from  Egypt.  He  sought  refuge  in  the  desert  which  surrounds  the 
Tiead  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  which  was  inhabited  by  the  people  of 
Madian,  who  were  descended  from  Abraham  and  Cetura.  He  en- 
tered into  the  service  of  Jethro,  the  prince  and  priest  of  the  region, 
and  finally  married  his  daughter,  Sephora.  By  her  he  had  a  son, 
whom  he  called  Gersom.  He  remained  in  the  service  of  his  father- 
in-law  forty  years,  keeping  his  sheep.  While  here,  Jehovah,  who  had 
heard  the  great  groaning  of  the  Israelites  in  their  bondage,  appeared 


The  law  given  by  Jehovah  to  Israel 
at  Mount    Sinai  was  written  on  two 
tablets  of  stone — written,  we  are  told, 
by  the  finger  of  God  Himself.     These 
tablets  were  broken  by  Moses  in  his 
indignation  at  the  idolatry  of  the  Is- 
raelites, whom  upon  his  return  to  the 
camp  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  he 
found  engaged  in  the  infamous  wor- 
ship of  the  "Molten  Calf"    After  the 
punishment  of  this  sin,  God 
committed    to    the    care    of 
Moses    two   new    tablets   en- 
graved  with    the   Ten    Com- 
mandments.  These  tables  were 
placed  in  the  Ark  of  the  Cov- 
enant,  and    kept   there   as   a 
sacred  relic.    They  shared  the 
fortunes  of  the  Ark  during  its 
captivity  among  the  Philistines 
after  the  conquest  and  occu- 
pation of  the  Promised  Land, 
and  were  brought  up  to  Jeru- 
salem by  David  with  the  Ark, 
after  he  had  captured  that  city 
and  made  it  the  capital  of  his 
kingdom.     They  lay  in  their 
sacred  repository  a  solemn  and 
unchanging    witness    of    the 
truth  of  the  Law,  and,  so  far 
as  we  know,  were  not  taken 
from  the  Ark  or  used  in  pub- 
lic.    When   Solomon  erected 
his  splendid  Temple,  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant  was  placed 
in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  same  in  shape  and  form  that  it  had  been 
during  tlie  Wanderings,  and  the  Tables  of  the  Law  remained  in  it. 
Thus  were  the  people  reminded  by  these  mementos  of  their  days  of 
trial,  of  the  all-powerful  goodness  and  the  great  love  of  Jehovah,  who 
had  made  of  the  fugitives  from  Egypt  a  great  and  powerful  nation, 
feared  and  respected  by  their  neighbors,  and  the  happiest  of  all  the 
races  of  the  ancient  world.     When  Solomon's  Temple  was  destroyed 
by  the  Babylonians  at  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  Nabuchodonosor, 
the  Ark  and  the  Tables  of  the  Law  were  doubtless  destroyed.     No 
further  mention  is  made  of  them  after  this  event.     The  Temple  of 
Herod  thus  lacked  these  sacred  objects,  though  it  was  more  highly- 
honored  in  being  visited  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Himself. 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


33 


Rebekah  bore  Isaac  two 
sons,  twins,  born  twenty 
years  after  their  marriage. 
They  were  called  Esau  and 
Jacob.  Esau,  the  first  born, 
was  the  father's  favorite, 
and  Jacob,  the  younger,  thj 
mother's  darling.  Esau  wai 
red  and  hairy,  and  grew  u]) 
to  be  a  rough,  wild  hunter, 
but  the  smooth  Jacob  be- 
came a  quiet  denizen  of  the 
tent.  Esau,  as  the  first  born, 
was  heir  to  the  blessings 
promised  to  Abraham  and 
his  seed ;  but  being  careless 
of  these  advantages,  he  sold 
them  to  Jacob  for  "  one 
morsel  of  food;"  and  his 
punishment  was  in  accord- 
ance with  his  sin.  Having 
thus  secured  liis  brother's  in- 
heritance, Jacob  was  ena- 
bled, through  the  conniv- 
ance of  his  mother,  to  sup- 
plant him  at  the  most  criti- 
cal moment  of  his  life,  and 
to  obtain  from  their  father 
the  blessing  of  Abraham, 
which  he  was  to  hand  down 
to  another  generation. 


ESAU  GOING    FOR  VENISON. 


Of  the  twelve  sons  of 
Jacob,  the  youngest  but  one 
was  Joseph,  the  child  of 
Rachel.  Although  the  char- 
acter of  Joseph  is  one  of 
the  purest  to  be  found  in 
Scripture,  we  see  in  it  thu 
injurious  effects  of  parental 
partiality.  Joseph,  elated 
unduly  by  his  father's  pre- 
ference, became  a  censor 
and  informer  upon  his 
brethren,  and  thus  incurred 
their  bitter  enmity.  To  add 
to  their  hostility,  Joseph 
dreamed  two  dreams,  which 
even  his  father,  who  seems  to 
have  discerned  their  pro- 
phetic character,  censured 
his  imprudence  in  repeating. 
In  the  first  dream  his  bro- 
thers' sheaves  of  corn  bowed 
down  to  his,  which  stood 
upright  in  their  midst ;  a 
most  fit  type  not  only  of 
their  submission  to  him, 
but  of  their  suing  to  him 

for  corn  in  Egypt.     The  second  dream  was  of  a  wider  and  higher  im- 
port.    It  included  his  father  and  his  mother,  as  well  as  his  brethren, 
in  the  reverence  done  to  him ;  and  the  emblems  chosen  leave  little 
3  C 


JOSEPH'S   DREAM. 

doubt  that  the  dream  prefigured  the  homage  of  all  nature  to  Him 
whose  sign  was  the  Star  of  Bethlehem,  and  of  whom  Joseph  was  on* 
of  the  clearest  types. 


t4 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


CONSECRA.TION   OF   AARON   AND    HIS   SONS. 


sign  was  given 
ot'  Jehovah's 
special  favor 
to  the  house 
of  Aaron . 
Twelve  rods, 
or  sceptres, 
were  chosen 
for  the  several 
tribes,  and 
laid  up  in  the 
Tabernacle 
before  the 
Ark,  the  name 
of  Aaron  be- 
ing inscribed 
on  the  rod  of 
Levi.  In  the 
morning,  Mo- 
ses went  into 
the  Taber- 
nacle and 
brought  forth 
the  rods,  and 
returnedthem 
to  the  princes 
o/  the  tribes, 
w/ien  Aaron's 
i\A  was  seen 
covered  with 
buds  and  blos- 
soms,and  fuU- 
bl  o  wn  al- 
monds. The  rest  were 
still  dry  sticks ;  but  his 
was  a  living  and  fruitful 
sceptre.  By  the  com- 
mand of  God  it  was  laid 
up  in  the  Ark,  for  a  per- 
petual memorial  against 
rebellion. 


JOSUE'S   COVENANT   WITH   ISRAEL. 

After  the  rebellion  of  Core,  Dathan,  and  Abiron,  who  perished  in 
Uk  attempt  to  fora;  themselves  into  the  priestliood  of  the  Lord,  a  new 


JosuE  closed  his  lon^ 
and  useful  life  w-ith  <*n 
act  which  marked  a  sol- 
emn crisis  in  the  career 
of  Israel.  They  had 
obtained  puisession  of 
the  land  given  them  by 
Jehovah,  and  had  at. 
tained  that  first  success 
which  is  always  a  trial 
of  human  power  and  en- 
durance,  and  which,  in 
their  case,  was  the  test 
of  their  faithfulness  to 
Jehovah.  Josue  recog- 
nized the  danger  which 
threatened  the  nation — 
of  forgetting  the  Eternal 
Giver  of  all  their  bless- 
ings, and  of  mingling 
with  the  people  around 
them  and  lapsing  into  idolatry.  He  promptly  assembled  the  entire 
nation  at  Sichem,  and,  alter  reminding  them  of  all  that  God  had 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


35 


done  for  them,  he  repeated  to  them  the  conditions 
upon  which  they  were  to  enjoy  these  blessings. 
His  appeal  was  successful.  The  people  swore  by 
God  not  to  forsake  Him  who  had  done  such  won- 
ders for  them.  Thus  did  Josue  make  a  covenant 
■with  the  people,  and  set  them  a  statute  and  an  or- 
dinance in  Sichem.    

During  the  period  of  the  Judges,  Israel  fre- 
quently relapsed  into  the  grossest  idolatry,  and 
the  worship  of  Baal  was  openly  practised.  Their 
punishment  followed  swiftly  upon  their  sin.  The 
Madianites  and  Amalecites  overran  the  land, 
plundered  the  Israelites,  and  reduced  them  to  a 
shameful  slavery.  Gedeon,  a  valiant  and  distin- 
guished man  of  the  tribe  of  Manasses,  was  called 
by  the  Lord  to  deliver  Israel  from  their  slavery 
and  to  restore  the  worship  of  Jehovah.  He  over- 
threw the  altar  of  Baal,  destroyed  the  idols  of  the 
people,  and  became  the  recognized  leader  of  the 
little  army  of  Israel  in  the  conflict  with  the  Ma- 
dianites and  Amalecites  which  ensued.  He  took 
position  on  Mount  Gilboe,  oveHooking  the  great 
plain  of  Esdraelon,  in  which  the  host  of  the  enemy 
lay.  Before  the  conflict,  Gedeon  prayed  for  a 
sign  that  God  would  save  Israel  by  his  hand.  He 
spread  a  fleece  of  wool  on  his  threshing-floor,  and 
asked  that  it  might  be  wet  with  dew  while  the 
earth  around  was  dry,  and  in  the  morning  he 
wrung  a  bowl  full  of  water  from  the  fleece.  He 
prayed  again  for  a  sign.  Heavy  dews  are  com- 
mon in  the  highlands  of  Palestine,  and  water  has 
been  wrung  out  of  clothes  which  have  been  ex- 
posed during  the  entire  night.  This  time,  how- 
ever, the  fleece  remained  dry,  while  the  earth 
around  was  wet.  The  Lord  gave 
Gedeon  a  signal  triumph  over  his 
enemies,  but  it  was  one  that  was  not 
won  by  the  valor  of  Israel,  but  by 
the  power  of  Jehovah.     (Judg.  vii.) 


GEDEON'S   FLEECE. 


Samuel  was  the  fifteenth  and  last 
of  the  Judges  of  Israel,  and  the  first 
in  that  regular  succession  of  Prophets 
which  never  ceased  until  after  the 
return  from  the  Babylonian  captiv- 
ity. He  was  also  the  founder  of 
the  Jewish  monarchy.  His  birth 
was  in  answer  to  a  special  prayer  on 
the  part  of  his  mother.  As  soon  as 
he  was  weaned,  he  was  taken  by  his 
mother  to  the  Tabernacle  at  Shiloh, 
and  there  presented  to  the  Lord. 
He  remained  in  the  Tabernacle 
from  this  time  forth,  and  was  care- 
fully trained  in  the  service  of  the 
Lord.  He  became,  at  length,  the 
Judge  of  his  people,  their  leader  in 
affairs  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual, 
and  he  forms  one  of  the  grandest 
and  most  perfect  characters  to  be 
found  among  the  grand  collection 
of  worthies  in  the  Sacred  narrative. 


DEDICATION   OF  SAMUEL. 


36 


SCRIPTURE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


DAVID'S   RETURN  TO   HIS   KINGDOM. 


mind  to  revelations  only  surpassed  oy 
those  made  to  later  shepherds,  in  t'ne 
same  fields,  at  the  advent  of  his  Son 
and  Lord,  and  his  Psalms  show  how 
he  used  the  imagery  spread  out  before 
his  eyes  by  day  and  night.  At  this 
time  he  must  have  acquired  the  art 
which  has  rendered  him  immortal  as 
"the  Sweet  Singer  of  Israel."  But 
not  only  were  his  religious  and  artistic 
sympathies  and  perceptions  heightened 
by  this  life;  his  personal  prowess  war 
exercised  as  well.  Single-handed  he 
slew  a  lion  and  a  bear,  that  ventured 
to  attack  his  flocks,  and  he  became 
famous  in  defence  of  his  father's  pos- 
sessions against  the  Bedouin  robbers 
and  Philistine  marauders.  David  be 
gan  his  reign  upon  the  death  of  Saul. 
He  was  thirty  years  old  (b.  c.  1056), 
and  he  reigned  in  Hebron  seven  and 
a  half  years  before  he  became  the  ac- 
knowledged king  of  all  Israel.  Ten 
years  later  he  captured  the  strong 
Jebusite  fortress  of  Sion,  and  mad» 
Jerusalem  the  capital  of  his  kingdom. 
He  reigned  in  Jerusalem  thirty-three 
years  in  addition  to  the  seven  and  3 
half  years  that  he  reigned  in  Hebron 
As  soon  as  he  had  fairly  established 
himself  at  Jerusalem,  he  began  to 
make  preparations  for  the  worship  of 
Jehovah  on  Mount  Sion,  on  a  scale  of 
magnificence  greater  than  had  ever 
been  known  before.  He  purchased  a 
site  for  the  Temple,  and  brought  up 
the  Ark  of  God  to  Jerusalem  with 
great  rejoicings.  (2  Kings  vi.)  The 
rebellion  of  Absalon  made  it  necessary 
for  David  to  fly  from  Jerusalem,  and 
take  refuge  beyond  the  Jordan.  Upon 
the  death  of  the  misguided  prince,  and 
the  failure  of  the  rebellion,  David  re- 
turned to  Jerusalem.  His  return  was 
hailed  with  the  greatest  delight  by  all 
the  people  but  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
who  rebelled  against  David's  author- 
ity. This  outbreak  was  promptly 
checked.     (2  Kings  xix.,  xx.) 


ELIAS   CASTING    UIS   MANTLE  ON   ELISEUS 


During  the  reign  of  Saul,  there  lived  at  Bethlehem,  a  man  of  the 
tribe  of  Juda,  named  Jesse,  the  grandson  of  Booz  and  Ruth.  He  was 
the  father  of  eight  sons.  Of  these  the  youngest  was  a  youth  named 
David.  Being  the  youngest,  David  was  treated  with  scorn  by  his 
.^Ider  brothers,  and  compelled  to  assume  the  occupatidn  of  a  shepherd, 
which  is  usually  allotted,  in  the  East,  to  servants,  women,  and  de- 
pendents. This  life,  however,  contributed  much,  under  God,  to  the 
formation  of  his  character.  The  lonely  watches  which  he  kept  by 
night,  amid  the  pastures,  for  which  Bethlehem  was  famed,  opened  his 


Eliseus,  the  "servant,"  or  attend- 
ant, and  ultimately  the  successor  of 
the  prophet  Elias,  was  a  native  of 
Abel-meholah,  a  place  in  the  valley 
of  the  Jordan,  near  its  junction  with 
the  plain  of  Je'zreel.  He  was  ploughing  with  twelve  yoke  of  oxen, 
himself  guiding  the  twelfth,  a  proof  of  the  wealth  he  abandoned  to 
"put  his  hand  to  the  plough"  of  Jehovah,  when  Elias  arrived  on  his 
way  up  the  valley  to  Damascus,  and,  without  saying  a  word,  cast  his 
prophet's  mantle  upon  Eliseus,  as  if  claiming  him  for  a  son.  Eliseus, 
with  a  heart  prepared  by  God,  only  begged  to  give  his  father  and 
mother  a  parting  embrace,  and  Elias  consented,  in  words  implying  a 
keen  feeling  of  Eliseus's  separation  from  the  ties  of  affection.  He  then 
followed  Elias,  and  became  "  his  servant." 


SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 


'Fhere  is  no  genuine  portrait  of  the  Saviour  in  existence,  and 
we  have  no  record  that  one  was  ever  taken  during  His  lifetime. 
The  various  heads  or  portraits  of  the  Saviour  that  are  familiar  to 
us  are  ideal  portraits — the  conception  of  some  artist  of  more 
modern  times.  The  art  of  gem  engraving,  since  it  flourished 
during  antiquit)',  has  frequently  been  claimed  to  give  to  the 
modern  world  an  authentic  portrait  of  Christ.  One  of  the 
most  notorious  of  these  attempts  was  that  of  the  famous 
"Emerald  of  the  Vatican,"  which  was  claimed  to  have  been 
engraved  by  the  order  of  Pilate,  with  an  intaglio  head  of  Christ, 
and  sent  by  him  to  Tiberius.  The  story  went  further,  that  this 
gem  had  been  carefully  treasured  up  by  the  Roman  and  Byzan- 
tine Caosars  and  their  Ottoman  successors,  until  it  was  paid  by 
the  Sultan  to  Innocent  VII.  as  a  ransom  for  his  brother.  The 
claims  of  this  gem  to  be  a  contemporary  portrait  cannot,  how- 
ever, stand  the  test  of  modern  criticism.  It  is  not  antique  or 
Byzantine  in  style,  but  belongs  quite  unmistakably  to  'he  period 
of  the  Italian  revival;  while  Mr.  King,  an  excellent  authority  on 
such  matters,  says  that  the  head  is  undoubtedly  a  copy  of  the 
head  of  the  Saviour  in  Raphael's  cartoon  of  the  "  Miraculous 
Draught  of  Fishes."  'The  typical  head  of  Christ,  however,  which 
came  to  be  generally  used  in  Byzantine  art,  was  copied  from 
gems  representing  Serapis,  the  Egyptian  god,. whose  worship  be- 
came very  fashionable  in  Greece  and  Italy  during  the  last  perif' 
of  gem  cutting,  and  was  consequently  used  by  the  engravers. 


OUR    LORD   .\ND   SAVIOUR  JESUS  CHRIST. 


1  li 


\<|A  1  ll  l.\. 


The  time  promised  by  the  Almighty  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah 
having  arrived,  the  angel  Gabriel  was  sent  to  the  city  of  Nazareth  in 
Galilee,  where  lived  a  maiden  of  the  tribe  of  Juda  and  the  house  of 
David,  named  Mary.  She  was  betrothed  to  Joseph,  a  carpenter,  who 
was  descended,  like  herself,  from  the  roya!  iini;.  The  angei  sud 
denly  appeared  to  her,  and  saluted  her  with  the  words  which  revealed 
to  her  her  high  destiny,  "  Hail !   full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee : 


THE   NATIVITY. 

blessed  art  thou  among  women."  As  she  trembled  with  astonish- 
ment he  proceeded  to  reveal  to  her  that  she  should  become  the 
mother  of  a  miraculously  conceived  child,  who  was  the  Son  of  God, 
'he  Messiah  and  the  Saviour  of  His  people.  He  satisfied  her  of  the 
truth  of  his  .innour.cement,  and  Mary  could  only  reply  in  those  words 
of  simple  and  submissive  piety,  "  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord, 
be  it  done  unto  me  according  to  thy  word." 

(37) 


38 


SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


We  are  told  in  the  Sacred  Narrative  that  there  came  to  Bethlehem 
wise  men  from  the  East,  for  the  purpose  of  worshipping  and  bringing 
gifts  to  the  infant  King  of  the  Jews,  whose  star  had  guided  them  from 
afar.  It  does  not  clearly  appear  who  these  wise  men,  or  Magi,  as 
they  are  commonly  called,  were,  but  the  supposition  is  that  they  were 
Persian  Magicians,  or  Astrologers.  There  was  a  very  common  belief 
throughout  the  East,  that  a  great  king  was  to  be  born  at  tiiis  time. 
The  expectation  that  the  Messiah  was  to  be  born  in  Judea  was 
strongly  impressed  on  the  minds  of  the  followers  of  Zoroaster,  who 
reformed  the  religion  of  the  Persians,  and  who,  being  a  servant  to 
the  prophet  Daniel,  was  particularly  favored  with  revelations  concern- 
ing the  coming  of  the  Messiah.  It  was  but  natural,  therefore,  that, 
immediately  upon  the  appearance  of  the  star,  the  Magi,  recognizing 
the  fulfilment  of  Daniel's  predictions 
as  handed  down  to  them,  should  repair 
to  Jerusalem  to  do  homage  to  the 
promised  Saviour  of  Israel.  It  is 
believed  that  the  Manger  in  which 
our  Blessed  Lord  was  born  was  a 
cave  cut  into  the  rocky  side  of  a  hill 
or  cliff.  It  was  a  common  thing  to 
make  use  of  such  excavations  for 
stables,  and  there  is  good  reason  to 
believe  that  the  tradition  in  this  in- 
stance is  correct.  Modern  writers 
believe  that  the  date  formerly  assigned 
for  the  birth  of  Christ,  the  year  of 
Rome  754,  which  is  therefore  called 
A.  D.  I,  is  erroneous.  The  most 
learned  and  authoritative  fix  the  date 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year  b.  c.  4, 
or  in  the  year  of  Rome  750,  which 
was  the  year  of  Herod's  death. 


ing  within  the  Temple  precincts,  entered  the  Temple  immediately  after 
Simeon,  and  saluted  the  infant  as  the  Messiah,  the  Saviour  of  his  people. 


The  visit  of  the  Wise  Men  having  alarmed  Herod  with  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  birth  of  a  king  of  the  Jews  almost  under 
the  very  walls  of  his  capital,  he  determined  to  rid  himself  of  his  rival 
by  massac'ring  all  the  infants  in  Bethlehem  under  two  years  old. 
']"he  angel  of  God  gave  Joseph  prompt  warning  of  the  danger 
which  threatened  the  Holy  Child,  and  commanded  him  to  take  Jesus 
and  his  mother,  and  fly  to  Egypt  to  escape  the  wrath  of  the  cruel 
king.  Joseph  immediately  obeyed  the  Divine  command,  and  re- 
mained in  Egypt  with  Jesus  and  Mary  until  the  death  of  Herod  ner- 
mitted  him  to  return  to  Palestine. 


As  soon  as  the  forty  days  allotted 
for  purification  after  the  birth  of  a  son 
had  expired,  Mary  and  Joseph 
brought  Jesus  to  the  Temple  at  Jeru- 
salem, with  the  sacrifice  appointed  for 
the  poorer  sort  of  people,  "  a  pair  of 
turtle  doves,  or  two  young 
pigeons."  This  first  ap- 
pearance of  Jesus  in  the 
Temple  was  the  signal  for 
his  reception  by  those  who 
may  be  regarded  as  the  rej)- 
resentatives  of  the  spiritual 
element  of  Israel.  An  aged 
man  named  Simeon,  emi- 
nent for  his  piety,  had  been 
forewarned  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  that  he  should  not  die 
till  he  had  seen  "  the  An- 
ointed of  Jehovah."  He 
was  novvguidedbythesame 
Spirit  in  to  the  Temple;  and, 
taking  thechild  inhisarms, 
he  proclaimed  him,  for  the 
first  time,  as  the  Christ  of 
God.  An  aged  woman 
named  Anna,  a  prophetess, 
who  had  spent  her  widow- 
hood of  eighty-four  years 
in  constant  prayer  and  fast- 


SIMEON   AND    ANNA   IN   THE   TEMPLE. 


THE  FLIGHT   INTO   EGYPT. 


bCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


39 


The  first  miracle  of  our  Lord  was  performed  at  the  outset  of  his 
ministry,  at  a  marriage  feast  in  the  little  village  of  Cana,  in  Galilee, 
not  far  from  Nazareth.  It  is  related  by  St.  John,  and  the  assertion 
of  the  Evangelist  that  it  was  "  the  beginning  of  miracles"  gives  an 
■emphatic  denial  to  all  the  legends  of  the  childish  miracles  of  our 
Lord.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  this  first  miracle  was  performed 
while  Jesus  was  satisfying  the  claims  of  social  duty — thus  sanctioning 
and  blessing  both  the  divine  institution  of  marriage  and  the  innocent 
pleasures  of  social  life. 


THE   FIRST   MIRACLE. 


One  of  our  Saviour's  chief  resorts  was  the  margin  of  that  beautiful 
lake  which  is  variously  called  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  of  Tiberias,  and  of 
Gennesareth.  It  was  there  that  the  greater  part  of  his  labors  wasper- 
formed._  Here  Christ  is  first  presented  to  our  view  as  preaching  the 
word  of  God  to  such  multitudes,  that  he  was  fain  to  seek  a  station 
whence  to  address  them  on  the  lake  itself  Two  fishing  boats  were 
drawn  up  on  the  beach,  while  their  owners  were  employed  in  washing 
their  nets.  Jesus  entered  one  of  them,  which  was  Simon's,  as  St.  Luke 
simply  tells  us,  without  any  allusion  to  his  previous  call.  After  teach- 
ing the  people  from  a  short 
distanceoff  the  coast,  Christ 
bade  Simon  and  his  brother 
Andrew  to  put  out  into  deep 
waters,  and  to  let  down 
their  nets.  They  obeyed, 
though  Simon  informed 
Jesus  that  they  had  toiled 
all  the  previous  night,  and 
had  caught  nothing; 
"  Nevertheless,"  he  added, 
'■'at  thy  word,  I  will  let 
down  the  net."  The  cast 
was  followed  by  such  a  haul 
of  fish,  that  the  net  broke  ; 
they  called  for  help  to 
their  partners,  the  owners 
of  the  other  ship,  John  and 
James,  the  sons  of  Zebedee ; 
and  the  fish  so  loaded 
both  ships  that  they  began 
to  sink.  Overcome  by 
these  wonders,  Peter  fell 
down  upon  his  knees,  say- 
ing, "  Depart  from  me,  for 
I  am  a  sinful  man,  O 
Lord  ;  "  thus,  by  direct 
prayer  to  Christ,  with  con- 
fession of  sin,  recognizing  for  the 
first  time  his  true  divinity. 


JESUS  TEACHING   BY   THE   SEA-SIDE. 


The  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  as 
the  discourse  of  our  Lord  record- 
ed in  the  fifth,  sixth  and  seventh 
chapters  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel, 
is  called,  was  delivered  on  the 
shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galileo,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Capharnaum.  It 
was  spoken  to  the  newly  chosen 
disciples  in  the  hearing  of  the 
great  multitude  that  had  thronged 
out  to  hear  Jesus,  and  was  meant 
for  the  disciples  as  the  manual 
of  their  instructions,  the  outline 
of  the  truths  they  were  to  teach. 
It  is  addressed  also  to  Our  Lord's 
followers  in  general,  in  that  and 
every  age,  proclaiming  the  spirit 
of  the  new  dispensation,  to  which 
they  profess  to  have  submitted, 
the  truths  they  have  to  learn,  the 
obligations  they  have  to  fulfil,  the 
characters  they  must  bear,  if  they 
are  indeed  the  disciples  of  Jesus. 


40 


SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


7'HE  Saviour  made  his  triumphal 
eirtry  into  the  city  of  Jerusalem  by  the 
way  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  mul- 
titude flocking  out  to  meet  him,  and 
rending  the  air  with  tlieir  enthusiastic 
shouts  of  welcome.  As  he  reached 
the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and 
turned  down  its  western  slope,  the 
City  of  David  lay  in  full  view 
b:neath  him.  Then,  thinking  of  its 
high  destiny,  which  it  had  rejected, 
and  of  its  sins  past  and  sins  to  come, 
and  the  terrible  doom  in  store  for  it, 
the  compassion:.te  heart  of  Jesus  was 
wrung  with  grief,  and  he  burst  into 
tears  and  uttered  that  e.xquisite  and 
passionate  lamentation  in  which  love 
for  his  erring  people  and  sorrow  for 
their  approaching  doom  are  beauti- 
fully mingled —Luke  xix.  41-44. 


From  Jerusalem,  our  Lord  return- 
ed through  Samaria,  to  Galilee,  a; 
the  close  of  the  Passover  referred  to 
in  the  first  paragraph  of  this  page, 
going  to  the  village  of  Cana.  While 
there,  a   certain  nobleman,  one  of 


JESUS  TEACHING  ON  THE  MOUNT. 


CHRIST  WEEPING  OVER  JERUSALEM. 


the  courtier''  of  Herod  Antipas,  came  to  him,  and  begged  him  to  go 
with  him  and  heal  his  son,  who  was  lying  at  the  point  of  death 
with    a   fever.       Our   Lord,    after   rebuking   the    courtier   for    the 


spirit  in  which  he  had  come,  declined  to  go  with  him,  and  told 
him  to  return  home,  that  his  son  "  lived."  Tliat  the  courtier  began  to 
understand  the  lesson  of  submission  as  well  as  of  faith  api^ears  frona 


SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


41 


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SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN     THE    LIFE    OF    CHK.IST. 


43 


Tyre  and  Sidon,  going  as  far  as 
Decapolis.  His  stay  in  Phoenicia 
was  marked  by  that  condescension 
to  the  prayer  of  the  Syro-Phoe- 
nician  woman  (a  native  of 
the  country,  but  of  Greek 
education),  which  was  the  first 
case  of  his  performing  a  miracle 
for  and  recognizing  the  faith  of 
an  actual  heathen.  Her  daughter 
was  "grievously  vexed  with  a 
devil,"  and  she  besought  the 
Lord  to  come  and  heal  her. 
After  subjecting  the  faith  of  the 
woman  to  a  severe  test  by  seem- 
ing to  refuse  her  petition,  the 
merciful  Saviour  commended  her 
submissive  trust  in  Him,  and 
granted  her  prayer;  "and  her 
daughter  was  made  whole  frorr 
that  very  hour" — Matt.  xv.  28. 


PARABLE  OF  THE    FIG  TREE. 


The  Parable  of  the  Fig  Tree, 
illustrated  in  the  accompanying 
engraving,  is  related  in  the 
thirteenth  chapter  of  St.  Luke's 
Gospel,  and  illustrates  the  long- 
suffering  and  forbearance  of  God 
toward  those  whose  lives  yield  no 
fruit  unto  righteousness,  and  also 
the  result  of  a  persistence  upon 
their  part  in  evil  doing. 


PARABLE   OF   THE    WEDDING   GARMENT. 


to  him,  and  being  told  to  come,  the  Apostle  cast  himself  into  the  sea 
and  began  to  walk  on  the  water  to  Jesus,  but,  alarmed  by  the  fierce 
■wind  and  the  waves,  his  courage  failed  him,  and  he  would  have  sunk 
had  not  Jesus  stretched  forth  his  hand  and  caught  him,  gently  re- 
proaching him  for  his  lack  of  faith. 


In  order  to  avoid  the  wrath  of  the  Jewish  leaders  who  were  con- 
tinually conspiring  against  his  life,  Our  Lord  frequently  withdrew  into 
remote  places.     On  one  occasion  he  even  went   into  the  region  of 


It  is  the  custom  in  the  East  to 
make  marriages  the  occasion  of 
great  rejoicing.  Each  guest  is 
required  to  attire  himself  in 
garments  suitable  to  the  occasion, 
and  a  neglect  to  do  this  is  con- 
sidered an  insult  to  the  host. 
Our  Lord  has  taken  this  custom 
as  the  subject  of  the  Parable 
related  in  the  twenty-second 
chapter  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel, 
from  which  we  may  learn  the 
necessity  of  providing  ourselves 
with  the  wedding  garment  of 
righteousness,  without  which  no 
man  may  be  admitted  to  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb. 
It  will  be  interesting  to  note  here 
that  the  Bible  doctrine  of  mar  • 
riage  is  that  of  one  wife  to  one 
man.  Indeed  the  rule  of 
monogamy  is  taught  from  the  example  of  the  earliest  patriarchs.  In 
the  purer  race  of  Seth  this  rule  wa3  adhered  to,  polygamy  being 
introduced  by  the  more  corrupt  race  of  Cain.  Polygamous  marriages 
were  tolerated  by  the  civil  law  at  a  later  period,  but  the  Bible  is 
full  of  instances  of  the  evils  resulting  from  them,  and  the  lesson 
which  it  teaches  against  them  is  plain  and  unmistakable.  Indeed  the 
principle  of  monogamy  was  retained,  even  in  the  practice  of 
polygamy,  by  the  distinction  made  between  the  chief  or  original  wife 
and  the   secondary  wives.     The  Mosaic  law  aimed  to  mitigate  and 


44 


SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


riage  where   a  true  marriage  had 
existed. 


MARY  HATH  CHOSEN  THE  BETTER  PART. 


The  two  months  uetween  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles  and  that  of 
the  Dedication,  at  the  close  of  Our 
Lord's  ministry,  seem  to  have  been 
spent  by  him  ])artly  in  Jerusalemand 
partly  in  its  neighborhood,  especially 
in  that  happy  home  at  Bethany,  the 
house  of  Lazarus,  and  his  sisters 
Martha  and  Mary.  The  zealous, 
active  Martha,  who  seems  to  have 
been  the  elder  sister,  was  the  first  to 
receive  Jesus  into  the  house,  where 
her  gentle  sister  Mary  sat  at  his  feet 
and  heard  his  word.  Busied  with  the 
cares  of  hospitality,  in  which  she 
desired  to  show  such  a  guest  unusual 
honor,  Martha  appealed  to  Jesus  to- 
command  her  sister's  help.  But  he 
assured  her  that  all  her  anxiety  was- 
superfluous,  compared  to  the  one 
thing  which  alone  is  needful,  and 
Mary  had  chosen  that  good  part 
which  would  be  hers  forever.  Though 
Martha  needed  the  lesson,  as  she 
afterward  needed  a  rebuke  to  that 
impatience  which  often  goes  with 
zeal,  we  must  not  misunderstand  the 
narrative,  as  if  she  were  altogether 
wrong.  Her  zeal  was  honored  in 
its  turn  ;  and  she  had  equal  share 
with  her  brot'ier  and  sister  in  the 
Lord's  affection. 


JESUS   WASHING   PETER'S   FEET. 

discourage  the  evil  practice,  but  the  reform  was  of  slow  growth. 
In  the  post-Babylonian  ])eriod  monogamy  appears  to  have  become 
more  prevalent  than  at  any  previous  time ;  indeed  we  have  no 
instance  of  polygamy  during  tliis  period  on  record  in  the  Bible,  nil 
the  marriages  noticed  being  with  single  wives.  Our  Lord  and 
ilis  apostles  re-established  the  integrity  and  sanctity  of  the  marriage 
i-ond  by  the  confirmation  of  the  original  charter  of  marriage  as 
"he  basis  on  which  all  regulations  were  to  be  formed,  and  by 
denying   to   their    followers    the   freedom   of  divorce    and    reniar- 


DuRiNG  the  Las:  Supper,  on  the 
night  before  the  Crucifixion  of 
Jesus,  the  disciples  again  raised 
the  old  question  of  who  should 
be  the  greatest  in  their  Lord's 
heavenly  kingdom.  The  Saviour 
decided  the  question  by  telling 
them  that  he  was  greatest  who 
wa .  willing  to  be  the  servant  of 
the  humblest,  or  in  other  words 
who  was  willing  and  ready  ta 
make  any  sacrifice  for  the  good 
of  the  others.  He  then  rose 
from  the  table,  and  preparing 
himself,  gave  them  a  touching 
example  of  humility  and  proof 
of  his  love  for  them  by  washing 
their  feet,  an  act  which  was  regarded  as  the  humblest  of  all  menial 
services.  The  imjK'tuous  Peter  at  first  refused  to  allow  his  Lord 
to  perform  for  him  what  he  regarded  as  an  act  too  humiliating 
to  him,  but  Jesus  told  him  that  this  washing  was  a  sign  of 
union  to  him.  Peter  then  asked  that  Jesus  would  wash  not 
only  his  feet,  but  his  hands  and  his  head.  Our  Lord's  reply 
taught  the  distinction  between  the  washing  which  renews  the 
nature,  and  that  which  needs  daily  repetition  to  cleanse  from  daily 
pollution. 


SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS     IN    THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


46 


THE   GARDEN 


The  word  "Gethsemane"  means  a  small  "farm,"  and  is  the  name 
given  to  a  garden  situated  across  the  brook  Kidron,  at  the  base  of 
the  western  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  It  was  a  place  of  more 
than  usual  seclusion,  and  our  Lord  often  retired  to  it  for  meditation. 


GETHSEMANE. 


It  was  the  scene  of  our  Redeemer's  agony  on  the  evening  preceding 
his  Passion.  A  modern  garden,  in  which  are  eight  venerable  olive 
trees,  occupies  the  spot.  These  trees  were  doubtless  planted  here  by 
Christian  hands  after  Titus  had  cut  down  all  the  original  growth. 


GOLGOTHA. 


A  SHC«T  distance  beyond  the  Damascus  gate  of  Jerusalem  is  a  spot  '  and  not  upon  the  traditional  site  marked  by  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
known  as  the  Grotto  of  Jeremias.  It  is  a  huge  cave  excavated  in  the  j  Sepulchre  in  the  city.  There  is  here  a  remarkable  skull-shaped  hill, 
rock,  and  appears  to  be  a  section  of  an  old  quarry.  Beside  it  is  another  |  which,  it  is  asserted,  gave  the  name  of  Golgotha  (the  place  of  a  skull, 
cave,  latterly  used  as  a  reservoir.  Some  writers  argue  that  this  spot  is  I  or  skulls)  to  the  spot.  The  magnificent  sepulchre  which  adjoins  this 
the  true  Golgotha,  and  th.it  our  Lord  suffered  death  upon  the  Cross  here,  I  rock  is  supposed  by  these  writers  to  have  been  tlie  burial-place  of  Jesas. 


46 


SCP:NES     and    incidents    in    the    life    of    CHRIST. 


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SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE     IJFE    OF    CHRIST. 


47 


Several  times  during  his  sojourn 
on  earth,  the  Saviom  exerted  his 
Divine  power  to  restore  sight  to 
men  who  were  blind.  On  one  oc- 
casion two  blind  men  were'given 
their  sight,  in  the  vicinity  of  Caph- 
arnaum,  as  related  by  St.  Matthew, 
ix.  27-31.  Again  a  blind  man  was 
given  his  sight  near  Bethsaida, 
Mark  xiii.  22-26.  A  man  born 
blind  was  made  to  see,  at  Jerusa- 
lem, John  ix.  Finally,  two-  blind 
men  were  restored  their  sight  near 
Jericho,  Matt.  xx.  30-34.  Sight 
being  the  gift  of  God  alone,  no 
mere  human  being  could  by  any 
power  or  art  of  his  own  bestow  it 
upon  one  who  had  never  possessed 
it,  or  restore  it  to  one  who  had 
lost  it.  

In  the  beautiful  parable  of  the 
Good  Shepherd  (John  x.)  Our 
Lord  teaches  us  the  nature  and 
strength  of  his  love  for  his  fol- 
lowers. As  the  shepherd  watches 
over  and  cares  for  the  safety  of 
his  flock,  even  so  the  Lord  Jesus, 
who  styles  himself  the  "Good 
Shepherd,"  takes  his  ])eople  under 
his  own  protection,  aiding  them 
in  their  moments  of  weakness, 
guarding  them  from  danger,  and 
leading  them  along  the  paths  of 
life  best  suited  to  them,  bestowing' 
his  tenderest  and  most  compas- 
sionate care  upon  the  weakest  and 
most  helpless  of  his  flock. 


I 
I 


It  is  agreed  by  the  great  major- 
ity of  critics  that  the  Revelation 
of  St.  John,  which  forms  the  last 
message  addressed  to  his  churcli 
by  Christ  through  the  medium  of 
his  Apostles,  was  written  a.  d. 
95-97.  St.  John  was  banished 
by  the  Emperor  Domitian  to  the 
island  of  Patmos  for  his  testimony 
in  behalf  of  the  Gospel,  and  while 
there  he  wrote  the  book  which 
forms  the  close  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament Scriptures. 


THE  GOOD   SHEPHERD. 


ST.  JOHN   WRITING   TO   THE   CHURCHES. 


Our  Lord  teaches  a  most  important  lesson  in  the  parable  of  the 
Talents.  It  is  man's  duty  to  make  the  best  use  of  the  faculties 
with  which  his  Creator  has  endowed  him,  not  only  for  his  ad- 
vantage, but  for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  the  Almighty, 
who  will  demand  an  account  of  the  use  that  has  been  made  of  them. 
Men  cannot  hope  to  escape  this  responsibility  by  letting  their  gifts 
remain  unused.  Each  man  has  a  part  to  play,  and  he  must  act  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  benefit  his  fellow-men  as  well  as  himself.  The 
parable  is  also  intended  to  teach  another  lesson,  namely;  that  all  men 
may  learn  how  they  ought  to  watch  and  prepare  for  the  last  day.      It 


•  has  a  great  affinity  to  the  parable  of  the  Pounds  mentioned  in  St. 
Luke  xix.  11;  but  this  last  was  spoken  at  a  dilterent  time,  place 
and  occasion.  It  diff"ers  also  in  some  points.  The  parable  of  the 
Talents  shows,  also,  that  we  can  do  no  good  of  ourselves,  but  only 
by  means  of  God's  grace,  though  he  requires  our  co-operation ; 
since  the  servants  could  only  make  use  of  the  talents  given  them 
to  gain  others.  And  we  are  also  taught  that  only  an  account 
will  be  taken  according  to  what  we  have  received,  and  that  how- 
ever mean  and  despicable  our  abilities  may  be,  we  siill  have  an 
equal  facility  with  the  most  learned  of  entering  heaven. 


48 


SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE    I-IFE    OF    CHRIST. 


THE   PARABLE   OF   THE   TALENTS. 

Under  tne  parable  of  the  Sower,  the  Saviour  explained  to  his  disciples 
the  workings  of  the  Gospel  among  men.  The  word  of  truth  is  thrown  into  the 
world  as  a  sower  scatters  his  grain  in  a  ploughed  field.  It  affects  various  people 
differently.  In  some  it  takes  root  for  a  little  while,  but  the  allurements  and  sins 
of  the  flesh  overcome  it,  and  it  perishes.  In  others  it  takes  a  firm  hold,  strikes 
deep  into  the  soil  of  their  hearts, 
and  blossoms  and  brings  forth  fruit 
in  their  altered  and  better  lives. — 
Matt.  xiii. 


11  IK    SOWKR. 


In  the  parable  of  the  Unjusi 
Steward,  the  Saviour  points  out  tc 
us  how  we  strive  and  plan,  and  use 
our  ingenuity  to  better  our  temporal 
condition,  and  assures  us  that  if  w« 
would  put  as  much  energy,  and 
ingenuity,  and  forethought  into  the 
task  of  saving  our  souls,  we  should 
be  very  much  more  apt  to  reach  tht 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  "The  chil- 
dren of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their 
generation  than  the  children  of 
light,"  he  declares.  They  are  more 
prudent  and  careful,  more  anxious 
and  circumspect  to  secure  their  pos- 
sessions in  this  world,  than  the 
children  of  light  are  to  secure  in 
the  next  an  eternal  inheritance.  It 
should  be  noted  that  in  command- 
ing us  to  make  to  ourselves  "  friends 

of  the  mammon  of  iniquity,"  our  Lord  does  not  imply  that  we  are 
authorized  to  wrong  our  neighbor,  to  give  to  the  poor;  for  evil  is 
never  to  be  done  that  good  may  come  of  it.  But  we  are  exhorted  to 
make  the  poor  our  friends  before  God,  by  relieving  them  with  the 
riches  which  justly  indeed  belong  to  us,  but  are  called  the  "mammon 


THE   UNJUST  STEWARD. 

of  iniquity,"  because  only  the  iniquitous  man  esteems  them  as  riches, 
on  which  he  sets  his  affections;  whilst  the  riches  of  the  virtuous 
are  wholly  celestial  and  spiritual.  By  this  we  see  that  the  poor  ser- 
vants of  God,  whom  we  have  relieved  by  our  alms,  may  hereaftet,  by 
their  intercession,  bring  our  souls  to  heaven. 


SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


4» 


The  subjection  of  the  Jews  to 
Home  had  deprived  the  Sanhedrim 
of  the  power  of  deciding  questions 
of  life  and  death,  and  the  chief 
priests  and  the  rulers,  after  the  ex- 
amination of  the  Saviour  before  the 
Council,  sent  him  to  Pontius  Pilate, 
the  Roman  procurator  or  governor, 
for  sentence.  Pilate  was  satisfied 
that  Jesus  was  innocent  of  any  of- 
fence deserving  death  as  a  punish- 
ment, and  earnestly  desired  to  release 
him;  but  he  was  a  time-server  and  a 
weak  man,  and  had  not  the  courage 
to  do  his  duty  as  an  honest  magis- 
trate in  the  face  of  the  popular  fury. 
Therefore  he  weakly  and  sinfully 
yielded  to  the  people,  and  con- 
demned to  death  one  whom  he  be- 
lieved to  be  an  innocent  and  inof- 
fensive man,  and  whose  words  and 
appearance  had  convinced  him  that 
He  was  something  more  than  a  mere 
man.  The  punishment  of  his  sin 
soon  overtook  him.  The  imperial 
displeasure,  to  avoid  which  he  sen- 
tenced Jesus  to  death,  soon  over- 
whelmed him,  and  sent 
him  into  banishment,  where 
it  is  believed  he  died  by 
his  own  hand. 


CHRIST    BEl-ORE    PILATE. 


Our  Saviour  was  crucified 
and  laid  in  the  grave  on  the 
day  before  the  Passover. 
During  the  Sabbath  his  body 
lay  in  the  tomb,  but  early 
in  the  morning  on  the  third 
day  "the  three  Marys" 
came  to  the  Sepulchre  for 
the  purpose  of  preparing  the 
body  of  Jesus  properly  for 
the  tomb,  his  burial  on  the 
evening  of  his  crucifixion 
having  been  too  hasty  to  ad- 
mit of  such  service  being 
rendered  it.  They  reached 
the  Sepulchre  at  sunrise,  and 
found  the  stone  removed ; 
and  entering  in,  they  saw 
that  the  body  of  Jesus  was 
gone.  Mary  Magdalene,  suf)- 
posing  that  the  enemies  of 
Jesus  had  stolen  his  body, 
ran  to  tell  Peter  and  John 
of  what  had  happened,  but 
her  companions  went  far- 
ther into  the  Sepulchre.  There  they  beheld  an  angel,  who  informed 
them  that  the  Lord  had  risen  from  the  dead,  and  would  meet  his 
^ciples  in,  Galilee.  Returning  to  the  garden  later  in  the  day, 
4  C 


THE  ANGEL  AT  THE   DOOR   ui-    THE  SEPULCHRE. 


Mary  was  eager  to  discover  what  had  been  done  with  the  "Dody, 
when  the  Lord  appeared  to  her,  and  confirmed  the  announcement 
of  the  angel. 


(HI 


:JCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    IN    THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


the  Lord  had  risen  from 
the  dead  as  he  had 
promised,  notwithstand- 
ing the  assertions  of  the 
women  who  had  seen 
him,  and  the  two  disci- 
ples who  had  walked 
with  him  to  Emmaus. 
As  the  latter  were  repeat- 
ing their  joyful  story,  the 
Lord  himself  suddenly 
appeared  in  the  midst  of 
the  disciples  assembled 
in  the  room,  saying  unto 
them,  "Peace  be  unto 
yon  !  "  He  gave  them 
satisfactory  evidence  of 
the  reality  of  his  pres- 
ence, and  convinced 
them  that  he  had  in- 
deed triumphed  over  the 
grave. 


"PEACE  BE  UNTO  YOU!" 


lilt    A.--.L1-..NS1U.\. 


On  the  evening  of  the  resurrection,  the  disciples  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  were  gathered  together  in  an  upper  room  of  a  house  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  had  locked  the  doors  for  fear  of  being  molested  by  the 
Jews.     They  were  sad  and  sorrowful,  being  inclined  to  doubt  that 


After     his    resurrec- 
tion,  Jesus  appeared    to 
his   disciples  ten    times, 
upon    as    many   distinct 
occasions,  in   order  that 
they  might  be  witnesses 
to  the  great  and  glorious 
event.     On  the  fortieth  day  after  his  passion  he 
appeared  to  them  for  the  tenth  time,  and  led  them 
(lilt  as  far  as  Bethany;  and  there,  as  with  uplifted 
hands  he  gave  them  his  parting  blessing,  a  cloud 
interposed  between  him  and  them,  like  the  chariot 
and  horses  of  fire  that  separated  Elias  from  Eli- 
seus;  and  upborne  on  this  aerial  car  he  was  wafted 
from  their  sight  through  the  vault  of  heaven  to  his 
eternal  home  on  high. 

As  the  learned  Haydock  truly  remarks,  "Like  a 
second  Elias,  he  was  taken  into  heaven,  but  in  a 
much  more  glorious  manner.  Elias  was  taken  up 
in  a  mortal  and  corruptible  body;  but  our  Divine 
Saviour,  in  a  glorious,  impassible  and  immortal 
state;  where  now  he  is  our  head,  having  taken 
upon  himself  the  nature  of  man,  and  is  crowned 
with  more  than  angel's  glory.  .  .  .  Jesus  Christ 
sits  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  the  Father  Almighty, 
to  signify  that,  as  man,  our  Lord  is  raised  to  the 
height  of  glory,  and  to  that  supreme  beatitude, 
than  which  there  is  nothing  higher,  and  nothing 
greater  in  the  whole  bliss  of  heaven  ;  and  that  he 
moreover  holds  the  same  sovereign  dominion  with 
the  Father  over  all  creatures,  because,  as  God,  he 
is  equal  to  the  Father  in  power,  in  wisdom,  and 
in  all  perfection,  Jesus  Christ,  our  Redeemer, 
was  not  man  only,  but  truly  God,  the  same  God 
with  his  eternal  Father:  and  hereby  is  signified 
that  the  person  who  took  upon  him  human  nature,  and  became  man, 
is  equal  in  dignity  with  the  Father;  he  who,  as  man,  ascended  into 
heaven,"  where  he  reigns  in  glory  and  maiesty  and  power,  the  SaviOl* 
of  all  who  truly  and  faithfully  seek  him. 


THE  CITIES  AND  TOWNS  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


JERUSALEM   IN   THE   TIME   OF   OUR    .SAVIULR. 


Jerusalem  stands  in  latitude  31°  46'  35  north,  and  longitude  35° 
18'  30"  east  of  Greenwich.  It  is  thirty-two  miles  distant  from  the 
sea,  and  eighteen  from  the  Jordan;  twenty  from  Hebron,  and  thirty- 
six  from  Samaria.     In  several  respects  its  situation  is  singular  among 


[  the  cities  of  Palestine.  Its  elevation  is  remarkable,  not  from  its  being 
I  on  the  summit  of  one  of  the  numerous  hills  of  Judsea,  like  most  of  the 
i  towns  and  villages,  but  because  it  is  on  the  edge  of  one  of  the  highest 
1  table-lands  of  the  country.     Hebron,  indeed,  is  higher  still  by  some 


JERUSALEM   IN  THE   TIME   OF   DAVID,  AS   SEEN   FROM   THE   SOUTH. 


hundreds  of  feet,  and  from  the  south,  accordingly  (even  from  Beth- 
lehem), the  approach  to  Jerusalem  is  by  a  slight  descent.  But  from 
any  other  side,  the  ascent  is  perpetual ;  and  to  the  traveller  approach- 
ing the  city  from  the  east  or  west,  it  must  have  presented  an  appear- 


ance beyond  any  other  city  of  the  then  known  world.  The  general 
elevation  of  the  western  ridge  of  the  city,  which  forms  its  highest 
point,  is  about  2,600  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Jerusalem,   if  not   actually  in   the   centre   of  Palestine,   was   yet 

(51) 


THE    CiriKS    AND    TOWNS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


ENT 


J  ERUSALEM 


The  accompanying  Plan  of  Ancient  Jerusalem  will 
enable  the  reader  to  distinguish  the  localities  men- 
tioned in  the  Scriptures. 

Jerusalem  is  sometimes  called  Salem  in  the  Sacred 
narrative.  It  is  first  mentioned  in  Gen.  xiv.  i8,  1913 
years  b.  c.  The  principal  events  of  its  subsequent 
history  are  as  follows  : 

Its  king  was  slain  by  Josue    .        .        .         1455  b.  c. 
Taken    by  David   from   the   Jebusites,  and 

called  the  City  of  David,  who  made  it  his 

capital 1048     " 

The  first  Temple  founded  by  Solomon  .         1012     " 
The  Temple  dedicated.         .         .         .  1004     " 

The  city  taken  and  the  Temple  pillaged  by 

Shishak,  king  of  Egypt      .         .         .  971     " 

The  city  taken,  the  Temple  destroyed,  and 

the  Jews  carried  away  captives  by  Nabu- 

chodonosor,  who  burned  the  city  to  ashes    587     " 
The  return  from  captivity     .         .         .  536     " 

The  second  Temple  completed      .         .  515     " 

The  Romans,  under  Pompey,  take  the  city       63     '- 


virtually  so.  It  was  on  the  ridge,  the  broadest  and  most  strongly 
marked  ridge,  of  the  backbone  of  the  complicated  hills  which 
extend  through  the  whole  country,  from  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  to 
the  desert. 

With  regard  to  the  actual  position  of  the  city  itself,  it  occupied  the 
southern  termination  of  a  table-land,  which  is  cut  off  from  the  country 
round  it  on  its  west,  south  and  east  sides,  by  ravines  more  than 
usually  precipitous.  These  ravines  leave  the  level  of  the  table-land, 
the  one  on  the  west  and  the  other  on  the  northeast  of  the  city,  and 
fall  rapidly  until  they  form  a  junction  below  its  southeast  corner. 
The  eastern  one — the  Valley  of  Kidron,  commonly  called  the  Valley 
of  Jehoshaphat — runs  nearly  straight  from  north  to  south.  But  the 
western  one — the  Valley  of  Hinnom — runs  south  for  a  time,  and  then 
takes  a  sudden  bend  to  the  east  until  it  meets  the  Valley  of  Jehosha- 
phat. Thus  while  on  the  north  there  is  no  material  difference  between 
the  general  level  of  the  country  outside  the  walls  and  that  of  the 
highest  parts  of  the  city,  on  the  other  three  sides,  so  steep  is  the  fall 
of  the  ravines,  so  trench-like  their  character,  and  so  close  do  they 
keep  to  the  promontory  at  whose  feet  they  run,  as  to  leave  on  the 
beholder  almost  the  impression  of  the  ditch  at  the  foot  of  a  fortress 
rather  than  of  valleys  formed  by  nature. 


Jesus  Christ  born  .... 

The  Crucifixion  and   Resurrection  of  Our 

Lord 

The  city  taken  by  Titus  and  razed  to  the 

ground      ...... 

A  city  called  ^lia  built  on   the  ruins  by 

Julius  Severus  in  the  reign  of  Adrian 
Jerusalem  taken  by  the  Persians    . 
"  "       "     "    Saracens  . 

"       "    "    Crusaders 
"  "      from  the  Christians  by  Sa 

ladin         

Jerusalem  taken  by  the  Turks,  who  drive 

away  the  Saracens     .         .  121 7  and  1239 

Surrendered  to  the  Emperor  Frederic  II.  by 

treaty 1228 

Taken  by  the  Turks      .         .        ,         .         1 5 1 7 
Held  by  the  French  under  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, February  .         .  .         1799 

Christian  Kings  of  JerusaUm. 


4  A.  D. 


33 


70 

130 
614 

637 
1099 

1187 


Godfrey  of  Bouillon 1099  A. 

Baldwin  1 1 100  ' 

Baldwin  II 1 1 18  ' 

Fulk  of  Anjou 1 131  ' 

Baldwin  III 1 144  ' 

Amauri  (or  Almeric) 1 1 62  ' 

Baldwin  IV 1 173  " 


Sibyl ;    then   his   son,   Bald- 
win V 1 185  A.  D. 

Guy  de  Lusignan 11 86  " 

Henry  of  Champagne 1 192  " 

Amauri  de  Lusignan 11 97  " 

Jeanne  de  Brienne 1210  " 

Emperor  Frederic  II. . . .  1229-39  " 


Josephus  gives  the  entire  circuit  of  Jerusalem,  as  it  existed  in  h. 
day,  at  33  stadia,  equal  to  4^  Roman  miles,  or  ^yi  geographical 
miles,  and  this  agrees  pretty  exactly  with  the  line  of  the  exterior  walls 
as  traced  by  the  most  recent  explorers  of  the  city.  Hecataeus  of  Ab- 
dera,  a  contemporary  of  Alexander  the  Great,  says  that  the  city  was 
50  stadia  in  circumference,  and  had  a  population  of  120,000;  and  yet 
in  his  day  it  could  not  have  been  by  one-third  as  large  as  when  Bezetha 
was  enclosed  by  Agrippa.  Eusebius  quotes  two  other  writers  prior  to 
Josephus,  one  of  whom  gives  the  circuit  at  40,  and  the  other  at  only 
27  stadia.  But  Josephus'  estimate,  perhaps  measurement,  of  33  stadia 
appears  to  be  the  most  accurate.  A  city  of  such  dimensions — granting 
that  it  was  densely  populated — could  not  have  afforded  accommoda- 
tion to  more  than  100,000  people;  and  as  we  know  that  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  ground  was  taken  up  by  the  buildings  and  courts  of 


THE    CITIES    AND    TOWNS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


BS 


the  Temple,  and  that  a 
part  of  the  newly  en- 
closed quarter  was  but 
thinly  peopled,  the  or- 
dinary population  did 
not,  perhaps,  exceed 
70,000.  This  number, 
however,  affords  no  ad- 
equate idea  of  the  mul- 
titudes that  crowded 
the  houses  and  streets 
of  the  city,  and  en- 
camped in  the  glens 
and  on  the  hillsides 
during  the  celebration 
of  the  annual  feasts. 
Josephus  assures  us  that 
wl^n  the  city  was  at- 
tacked by  Titus,  vast 
numbers  had  assembled 
to  celebrate  the  feast  of 
the  Passover.  Of  these, 
1,100,000  perished  b\ 
pestilence,  famine,  or 
the  sword ;  40,000  were 
permitted  to  go  free ; 
and  97,000  were  taken 
prisoners  and  sold  into 
slavery . 


THE   CITY   AND    HARBOR   OF   LA  VALETTA. 


The  island  of  Malta, 
or  Melita,  as  it  is  called  in  Acts  xxviii.  i,  is 
noted  as  tlie  scene  of  tlie  shipwreck  of  St. 
Paul.  It  is  a  rocky  island  in  the  Mediterra- 
nean, containing  about  100  square  miles. 
It  was  seized  by  the  Phoenicians  at  an  earl\ 
day.  Tiiese  were  dispossessed  by  the  Greeks 
of  Sicily,  who  were  driven  out  by  the  Car- 
thaginians, who  in  242  B.  c.  were  expelled 
by  the  Romans.  It  was  a  Roman  possession 
in  the  days  of  St.  Paul.  The  principal  city, 
La  Valetta,  possesses  a  fine  harbor,  and  is 
strongly  fortified.  St.  Paul's  bay,  which  is 
believed  to  be  the  scene  of  the  Apostle's 
shipwreck,  is  a  small  inlet  on  the  north  sidc 
of  the  island,  opening  towards  the  east, 
which  answers  well  to  the  description  in 
the  27th  chapter  of  Acts.  Tlie  Apostle 
spent  three  months  at  Malta,  and  performed 
many  miracles  there. 


The  ancient  city  of  Corinth  was  the 
capital  of  Achaia,  and  was  situated  on  the 
isthmus    which    separates    the    Ionian    Sea 

from  the  yEgean.  The  city  stood  on  a  small  island,  and  possessed 
two  ports— one  on  the  east  called  Cenchrea,  and  one  on  the  «est 
called  Lechseum.  Its  location  made  it  of  necessity  one  of  the  most 
important  commercial  cities  of  Greece,  and  also  a  military  po.-.t  of  the 
greatest  strategic  value.  Besides  controlling  the  trade  between  the 
East  and  the  West,  it  was  the  key  of  the  Peloponnesus,  and  the  high- 
way between  northern  and  southern  Greece.  It  was  strongly  fortified, 
a  prominent  feature  of  its  defence  consisting  of  the  Acro-Corinth,  a 
huge  rock  rising  2,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  with  almost 
perpendicular  sides,  and  room  for  a  town  upon  its  summit.     Corinth 


RUINS   OF   CORINTH. 

was  one  of  the  largest,  most  densely  populated,  and  wealthiest  cities 
of  Greece.  It  was  noted  for  its  wickedness,  and  the  infamous 
worship  of  Venus  which  was  celebrated  here.  The  Romans  de- 
stroyed the  city  b.  c.  140,  but  Julius  Caesar  made  it  a  Roman  colony, 
and  it  speedily  regained  its  former  magnificence  and  prosperity, 
and  relapsed  into  its  old  wickedness.  The  A])ostIe  Paul  labored 
here  a  year  and  a  half,  and  two  of  his  Epistles  are  addressed 
to  the  church  he  founded  here.  The  site  is  now  unhealthy, 
and  Corinth  is  a  wretched  place  with  few  vestiges  of  its  former 
greatness. 


M 


THE    CITIES    AND    TOWNS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


CANA  OF   GALILEE. 


Two  sites  are  claimed  as  Cana  of  Galilee,  the  village  which  had 
the  honor  of  being  the  scene  of  our  Lord's  first  miracle.  The  tradi- 
tional site  is  at  Kcfr  Kenna,  a  small  village  about  four  and  a-half  miles 
northwest  of  Nazareth.   It  now  contains  only  the  ruins  of  a  church  said 


to  stand  over  the  house  in  which  the  miracle  was  performed.  It  alsi. 
contains  the  fountain,  from  which  it  is  asserted  the  water  which  was 
made  wine  was  drawn.  The  claims  of  the  other  site  are  advocated  by 
no  less  an  authority  than  Dr.  Robinson,  who  places  the  village  of  the 


GEBAL. 


Gospel  at  Kana-el-jelil,  which  is  situated  farther  north,  about  five 
miles  north  of  Seffurieh  (Sepphoris)  and  nine  miles  north  of  Nazareth, 
near  the  present  Jefat.  It  makes  but  little  difference  which  was  the 
tnie  site.     Cana  was  also  the  native  place  of  the  Apostle  Nathanael. 


Gebal  was  a  seaport  and  district  of  Phoenicia,  and  was  situated 
north  of  Beyrout.  It  was  called  Byblos  by  the  Greeks ;  but  its  old 
Scriptural  name  has  been  partially  revived  by  the  modern  Arabs,  who 
call  it  Jebail.     It  was  a  place  of  importance  in  ancient  times  (Ezech. 


THE    CITIES    AND     TOWNS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


M 


THE   COAST   OF   TYRE. 


xxvii.  9),  and  the  seat  of  the  worship  of  Thammuz,  a  Syrian  idol 
generally  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  the  Phcenician  Adonis,  and  per- 
haps the  Egyptian  Osiris.  The  district  of  Gebal  and  all  Lebanon 
were  assigned  to  the  Hebrews,  but  were  never  fully  possessed  (Jos. 
xiii.  5). 


TvRE,  one  01  the  most  famous  cities  of  ancient  times,  was 
capital  of  Phoenicia,  and  the  seat  of  enormous  wealth  and  power, 
was  situated  on  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  within 
limits  assigned  the  tribe  of  Aser  by  Josue  (Jos.  xix.  29).  It  was 
ginally  a  colony  of  Sidon, 
but  rapidly  became  the 
most  powerful  and  opulent 
city  of  the  East.  Tyre 
does  not  begin  to  figure 
in  the  Bible  until  the  reign 
of  David,  who  formed  a 
close  alliance  with  the 
famous  Tyrian  monarch 
Hiram,  which  was  con- 
tinued by  Solomon.  The 
Tyrians  rendered  import- 
ant aid  in  the  construction 
of  David's  Palace,  and 
Solomon's  Temple  and 
royal  residence  at  Jeru- 
salem. The  Tyrians  were 
gross  idolators,  and  the 
marriage  of  Achab,  King  ^^K  '—^ 
of  Israel,  with  a  princess  ^^E: 
of  this  nation  brought 
many  woes  upon  Israel. 
The  prophecies  of  the  Old 
Testament  abound  in  de- 
nunciations of  Tyre  for 
her  wickedness,  and  pre- 


the 

It 

the 


dictions  of  her  punishment.  The  city  was  taken  and  destroyed  by 
Nabuchodonosor,  as  had  been  foretold ;  but  the  great  body  of  the 
inhabitants  fled  from  the  mainland  to  an  island  opposite,  and  about 
thirty  stadia  from  the  old  city,  and  which  had  served  as  a  sort  of 
suburb  or  port  to  it.  Here  a  new  Tyre  was  founded,  which  at  'ength 
rivalled  its  predecessor  in  riches,  magnificence  and  power.  It  was 
strongly  fortified,  and  when  Alexander  the  Great  summoned  it  to 
yield  to  him,  b.  c.  332,  it  was  able  to  resist  him  in  a  siege  of  seven 
months'  duration.  Alexander  built  a  causeway  of  the  ruins  of  the  old 
city  from  the  mainland  to  the  island,  and  the  city  was  taken.     Aftei 


SIDON. 


M 


THE    CITIES    AND    TOWNS    OK    THE    BIBLE. 


JAFFA,  OR    JOITA. 


THE   FALL   OF   JERICHO. 

various  changes,  Tyre  at  length  became  a  possession  of  the  Romans. 
It  was  taken  by  the  Christians  during  the  Crusades,  and  subsequently 
recaptured  by  the  Turks.  It  began  to  decline  as  a  commercial  point 
after  the  city  of  Alexandria  was  founded.  Our  Saviour  once  jour- 
neyed into  the  region  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  (Matt.  xv.  21).  Modern 
Tyre  is  a  place  of  no  importance,  is  poorly  built,  and  contains  about 
3,000  inhabitants.  It  lies  on  the  east  side  of  what  was  once  the 
island,  one  mile  long  and  half  a  mile  from  the  shore,  thus  enclosing 
two  so-called  harbors  separated  by  Alexander's  causeway,  which  is 
now  a  broad  isthmus.  The  true  harbor  lies  to  the  north  of  the  town, 
but  it  is  shallow,  and  will  accommodate  only  the  smallest  vessels. 


Sidon,  the  Zidon  of  the  Old  Testament, 
and  now  Saida,  was  situated  on  the  Medi- 
t-'rranean,  20  miles  north  of  Tyre,  and  the 
same  distance  south  of  the  present  city  of 
Reyrout.  It  is  one  of  the  most  ancient 
( ities  in  the  world,  and  is  mentioned  by 
Jacob  in  Genesis  xlix.  13.     It  is  believed 

have  been  founded  by  Zidon,  the  eldest 
>on  of  Canaan,  soon  after  the  deluge.  It 
was  once  a  place  of  great  wealth  and  im- 
portance, possessing  a  splendid  harbor  and 
an  extensive  maritime  trade.  Its  inhabi- 
tants were  famous  for  their  success  in  com- 
merce, their  skill  in  navigation,  astronomy, 
architecture,  and  glass-making.  The  har- 
bor is  now  choked  with  sand,  and  Sidon  is 
a  wretched,  half-ruined  town  with  5000  in- 
habitants. It  was  visited  by  the  Saviour, 
and  many  of  the  inhabitants  believed  on 
Him.  

JoppA,  now  called  Jaffa,  is  one  of  the 
most  ancient  seaports  in  tj-.i  world.  It  was 
in  former  times  the  principal  port  of  the 
Holy  Land,  because  of  its  nearness  to  Jeru- 
salem. It  lies  on  the  Mediterranean,  35 
miles  north-west  of  Jerusalem,  and  30  miles 
SI  south  of  Csesarea.  It  was  a  border  town 
of  the  tribe  of  Dan.  Here  were  landed 
the  materials  for  building  both  the  first 
and  second  Temples,  which  were  sent 
from  Tyre  and  Lebanon.  Jonas  took 
ship  here  for  Tarshish,  and  here  St. 
Peter  raised  Dorcas  from  the  dead,  and 
enjoyed  the  heavenly  vision  which  taught 
him  God's  intention  to  save  the  Gentiles 
as  well  as  the  Jews.  The  city  is  still  an 
important  port.  Its  harbor  is  bad,  being 
shallow  and  exposed  to  the  winds.  The 
city  stands  on  a  promontory  jutting  out 
into  the  sea,  rising  to  a  height  of  about 
150  feet,  crowned  with  a  fortress,  and 
offering  on  all  sides  picturesque  and 
varied  prospects.  The  population  num- 
bers about  15,000,  more  than  one-half 
being  Turks  and  Arabs.  The  Latins, 
Greeks,  and  Armenians  have  each  a 
church  here. 


Jericho  was  a  city  of  Benjamin,  lying 
about  7  miles  from  the  Jordan,  and  18 
miles  east  north-east  from  Jerusalem.  It 
was  a  very  ancient  city,  and  was  the  first 
place  in  the  Promised  Land  taken  by| 
the  Israelites  after  their  passage  of  the  Jordan,  the  capture  being 
accomplished  by  the  miraculous  destruction  of  its  walls.  A  new 
Jericho  was  afterwards  built  on  a  neighboring  site,  and  became  a 
noted  place,  second  in  importance  only  to  Jerusalem.  It  contained 
a  school  of  the  prophets,  and  was  the  residence  of  Eliseus.  Our 
Saviour  visited  it,  and  gave  sight  to  two  blind  men  here  (Matt.  xx. 
29-34),  and  forgave  Zaccheus  (Luke  xix.  i-io).  Tradition  makes 
the  lofty  mountain,  called  Quarantana,  to  the  north-west  of  the 
city,  the  scene  of  the  fasting  and  temptation  of  our  Lord  in  the 
Wilderness  after  his  baptism.  The  exact  site  of  Jericho  is  a  matter  of 
dispute. 


THE    CITIES    AND    TOWNS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


67 


VIEW   OK  ATHE.XS,   SHOWING    PIRAEUS   AND   THE   LONG   WALLS. 


The  city  of  Athens  was  the  capital  of  Attica,  in  Greece,  and  the 
chief  seat  of  Grecian  learning  and  civilization.  The  modern  city 
stands  on  the  site  of  its  ancient  predecessor,  and  is  the  capital  of  the 
modern  kingdom  of  Greece.  The  ancient  city  was  situated  four  miles 
east  of  the  Saronic  Gulf,  and  four  and  a  half  miles  from  the  town  of 


as  the  most  splendid  city  of  Greece,  and  the  fame  of  its  beauty,  the 
magnificence  of  its  public  works,  and  the  brilliancy  of  its  literature, 
will  never  die.  After  experiencing  various  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  it 
passed  under  the  dominion  of  the  Romans,  and  during  this  period 
was  visited  by  the  Apostle  Paul   in   his  journey   from   Macedonia. 


RUINS  OF  THE  ACROPOLIS— ATHENS. 

Piraeus,  which  constituted  its  port  and  naval  station.  In  its  palmy 
days  Athens  was  connected  with  Piraeus  by  a  system  of  fortifications 
known  as  the  Long  Walls.  These  enclosed  the  space  between  the 
city  and  port,  and  preserved  uninterrupted  communication  between 
'hem.     In  course  of  time  Athens  became  the  most  powerful  as  well 


THE   ERECHTHEUM— ATHENS. 

St.  Paul  appears  to  have  remained  in  Athens  some  time,  and 
during  his  residence  there  delivered  his  famous  discourse  on  the 
Areopagus  to  "  the  men  of  Athens."  The  remark  of  the  writer 
of  the  Acts  concerning  the  inquisitive  character  of  the  people  of 
Athens  is  attested  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  antiquity.  St.  Paul 
founded  a  Christian  church  at  Athens  during  his  stay  there.  The 
city  of  Athens  was  built  round  a  central  rocky  height,  called  the 
Acropolis,  an  elevation  about  three  hundred  feet  above  the  general 
level  of  the  town,  and  six  hundred  feet  above  the  Mediterranean. 


bs 


THE    CITIES    AND    TOWNS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


RUINS   OF   THE   PARTHENON— ATHENS. 

Near  this  height  are  several  smaller  elevations  with  valleys  between. 
Northwest  of  the  Acropolis  is  a  moderate  hill,  on  which  stands  the 
temple  of  Theseus.  At  a  short  distance  from  the  northwest  angle  is 
the  Areopagus,  where  St.  Paul  delivered  his  memorable  address  to 
"  the  men  of  Athens."  The  principal  buildings  on  the  summit  of  the 
Acropolis  were  the  Propylaea,  the  Erechtheum,  and  the  Parthenon. 
The  Propylsa  served  as  an  ornament  to  the  hill,  and  also  as  a  military 


right  hand  the  grand  building  of  the  Par- 
thenon,  and  on  the  left  the  scarcely  less 
beautiful  Erechtheum.  The  Parthenon 
was  by  common  consent  the  noblest  build- 
ing of  the  ancient  world,  and  the  most 
beautiful  monument  of  Athens.  It  stood 
on  the  very  summit  of  the  Acropolis,  and 
was  constructed  of  pure  white  marble.  It 
was  a  temple  erected  in  honor  of  Pallas 
Athene,  the  protecting  divinity  of  Athens, 
and  was  regarded  as  the  most  sacred  place 
in  the  city.  It  formed  the  most  conspicu- 
ous object  in  any  view  of  the  town,  and 
vi'as  the  first  thing  to  greet  the  eye  of  the 
traveller  approaching  from  the  sea.  It  is 
regarded  by  modern  architects  as  the  most 
perfect  building  ever  constructed,  and  was 
adorned  with  rare  and  beautiful  sculptures 
from  the  hand  of  Phidias,  the  greatest  of 
the  artists  of  Greece.  It  was  built  in  the 
best  period  of  architecture,  and  under  the 
inspiration  of  the  highest  genius  in  art. 
.\fter  the  introduction  of  Christianity  it 
was  converted  into  a  Christian  Church, 
and  used  as  such  until  the  conquest  of 
Greece  by  the  Turks.  In  1687,  during  a  war  between  the  Turks  and 
Venetians,  the  former  converted  it  into  a  powder  magazine.  A  Vene- 
tian shell  exploded  the  magazine  and  threw  down  the  interior  of  the 
temple.  During  the  last  century  some  of  its  most  beautiful  sculptures 
were  carried  to  England  by  Lord  Elgin,  and  are  now  in  the  British 
Museum  at  London. 

The  Erechtheum  stood  on  the  left  or  northern  side  of  the  Acropo- 


THEATRE  OF  DIONYSUS— ATHENS. 

defence  of  the  approach  from  the  city  to  the  summit  of  the  hill. 
Among  the  ancients  it  was  even  more  admired  than  the  Parthenon  for 
its  grandeur  and  general  effect,  and  for  the  skill  with  which  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  site  were  overcome.  The  approach  to  it  was  seventy  feet 
broad,  and  consisted  of  a  flight  of  sixty  marble  steps.  It  contained 
the  only  gates  by  which  the  Acropolis  could  be  entered.  Passing 
through  the  Propylsea,  one  entered  the  Acropolis  itself,  and  saw  on  the 


RUINS   OF  THE  TEMPLE  OF   VICTORY— .\THENS. 

lis.  If  was  oblong  in  shape,  with  a  portico  of  six  Ionic  columns  at 
the  east  end,  and  a  kind  of  transept  at  the  west,  a  portico  of  four  col- 
umns on  the  north,  and  the  portico  of  caryatides  standing  on  a  base- 
ment, eight  feet  high,  on  the  south.  It  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  works  of  ancient  times,  and  was  held  in  the  highest 
veneration  by  the  Athenians.  It  was  erected  in  honor  of  Erechtheus 
or  Erichthonius,  a  fabulous  hero  of  Attica. 


THE    CITIES    AND    TOWNS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


59 


Rome,  the  famous  capital  of  the  ancient  world,  is 
situated  on  the  river  Tiber,  at  a  distance  of  fifteen 
miles  from  its  mouth.  The  seven  hills  which  formed 
the  nucleus  of  the  ancient  city  stand  on  the  left  bank. 
In  the  engraving  given  here  the  Cathedral  of  St. 
Peter's  is  seen  in  the  background,  while  on  the  right 
is  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  the  ancient  Mole  of  Had- 
rian, with  the  Tiber  in  the  foreground.  Rome  is 
mentioned  in  the  books  of  Maccabees  for  the  first 
time  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  It  is  also  mentioned 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans,  and  the  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy.  The 
conquests  of  Pompey  seem  to  have  given  rise  to  the 
first  settlements  of  the  Jews  at  Rome.  The  Jewish 
King  Aristobulus  and  his  son  formed  a  notable  part 
of  Pompey's  triumphal  procession,  and  many  Jewish 
captives  and  emigrants  were  brought  to  Rome  at 
that  time.  Many  of  these  Jews  were  made  freed- 
men.  Julius  Cjesar  showed  them  some  kindness, 
and  they  were  favored  also  by  Augustus.  Claudius, 
on  the  contrary,  commanded  all  Jews  to  depart  from 
Rome,  on  account  of  tumults  connected,  possibly, 
with  the  preaching  of  Christianity  at  Rome.  This 
banishment  cannot  have  been  of  long  duration,  for 
we  find  Jews  residing  at  Rome  apparently  in  consid- 
erable numbers  at  the  time  of  St.  Paul's  visit. 

The  Rome  of  the  Apostle's  day  was  a  large  and  ir- 
regular mass  of  buildings  unprotected  by  an  outer 
wall;  for  it  will  be  remembered  that  St.  Paul's  visit 
lies  between  two  important  epochs,  viz.  :   its  restora- 
tion by  Augustus,  and  its  restoration  by  Nero.     The 
streets  were  generally  narrow  and  winding,  flanked  by 
densely  crowded    lodging-houses  of  great   height.      St. 
Paul's  first  visit  to  Rome  took  place  before  the  Neronian 
conflagration  ;  but  even  after  the  restoration  of  the  city, 
which  followed  upon  that  event,  many  of  the  old  evils 
continued.     One-half  of  the  population  consisted,  in  all 
probability,  of  slaves.     The  larger  part  of  the  remainder 
consisted  of  pauper-citizens,  supported  in  idleness  by  the 
miserable  system  of  public  gratuities.     There  appears  to 
have  been  no  middle  class,  and  no  free  industrial  popula- 
tion.    Side  by  side  with  the  wretched  classes  just  men- 
tioned was  the  comparatively  small  body  of  the  wealthy 
nobility,  of  whose  luxury  and  profligacy  we  hear  so  much 
in  the  heathen  writers  of  the  time.    Such  was  the  popula- 
tion St.  Paul  found  at  Rome  at  the  time  of  his  visit. 

The  localities  in  Rome,  of  interest  to  the  student  of 
the  New  Testament,  are  few  in  number,  and  rely  for  their 
authenticity  mainly  upon  tradition.  In  the  modern  city, 
the  grand  basilica  of  St.  Peter's  is  the  most  conspicuous 
object.  It  is  by  common  consent  the  greatest  and  grand- 
est of  all  Christian  churches.  The  body  of  the  Apostle 
Peter  is  believed  to  have  been  finally  buried  on  the  spot 
now  covered  by  the  dome  of  the  basilica.  The  large 
building  on  the  reader's  right  is  the  palace  of  the  Vatican, 
the  residence  of  the  Popes  of  Rome.  It  stands  on  the 
site  of  the  gardens  of  the  Emperor  Nero — a  site  memo- 
rable in  the  annals  of  Christian  martyrdom.  The  other  localities  in 
and  about  Rome  connected  with  the  Apostolic  era  are  the  Appian 
Way,  by  which  St.  Paul  approached  the  Eternal  City;  the  Mamertine 
prison,  in  which  he  was  confined,  which  was  built  by  Ancus  Martius, 
near  the  Forum,  and  which  still  exists  beneath  the  church  of  San 
Guiseppe  dei  FaUgnami :  the  scene  of  St.  Paul's  martyrdom  on  the 


VIEW   OF   ROME,   SHOWING   THE   CASTLE   OF  ST.   ANGELO   AND   ST.    PETER'S. 


.-^T.   PETER'S   AND   THE  VATICAN— ROME- 

Ostian  road ;  the  Ostian  Gate,  by  which  he  left  the  city  to  be  ofl'ered 
up  for  his  faith;  the  chapel  Domine  quo  Vadis,  on  the  Appian  road, 
the  scene  of  the  beautiful  legend  of  our  Lord's  appearance  to  St. 
Peter  as  he  was  escaping  from  martyrdom ;  and  the  Catacombs,  which 
were  the  places  of  refuge  and  the  burial-places  of  the  early  Christians 
in  the  days  of  tlieir  persecution. 


60 


THE    LIFE    OF    ST.    r'AUL. 


SUPPOSED    SITE   OF   CAPHARXAUM. 


In  the  days  of  Our  Saviour  Capharnaum  was  one  of  the  chief  cities 
of  Galilee.  There  is  no  mention  of  it  prior  to  the  Babylonish  cap- 
tivity. It  was  situated  on  the  north-wect  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
about  five  miles  from  the  entrance  of  the  Jordan  into  that  sneet  of 


speculate   concerning   it.     Dr.   Robinson 
be    at    Khan    Minyeb,    on    the    northern   border   of    the 
Gennesaret.     Wilson,   Ritter,   and    Grove,  locate  it  at    Tell  Hum, 
higher  up  on  the  lake. 


water,  and  on  the 
great  route  of  travel 
from  Damascus 
to  the  Mediter- 
ranean. Jesus 
seems  to  have  made 
it  his  residence 
during  the  three 
years  of  his  minis- 
try on  earth,  and  it 
was  also  the  home 
ofthe  Apostles  An- 
drew and  Peter.  It 
was  the  scene  of 
many  of  the  Lord's, 
miracles,  and  had 
thus  a  glorious  op- 
portunity offered 
it  J  but  it  rejected 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
its  doom  was  sealed. 
The  name  of  the 
city  lives  only  in 
the  sacred  narra- 
tive, and  its  site  is 
so  obliterated  that 
writers  can  only 
believes  the  true  site  to 
plain    of 


THE   LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 


TARSUS,  THE   BIRTHPLACE   OF  ST.   PAUL, 

One  of  the  most  important  portions  of  the  New  Testament  consists 
of  the  narration  of  the  labors  of  St.  Paul,  the  Apostle  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  Gentile  nations.  As  a  man,  St.  Paul  is 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  powerful  characters  in  all  history,  and 
as  the  servant  and  missionary  of  the  Saviour,  he  is  even  more  remark- 
able and  interesting. 


He  was   a  native  of  Tarsus,   a  city 
of  the  province  of  Cilicia,  "  no  mean 
city,"    he    tells    us.     Tarsus    was    the 
chief  city   of  its   province,   and   stood 
on    the   banks   of  the   Cydnus,    in   the 
narrow,  fertile  plain  between  the  Medi- 
terranean  and    the   snow-capped   peaks 
of  Tarsus,  at  the  conflux  of  the  com- 
merce  between   Asia    Minor    and    the 
East.     Saul,   as   he  was  named   in   his 
infancy,    was   a   member    of   a    Jewish 
family  of  "the  Dispersion,"  living  in 
this  city.     His  father  had  received  the 
Roman  franchise  for  services  rendered 
the  Romans,  no  doubt  during  the  civil 
wars.     It  was  the  custom  of  the  Jews  to 
teach  every  youth  some  trade  or  useful 
avocation,  and  Saul  was  brought  up  to 
the  occupation  of  a  tent -maker.     The 
family  seem  to  have  been  possessed  of 
ample   means,    for    Saul   was    liberally 
educated,  and  was  sent  to  Jerusalem  at 
the  close  of  his  Hellenic  course,  to  complete  his  studies  under  the 
learned  teacher,  Gamaliel,  who  was  the  most  profound  s'tudent  of  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures  of  his  day.     Here  he  added  to  that  perfect  familiar- 
ity with  the  Septuagint,  which,  as  an   Hellenist,  he  had  been  taught 
from  his  childhood,  a  complete  knowledge  of  Hebrew  and  of  the  He- 
brew Scriptures,  as  well  as  the  whole  mass  of  the  traditional  lore  of  the 


THE    LIFE    OF    ST.    PAUL. 


61 


Iharisaic  schocL  He  seems  to  have  been  a  person  of  deep  religious 
feeling  from  his  extreme  youth,  and  had  already  acquired,  among  "his 
own  people,"  a  reputation  for  sanctity  of  life  and  strict  observance 
of  all  the  traditions  of  the  sect,  which  he  more  than  maintained  at 
Jerusalem.  Being  a  man  of  enthusiastic  temperament,  the  young 
Pharisee  became  a  fierce  and  uncompromising  champion  of  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  fathers. 

The  new  doctrines  of  Christianity  seemed  to  Saul  an  attack  upon 
the  religion  of  the  Jews,  and  he  opposed  them  with  great  and  active 
zeal.  He  took  a  leading  part  in  the  persecutions  which  were  directed 
against  the  companions  and  followers  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  when 
the  first  Christian  martyr,  St.  Stephen,  was  put  to  death,  he  stood  by, 
"consenting  to  his  death  ;  "  and  took  charge  of  the  clothing  of  the 
witnesses.  After  the  death  of  Stephen,  Saul's  zealous  fury  against 
the  Christians  was  redoubled,  and  he  became,  not  merely  the  chief 
instrument,  but  the  prime  mover  in  the  great  persecution  for  which 
that  event  gave  the  signal ;  and  it  was  by  his  activity  that  the  Chris- 
tians were  forced  to  fly  from  Jerusalem.  Being  determined  to  carry 
his  efforts  still  farther,  he,  of  his  own  accord,  obtained  letters  from 
the  high  priest  to  the  synagogues  of  Damascus,  to  enable  him  to 
seize  and  bring  bound  to  Jerusalem  any  "of  the  way,"  whether  men 
or  women  ;  and  armed  with  these  he  set  out  for  Damascus,  a.  d.  37. 

On  his  journey  a  wonderful  occurrence  happened  to  Saul — an 
event  which  changed  the  entire  current  and  purposes  of  his  life.  As 
he  and  his  companions  drew  near  to  Damascus,  the  towers  of  the  an- 
cient city  being  in  full  view,  a  light,  brighter  than  the  noonday  sun, 
blazed  down  from  heaven  upon  the  little  band,  enveloping  it  and 
bringing  it  to  a  halt.  This  brightness  was  not  seen  by  Saul  alone, 
but  was  visible  to  all  who  were  with  him,  and  they  were  stricken  to 
the  earth  by  it.  Of  all  the  company,  Saul  alone  was  struck  blind 
by  it,  and  he  alone  beheld  in  the  blaze  of  glory  the  vision  of  the 
Son  of  God,  as  He  appeared  to  the  Three  Children  in  the  fiery  fur- 
nace, and  to  Stephen  in  the  article  of  death,  visible  only  to  his 
spiritual  sense.  Jesus  revealed  himself  to  Saul,  as  the  One  whom  he 
■was  wickedly  persecuting,  and  told  him  of  His  purpose  to  make  of 
him  a  messenger  to  the  Gentiles.  Saul  at  once  rtc(jgnized  his  Lord, 
and,  submitting  himself 
entirely  to  the  will  of 
Jesus,  asked  :  "Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  " 
He  was  told  to  go  into 
the  city,  and  await  the 
revelation  of  the  Divine 
will,  which  would  be  made 
known  to  him.  The  vision 
then  faded  away,  and  Saul, 
totally  blind,  was  led  into 
the  city  by  his  companions, 
who  had  seen  the  light 
and  heard  the  voice,  but 
had  not  understood  what 
was  spoken .  He  was  con- 
ducted to  the  house  of  one 
of  his  friends  named  Ju- 
das, where  he  remained 
three  days  without  sight, 
spending  the  time  in  fast- 
ing and  prayer,  and  in 
communion  with  God. 

Meanwhile  the  Saviour 
appeared  to  a  devout  man, 
and  one  of  the  few  Chris- 
tians living  in  Damascus, 


THE   CONVERSION   OF  SAUL. 

named  Ananias,  and  commanded  him  to  go  to  Saul,  and  restore  him 
his  sight.  Ananias,  knowing  the  reputation  of  Saul,  and  the  nature 
of  his  errand  to  Damascus,  hesitated  to  obey,  fearing  that  the  vision 
was  not,  after  all,  from  God  ;  but  the  Saviour  reassured  him,  and  told 
him  that  Saul  was  even  then  praying,  and,  moreover,  was  expecting 
him,  having  seen  Ananias  in  a  vision.  Ananias  no  longer  hesitated, 
but  at  once  sought  out  Saul,  and  in  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
restored  him  his  sight  and  baptized  him. 

Seeing  that  he  was  thus  called  to  the  Apostleship,  Saul,  who  was 
afterwards  called  Paul,  began  his  public  ministrations  immediately 
after  his  baptism.  Received  into  full  fellowship  with  the  Christians 
of  Damascus,  he  preached  Christ  in  the  synagogues,  that  He  is  the 
Son  of  God ;  and  the  more  they  wondered  at  the  great  persecutor's 
conversion,  the  more  he  increased  in  strength,  "  and  confounded  the 
Jews  which  dwelt  at  Damascus,  proving  that  this  is  the  very  Christ." 
From  Damascus,  Paul  retired  into  Arabia  Petraea,  by  the  Divine  com- 


ANANIAS  AND   SAUL. 


62 


THE    LIFE    OF    ST.    PAUL. 


PAUL   AND   BARNABAS  AT  ANTIOCH. 


PAUL  PARTING   FROM    HIS   DISCIPLES. 


mand.  Here  he  spent  a  season  in  close  communion  with  God,  and 
was  instructed  in  the  truths  of  Christianity.  He  himself  declares 
that  at  this  period  he  conversed  not  with  flesh  and  blood.  After 
this  he  returned  to  Damascus,  where  he  resumed  his  preaching.  A 
conspiracy  being  formed  against  him  here,  he  was  obliged  to  fly.  He 
succeeded  in  escaping  from  the  city,  and  at  once  went  up  to  Jerusa- 
lem, where  he  spent  fifteen  days  as  the  guest  of  St.  Peter,  and  was 
jjreseiited  to  the  cliurch.  His  zeal  in  disputing  with  the  Hellenist 
Jews  came  near  costing  him  his  life,  and  he  was  hurried  away  by  the 


brethren  to  Caesarea,  whence  he 
sailed  for  Tarsus.  Before  leaving 
the  Holy  City  he  had  again  seen 
the  Saviour  in  a  vision,  this  time 
in  the  Temple,  and  it  was  on  this 
occasion  that  he  was  commanded 
to  leave  Jerusalem  and  go  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentiles. 
From  Tarsus,  Paul  went  to  An- 
tioch,  accompanied  by  Barnabas, 
and  there  preached  to  the  church 
with  power.  While  there  a  severe 
famine  occurred  in  Judaea,  and 
the  Christians  of  Antioch  made  a 
collection  of  money  for  the  relief 
of  their  bretliren  at  Jerusalem, 
and  sent  it  to  them  by  Paul  and 
Barnabas.  The  Apostles,  upon 
discharging  this  duty,  immediately 
returned  to  Antioch,  and  soon 
after  this  the  disciples  composing 
the  church  at  Antioch  were  com- 
manded by  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
send  forth  Paul  and  Barnabas  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentile 
nations. 

Paul  and  Barnabas,  accompanied 
by  John  Mark,  the  cousin  of  Bar- 
nabas, set  forth,  a.  d.  45,  from 
Antioch,  on  what  is  generally 
known  as  the  great  Apostle's  first 
missionary  journey.  They  em- 
barked at  Seleucia,  the  port  of 
Antioch,  and  went  to  Salamis  in 
Cyprus.  From  Salamis,  which  is 
on  the  east  side  of  the  island  of 
Cyprus,  they  went  to  Paphos  on 
the  west  side,  passing  along  the 
coast.  Here  they  discomfited  a 
famous  magician,  who  sought  to 
defeat  the  ends  of  God,  and  was 
struck  blind  for  his  wickedness. 
They  also  converted  the  Roman 
Proconsul.  From  Paphos  they 
went  by  sea  to  Perga,  in  Pam- 
phylia,  thence  they  crossed  the 
mountain  range  of  Taurus  to  Pi- 
sidia  and  Lycaonia,  a  journey  at- 
tended with  great  hardship  and 
danger.  Here  Mark  left  them, 
and  returned  to  Jerusalem.  The 
first  halting-place  of  the  Apostles 
in  Pisidia  was  Antioch,  a  place, 
like  its  Syrian  namesake,  very  im- 
portant in  the  history  of  Chris- 
tianity. Iconium  was  next  visited,  then  Lystra  and  Derbe,  in  Lycao- 
nia. From  Lystra  they  returned,  through  Pisidia  and  Pamphylia,  to 
Antioch  in  Syria,  the  entire  journey  having  occupied  a  period  of 
about  three  years.  The  journey  had  been  one  constant  round  of 
preaching,  and  was  attended  with  great  success.  It  was  marked  also 
by  the  jjerformance  of  several  miracles.  The  Apostles  made  a  re- 
port of  their  acts  to  the  church  at  Antioch,  and  then  resumed  their 
labors  at  that  place.  A  dispute  having  arisen  in  the  church,  in  con- 
sequence of  certain  persons  insisting  that  it  was  necessary  for  Chris- 


THE    LIFE    OF    ST.    PAUL. 


tians  to  be  circumcised,  Paul  and 
Barnabas  were  sent  to  Jerusalem 
to  obtain  the  views  of  the  Apos- 
tles and  elders  there  on  the  sub- 
ject. They  made  the  journey  by 
land,  passing  through  Phoenicia 
and  Samaria,  declaring  to  the 
brethren  on  their  way  what  God 
had  done  for  the  Gentiles.  The 
church  at  Jerusalem  sustained  the 
position  of  Paul,  that  circumcision 
was  not  necessary.  The  Apostles 
returned  to  Antioch. 

In  the  year  of  our  Lord  49, 
St.  Paul  set  out  upon  his  second 
missionary  journey,  shortly  after 
nis  return  from  Jerusalem.  This 
journey,  besides  its  wide  extent 
and  long  duration  —  covering  a 
period  of  four  years  —  is  memor- 
able for  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity into  Europe ;  though  the 
Apostle's  labors  were  still  confined 
to  that  eastern  division  of  the 
Roman  Empire  which  was  marked 
by  the  Adriatic.  Beginning  at 
Antioch,  it  embraced  Cilicia,  Ly- 

caonia,  Phrygia,  Galatia,  Mysia,  and  the  Troad  ;  and  in  Europe, 
Macedonia,  Athens  and  Corinth ;  whence  Paul  crossed  the  .i^igean 
to  Ephesus,  and  thence  sailed  to  Caesarea,  and  so,  after  a  hasty  visit 
to  Jerusalem,  returned  to  Antioch.  Paul  made  this  journey  in  com- 
pany with  Silas  and  Timothy.  Luke  formed  a  part  of  the  little  band 
during  a  portion  of  the  journey. 

After  a  considerable  stay  at  Antioch,  St.  Paul  set  out  on  his  third 
*nd  last  missionary  journey  in  the  autumn  of  a.  d.  54,  pursuing  his 
old  route.  This  third  circuit  included  a  residence  of  no  less  than 
three  years  at  Ephesus;  a  journey  through  Macedonia,  and  probably 
as  far  as  Illyricum,  which  brought  the  Apostle  to  Corinth,  where  he 
sp\ent  the  three  winter  months  of  a.  d.  57-58.  To  disconcert  a 
Jewish  plot  against  his  life,  he  returned  through  Macedonia,  and  em- 
barked at  Philippi,  after  the  close  of  the  Passover;  and  rejoined  his 
companions,  who  sailed  direct  from  Corinth,  at  Alexandria-Troas. 
At  Miletus,  just  before  his  final  embarkation  for  the  Holy  Land,  Paul 
took  an  affecting  leave  of  the  elders  of  the  church  of  Ephesus,  who 
assembled  there  at  his  bidding.  He  warned  them  of  the  dangers 
which  would  threaten  them  in  the  future,  and  exhorted  them  to  cling 
to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ.  Finally,  "  he  kneeled  down  and  prayed 
with  them  all;  and  they  all  wept  sore,  and  fell  on  Paul's  neck,  and 
kissed  him,  sorrowing  most  of  all  for  the  words  which  he  spake,  that 
they  should  see  his  face  no  more." 

Although  warned  of  the  danger  which  awaited  him  at  Jerusalem, 
Paul  went  up  to  the  Holy  City,  and  was  there  welcomed  by  the  other 
Apostles.  Upon  his  appearance  in  the  Temple,  he  was  recognized 
and  assailed  by  "certain  Jews  from  Asia,"  probably  some  of  his  old 
opponents  at  Ephesus,  and  dragged  into  the  outer  court,  where  he 
would  have  been  put  to  death,  had  not  the  Roman  guard,  attracted 
by  the  tumult,  charged  the  crowd  and  rescued  him.  HeTvas  at  once 
tonveyed  into  the  fortress  of  the  Antonia.  He  obtained  the  leave 
of  the  Roman  officer  commanding  the  post  to  address  the  people, 
and,  speaking  to  them  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  related  the  incidents 
of  his  early  life  and  his  conversion,  the  throng  listening  to  him  in 
silence.  When  he  told  them  of  his  Divine  commission  to  preach  to 
the  Gentiles,  the  people  burst  into  furious  cries  and  rent  their  clothes. 
The  Roman  officer,  ignorant  of  the  language  in  which  Paul   had 


PAUL   BEIOKE   THE    COUNCIL. 

spoken,  could  only  suppose  that  he  had  given  some  strong  ground  ibr 
such  indignant  fury,  and,  causing  him  to  be  brought  into  the  castle, 
commanded  him  to  be  examined  by  scourging.  The  soldiers  were 
already  binding  him  with  thongs  to  the  post,  when  the  Apostle  told 
them  he  was  a  Roman  citizen,  and  reminded  them  of  the  danger  of 
inflicting  any  arbitrary  punishment  upon  one  who  was  under  the  pro- 
tection of  imperial  Rome.  The  tribune  was  astonished  at  this,  and 
alarmed  to  find  that  he  had  inflicted  the  indignity  of  chains  upon  a 
free-born  Roman.  Learning  that  the  trouble  was  a  question  concern- 
ing the  Jewish  religion,  the  tribune  summoned  the  chief  priests  and 
the  Sanhedrim  to  meet  on  the  following  day,  and  having  loosed  Paul 
from  his  bonds,  placed  him  before  them.  Paul  made  a  defence  of  his 
course,  but  the  Council,  which  had  no  legal  power  to  decide  his  fate, 
broke  up  in  confusion,  and  a  plot  against  the  Apostle's  life  being  dis- 
covered the  next  day,  the  commander  of  the  castle  sent  Paul,  under 
the  protection  of  a  strong  military  escort,  to  Csesarea,  to  be  examined 
by  Felix,  the  Roman  Governor  of  that  province.  Paul's  accusers 
were  also  ordered  to  appear  before  Felix. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  Felix  heard  the  case.  Tertullus  made  an 
eloquent  speech  against  Paul,  charging  him  with  heresy,  sedition, 
and  the  profanation  of  the  Temple;  but  Paul  replied  with  such  force 
that  Felix  refused  to  pass  any  sentence  until  he  could  consult  the 
governor  of  the  castle  at  Jerusalem,  who  had  first  arrested  Paul. 
He  remanded  the  Apostle  to  prison,  but  allowed  him  to  receive  the 
visits  and  kind  offices  of  his  friends.  Some  time  after  this  he  again 
sent  for  Paul  to  hear  him  concerning  the  faith  of  Christ — this  time, 
it  seems,  to  gratify  the  curiosity  of  his  Jewish  wife,  Drusilla,  the 
daughter  of  Herod  Agrippa  I.  The  Apostle  spoke  to  him  only  of 
righteousness,  temperance,  and  judgment  to  come,  and  Felix,  who 
was  a  man  stained  with  crime,  "trembled,  and  answered.  Go  thy 
way  for  this  time;  when  I  have  a  convenient  season,  I  will  send  for 
thee."  He  kept  Paul  in  prison  for  two  years,  often  sending  for  him 
and  conversing  with  him,  not  for  purposes  of  repentance,  however, 
but  merely  with  the  hope  that  Paul  would  bribe  him  to  release  him. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  Felix  was  removed,  and  Portius  Festus  ap- 
pointed Procurator  of  Judaea.  The  case  of  Paul  was  at  once  brought 
to  Festus'  knowledge  by  the  Apostle's  enemies  at  Jerusalem,  and  thejr 


«« 


THE    LIFE    OF    ST.    PAUL. 


PAUL   WRITING    HIS    EPISTLES   IN   PRISON. 


besought  the  new  Governor  to  have  Paul  brought  to  the  Holy  City 
for  trial,  it  being  their  design  to  waylay  and  kill  him  on  the  route. 
Festus,  however,  decided  to  hear  the  case  at  Casarea,  and  summoned 
the  Apostle  and  his  accusers  before  him.  The  charges  were  brought 
against  him,  and  Paul,  after  protesting  his  innocence,  appealed  from 
Festus  to  Caesar,  or,  in  other  words,  demanded  a  trial  at  Rome,  and 
Festus  was  compelled  by  the  Roman  law  to  grant  the  demand.  A 
few  days  after  this,  Agrippa  and  his  sister,  Berenice,  came  to  Caesarea 
to  congratulate  the  new  Governor  on  his  arrival,  and  Festus  knowing 
Agrippa  to  be  well  versed  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  Jews,  had  Paul 
brought  before  him,  in  order  that  the  king  might  hear  the  case,  and 
advise  him  (the  Governor)  as  to  what  precise  charge  he  ought  to  lay 
before  the  Emperor.  Paul  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  de- 
clare the  truths  of  his  faith,  in  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  eloquent 
orations  on  record.  His  defence  drew  from  Agrippa  the  acknowl- 
edgment to  Festus,  "This  man  might  have  been  set  at  liberty  if  he 
had  not  appealed  unto  Caesar." 

Paul  had  a  double  object  in  appealing  to  Caesar.  He  desired  that 
his  case  should  be  tried  at  Rome,  where  justice  would  be  done  him, 
and  he  would  be  safe  from  the  murderous  plots  of  the  Jews;  and  he 
was  anxious  to  preach  Christ  crucified  in  the  Imperial  City  itself. 
Festus  did  not  keep  him  waiting  long,  but  sent  him,  with  other  pris- 
oners, under  the  charge  of  a  centurion  of  the  Augustan  cohort  named 
Julius.  After  an  eventful  voyage,  in  which  the  ship  was  cast  ashore 
on  the  coast  of  the  island  of  Malta,  the  capital  was  reached  about  the 
beginning  of  March,  a.  d.  6i.  The  news  of  his  coming  having  pre- 
ceded him,  the  Christians  of  Rome  met  him  at  the  stations  of  Appi 
Forum  and  the  Three  Tai<erns,  and  welcomed  him  with  great  joy. 
He  was  suffered  by  the  imperial  officers  to  dwell  ki  a  house  which  he 


hired  within  the  limits  of  the  Pratorium.  He  was  kept  in  chains, 
with  one  arm  bound  to  a  soldier,  who  kept  him  night  and  day,  but 
he  was  allowed  to  receive  visitors,  and  to  discourse  freely  with  them 
of  the  Gospel.  He  was  a  prisoner  at  Rome  fully  two  years,  during 
which  time  he  labored  diligently  to  spread  a  knowledge  of  the  Gos- 
pel, making  many  converts,  among  whom  were  some  of  the  members 
of  the  Imperial  household.  Luke  had  accompanied  liim  from  Csesarea, 
and  Timothy  joined  him  at  a  subsequent  period.  While  at  Rome  he 
wrote  several  of  his  epistles — those  addressed  to  the  Philippians,  the 
Colossians,  the  Ephesians,  and  Philemon.  At  last,  in  a.  d.  63,  Paul's 
case  was  heard  by  the  Emperor  Nero,  who,  finding  nothing  against 
him,  set  him  free.  He  at  once  left  Rome,  and  visited  Jerusalem,  An- 
tioch,  Macedonia,  Asia  Minor,  Colossae,  and  Ephesus,  and  spent  a 
winter  at  Nicopolis.  He  also  visited  Dalmatia,  and  returned  through 
Macedonia  and  Troas  to  Ephesus.  During  this  period  the  Emperor 
Nero  began  his  severe  persecution  of  the  Christians.  Paul  was  arrested 
at  Ephesus,  and  conveyed  to  Rome,  towards  the  last  of  a.  d.  65.  How 
long  he  remained  in  prison  at  Rome  is  not  known  with  certainty,  but 
during  this  imprisonment  he  wrote  his  last  epistle  to  Timothy.  He 
suffered  martyrdom  at  Rome,  A.  D.  66,  it  is  believed  on  the  29th  of 
June.  Being  a  Roman  citizen,  he  was  allowed  the  privilege  of  being 
beheaded,  without  being  scourged. 

We  have  no  very  trustworthy  account  of  the  personal  appearance 
of  St.  Paul.  Of  his  temperament  and  character  St.  Paul  is  himself  the 
best  painter.  His  speeches  and  letters  convey  to  us,  as  we  read  them, 
the  truest  impressions  of  those  qualities  which  helped  to  make  him  the 
Great  Apostle.  We  perceive  the  warmth  and  ardor  of  his  nature,  his 
affectionate  disposition,  the  tenderness  of  his  sense  of  honor,  the  cour- 
tesy and  personal  dignity  of  his  bearing,  and  his  perfect  fearlessness. 


'AVE     MARIA!     GRATIA     PLENA." 


Life  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

Mother  of  Christ-. 


FROM   THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURES,   AND   THE    BEST   TRADITIONS   OF  THE 
EAST,   AS  ACCEPTED   BY   THE   GREEK   AND   LATIN    FATHERS 


BV 


BERNARD    O'REILLY,   D.  U..  LD. 

(Graduate  of  LAVAL    Ua\1VERSLT\,  Queiec.^ 


<'Of>yngbif  itto^. 


Or  Mary  the  Mother  of  our  Lord 
and  of  His  reputed  father,  Joseph,  the 
Gospels  only  make  such  mention  as 
connects  them  with  His 
personal  history.  But 
when  He  had  ascended 
mto  Heaven,  and  when 
the  religion  which  He 
had  founded  spread 
throughout  the  East  and 
the  West,  filling  not  only 
Palestine  but  the  sur- 
rounding countries  with 
flourishing  Christian 
churches,  it  was  both  na- 
tural and  inevitable  that 
Every  follower  of  His 
should  feel  a  deep  inter- 
est in  knowing  all  about 
these  revered  parents  of 
His  and  their  entire 
family.  And  this  inquiry 
was  stimulated  by  the 
misstatements  and  cal 
umnies  of  the  Jews  re- 
garding Mary  and  Jo- 
seph. 

We   need  only  recall 
the  names  of  a  few  of 
the    early    Christian 
writers  who  record  the  traditions  col- 
lected in   Judsea  itself,  in    the  very 
places  where  the  Mother  of  Christ  and 
her  family  had  lived — traditions  com- 
ing down  to  us  from  the  age  of  the 


MARY,   MOTHER  OF  GOD. 


Apostles,  put  in  writing  by  their  disciples,  and  repeated  by  the  most 
enlightened  and  saintly  scholars  of  the  four  succeeding  centuries. 
Fi-remost  among  these  names  stands  that  of  S.  Jerome;  not,  as 
everybody  knows,  that  he  is  first  in  the  order  of  time,  but  because, 
in  the  opinion  of  all  who  believe  in  Christ,  he  labored  most  suc- 
cesstuily  in  tne  native  land  of  Jesus  and  Mary  and  Joseph,  to  gather 
*~iQ  transmit  to  all  coming  generations  the  inspired  writings  of 


the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments, 
together  with  all  the  historical  knowl- 
edge which  could  throw  light  on  them. 
After  S.  Jerome  come  S.  Justin  Mar- 
tyr, the  great  Origen,  S. 
Epiphanius  and  S.  John 
Damascene  (both  natives 
of  Palestine),  S.  Gregory 
of  Nyssa  and  S.  Gregory 
Nazianzen,    natives    of 
Asia  Minor,  like  Origen  ; 
S.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  S. 
John  Chrysostom  (a  na- 
tive of  Antioch) ;  S.  Am- 
brose and  S.  Augustine, 
both  contemporaries  of 
S.  Jerome.     Such  are  a 
few  of  the  sainted  names 
which  vouch  for  the  ex- 
istence and  the  authority 
of  the  traditions  relating 
to  the  parentage  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  to 
lier  birth  and  early  life 
lip  to  the  point  where  S. 
Luke    and    S.    Matthew 
take  up  the  thread  of  the 
narrative   in   their  Gos- 
pels. The  same  respected 
authorities     supply    the 
facts  of  Mary's  life  after 
the  .\scension  of  our  Lord.     She  was 
too   dear   to   the   heart   of  the  early 
church,  to  the  grateful  veneration  of 
the  last  and  best  beloved  disciple  of 
the  Lord,  John  the  Evangelist,  not  t9 


be  cared  for  reverently  and  tenderly  by  all  these  fervent  followers 
of  the  Master;  so  that  the  details  of  her  latest  life  and  of  her 
blessed  death  must  have  been  remembered  and  recorded  by  the 
first  generations  of  Christians — her  own  spiritual  children  all  of 
them — most  of  them  her  own  countrymen,  and  many  of  them  1^3 
blood-relations. 

With  these  preliminary  remarks  we  may  confidently  enter  xxpm 

n 


LIFE   OF  THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN   MARY. 


our  task — that  of  condensing  into  a  few  pages  the  Life  of  her  who 
is  the  Second  Eve,  the  Mother  of  the  True  Life,  most  dear  to  every 
one  who  holds  Christ  to  be  the  Second  Adam,  the  Messiah,  the 
Restorer  and  Saviour  of  our  race. 

n. 

The  birth-place  of  Mary  was  that  same  town  of  Nazareth,  in 
Lower  Galilee,  where  was  also  the  home  of  Joseph,  and  where, 
during  the  first  thirty  years  of  His  life,  the  Word  Incarnate  was  to 
live  in  obscurity  and  toil.  S.  Justin  Martyr,  himself  a  native  of 
Palestine,  who  defended  the  faith  by  his  writings  and  died  for  it, 
within  fifty  years  after  the  death  of  S.  John  the  Evangelist,  says, 
that  Mary  was  descended  in  a  direct  line  from  King  David.  Her 
father's  name  was  Joachim.  The  Jewish  writers  give  him  also  the 
name  of  Heli ;  the  Arabic  traditions  of  Palestine  and  the  early 
commentators  of  the  Koran  call  him  Imram  or  Amram.  His  wife's 
name  was  Anna  or  Hanna,  according  to  these  same  authorities. 
She  was  of  the  tribe  of  Levi. 

Of  these  two  venerable  personages  S.  John  Damascene  writes  as 
one  who  is  only  giving  utterance  to  the  living,  uninterrupted  testi- 
mony of  the  populations  of  Lower  Galilee,  when  he  eulogizes  their 
virtues.  This  universal  veneration,  as  soon  as  the  Christian  Re- 
ligion was  allowed  to  be  professed  openly,  found  its  expression  in 
the  churches  erected  in  the  East  under  the  invocation  of  S.  Joachim 
and  S.  Anna.  The  Emperor  Justinian,  in  550,  had  one  built  in 
Constantinople,  which  bore  the  name  of  S.  Anna  down  to  the  con- 
quest of  the  city  by  the  Turks.-  The  reverence  thus  paid  from  the 
beginning  of  Christianity  to  the  immediate  ancestors  of  our  Lord, 
is  founded  both  on  their  own  recorded  holiness  of  life  and  on  the  ex- 
quisite jealousy  with  which  the  Christian  conscience  watched  over 
everything  nearly  related  to  the  great  fact  of  the  Incarnation.  The 
early  heretics  denied  its  reality  ;  asserted  that  the  body  born  of  the 
Virgin  and  nailed  to  the  cross  was  only  a  shadowy  body,  but  no  sub- 
stantial human  flesh ;  in  a  word,  that  Christ  was  no  true  man,  and 
only  had  the  outward  appearance  of  one.  Hence  the  scrupulousness 
with  which  every  circumstance  was  examined  that  bore  on  the  all- 
important  fact  of  His  being  in  very  deed,  "  bone  of  our  bone,  and 
flesh  of  our  flesh,"  as  well  as  "  True  God  of  True  God." 

The  veneration  paid  to  His  Mother  and  her  parents  was  reflected 
on  Christ  Himself,  while  it  strengthened  in  the  mind  of  the  believer 
the  faith  in  the  God  made  Man.  Hence  the  piety,  borne  witness 
to  by  Justinian  at  Constantinople  and  by  S.  John  Chrysostom  at 
Antioch,  was  the  same  that  inspired  the  youthful  Martin  Luther, 
long  ages  afterward,  to  vow  to  S.  Ann  to  embrace  a  monastic  life. 
It  was  that  which  prompted  the  populations  of  Brittany  to  pay  such 
devout  homage  to  Sainte  Anne  (TAuray,  and  the  first  Canadian 
colonists  to  build,  on  the  shore  of  the  S.  Lawrence,  that  famous 
chapel  before  which,  departing  and  returning,  every  vessel  cast  an- 
chor, in  order  that  the  crew  might  go  thither  to  worship  Jesus,  born 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,  to  beseech,  on  their  journey  across  the  deep, 
the  protection  of  Mary's  sainted  mother,  or  to  thank  her  for  their 
delivery  from  storm  and  shipwreck.  All  this  was  natural  to  true 
believers. 

It  is  said  that  the  child  Mary  was  se.n,  like  Samuel  to  the  pious 
Anna  of  the  Old  Testament,  as  a  reward  to  ardent  prayer  after  long 
sterility.  The  Moslem  traditions,  echoing  those  of  tlie  Galilean 
populations,  aflirm  that  the  mother  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  when 
she  first  knew  that  her  prayer  was  heard,  knelt  in  thanksgiving,  and 
said:  "O  Lord,  I  vow  to  consecrate  to  Thee  the  child  which  Thou 
hast  given  me :  accept  graciously  my  offering,  O  Thou  to  whom 
everything  is  known."  And  this  same  voice  of  Arab  tradition, 
echoing  the  constant  belief  of  the  early  Christians  of  Palestine, 


attests  also  the  privilege  claimed  lor  mary  oy  the  Church,  and  sol 
emnly  decreed  as  an  article  of  faith  on  December  8,  1854 — that  o( 
having  been,  by  a  special  application  of  the  saving  grace  of  hei 
Son,  preserved  from  the  stain  of  original  sin.  This  is  what  is  called 
her  "Immaculate  Conception."  It  was  most  fitting  that  the 
Second  Eve,  the  humble  and  self-sacrificing  parent  of  our  redeemed 
humanity,  should  have  been,  at  the  very  instant  when  soul  and  body 
were  united,  as  free  from  every  stain  of  moral  evil  as  the  first  Eve, 
when  the  Almighty  hand  formed  her  body  from  out  the  substance 
of  sinless  Adam,  and  poured  the  breath  of  life  into  it.  Even  the 
Jewish  traditions,  long  before  the  coming  of  Christ,  affirmed  the 
current  belief  from  the  days  of  the  Patriarchs  and  from  the  begin- 
ning, that  the  stain  of  Adam's  sin  was  not  to  touch  the  Messiah 
or  His  Mother.  Mohammed  himself  bore  witness  to  the  universal 
existence  of  this  belief  among  the  nations  descended  from  Abra- 
ham, whether  Christian  or  not. 

Anna's  blessed  child  was  born  on  September  8,  in  the  year  of 
Rome  734,  that  is,  twenty  years  before  the  Christian  era.  In  the 
Koran  (chapter  iii.),  it  is  said  that  when  the  babe  was  born,  her 
mother  said  :  "  O  God,  I  have  brought  into  the  world  a  daughter, 
and  have  named  her  Miriam  {Mary).  I  place  both  her  and  her 
posterity  under  Thy  protection ;  preserve  them  from  the  designs  of 
Satan." 

The  solemn  ceremony  of  naming  a  new-born  babe  was  per- 
formed by  the  Jews  on  the  eighth  day  after  the  birth.  Hence  it  is  that 
the  solemnity  of  the  Holy  Name  of  Mary  is  celebrated  by  the  Church 
on  the  Sunday  within  tlie  Octave  of  the  Nativity,  or  that  following 
the  8th  of  September.  When  the  child  had  attained  her  third  year, 
her  parents,  in  fulfilment  of  their  vow  to  consecrate  her  to  God,  took 
her  from  Nazareth  to  Jerusalem,  and  gave  her  up  to  the  prie.sts  to  be 
educated  within  the  vast  precincts  of  the  temple,  where  other  chil- 
dren, similarly  dedicated  by  vow  to  the  life  of  Nazarites,  were 
brought  up  together. 

From  the  first  age  of  Christianity  a  house  was  pointed  out  to  pil- 
grims and  visitors  as  the  house  of  S.  Ann.  Over  this  spot,  as  over 
every  other  made  sacred  by  memories  connected  with  our  Lord  and 
His  Mother,  the  faithful  kept  loving  watch  throughout  the  evil  days 
of  Moslem  domination.  And  we  should  not  forget  that,  inasmuch 
as  S.  Ann  herself  was  held  in  great  reverence  by  the  followers  of 
the  Koran,  so  when  Jerusalem  fell  into  their  hands,  they  hastened 
to  change  into  a  mosque  or  place  of  Mohammedan  worship,  the  ora- 
tory built  on  the  site  by  the  Christians.  So  did  they  manifest  their 
veneration  for  all  other  places  held  most  dear  by  Christians ;  their 
special  regard  for  burial-places  forbidding  them  from  ajjpropriating 
to  their  own  religious  uses  the  church  raised  over  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre by  S.  Helena.  When  the  Crusaders  conquered  Jerusalem  and 
established  a  kingdom  in  Palestine,  their  piety  led  them  to  build 
churches  and  monasteries  at  all  spots  in  the  Holy  City  and  through- 
out the  kingdom  hallowed  by  the  memory  of  our  Lord,  His  Mother, 
and  His  ancestors.  Thus  they  erected  a  monastery  with  a  cluirch 
on  the  traditional  sit«  of  the  house  of  S.  Ann  ;  when  Jerusalem 
fell  afterward  into  the  hands  of  Saladin,  the  church  and  monastery 
became  a  mosque,  held  in  very  great  respect  by  its  new  masters. 

Even  so  near  the  splendid  mosque  of  Omar  {El-Aksa),  which  a 
this  day  occupies  the  site  of  the  temple,  is  a  smaller  one,  Es-Sakhra 
("the    Rock"),    built    on    the   spot  where    M=ry  and    the   other 
maidens,  bound  by  Nazarite    vows,   lived  during  their  seclusion 
Thus,  we  liave  monumental   records  recalling  the  childhood  and 
girlhood  of  our  Lady. 

The  Crusaders  converted  the  humble  chapel  which  stood  on  this 
"  Rock,"  into  a  splendid  church,  surmounted  by  a  gilt  cupola  and  a 
lofty  cross.     Here,  then,  was  spent  the  life  of  the  Blessed  Virgip 


LIFE   OF  THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN   MARY. 


hwii  her  third  year  upward,  ft  was  during  the  rule  of  Herod  the 
Ureat,  an  Idumean,  who  had  married  Mariamne,  a  descendant  of  the 
Machabean  line  of  princes,  and  thereby  conciliated  the  favor  of  some 
of  the  most  influential  among  the  Jews.  He  restored  the  ternple 
with  the  utmost  magnificence,  thus  still  further  winning  popular 
applause.  He  also  built  Cesarea  on  the  sea-coast  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, naming  it  after  the  Emperor  Augustus,  together  with  other 
important  cities  here  and  there.  But,  to  offset  the  service  rendered 
to  the  national  religion  by  the  restoration  and  adornment  of  the 
temple,  he  erected  in  the  cities,  by  him  founded,  magnificent  houses 
of  worship  to  the  gods  of  Rome. 

It  was  while  this  clever,  but  unscrupulous,  ijnnce  -vas  pushing 
forward  the  costly  works  on  the  temple,  thai  Mary  was  oeing  edu- 
cated within  its  precincts. 
In  what  this  education  con- 
sisted we  can  only  conjecture 
from  the  ascertained  Jew- 
ish customs  of  that  age,  and 
from  the  fragmentary  pas- 
sages of  Eastern  fathers.  The 
"  Proto-Gospel  of  S.  James," 
4.  work  held  in  general  esteem 
during  the  first  centuries  of 
the  Christian  era,  describes 
Mary, as  seated  before  a  spin- 
dle of  wool  dyed  purple.  The 
Jews  had  borrowed  and  in- 
herited from  their  neighbors, 
the  Phenicians,  the  art  of 
giving  to  the  fabrics  they  wove 
that  exquisite  purple  dye  so 
much  prized  in  the  ancient 
world.  Besides  this,  S.  Epi- 
phanius  says  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  was  skilled  in  embroi- 
dery, and  in  weaving  wool, 
fine  linen,  and  cloth  of  gold. 
Especially  careful  were  the 
priests,  after  the  Captivity, 
to  teach  these  privileged  mai- 
dens, and  all  the  youth  of 
the  upper  classes,  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Hebrew  Scrip- 
tures. What  the  study  of  these 
must  have  been  to  one  "full 
of  grace,"  like  the  future 
Mother  of  the  Redeemer,  we 
need  only  suggest  to  the  in- 
telligent reader. 

In  these  peaceful  studies 
and  useful  occupations,  varied 
by  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  gorgeous  Jewish  worship,  passed 
Mary's  girlhood.  Meanwhile,  as  tradition  informs  us,  both  her 
parents  closed  a  holy  life  by  the  death  of  the  saints.  Her  father 
died  first,  when  his  daughter  was  in  her  thirteenth  year;  and 
she  returned  to  Nazareth  to  the  house  of  her  widowed  mother. 
When  the  latter  was  also  called  to  her  reward,  it  became  the 
dotjT  of  her  nearest  relatives  to  find  her  a  protector  and  a  husband 
among  her  own  tribesmen,  in  accordance  with  the  prescriptions  of 
the  Mosaic  Law. 

S,  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  who  follows  the   best    traditions  of  the 


THE   ANNUNCIATION.. 


East,  relates  that  the  noble  maiden  was  unwilling  to  be  bound  fay 
the  ties  of  matrimony,  and  besought  her  kinsfolk  to  allow  her  to  re- 
turn  to  the  temple  and  continue  there  the  secluded  Virginal  lite 
which  alone  had  a  charm  for  her.  To  this  they  peremptorily  re- 
fused to  consent ;  and  the  orphan  had,  perforce,  to  choose  the  man 
who  should  be  her  husband  and  protector — one  who,  in  the  hidden 
councils  of  God,  was  to  be  the  guardian  of  the  Messiah  and  Hi» 
Mother,  their  devoted  companion  and  support — and,  through  ail 
the  Christian  ages,  the  Protector,  under  God,  of  all  those  who  be- 
lieve in  the  Saviour. 

Here  come  in  the  beautiful  legends  which  have  inspired  Chris- 
tian art,  concerning  the  rivalry  among  the  unwedded  kinsmen  of 
Mary  for  the  honor  of  claiming  her  as  bride.  Among  the  descend- 
ants of  David  assembled  in 
Nazareth,  or  in  Jerusalem,  at 
the  town-house  of  Joachim 
and  Ann,  was  Joseph,  who,, 
impoverished,  as  were  most 
of  his  kinsfolk,  supported  him- 
self amid  the  hills  and  ol> 
scurity  of  Galilee,  by  follow- 
ing the  trade  of  what  the  Gos- 
jiels  call  "a  carpenter,"  or 
what  we  would  more  properly 
call  "a  cabinet-maker.'' 
Among  the  many  thriving  cit- 
ies and  industrious  popula- 
tions of  Galilee,  the  art  of 
inlaying  was  much  in  demand. 
He  too,  like  Mary,  like  tb« 
numerous  bodies  of  Essenes, 
who  practiced  a  life  of  self- 
imposed  abstinence  and  se- 
clusion, aiming  at  a  moral  per- 
fection above  the  reach  of  the 
multitude — aspired  to  the  Vir- 
ginal life.  By  what  inspira- 
tion, then,  was  he  impelled 
to  be  a  suitor  for  the  hand 
of  his  kinswoman?  Or  were 
the  names  of  all  the  persons 
eligible  for  that  honor  sub- 
mitted to  the  Maiden  in  a 
list,  permitting  her  to  draw 
by  lot  from  among  the  nam' 
ber?  Having  to  be  so  inti- 
mately connected  with  the 
Saviour  in  His  helpless  in- 
fancy and  childhood,  Joseph 
was,  of  course,  under  a  sjjecial 
providence ;     and     our    own 


Christian  sense  must  divine  and  supply  many  links  in  the  chain  of 
facts  that  fill  up  his  history.  • 

S.  Jerome,  recalling  the  ancient  tradition  preserved  in  the  nar- 
rative  of  the  "  Proto-Gospel  of  S.  James,"  tells  us  that  the  suitors, 
after  praying  to  Him  in  whose  hand  are  our  lots,  brought  each  to 
the  temple  a  rod  of  almond-tree,  and  left  it  over  night  before 
the  altar.  On  the  morrow,  that  which  bore  the  name  of 
Joseph  had  blossomed.  It  was  a  renewal  of  the  miracle  by 
which  God  in  the  Old  Law  had  confirmed  the  sons  of 
Aaron    in  the  priestly  office.     This  is  the  event  referred  ta  i» 


LIFE   OF  THE   BLfiSSED   VIRGIN   MARY. 


R^pnael's  fir^t  and  pure  master-piece,  "  The  Marriage  oi  fhe 
Blessed  Virgin." 

Mary,  become  the  wife  of  the  blameiess  and  high-minded  man 
thus  selected  by  Providence,  went  to  reside  in  her  ancestral  home 
at  Nazareth.  It  is  six  months  after  the  message  delivered  to 
S^chary  in  the  temple — that  he  shall  be  given  a  son  to  be  called 
John.  He  shall  be  great  before  the  Lord  .  .  .  shall  be  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  before  his  birth.  He  is  the  precursor  of  the 
Messiah,  who  shall  herald  the  approach  of  the  long-expected 
Saviour  and  point  Him  out,  walking  the  earth  in  our  flesh.  The 
"fulness  of  time"  has  come.  From  before  the  throne  of  the 
Highest  the  same  angelic  messenger  descends  to  announce  tht  ac- 
complishment of  what  is  God's  work  above  all  others. 

"The  Angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God  into  a  city  of  Galilee, 
called  Nazareth,  to  a  Virgin  espoused  to  a  man  whose  name  was 
Joseph,  of  the  house  of  David,  and  the  Virgin's  name  was  Mary. 
And  the  Angel  being  come  in,  said  unto  her:  Hail,  full  of  grace, 
the  Lord  is  with  thee  ;  Blessed  art  thou  among  women  ;  who,  having 
heard,  was  troubled  at  his  saying,  and  thought  with  herself  what 
manner  of  salutation  this  should  be." 

"  The  lowly  maiden,  among  the  many  graces  with  which  her 
soul  overflowed,  above  all,  possessed  humility.  She  was  alarmed, 
not  so  much  by  the  presence  of  the  angel,  as  by  the  reverence  with 
which  he  addressed  her.  The  divine  favors  already  lavished  upon  her 
have  not  begotten  pride.  It  is  a  characteristic  of  Christian  sanctity, 
that  its  possessors,  while  intensely  grateful  to  the  Divine  Goodness 
for  every  favor  in  the  natural  and  supernatural  order,  are  still  most 
painfully  conscious  of  their  own  shortcomings.  The  nearer  God  lifts 
them  to  Himself  the  more  exalted  becomes  their  ideal  of  moral  per- 
fection, the  more  severely  do  they  compare  what  they  are  at  the 
present  moment,  with  what  they  might  and  ought  to  be.  But  the  dig- 
nity that  awaits  Mary,  singular  and  incommunicable  as  it  is,  had  never 
entered  into  the  visions  of  attainable  holiness  presented  to  her 
mind  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

"The  Angel  calms  her  fears  by  announcing  the  object  of  his 
mis.sion.  She  is  divinely  chosen  in  the  eternal  counsels  to  be  the 
mother  of  the  long-promised  Redeemer,  Jesus.  I/e  shall  be  great, 
and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  Most  High;  and  the  Lord  shall 
give  to  Him  the  throne  of  David,  His  father,  and  He  shall  reign  in 
the  house  of  Jacob  forever  ;  and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end." 
The  youth  of  Mary,  her  voluntary  or  enforced  poverty,  and  her 
having  placed  herself  as  an  affianced  bride  under  the  protection  of 
a  kinsman,  .  .  .  have  not  deadened  in  her  bosom  the  yearning  for 
the  appearance  of  •  the  Orient  from  on  High,'  the  longing  for  the 
restoration  of  her  own  royal  house.  Patriotism  and  religion  were 
intended  by  God  to  be  one  undivided  and  absorbing  sentiment  in 
the  breast  of  every  Hebrew  woman  as  well  as  man.  The  daughter 
of  David,  then,  must  have  been  thrilled  by  the  Heaven-sent  assur- 
ance of  the  resurrection  of  David's  line,  of  the  coming  glory  and 
eternity  of  the  new  kingdom.  But  that  it  should  be  through  son 
of  hers  overwhelms  her.  Genuine  humility  is  not  littleness  of 
soul :  it  merely  gives  the  soul  an  intense  feeling  of  the  distance 
which  exists  between  what  our  own  will  has  made  us,  and  what  God 
wills  us  to  be.  It  is,  therefore,  at  bottom,  a  vivid  sense  of  the  de- 
iciency  of  one's  own  will  in  conforming  with  the  Divine.  But 
•rhen  it  becomes  clearly  known  to  the  humble  soul  that  God  re- 
quires of  her  the  sublimest  efforts  of  self-sacrifice,  her  very  humility 
heing  a  supernatural  and  irresistible  tendency  toward  accomplishing 
His  purpose,  she  puts  forth  a  strength  and  a  magnanimity  all  divine 
o  doing  what  is  most  heroic  and  most  painful. 

•'  Did  the  divine  light  which  must  have  flooded  that  favored  soul 


on  this  occasion — unique  in  the  whole  economy  of  tne  ^pematarei 
government — enable  Mary  to  j?erceive  that,  to  become  the  Mother  of 
the  Second  Adam  she  must  fulfil  the  part  of  the  Second  Eve?  that 
His  triumph  must  be  through  suffering ;  that  His  diadem  was  to  be 
a  crown  of  thorns,  and  His  death  that  of  an  executed  criminal,  the 
horror  and  abomination  of  His  own  and  of  all  civilized  peoples? 
If  so,  her  acceptance  of  such  motherhood  meant  a  share  in  all  this 
shame  and  torture  of  soul.  Thus  was  humility  satisfied ;  it  should 
have  its  sublimest  satisfaction  in  the  cross,  in  her  companionship 
with  the  Crucified. 

"  Light  having  been  giveh  her  to  understand  the  operations  of  the 
Divine  Power,  and  the  scruples  both  of  her  humility  and  her  purity 
having  been  removed  by  the  words  of  the  Angel,  she  bows  herself 
to  the  Divine  Will,  and  accepts  the  awful  responsibilities  of  Mother 
of  the  Redeemer.  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord;  be  it  dont 
unto  me  according  to  thy  word.  And  the  Angel  departed  from  her.^* 
(Heroic  Women  of  the  Bible  "and  the  Church.) 

She  was  related  on  her  mother's  side,  at  least,  to  Elizabeth  and 
Zachary,  the  parents  of  the  Baptist,  whose  approaching  birth  the 
Angel  had  revealed  to  her.  Probably  these  noble  relatives  had 
been  the  comforters  of  Anna  in  her  widowhood,  and  the  consolers 
as  well  of  Mary  herself  in  the  first  period  of  her  orphaned  life. 
Her  first  thought  is  to  visit  their  privileged  home.  It  was  a  long 
journey  to  the  southern  extremity  of  Juda,  and  over  perilous  roads. 
But  the  Spirit  who  henceforth  is  the  very  soul  of  that  Blessed 
Mother's  soul,  is  one  of  generosity;  and  Mary  goes  on  her  way 
rejoicing.  She  is  the  Ark  of  the  New  Covenant,  bearing  over  the 
mountains  and  through  the  valleys  of  Judaea,  not  the  manna  put 
within  the  former  ark  by  Moses  together  with  the  Tables  of  the 
Law.  Here  is  He,  who  is  the  true  Bread  of  Life,  the  Divine  Law- 
Giver,  the  very  "Angel  of  the  Testament"  Himself.  And  as 
Mary  crosses  the  threshold  of  Elizabeth,  John  feels  the  presence  of 
Jesus;  at  the  approach  of  "the  Bridegroom,"  His  "Friend"  is 
quickened  with  the  pulses  of  a  new  life.  His  mother  "cried  out 
with  a  loud  voice  .  .  .  Blessed  art  thou  among  women  1  .  .  .  And 
whence  is  this  to  me  that  the  Mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to 
me?"  .  .  . 

Mary,  unwilling  to  deny  what  has  been  revealed  to  her  saintly 
kinswoman,  only  thinks  of  referring  the  homage  paid  to  herself  to 
Him  from  whom  every  perfect  gift  descendeth.  The  light  of 
prophecy  floods  her  soul,  as  the  future  ages  are  spread  out  before 
her,  and  she  pours  forth  the  strains  of  the  sublime  song,  which  has 
ever  since  been  the  hymn  of  Christian  triumph  and  thanksgiving: 

"  My  soul  doih  magnify  the  Lord, 
And  my  spirit  haih  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour  I 
Because  He  hatli  regarded  the  humility  of  His  handmaid ; 
For  behold  from  henceforth  all  nations  shall  call  me  Blessed. 
For  He  that  is  Mighty  hath  done  great  things  to  me. 
And  Holy  is  His  name." 

"Three  months  did  Mary  abide  with  Elizabeth,  not  seeking  the 
public  eye,  but  both  of  them  communing  with  God  in  prayer,  in 
obedience  to  the  Holy  Spirit  who  filled  them ;  and  increasing  in 
their  own  souls  the  zeal  for  His  glory  and  for  the  salvation  of  His 
people.  So  entirely  does  Mary  trust  to  the  divine  wisdom  to  dis« 
close  the  secret  of  her  heart,  that,  on  her  return  to  Nazareth,  shs 
makes  no  mention  of  it  to  Joseph.  She  is  rewarded  for  her  abso- 
lute trust :  an  angel  is  sent  to  this  prudent  and  God-fearing  man  to 
apprise  him  of  the  Treasure  lying  hidden  beneath  his  roof.  He  is 
thenceforth  to  be  the  faithful  steward  in  God's  family  on  earth, 
guarding  and  cherishing  the  two  Beings  in  all  creation  the  mosf 
precious  in  the  sight  of  Heaven — that  exalted   Mother  and  h«« 


LIFE   OF  THE   BLESSEjj   VIRGIN   MARY. 


babe.  Joseph  too,  if  not  in  very  deed  a  Nazante  like  Joiin,  re- 
ceired  a  portion  above  his  trethren  :  Christ,  during  His  helpless  in- 
fancy and  boyhood,  was  to  be  his  sole  care  and  portion.  Christ 
and  His  Mother  were  to  look  up  to  him,  under  God's  providence, 
as  their  head,  guide  and  support.  He  could  not  but  anderstand, 
once  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  had  revealed  to  him  Mary's  secret,  that 
of  all  just  men  whom  Heaven  had  most  favored  till  then,  none  were 
80  privileged  as  himself.  For  beneath  his  lowly  roof  he  now  held 
the  new  Parents  of  restored  humanity  foreshown  to  Adam  and  Eve 
in  the  Garden.  On  his  head  were  accumulated  the  blessmgs 
prophesied  by  Jacob  to  the  first  Joseph  (Gen.  xlix.  25,  26):  'the 
blessings  of  Heaven  above,  with  the  blessings  of  the  deep  that  lieth 
beneath,  until  the  desire  of  the  everlasting  hills  shall  come.'  He 
has  come ;  ere  long  Joseph  shall  look  upon  His  face,  and  hold  Him 
in  his  arms,  and  hear  His  voice  uttering  words  of  filial  love  and 
gratitude." — (Heroic  Women  of  the  Bible  and  the  Church.) 

ra. 

The  glory  of  our  Second  Eve  is,  that  her  life,  from  this  period 
lo  the  Ascension  of  her  Son,  will  be  identified  with  His ;  and  that 
from  His  Ascension  till  her  death  at  Ephesus,  her  sole  care  was  to 
lustain  and  comfort  the  infant  Church,  so  sorely  tried  in  Palestine. 

In  Bethlehem  Joseph  was  born,  and  to  Bethlehem  a  mere  acci- 
dent compels  Joseph  and  Mary  to  go,  just  as  she  is  about  to  give 
birth  to  her  child.  They  went  thither  in  obedience  to  an  Imperial 
Decree  enjoining  on  all  persons  within  the  Roman  empire  to  be 
registered  in  their  native  places.  S.  John  the  Evangelist,  a  near 
relative  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  ana  the  disciple  so  dearly  loved  by 
her  Son,  says  of  the  Incarnate  Word,  the  Light  of  the  World : 
"  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  Him,  and  the 
World  knew  Him  not.  He  came  unto  His  own,  and  His  own  re- 
ceived Him  not."  Whatever  may  have  been  the  circumstances 
that  explain  the  fact — the  fact  is  recorded  by  the  Gospel,  that  in 
Bethlehem,  the  city  of  David,  where  Booz  bestowed  on  Ruth,  the 
Moabite,  such  kindly  countenance  and  courteous  hospitality,  no  one 
house  was  opened,  at  the  hour  of  her  sorest  need,  to  the  greatest  of 
David's  daughters,  the  gentle  Mother  of  the  Messiah.  .  .  .  They 
arrived,  sore-footed  and  weary,  at  its  gates,  when  night  had  already 
fallen.  The  town  was  full.  "  There  was  n^  zoom  for  them  in  the 
Inn."  They  sought,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  one  of  those 
natural  caves,  the  shelter  for  the  shepherd  in  stormy  weather,  the 
refuge  of  the  poor  way-farer  at  all  times.  "  And  she  brought  forth 
her  first-born  Son  and  wrapped  Him  up  in  swaddling  clothes,  and 
laid  Him  in  a  manger." 

We  do  not  deplore  that  it  so  befell  both  ikiother  and  Babe.  It 
was  meet  that  He  who  came  to  "make  all  things  new"  in  the 
world  of  morality,  should  have  elected  to  be  born  in  the  most  ab- 
ject destitution.  He  had  come  to  condemn  the  ill-uses  of  wealth, 
and  to  inculcate  the  blessedness  of  that  spirit  which  despises  riches 
in  themselves,  and  sets  store  solely  on  the  Eternal  Kingdom  and 
the  supernatural  virtues  that  lead  to  it.  .  .  .  So,  she  looks,  first  of 
all  human  beings,  at  that  midnight  hour,  on  the  face  of  her  Babe 
and  her  Saviour.  What  ecstacy  filled  her  soul  as  the  light  of  that 
countenance,  that  so  many  generations  had  vainly  wished  to  behold, 
made  all  bright  for  her  and  for  her  saintly  guardian,  Joseph,  in  that 
hillside  cavern  !  These  two  were  the  first  worshippers,  as  they  were 
to  be  the  two  inseparable  companions  and  faithful  Disciples  of  the 
Divine  Master — the  great  Teacher  of  the  Manger  and  the  Cross. 
They  were  called  "  His  Parents."  And  as  such  they  are  unspeak- 
ably dear  to  the  Christian  world. 
Who  are  those  who  are  first  summoned  to  the  presence  of  the 


new-born  King,  the  Day-Star  of  Israel,  the  Hope  of  the  world? 
Shepherds  guarding  their  flocks  by  night.  "  And  behold,  an  an- 
gel of  the  Lord  stood  by  them,  and  the  brightness  of  God  shone 
round  about  them,  and  they  feared  with  a  great  fear.  And  the 
Angel  said  to  them:  Fear  not.  For  behold  I  bring  you  good 
tidings  of  great  joy,  that  shall  be  to  all  the  people.  For  this  day 
is  born  to  you  a  Saviour,  who  is  Christ  the  Lord,  in  the  city  of 
David.  And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  you.  You  shall  find  the 
Infant  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  in  a  manger." 

To  these  poor  folk,  the  first  called  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
and  to  the  everlasting  glories  of  His  Kingdom,  a  foretaste  is  there 
given  of  the  society  which  Christians  are  to  share  here  and  here- 
after. "  Suddenly  there  was  with  the  Angel  a  multitude  of  the 
heavenly  army,  praising  God  and  saying.  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  and  on  earth  peace  to  men  of  good  will."  These  first  cour- 
tiers  of  the  Saviour-King,  as  well  as  all  His  followers  to  the  end  of 
time,  must  accustom  themselves  to  behold  with  the  eyes  of  faith 
the  splendors  of  that  unseen  world,  in  which  Christ  reigns,  minis- 
tered to  by  myriads  of  these  bright  angelic  spirits. 

There  is  one  sentence  recorded  of  Mary,  in  the  passage,  which 
recounts  the  visit  of  the  Shepherds  to  the  new-born  Babe.  They 
had  found  "  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  the  Infant  lying  in  the  manger^ 
And,  seeing,  they  understood  of  the  word  that  had  been  spoken  to 
them  concerning  the  Child.  And  all  that  heard  wondered  .  .  . 
But  Mary  kept  all  these  words,  pondering  in  her  heart."  The  sole 
study  of  this  Mother  of  the  incarnate  God,  was  to  know  Him  and 
His  mysteries.  Knowing  Him,  therefore,  better  than  all  others, 
she  walked  more  closely  in  His  footsteps,  treading,  not  in  the  paths 
where  honor  and  applause  might  reach  her  on  His  account,  but  in 
the  ways  of  obscurity,  deep  enlightened  love  and  heroic  suffering. 

The  eighth  day  came,  and  the  parents,  fo„Dwing  the  guidance  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  took  the  Child  to  the  Priest  to  have  Him  circum- 
cised, in  conformity  with  the  Law.  In  every  particular  both  He 
and  they  wished  to  give  an  example  of  perfect  obedience.  He  had 
taken  to  Himself  the  flesh  of  Adam,  in  order  so  to  hallow  it  by  the 
union,  that  it  might  be  our  ransom  on  the  cross.  In  circumcision 
the  redeeming  blood  begins  to  flow,  and  the  divine  humility  that 
was  to  shine  forth  in  His  Passion,  already  manifests  itself  in  Beth- 
lehem. Then  was  He  given  the  name  of  Jesus,  by  Joseph,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  injunction  of  the  Angel. 

Mary  and  Joseph  were  soon  afterward  gladdened  by  the  coming 
of  the  Magi— the  "Three  Wise  Men,"  or  "Three  Kings"  from 
the  East.  It  was  a  memorable  event.  Jerusalem,  where  the 
standards  and  eagles  of  Imperial  Rome  were  displayed  on  the 
Antonia  Tower,  overlooking  the  temple,  and  where  the  Idumean 
Herod  was  acknowledged  as  king,  knew  that  the  "sceptre  had 
passed  out  of  Juda,"  and,  therefore,  that  the  promised  Saviour 
must  be  nigh.  He  had  already  come,  and  Jerusalem  and  Judaea 
knew  it  n<*t.  I'hey  expected  a  mighty  Prince,  manifesting  himself 
with  more  than  the  warlike  genius  of  David  and  the  far-reaching 
wisdom  of  Solomon.  And  lo  !  He  lay  hidden  in  a  wayside  cavern  , 
at  Bethlehem,  swathed  with  the  clothes  of  infancy,  and  laid  in  a 
manger !  This  was  not  the  Messiah  who  could  challenge  the  ac- 
ceptance and  worship  of  the  worldly-minded  Jews. 

But  in  the  depths  of  the  mysterious  East,  through  which  the 
Israelites  had  been  scattered,  God  had  ever  had  among  the  idola- 
trous nations  men  who  cherished  the  universal  belief  in  a  future 
Redeemer  and  Restorer,  and  looked  anxiously  forward  to  His  com- 
ing. This  faith  of  the  Patriarchs,  preserved,  though  obscured, 
among  the  Gentiles,  was  confirmed  by  contact  with  the  dispersed 
Israelites,  and  by  the  holy  lives  of  such  men  as  the  elder  Tobias 


t) 


LIFE   OF  THE   BLESSED    VIRGIN   MARY. 


and  his  son  and  kinsfolk,  rfere  are  three  of  these  noble  watchers 
for  the  Star  that  was  to  "  rise  out  of  Jacob,"  the  "  Sceptre"  that 
was  to  "spring  up  from  Israel."  They  had  counted  the  years  as- 
signed by  prophesy  for  His  apparition  ;  and  God  had  rewarded  their 
faith  by  an  extraordinary  light  in  the  Heavens,  while  His  Spirit 
spoke  to  their  hearts.  They  had  formed  a  holy  companionship  in 
faith  and  good  works  amid  the  surrounding  unbelief  and  corruption ; 
and  now  they  are  companions  on  the  road  to  Christ. 

The  Gospel  admirably  tells  their  story  up  to  their  arrival  iti  Beth- 
lehem. What  joy  filled  the  hearts  of  Mary  and  Joseph  at  the  sight 
of  these  kingly  pilgrims  from  afar  !  Not  on  shepherds  alone,  then, 
had  the  Day-Star  of  Bethlehem  arisen  ;  not  alone  for  the  poor  and 
lowly  was  His  Kingdom  ;  nor  alone  over  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
the  Israelites  was  His  reign  to  extend  He  was  to  gather  all  nations 
to  Himself  by  the  irresistible  force  of  Truth  and  Charity. 

Herod,  alarmed  by  t.ie  coming  of  the  noble  Pilgrims,  and  the 
tidings  that  the  King  Messiah  was  born,  only  waited  for  their  re- 
turn to  Jerusalem  and  the  precise  information  expected  from  them, 
to  pay  his  visit  to  Mother  and  Babe.  We  know  what  fell  purpose 
he  entertained. 

The  Three  First  Worshippers  from  among  the  Gentiles  are  gone 
as  they  came — in  haste ;  their  path  lies  not  toward  Jerusalem,  where 
a  dark  and  unsparing  State-policy  is  plotting  the  destruction  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace,  and  their  own  as  well ;  but  God's  Angel  guides 
them  safely  towards  their  own  people,  whom  they  are  to  leaven  with 
faith  in  the  Redeemer. 

"  And  after  they  were  departed,  behold,  an  angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  in  sleep  to  Joseph,  saying.  Arise,  and  take  the  Child  and 
His  Mother,  and  fly  into  Egypt ;  and  be  there  until  I  shall  tell 
thee  .  .  .  who  arose,  and  took  the  Child  and  His  Mother  by  night, 
and  retired  into  Egypt ;  and  he  was  there  until  the  death  of 
Herod."  Instantly,  in  the  dead  of  the  night,  without  hesitation  or 
murmur,  and  trusting  themselves  to  the  ever-watchful  care  of  Provi- 
dence, Joseph  and  Mary  betook  them  to  flight.  Not  a  moment  too 
soon.  For  the  spies  of  Herod  had  warned  him  of  the  departure  of 
the  Wise  Men,  and  his  minions  were  already  on  their  way  to  Beth- 
lehem. The  fugitives  were  yet  amid  the  secret  passes  of  Carmel, 
when  the  sword  of  the  first  persecutor  "  killed  all  the  men-children 
that  were  in  Bethlehem,  and  in  all  the  borders  thereof,  from  two 
years  old,  and  under." 

What  route  Joseph  chose  along  the  southern  sea-coast  we  have  no 
means  of  ascertaining.  Doubtless  he  avoided  the  most  frequented, 
because,  while  firmly  relying  on  the  angelic  guidance  in  case  of  great 
need,  he  used  all  his  own  sagacity  in  avoiding  every  danger  to  his 
precious  charge  Nor  do  we  know  with  anything  like  an  approach 
to  certainty,  in  what  city  or  village  of  Egypt  the  Holy  Family  fixed 
their  abode  while  waiting  for  the  order  to  return  to  Palestine.  It 
is  likely  that  Joseph,  in  his  prudence,  would  shun  the  cities  where 
he  might  find  large  colonies  of  his  countrymen,  and  with  them 
emissaries  of  Herod.  A  quiet  country  hamlet,  where  his  skill  in 
working  wood  could  provide  for  the  sustenance  of  the  two  beings 
he  worshipped,  would  most  naturally  fix  the  choice  of  Christ's  de- 
voted Guardian.  As  the  precise  date  of  Herod's  death  is  unknown, 
so  also  is  the  duration  of  the  Holy  Family's  stay  in  Egypt. 

If  by  any  chance  the  Blessed  Mother  learned,  while  there,  the 
cruel  massacre  of  the  innocents  in  Bethlehem  and  its  neighborhood, 
how  much  more  keenly  her  heart  felt  the  wound  made  by  the  first 
mortal  peril  that  threatened  the  life  of  her  Babe !  Already,  even 
before  Holy  Simeon  prophesied  about  the  sword  which  was  to  pierce 
her  on  Calvary,  she  felt  its  point  searching  her  soul.  The  Church, 
m  after  ages,  called  her  the  "Queen  of  Martyrs."     She  was  in 


reality  such  while  yet  in  Egypt.  For  the  babes  so  inhumanly  slain 
in  Bethlehem  were  only  the  first  glorious  band  in  that  great  army 
of  Martyrs,  who  were  to  bear  witness  with  i.ieir  blood  to  the 
Divinity  of  the  Lamb. 

At  length,  the  angelic  messenger  bade  Joseph  return  to  Judaea. 
"Arise,  and  take  the  Child  and  His  Mother,  and  go  into  the  land 
of  Israel."  With  the  same  promptness  and  unquestioning  sim- 
plicity Joseph  executes  the  divine  command.  He  is  the  head  of 
God's  family  on  earth ;  to  him  is  the  divine  will  intimated  ;  and  to 
him  it  belongs  to  see  it  executed,  both  the  Word  Incarnate  and 
His  Mother  yielding  implicit  obedience  to  Joseph.  In  these  last 
years,  as  the  nineteenth  century  draws  to  its  close,  the  Church  has 
solemnly  declared  S.  Joseph  to  be,  under  God,  her  protector  and 
the  guardian  of  all  her  interests.  Why  should  he,  who  made  of 
Christ  and  His  interests,  in  infancy,  childhood  and  youth,  the  one 
absorbing  care  of  his  life — not  continue  in  Heaven  to  be  the  guar- 
dian and  protector  of  all  those  who  are  dear  to  Christ? 

And  so,  Joseph  "arose  and  took  the  Child  and  His  Mother,  and 
came  into  the  land  of  Israel.  But  hearing  that  Archelaus  reip^ied 
in  Judsea  in  the  room  of  Herod  his  father,  he  was  afraid  to  go 
thither;  and,  being  warned  in  sleep,  retired  into  the  quarters  O': 
Galilee.     And  coming,  he  dwelt  in  a  city  called  Nazareth." 

The  death  of  Herod,  and  the  horror  caused  by  the  massacre  of 
the  innocents,  produced  a  reaction  in  the  public  mind.  People 
were  naturally  averse  to  blood  and  persecution.  Moreover,  the 
multitude  who  did  not  take  pains  to  inquire  minutely  into  the 
truth  of  things,  fancied  that  the  Babe  mistaken  for  King  Messiah 
by  the  Wise  Men,  must  have  perished  in  the  wholesale  butchery 
ordered  by  Herod.  Mary,  then,  once  restored  with  her  infant  to 
her  obscure  and  peaceful  abode  in  Nazareth,  had  no  reason  to  delay 
the  ceremony  prescribed  by  the  law,  of  presenting  her  Son  in  the 
temple  of  Jerusalem,  and  making  the  offering  customary  on  this 
occasion.  Joseph  chose  the  opportune  season,  and  guided  the 
Blessed  Mother  on  her  way.  They  acted  throughout  in  perfect 
conformity  with  the  divine  plan  revealed  to  them,  that  they  shoul4 
conceal  from  the  outer  world  the  quality  and  mission  of  the  Child 
they  called  their  own.  They  left  it  to  the  Spirit  of  God  to  en- 
lighten privileged  individuals  concerning  the  Messiah. 

Mary,  in  presenting  to  the  Lord  in  His  temple,  her  own  first- 
born, offered  with  Him  a  pair  of  turtle-doves.  It  was  the  offering 
of  the  poor;  and  she  made  no  apology  for  it.  The  priests 
in  attendance  performed  their  function ;  no  thought  about  the 
possibility  of  this  child  of  poor  parents  being  the  Messiah,  crossed 
their  mind ;  no  light  from  on  high  disclosed  the  Emmanuel  .  .  . 
Two  holy  souls  were  there,  however,  to  whom  He  revealed  Him- 
self— Simeon  and  Anna ;  the  former,  like  the  Three  Wise  Men  in 
the  East,  yearning  to  look  upon  the  face  of  his  Redeemer  befort 
he  closed  his  eyes;  the  latter,  a  saintly  widow,  now  in  her  eighty, 
fourth  year,  "who  departed  not  from  the  temple,  by  fastings  and 
prayers  serving  night  and  day." 

Simeon  "  came  by  the  Spirit  into  the  temple.  And  when  His 
parents  brought  in  the  Child  Jesus,  ...  he  also  took  Him  in  his 
arms,  and  blessed  God,  and  said :  Now  Thou  dost  dismiss  Thy  ser- 
vant, O  Lord,  according  to  Thy  word  in  peace.  Because  my  eyes 
have  seen  Thy  salvation.  .  .  .  And  His  father  and  mother  were 
wondering  at  these  things  wh'-h  were  spoken  concerning  Him. 
And  Simeon  blessed  them,  and  said  to  Mary  His  Mother :  Be- 
hold this  Child  is  set  for  the  fall  and  for  the  resurrection  of  many 
in  Israel,  for  a  sign  w!_ich  shaU  be  contradicted.  And  thy  own  sow 
a  swofd  shall  pierce. ' ' 

Anna  also  "at  the  same  hour  coming  in,  confessed  to  the  Lord 


LIFE   OF   THE   bi_  ESSED   VIRGIN    MARY. 


7 


and  spoke  of  Him  to  all  that  looked  for  the  redemption  of 
Israel." 

The  ceremony  of  Purification  and  Presentation  ended,  Mary  and 
Joseph  were  not  tempted,  by  this  extraordinary  occurrence  in  the 
temple,  to  remain  in  Jerusalem,  and  expose  their  Treasure  to  new 
perils  by  attracting  to  Him  the  attention  even  of  the  devout  among 
the  citizens.  They  hastened  back  to  Galilee,  and  buried  them- 
selves with  ail  their  hopes  and  fears  beneath  the  roof  which  had 
sheltered  Joachim  and  Anna.  "And  the  Child  grew,  and  waxed 
strong,  full  of  wisdom ;  and  the  grace  of  God  was  in  Him." 

Of  the  life  which  the  Holy  Family  led  in  their  lowly  home  at 
Nazareth,  from  the  Presentation  of  Christ  up  to  His  twelfth  year, 
no  other  account  is  given  in  the  Gospel,  save  only  that  "  His 
parents  went  every  year  to  Jerusalem  at  the  solemn  day  of  the 
Pasch.'  The  privilege  they  had  of  possessing  Him  who  was  above 
the  Law,  from  whom  indeed  the  Law  had  come,  never  prevented 
them  from  fulfilling  in  letter  and  in  spirit  its  injunctions.  They 
were  content  to  bide  God's  own  appointed  nme  for  Christ's  mani- 
festation in  Israel. 

But  the  sword  of  which  Simeon  had  prophesied  daily  probed 
the  bosom  of  the  anxious  Mother.  She  knew  that  His  blood  was 
to  redeem  the  world.  The  time  and  manner  alone  remained  a 
»ecret  hidden  from  her  motherly  heart.  She  naturally  feared  every 
year's  appointed  festivals  calling  them  to  Jerusalem,  lest  His  visit 
there  should  verify  Simeon's  prediction.  This  throws  a  light  on 
the  next  event  recorded  in  the  blended  lives  of  Mother  and  Son. 

"And  when  He  was  twelve  years  old,  they  going  up  into  Jeru- 
salem, according  to  the  custom  of  the  feast,  and  having  fulfilled 
the  days,  when  they  returned,  the  Child  Jesus  remained  in  Jerusa- 
lem ;  and  His  parents  knew  it  not.  And  thinking  that  He  was  in 
the  company,  they  came  a  day's  journey,  and  sought  him  among 
their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance.  And  not  finding  Him,  they  re- 
turned into  Jerusalem,  seeking  Him.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that 
after  three  days  they  found  Him  in  the  Temple  sitting  in  the  midst 
of  the  doctors,  hearing  them  and  asking  them  questions.  And  all 
that  heard  Him  were  astonished  at  His  wisdom  and  His  answers. 
And  seeing  Him,  they  wondered.  And  His  Mother  said  to  Him  : 
Son,  why  hast  thou  done  so  to  us  ?  Behold  Thy  father  and  I  have 
sought  Thee  sorrowing.  And  He  said  to  them:  How  is  it  that 
you  sought  Me  ?  Did  you  not  know  that  I  must  be  about  My 
Father's  business?  And  they  understood  not  the  word  that  He 
spoke  unto  them.  And  He  went  down  with  them  and  came  to 
Nazareth ;  and  was  subject  to  them.  And  His  Mother  kept  all 
these  words  in  her  heart.  And  Jesus  advanced  in  wisdom  and  age 
and  grace  with  God  and  men." 

In  this  most  simple  and  beautiful  narrative  stand  out  conspicu- 
ously, the  absorbing  love  of  Mary  and  Joseph  for  the  Boy-Saviour ; 
their  solicitude  for  His  safety,  their  keen  sorrow  at  not  finding  Him 
*'  among  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance  ;  "  the  affectionate  freedom 
.with  which  tliey  remonstrate  with  Him  for  having  left  their  com- 
pan  This  accords  with  what  we  have  already  written  :  thai  the 
interests  of  Jesus  are  those  of  Joseph  and  Mary.  The  Mother  on 
missing  her  Divine  Son,  feels  the  sword  already  piercing  her  soul. 
Joseph's  fatherly  heart  experiences  a  different,  though  scarcely  less 
poignant  sorrow,  at  the  thought  of  his  charge  being  possibly  in  the 
clutches  of  Herod's  successor.  We  are  also  plainly  taught  that  the 
Wisdom  Incarnate,  who  astonished  the  doctors  and  their  audience 
by  His  questions  and  His  answers,  had  already  been  instructing 
Mary  and  Joseph  about  the  supernatural  purpose  for  which  He  was 
come  down  among  men.  "  Did  you  not  know  that  I  must  be  about 
My  Father's  business?"     The  liberty  which  they  allowed   their 


Emmanuel  to  be  about  this  *' business, "  whenever  the  Spirit 
prompted  Him,  was  one  cause  of  His  being  separated  from  theii 
company.  He  wished  to  show  that,  being  the  Messiah,  He  could 
at  any  time  He  thought  fit  enter  upon  His  public  mission,  and  shed 
abroad  among  men  the  light  of  His  doctrine.  Having  thus,  in  the 
presence  of  all,  and  within  the  temple  of  which  He  was  the  Divinity, 
asserted  His  fulness  of  knowledge.  His  divine  Sonship,  and  His 
independence.  He  at  once  goes  with  His  parents,  and  resumes  His 
former  position  of  dutiful  obedience  in  the  household  of  Nazareth. 

Another  suggestion  is  made  in  the  text.  The  Holy  Family,  on 
their  way  to  and  from  Jerusalem,  have  for  companions  their  "kins- 
folk and  acquaintance. ' '  Neither  Mary  nor  Joseph,  though  of  the 
house  of  David,  are  without  dear  and  near  relatives  in  Nazareth  and 
the  neighboring  cities  of  Galilee.  It  was  the  time  for  the  Evan- 
gelist to  make  mention  of  other  children  in  the  home  of  the  car- 
penter. They  only  speak  of  "kinsfolk  "  or  "brethren,"  as  the  Jew- 
ish custom  denominated  all  blood  relations. 

And  so,  one  brief  and  pregnant  sentence  describes  the  remaining 
years  of  the  Master,  till,  in  His  thirtieth.  He  quitted  His  home  \\\ 
Nazareth  to  preach  the  "  good  tidings  "  to  His  countrymen.  "  He 
went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Nazareth,  and  was  subject  to 
them.  And  His  Mother  kept  all  these  words  in  her  heart.  And 
Jesus  advanced  in  wisdom  and  age  and  grace  with  God  and  men." 

Thenceforward,  till  His  thirtieth  year,  Christ  continued  to  abide 
at  Nazareth,  passing,  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  of  the  place,  for  the 
son  of  Joseph.  The  veil  which  covered  His  origin  and  dignity 
was  never  raised  by  either  parent.  ..."  We  are  apt  to  look  upon 
this  portion  of  His  earthly  life  as  lost,  and  disposed  to  blame  either 
the  influence  exercised  on  Him  by  His  Mother,  or  the  poverty  of 
Joseph ;  or,  again,  to  criticize  the  divine  economy  for  permitting 
these  precious,  teeming  years  of  His  boyhood  and  youth  to  be  spent 
in  a  little  country  town.  .  .  .  We  forget  that  these  long  years  of 
obscurity,  obedience,  progress  in  wisdom,  in  every  virtue  which 
can  grace  manhood,  and  in  patient,  uncomplaining  toil  beneath  the 
carpenter's  roof,  were  destined  by  the  Eternal  Wisdom  to  serve  as 
the  most  eloquent  and  effective  lesson  for  the  immense  majority  of 
men  in  every  age  and  country. 

•The  over-burdened  children  of  toil,  to-day  as  in  the  days  of 
Christ,  as  every  day  till  time  shall  be  no  more,  need  the  teaching 
and  example  of  Joseph  the  son  of  royal  David,  and  of  Jesus  the 
Incarnate  Word,  to  enable  them  to  find  obscurity  sweet,  and  obe- 
dience easy,  and  the  persevering  toil  of  years  tolerable. 

"  There  is  more  than  that :  we  are,  not  unfrequently,  tempted  to 
think  and  say  that  the  life  of  His  Mother,  the  Second  Eve,  the 
model  of  her  sex  wherever  Christianity  prevails,  is  one  of  compar- 
ative nullity.  ...  Is  she  then  less  admirable,  because  her  life  at 
Nazareth  is  merged  in  that  of  her  Son  T  Let  every  woman  who 
reads  these  pages,  and  takes  time  to  ponder  what  is  here  intended, 
lay  this  truth  to  heart,  that  the  future  of  the  world,  the  greatness 
and  happiness  of  every  country,  depend  on  the  growth  of  true  man- 
hood within  the  obscurity  and  hallowed  quiet  of  the  Christian  home. 
Every  natural  and  supernatural  virtue  that  goes  to  make  up  the 
true  man  in  the  home  of  the  laborer  and  mechanic,  as  well  as  in 
that  of  the  rich,  the  learned,  the  noble,  and  the  great,  is  a  fruit  of 
the  mother's  sowing  and  ripening.  We,  in  our  day  and  generation, 
are  impatient  of  home-restraints,  of  slow  and  progressive  culture : 
one  such  son  as  David  or  Samuel  is  glory  enough  for  any  mother. 
When  Christ  left  His  loved  retreat  at  Nazareth,  and  filled  Judaea 
with  His  name,  it  was  said  of  Him :  '  He  hath  done  all  things 
well.'  What  mother  could  desire  sweeter  praise  for  her  life-labors, 
or  a  more  complete  eulogy  on  her  dearest  one  ?    And  since  Christ's 


LIFE   OF   THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN   MARY. 


'  life  and  examples  have  become  an  influence  of  every  day  and  mo- 
ment, during  the  past  eighteen  hundred  years,  how  many  mothers 
have  found  light  and  strength  in  the  virtues  which  shine  forth  to 
the  attentive  eye  within  the  lowly  abode  of  Mary  at  Nazareth?" — 
(Heroic  Women  of  the  Bible  and  the  Church,  pp.  235,  236.) 
As  to  Joseph,  the  blessed  head  of  that  holy  household  of  Naza- 
reth, the  Gospel  makes  no  further  mention  of  him.  He  lived  to 
rear,  to  the  first  years  of  manhood,  that  Jesus  who  loved  to  call  him 
father.  He  died,  as  became  one  privileged  beyond  all  men, 
blessed  and  loved,  tended  and  cheered  by  the  two  beings  to  whom 
he  had  given  his  life.  No  Christian  man  and  woman  can  think  of 
the  holy  and  devoted  foster-father  of  the  Saviour,  and  of  the  vir- 
tues which  shine  forth  in  his  conduct,  without  saying  that  he  was 
as  "blessed  among  men"  as  Mary,  his  beloved  companion,  was 
"blessed  among  women." 

IV. 

It  was  natural  that  our  Lord,  during  the  eighteen  last  years  of 
His  life  at  Nazareth,  should  prepare  His  Mother  for  the  trials  which 
awaited  them  both  in  the  fulfilment  of  His  public  mission.  All 
through  these  three  years  it  is  probable  that  Mary  lived  habitually 
either  in  her  own  home  at  Nazareth,  or  at  Capharnaum  among  her 
near  relatives,  the  two  sisters,  mothers,  respectively,  of  the  Apostles 
James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  of  James  the  younger 
and  Jude,  the  sons  of  Alpheus,  As  to  her  occupation  during  this 
period,  a  twofold  testimony,  that  of  Celsus,  an  enemy  of  the 
Christian  name,  and  that  of  Tertullian,  throws  some  light  upon 
the  matter.  The  former  says  that  Mary  was  one  who  supported 
herself  by  manual  labor ;  the  latter  affirms  substantially  the  same 
fact.  Like  her  husband,  Joseph,  like  the  Incarnate  Word,  her  Son, 
Mary  helped  to  elevate,  in  her  own  person,  the  condition  of  the 
laborer,  to  make  of  labor  itself  a  something  sacred  and  divine. 

Her  first  appearance,  in  the  public  life  of  our  Lord,  was  in  con- 
nection with  the  Marriage  Feast  in  Canna — a  town  situated  a  few 
miles  westward  of  Nazareth.  This  marriage  was  the  occasion  of 
bringing  together  our  Lord  and  His  Mother  with  the  first  disciples, 
who  had  openly  acknowledged  Him  as  the  Messiah :  these  were 
Peter  and  Andrew,  two  brothers,  and  Philip  and  Nathanael — Gali- 
leans all  four  of  them — and  the  nucleus  of  that  band  of  believers, 
recruited  chiefly  from  Galilee,  who  were  to  be,  under  God,  the 
founders  of  Christianity  in  the  East  and  West. 

The  marriage  at  Cana  took  place  a  few  months  after  the  Baptism 
of  our  Lord  by  John,  the  solemn  proclamation  of  His  Mission  by 
the  Precursor  to  the  crowd  near  the  Jordan,  and  the  public  miracle 
by  which  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit  manifested  His  Sonship 
and  Divinity.  Then  He  retired  into  the  wild  mountain  tracts  near 
the  river  to  spend  forty  entire  days  and  nights  in  solitude,  prayer, 
and  abstinence  from  all  food — setting  to  all  apostolic  men  to  the 
end  of  time  an  example  which  they  must  follow,  if  they  would 
continue  His  work  with  fruit.  Christianity,  the  divinity  of  Chris- 
tian life,  the  spread  of  God-like  Christian  holiness — all  are  based 
upon  self-denial,  self-sacrifice,  and  habitual  prayer.  Prayer  is  the 
very  soul  of  holiness. 

It  has  been  the  sense  of  the  Church  from  the  days  of  the  apostles 
to  our  own,  that  this  first  miracle  of  our  Lord,  performed  at  the 
urgent  solicitation  of  His  Mother,  gave  a  new  and  solemn  sanction 
to  the  institution  of  matrimony.  The  sanctity  and  happiness  of 
family  life,  the  unity  and  permanence  of  the  tie  which,  in  the  Chris- 
tian home,  binds  to  each  other  the  father  and  the  mother,  the  pa- 
rents and  the  children,  is  the  foundation  of  Christian  society,  Chris- 
tian civilization.     Christ,  by  assisting  with  His  Mother  and  His 


disciples,  at  this  marriage  ceremony  and  feasc,  and  by  sanctioning 
them  with  a  public  and  stupendous  miracle,  wished  us — the  Church 
teaches — to  understand  that  He  thereby  raised  the  primitive  matri- 
monial ordinance  to  the  rank  of  a  Sacrament — "  a  Great  Sacra- 
ment," as  S.  Paul  calls  it — blessing  the  whole  stream  of  human 
existence  in  its  source,  by  infusing  into  it  His  own  blood  and  the 
merits  of  His  passion,  and  nourishing  the  souls  of  regenerated 
humanity  with  the  spiritual  energy  divinely  connected  with  His 
sacraments. 

It  is  but  the  simple  truth  to  say,  that  Mary  by  her  presence  at 
this  Marriage  Feast,  and  by  her  active  part  in  obtaining  the  stupend- 
ous miracle  performed  on  the  occasion,  showed  herself  to  be  the 
true  Mother  of  the  New  Life,  the  Second  Eve  whose  pleading  with 
the  Second  Adam  resulted,  not  in  the  ruin,  but  in  the  elevation  and 
sanctification  of  the  human  family. 

One  word  about  the  seeming  rebuke  which  our  Lord  addressed 
on  this  occasion  to  her.  The  festivities,  as  usual  in  the  country  and  in 
that  age,  had  lasted  several  days,  and  to  them  all,  the  near  relatives, 
at  least,  of  the  wedded  pair  and  their  families  had  been  invited. 
The  wine — the  home-made,  wholesome  growth  of  each  farm 
throughout  the  land — gave  out.  Mary's  watchful  eye  detected  this, 
and  the  secret  prompting  of  the  Holy  Spirit  urged  her  to  say  to 
her  Son  :  "  They  have  no  wine."  It  was  a  womanly  and  motherly 
'act.  He,  however,  for  the  sake  of  His  future  fellow-workers  there 
present,  as  well  as  for  the  instruction  of  us  all,  will  have  her  under- 
stand that  what  He  is  going  to  do,  what  she  evidently  expects  Him 
to  do,  belongs  to  the  Divine  Order,  in  which  the  claims  or  obliga- 
tions of  flesh  and  blood  must  never  influence  the  dispensers  of 
God's  mysteries.  "  And  Jesus  saith  to  her :  Woman  (lady,  rather), 
what  is  it  to  Me  and  to  thee  ?  My  hour  is  not  yet  come.  His 
Mother  saith  to  the  waiters :  Whatsoever  He  shall  say  to  you,  do 
ye."  "^he  solemn  hour,  indeed,  for  proclaiming  from  the  cross,  at 
the  ve>  /  consummation  of  His  mediatorial  office,  that  she  is  His 
Mother  and  that  He  is  her  son,  has  not  yet  come.  That  was  to  be 
the  hour  of  supreme  love  for  both,  of  love  united  in  the  oblation 
and  consummation  of  such  suffering  as  the  hearts  of  mother  and 
son  never  endured  before  or  since.  It  is  clear  that  she  does  not 
take  His  answer  for  a  rebuke  The  eloquence  of  the  miracle  ac- 
complished at  her  suggestion  and  entreaty  should  explain  the 
"  What  is  it  to  Me  and  to  thee?"  and  do  away  with  the  obscurity 
or  apparent  harshness  of  the  idiomatic  expressions  of  a  foreign 
language,  or  the  style  of  address  among  a  people  so  different  in 
every  way  from  ourselves. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  petition  of  the  Blessed  Mother  has  been 
held  up  as  a  model  of  the  confidence  and  humility  which  should 
ever  be  found  in  prayer.  She  knows  to  Whom  she  pleads,  she  states 
in  the  simplest  terms  the  need  of  her  friends,  and  leaves  the  rest  to 
the  Almighty  Goodness. 

Such  is  also  the  way  in  which  Martha  and  Mary  represent  the 
case  of  their  brother  Lazarus:  "Lord,  he  whom  Thou  lovest  is 
sick. ' '  In  both  cases,  a  miracle  is  asked  for ;  in  both  it  is  granted ; 
whereas  it  would  have  been  refused,  if  the  asking  it  had  been  deemed 
an  unwarrantable  interference  with  the  power  of  the  Man-God. 

"  This  beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and 
manifested  His  glory,  and  His  disciples  believed  in  Him.  After 
this  He  went  down  to  Capharnaum,  He  and  His  Mother,  and  His 
brethren,  and  His  disciples;  and  they  remained  there  not  many 
days.  And  the  Pasch  of  the  Jews  was  at  hand,  and  Jesus  went  up 
to  Jerusalem." 

The  miracle  just  performed  naturally  bound  His  own  kinsfolk  to 
the  Master.     Accompanied  by  these  "  His  brethren,"  and  by  His 


LIFE   OF   THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN   MARY. 


9 


disciples,  iie  takes  nis  Mother  with  Him  to  Caphamaum,  then  the 
most  important  city  of  Galilee,  and  the  centre  of  a  thriving  com- 
merce, favorably  situated  on  the  Lake  of  Gennesareth.  This  city 
was  to  be  the  chief  centre  of  our  Lord's  public  labors  in  Galilee 
during  the  three  ensuing  years.  He  did  not  then,  however,  fix  His 
abode  there  and  that  of  His  Mother.  He  intended  to  return  and 
to  preach  in  Nazareth  the  truth  concerning  Himself  and  His 
mission — only,  when  His  own  townsfolk  had  rejected  Him,  would 
He  seek  a  second  home  for  His  widowed  Parent  and  Himself 
Meanwhile,  the  celebration  of  the  Pasch  calls  both  Him  and  His 
Mother  to  Jerusalem.  Hitherto,  with  the  sole  exception  of  His 
disputation  with  the  doctors  in  His  twelfth  year,  nothing  had  been 
done,  or  is  recorded  of  Him  as  having  been  done,  in  Jerusalem, 
to  assert  His  divine  mission  as  the  Messiah.  On  this  memorable 
visit  to  the  capital.  He  openly  asserted  His  authority.  He  startled 
priests  and  people,  indeed,  the  entire  multitude  of  Jews  from  Pales- 
tine and  other  countries  come  to  the  Passover,  by  casting  the 
traders  out  of  the  temple.  To  those  who  challenged  His  right  to 
do  such  acts.  He  replied  only  by  affirming  that  were  the  temple  it- 
self destroyed,  He  could  rebuild  it  in  three  days.  This,  of  course, 
was  an  obscure  prophesy  of  His  own  return  to  life,  three  days  after 
His  death  on  the  cross.  His  hearers  did  not  understand  Him,  and 
only  resolved  to  punish  His  temerity.  He,  however,  must  have 
pointed  to  His  own  body,  the  very  Reality  figured  by  the  temple ; 
for  His  disciples  present  on  the  occasion  so  understood  His  mean- 
ing, and  remembered  it  three  years  afterward.  But  although  He 
refused  to  perform  a  miracle  to  satisfy  His  enemies,  S.  John  assures 
us  that  at  this  same  Pasch  in  Jerusalem,  "  many  believed  in  His 
name,  seeing  the  signs  which  He  did.  But  Jesus  did  not  trust  Him- 
self unto  them,  for  that  He  knew  all  men."  Then  also  took  place 
the  secret  interview  with  Nicodemus,  as  well  as  the  discourse  in 
which  our  Lord  so  emphatically  asserted  His  mission  and  His 
divinity. 

His  Mother,  who  closely  watched  His  every  movement  while  in 
the  capital,  and  who  hung  upon  every  word  of  His,  could  not  help 
hearing  the  murmurs  and  threats  of  the  Pharisees,  as  well  as  the 
praise  of  such  as  were  drawn  to  Christ  by  His  miracles  and  teach- 
ing. She  returned  with  Him  to  Galilee  as  she  had  come,  in  the 
company  of  His  disciples.  He  at  once  began,  while  yet  in  north- 
ern Judaea,  near  the  Jordan,  with  them  the  work  of  teaching  and 
baptizing  (S.  John  iii.  22).  At  that  very  time  John  the  Baptist 
was  pursuing  his  holy  labors  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  at  Ennon 
(or  vEnon),  not  far  from  the  southern  border  of  Galilee.  The 
fame  of  Christ's  teaching  in  the  neighborhood,  of  His  wondrous 
■works,  and  of  the  many  whom  His  disciples  were  baptizing,  soon 
reached  the  ears  of  John.  John's  followers  questioned  him  with  re- 
gard to  the  authority  which  the  Christ  had  for  so  doing.  The 
answer  of  the  Precursor  contains  the  most  solemn  testimony  in  all 
the  Gospel  to  the  Mission  of  Christ  and  to  His  Divinity.  "You 
yourselves  do  bear  me  witness,  that  I  said  I  am  not  Christ,  but  that 
I  am  sent  before  Him.  He  that  hath  the  Bride,  is  the  Bridegroom  • 
but  the  friend  of  the  Bridegroom,  who  standeth  and  heareth  Him, 
rejoiceth  with  joy  because  of  the  Bridegroom's  voice.  This  my 
joy  therefore  is  fulfilled.  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease. 
He  that  cometh  from  above,  is  above  all.  He  that  is  of  earth,  of 
the  earth  he  is,  and  of  the  earth  he  speaketh.  He  that  cometh 
from  Heaven  is  above  all.  And  what  He  hath  seen  and  heard, 
that  He  testifieth ;  and  no  man  receiveth  His  testimony.  He  that 
hath  received  His  testimony,  hath  set  to  his  seal  that  God  is  true. 
For  He  whom  God  hath  sent  speaketh  the  words  of  God  :  for  God 
doth  not  give  the  Spirit  by  measure  [to  Him].      The  Father  loveth 


the  Son;  and  He  hath  given  all  thii.gs  into  ij'shand.  He  that 
believeth  in  the  Son  hath  life  everlasting ;  but  he  tuat  believeth  not 
the  Son,  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  in  him." 

How  consistent  is  the  conduct  of  the  holy  son  of  Elizabeth  with 
the  prediction  of  the  Archangel  Gabriel,  when  he  foretold  his  birth 
and  his  mission  toward  Christ  !  And  how  the  echo  of  this  glorious 
testimony,  reaching  the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  had  not  yet  parted 
from  Christ  and  His  disciples,  must  have  filled  her  soul  with  joy  ! 
"  I  am  not  [the]  Christ.  ...  I  am  sent  before  Him.  .  .  .  He 
must  increase,but  I  must  decrease. ' '  The  small  band  of  believers  who 
now  follow  the  Messiah  must  go  on  increasing,  till  the  society  they 
form  fills  Judaea  and  Galilee,  till  it  spreads  beyond  Palestine  and 
Asia,  and  fills  the  whole  earth.  "  I  must  decrease  ;  "  my  disciples 
are  only  prepared  for  the  teaching  of  the  Divine  Master.  He  is 
the  Heavenly  Bridegroom  to  whom  belongs  the  Bride,  the  Church 
to  be  redeemed  by  His  blood  and  born  anew  of  the  baptism  which 
typifies  it.  How  can  I,  His  friend  and  Precursor,  not  rejoice, 
when  He  is  so  near  me,  when  the  voice  of  His  teaching  and  the 
fame  of  His  miracles  reach  my  ears  ?  What  am  I,  what  are  all  the 
preceding  prophets,  compared  to  Him  who  "  cometh  from  above," 
and  "  is  above  all  ?"  "  He  that  is  of  the  earth,  of  the  earth  he  is, 
and  of  the  earth  he  speaketh."  I  am  earth-born,  a  poor  child  of 
human  parentage,  like  you  all,  with  the  feelings  of  human  nature, 
and  its  limited  knowledge  and  still  more  limited  power.  "  But 
He  that  cometh  from  Heaven,"  the  Word  co-eternal  with  the 
Father,  born  of  Him  before  the  earth  was,  who  testifieth  among  us 
only  to  what  He  hath  seen  in  His  Father's  bosom  and  what  He 
hath  heard  from  Him  who  is  the  Essential  Truth  and  Holiness, 
who  sets  the  seal  of  divinity  to  His  teaching  by  the  miracles  we  be- 
hold— ^how  is  it  that  "no  man  receiveth  His  testimony?" 

It  is  a  tremendous  condemnation  of  Jewish  chicanery  and  in- 
credulity. 

From  the  neighborhood  of  Ennon  our  Lord  with  His  company 
"returned  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  into  Galilee,  and  the  fame 
of  Him  went  out  through  the  whole  country.  And  He  taught  in 
their  synagogues,  and  was  magnified  by  all."  So  writes  S.  Luke. 
But  S.  Matthew,  who  was  himself  a  Galilean,  adds  further  particu- 
lars. "  And  coming  into  His  own  country.  He  taught  them  in 
their  synagogues,  so  that  they  wondered  and  said :  How  came 
this  man  by  this  wisdom  and  [these]  miracles?"  The  miracles 
were  the  credentials,  the  seal  of  His  mission,  th*;  attestation  that 
His  "wisdom"  was  not  of  earth  but  of  Heaven.  They  were  too 
earthly  and  grovelling  to  rise  above  their  own  low  ideas  and  preju- 
dices. But  the  Messiah  wished  to  preach  to  the  city  in  which  He 
had  spent  childhood  and  youth,  before  He  began  the  circuit  of  all 
Galilee.  It  is  a  great  event  in  the  History  of  His  blessed  Mother,  as 
it  seems  to  have  severed  her  connection  with  her  native  place. 

And  He  came  to  Nazareth,  where  He  was  brought  up ;  and  He  went 
into  the  synagogue  according  to  His  custom,  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
And  He  rose  up  to  read  ;  and  the  book  of  Isaias  the  prophet  was 
delivered  unto  Him.  And  as  He  unfolded  the  book.  He  found  the 
place  where  it  was  written  :  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  Me ; 
wherefore  He  hath  anointed  Me  ;  to  preach  the  Gospe!  to  the  poor  He 
hath  sent  Me,  to  heal  the  contrite  {broken)  of  heart ;  to  preach  deliver- 
ance to  the  captives,  and  sight  to  the  blind ;  to  set  at  liberty  them  that 
are  bruised ;  to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,  and  the  day 
of  reward.  And  when  He  had  folded  the  book.  He  restored  it  to 
the  minister,  and  sat  down.  And  the  eyes  of  all  in  the  synagogue 
were  fixed  on  Him.  And  He  began  to  say  to  them :  This  day  is 
fulfilled  this  Scripture  in  your  ears.  And  all  gave  testimony  to 
Him ;  and  they  wondered  at  the  words  of  grace  that  proceeded 


10 


LIFE   OF   THE   BLESSED    VIRGIN    MARY. 


from  His  mouth,  and  they  said:  Is  not  this  the  son  of  Joseph? 
And  He  said  to  them  :  Doubtless  you  will  say  to  Me  this  simili- 
tude, 'Physician,  heal  thyself:'  as  great  things  as  we  have  heard 
fthat  you  have]  done  in  Capharnaum,  do  also  here  in  Thy  own 
country." 

This  is  the  same  challenge  to  perform  miracles  before  their  eyes, 
which  the  Jews  made  to  Him  in  Jerusalem.  The  speakers  are  ani- 
mated only  by  a  mixture  of  curiosity  and  envy.  The  well-attested 
miracles  performed  in  their  immediate  neighborhood,  at  Cana,  as 
well  as  in  the  city  of  Capharnaum,  together  with  those  which  her- 
alded His  return  to  Galilee,  should  have  disposed  His  own  towns- 
men to  listen  to  that  "wisdom,"  and  to  bow  to  the  authority  of 
Him  who  challenged  their  belief  in  Him,  as  the  Messiah  described 
in  Isaias.  And  then  cotnes  the  sudden  ending  of  His  work  in  their 
midst. 

"  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  that  no  prophet  is  accepted  in  his  own 
country.  In  truth  I  say  to  you,  there  were  many  widows  in  the 
days  of  Elias  in  Israel,  when  Heaven  was  shut  up  three  years  and 
six  months,  when  there  was  a  great  famine  throughout  all  the  earth. 
And  to  none  of  them  was  Elias  sent,  but  to  Sarepta  of  Sidon,  to  a 
widow  woman.  And  there  were  many  lepers  in  Israel  in  the  time 
of  Eliseus  the  prophet ;  and  none  of  them  was  cleansed  but  Naaman 
the  Syrian.  And  all  they  in  the  synagogue,  hearing  these  things, 
were  filled  with  anger.  And  they  rose  up  and  thrust  Him  out  of 
the  city ;  and  they  brought  Him  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  whereon 
their  city  was  built,  that  they  might  cast  Him  down  headlong. 
But  He,  passing  through  the  midst  of  them,  went  His  way."  (S. 
luuke  iv.) 

The  Blessed  Mother  was  a  witness  of  all  this  scene.  Need  we 
describe  her  agony  of  apprehension,  while  the  blind  and  sacrile- 
gious crowd  dragged  their  Messiah  to  the  cruel  death  they  wished 
to  inflict  ?  or  her  grief  at  seeing  her  own  people  rejecting  the 
Saviour,  and  closing  to  themselves  every  road  to  salvation  ? 

From  Nazareth  our  Lord  directed  His  steps  to  Capharnaum, 
where  His  Mother  and  His  disciples  soon  joined  Him.  There  He 
recruited  His  apostles,  Mary,  meanwhile,  finding  a  velcome  in  the 
family  of  her  "sister"  or  near  kinswoman,  Marj  .he  wife  of 
Zebedee,  whose  two  sons,  James  and  John,  attach-  ri  themselves  to 
our  Lord. 

How  far  Christ  permitted,  during  His  repeated  missionary  cir- 
cuits through  Galilee  and  its  "hundred  cities,"  His  Mother  to  ac- 
company Him,  we  cannot  say  from  the  Gospel  narrative  or  from 
tradition.  We  know  that  a  band  of  devoted  Galilean  women  min- 
istered to  His  wants  and  those  of  His  disciples  during  the  three 
years  of  His  public  life.  It  would  be  against  all  probability  to  sup- 
pose that  His  Blessed  Mother  should  have  had  no  sjiare  in  these 
ministrations. 

At  any  rate,  she  must  have  been  with  Him  in  Jefllsalem  during 
the  celebration  of  the  second  Pasch,  mentioned  by  S.  John  (v. 
1-47).  After  this  occurred  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  healing 
of  the  Centurion's  servant,  and  the  resurrection  of  the  widow's  son 
at  Naim,  as  well  as  Christ's  second  circuit  of  Galilee.  The  hatred 
of  His  enemies,  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  was  becoming  daily  more 
open,  and  more  threatening.  Rumors  circulated  of  serious  peril 
to  the  Master's  safety.  John  the  Baptist  had  already  been  impris- 
oned by  Herod  Antipas,  brother  of  Archelaus,  and  tetrarch  of  Gali- 
lee. So  the  Blessed  Mother,  alarmed  by  these  flying  rumors,  has- 
tened with  some  of  her  kinsfolk  to  the  scene  of  our  Lord's  preach- 
ing. Then  happened  that  incident  from  which  non-Catholic 
readers  of  the  Gospel  draw  an  inference  most  injurious  to  Christ 
ftnd  to  His  Mother.     The  multitudes  that  surrounded  Him  night 


and  day,  and  the  demands  upon  His  time,  were  such  that  He  had 
not  even  leisure  "to  eat  bread."  "  And  it  was  told  Him  :  Thy 
Mother  and  Thy  brethren  stand  without,  desiring  to  see  Thee. 
Who,  answering,  said  to  them.  My  Mother  and  My  brethren  are 
they  who  hear  the  word  of  God,  and  do  it."  We  know,  by  His 
taking  His  Mother  with  Him  to  Capharnaum,  after  the  Miracle  of 
Cana,  and  by  His  appearing  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  pro 
claiming  Himself  the  Messiah,  without  denying  that  Mary  was  His 
Mother — how  far  it  was  from  the  mind  of  our  Lord,  by  word  or  act, 
to  deny  or  to  slight  His  Mother  and  her  relatives.  This  would  not 
be  the  act  of  a  dutiful  and  loving  son.  But  He  was  on  His  Mes- 
sianic work ;  and  He  would  have  all  understand,  that  its  freedom 
and  dignity  required  of  all  engaged  in  it  to  be  above  the  cares  and 
claims  of  family  or  relationship ;  just  as  elsewhere  He  says  to  the 
young  man  called  to  follow  Him,  and  asking  to  go  home  and  bury 
his  father,  "Allow  the  dead  to  bury  their  dead." 


It  is  in  the  last  stage  of  His  mortal  career  that  we  shall  find  His 
Mother  by  His  side.  She  had  heard  of  His  utterance  about  His 
approaching  death  :  "  Behold  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem ;  and  all 
things  shall  be  accomplished  which  were  written  by  the  prophets 
concerning  the  Son  of  Man.  For  He  shall  be  delivered  to  the 
Gentiles,  and  shall  be  mocked,  and  scourged,  and  spit  up)on." 
Every  mother's  heart  is  prophetic  of  coming  sorrow :  how  much 
more  so  the  Mother  to  whom  Simeon  had  foretold  suffering  unut- 
terable, incomprehensible? 

She  is  not  mentioned  as  having  been  present  during  His  trium« 
phant  entry  into  Jerusalem ;  although  it  is  most  unlikely  that  she 
would  not,  with  the  pious  women  from  Galilee  and  His  other  de- 
voted disciples,  have  joined  Him  on  His  way  to  the  capital  on  this 
last  visit.  But  if  Mary  was  anxious  to  shun  the  pageants  in  her  Son's 
honor,  she  would  be  present  when  the  hour  of  humiliation  came. 

We  are  never  to  forget  that,  in  our  Lord's  Passion,  the  Godhead 
personally  and  inseparably  united  to  our  humanity  in  His  Person, 
eclipsed  Itself,  as  it  were,  and  allowed  the  Man,  as  man,  to  suffer, 
to  expiate,  to  atone  for  His  brethren  of  the  entire  race  of  Adam. 
It  was  only  at  the  supreme  moment  of  desolation  and  agony  that 
the  Son  was  to  be  visibly  sustained  by  His  Mother.  Tradition 
affirms,  and  the  Church  authorizes  the  tradition,  that,  on  His  way 
to  Calvary,  He  met  His  Mother,  as  if  she  could  not  be  withheld 
from  acknowledging  as  her  own  Son,  -the  Man  of  Sorrows  whom 
they  have  been  scourging,  crowning  with  thorns,  condemning,  like 
the  most  abominable  of  criminals,  to  be  crucified  between  two  men, 
who  were  thieves  and  murderers. 

During  the  memorable  passage  through  the  Red  Sea,  Moses  had 
by  his  side  Mary,  the  Deliverer,  his  heroic  sister,  the  Mother  of 
her  people.  When  Jesus,  the  true  Moses,  was  treading  the  streets 
of  Jerusalem,  bearing  a  portion  of,  at  least.  His  own  cross,  when 
the  multitude,  athirst  for  His  blood,  divided  on  His  way,  mocking, 
deriding,  cursing;  His  Mother,  that  Mary  who  is  mother  to  us  all, 
walked  by  His  side,  setting  her  foot  firmly  in  every  depth  of  shame 
and  bitterness  to  which  He  had  to  descend. 

And  there  she  stands  beneath  the  Cross  on  Calvary  I  "Now 
there  stood  by  the  Cross  of  Jesus,  His  Mother  and  His  Mother's 
sister  Mary  [wife]  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalen.  When  Jesus 
therefore  had  seen  His  Mother  and  the  disciples  standing,  whom 
He  loved,  He  said  to  His  Mother,  Woman,  behold  thy  son.  After 
that  He  saith  to  the  disciple  :  Behold  thy  Mother.  And  from  that 
hour  the  disciple  took  her  to  his  own."  Solicitude  for  ker  weiiare 
is  uppermost  in  the  mind  of  the  Divine  Sufferer.     Let  us  read  i' 


LIFE   OF   THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN   MARY. 


11 


the  light  of  these  words  of  His,  the  narrative  of  the  Evangelists 
regarding  the  last  three  years  of  His  life :  is  it  likely  that  her  wel- 
fare, her  comfort,  her  happiness  ever  ceased  to  be  His  care  ? 

Of  course,  to  all  who  believed  in  Christ,  and  who,  in  these  first 
years,  risked  everything  by  openly  confessing  Him,  the  Blessed 
Mother  was  an  object  of  special  and  filial  veneration.  This  was 
particularly  true  of  the  apostles,  who  felt  like  their  disciples  that  in 
reverencing  and  honoring  the  Mother  they  were  honoring  and 
reverencing  the  Son.  S.  John  was  now  privileged  to  hold  Christ's 
place  toward  her.  The  last  time  she  is  mentioned  by  name  in  the 
New  Testament  is  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
where  we  find  her  with  her  near  relatives  in  the  assembly  which 
elected  S.  Matthias.  So  long  as  S.^John  remained  in  Jerusalem 
Mary  was  his  charge,  cherished  and  reverenced  by  that  Virgin 
Apostle.  When,  at  the  dispersion  of  the  apostles,  John  went  to  re- 
side in  Ephesus,  thither  also  Mary  went  with  him.  It  is  probable, 
however,  that  as  John,  like  the  other  apostles,  traveled  through 
Palestine  and  Asia  Minor,  preaching  the  Gospel,  founding  new 
churches,  and  confirming  in  the  faith  such  as  already  existed,  that 
his  adopted  mother  did  not  separate  from  him.  Not  before  the 
decade  intervening  between  the  years  60  and  70  of  the  present  era, 
did  the  Beloved  Disciple  assume  at  Ephesus  the  government  of  all 
the  churches  of  Anterior  Asia.  If  our  Blessed  Lady  died  between 
these  dates,  she  must  have  passed  her  eightieth  year.  Tradition  in 
the  Church  always  assigned  the  night  of  August  14-15  as  the  date 
of  her  passage  to  a  happy  immortality.  On  the  15th  of  August  the 
Church  has  always  celebrated  her  Assumption,  that  is,  her  being  re- 
ceived into  Heaven  in  body  and  soul.  It  was  but  proper  that  the 
body  which  had  known  nothing  of  sin  or  stain,  the  body  of  the 
Mother  of  our  Ransom  on  the  Cross,  should  not  have  been  touched 
by  the  corruption  of  the  grave.  All  the  bitterness  of  death  had 
passed  over  her  soul  on  Calvary :  her  own  death  was  all  peace  and 
sweetness  and  unspeakable  anticipation  of  the  eternal  reunion  with 
her  Son,  her  Saviour,  her  God. 

It  must  seem,  to  every  candid  and  reflecting  mind,  both  natural 
and  logical,  that  Christians,  from  the  day  when  Christ  first  began 
to  have  followers  and  worshippers,  should  have  shown  to  His  Mother 
a  singular  reverence.  The  Apostles,  the  early  disciples,  whose 
faith  had  never  wavered,  or  had  only  been  temporarily  shaken, 
during  the  Saviour's  brief  but  necessary  period  of  suffering,  must 
have  felt  their  veneration  foi  \he  heroic  Mother  very  much  increased 
by  the  preternatural  courage  she  displayed  in  His  hour  of  bitter 
and  mortal  trial. 

The  narrative  of  S.  Jonn  is  sublime  in  its  simplicity  and  brevity. 
It  is  the  tradition  of  the  Eastern  Church,  derived  from  the  first  be- 
lievers in  Jerusalem — from  the  contemporaries  and  relatives  of  our 
Lord  and  His  Mother,  that  "  the  coat  without  seam,  woven  from 
the  top  throughout,"  for  which  the  Roman  soldiers  cast  lots,  while 
He,  the  wearer,  was  hanging  in  His  death-agony  overhead — was 
the  fruit  of  her  labor  of  love.  Like  the  saintly  mother  of  the  child- 
prophet  Samuel,  Mary  would  allow  no  hands  but  her  own  to  weave 
her  Son  His  principal  garment.  It  might  be  said  to  be  His  sole 
worldly  wealth ;  and  His  executioners  cast  lots  for  it,  while  she 
was  looking  on,  or  within  reach  of  their  discussion.  .  .  .  "And 
the  soldiers  indeed  did  these  things.  Now  there  stood  by  the 
cross  of  Jesus,  His  Mother,  and  His  Mother's  sister,  Mary  (wife) 
of  Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalen.  .  .  ."  Then  ensued  the  be- 
queathing to  the  Beloved  Disciple  of  the  dearest  earthly  treasure 
possessed  by  Jesus  of  Nazareth — His  widowed  and  homeless 
Mother.  She,  however,  had  been  too  willing  a  learner  in  His 
thool,  too  close  an  imitator  of  His  divine  examples,  to  repine  at 


her  poverty  and  homelessness.     Her  sorest  trial  was  her  separation 
from  Him. 

When  the  short  joys  of  the  Forty  Days'  converse  with  Him  after 
His  resurrection,  were  ended — she  had  been  too  well  enlightened 
by  Him  not  to  understand  that  the  divinest  work  yet  reserved  to 
her  by  Providence,  remained  to  be  fulfilled.  This  was,  that,  as  she 
had  been  the  Mother  of  the  Body  given  on  the  cross  as  the  ransom 
for  the  entire  race  of  man,  as  she  had  nursed  that  Body  with  more 
than  a  mother's  devotion — so  now  she  should  devote  the  remaining 
years  of  her  life  to  forming  His  mystic  body.  His  church. 

As  the  body  of  the  faithful  grew,  first  in  Jerusalem  and  through' 
out  Palestine,  and  next  through  all  the  countries  of  Asia,  Africa, 
and  Eurojie — the  divinity  of  Christ  was  more  openly,  more  solemnly, 
more  courageously  affirmed.  Men  and  women  everywhere  bore 
witness  to  it  by  suffering  imprisonment,  stripes,  and  death.  They 
honored  their  belief  by  leading  God-like  lives,  even  when  these 
were  not  crowned  by  the  glory  of  martyrdom. 

It  is  the  constant  affirmation  of  Christian  writers,  that  Christ's 
Blessed  Mother,  all  through  these  trial-full  years  of  the  infant 
Church,  was  to  Apostles,  disciples,  and  believers  of  every  class  a 
model  and  a  comforter,  all  that  a  mother  and  such  a  Mother, 
should  be.  We  find,  that  when  the  Apostles  returned  to  Jerusalem, 
after  the  Ascension,  they  went  to  where  our  Blessed  Lady  was 
staying — in  the  house  of  that  saintly  Mary,  "  the  mother  of  John- 
Mark  "  (Acts  xii.  12).  This  is  the  house,  according  to  the  most 
venerable  traditions,  in  which  our  Lord  celebrated  the  Last  Supper, 
which  was  the  first  place  of  meeting  and  divine  worship  for  be- 
lievers in  Jerusalem.  It  was  the  centre  and  nursery  of  Christianity 
in  the  great  city  all  through  this  first  period  of  persecution,  loving 
labor,  and  wonderful  growth.  "And  when  they  were  come  in 
(from  Mount  Olivet),  they  went  up  into  an  Upper  Room,  wh»re 
abode  Peter  and  John,  James  and  Andrew,  Philip  and  Thomas, 
Bartholomew  and  Matthew,  James  and  Alpheus  and  Simon  Zelotes, 
and  Jude  (the  brother)  of  James.  All  these  were  persevering  with 
one  mind  in  prayer  with  the  women,  and  Mary  the  Mother  of 
Jesus,  and  with  His  brethren." 

In  the  election  of  S.  Matthias,  which  is  next  recorded,  and  which 
evidently  took  place  in  the  same  spacious  Upper  Room,  as  well  as 
in  the  assembly  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  the  text  indicates  that 
she  was  also  present.  It  was  a  matter  of  course,  that  His  Mother 
should  be  the  very  soul  of  these  meetings,  although  it  was  left  to 
Peter  and  his  brother-Apostles  to  regulate  everything  that  pertained 
to  the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  the  Christian  society.  All  through 
the  triumphs  and  trials  which,  alternately,  awaited  the  Apostolic 
labors,  Mary  was  present  to  cheer,  encourage,  and  sustain.  What 
joy  filled  her  soul,  when  on  that  very  day  of  Pentecost,  after  S- 
Peter's  inspired  address  to  the  multitude,  no  less  than  "  three 
thousand  souls  "  were  baptized  and  added  to  the  body  of  the  faith- 
ful !  "  And  they  were  persevering  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Apostles, 
and  in  the  communication  of  the  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers. 
And  fear  came  upon  every  soul :  many  wonders  also  and  signs  were 
done  by  the  Apostles  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  there  was  great  fear  in  all. 
And  all  they  that  believed,  were  together,  and  had  all  things  in  com- 
mon. Their  possessions  and  goods  they  sold,  and  divided  them  to  all, 
according  as  every  one  had  need.  And  continuing  daily  with  one 
accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  from  house  to  house, 
they  took  their  meat  with  gladness  and  simplicity  of  heart,  praising 
God  and  having  favor  with  all  the  people.  And  the  Lord  increased 
daily  together  such  as  should  be  saved." 

What  a  blessed  and  blissful  family  was  that  which  daily  increased 
around  the  Second   Eve,  the  Mother  of  the  New  Life  1     Heroic 


12 


LIFE   OF  THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN   MARY. 


prayer,  heroic  poverty,  heroic  charity :  one  mind,  one  heart,  one 
faith ;  brother  sharing  with  brother  earthly  goods  as  well  as 
divinest  graces — and  the  supernatural  fervor  of  all  fed  and  sus- 
tained by  that  "  Supersubstantial  Bread,"  the  "  communication  " 
of  which,  like  a  heavenly  fire  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  the  receivers, 
made  men  and  women  the  light  of  the  world,  and  the  Gift  within 
ihem  shed  abroad,  wherever  they  went,  the  sweet  odor  of  Christ. 

Surely  the  sons  of  the  "Valiant  Woman  "  were  rising  up  before 
the  nations  and  calling  her  "Blessed" — aye.    "Blessed  among 

women." 

VI. 

It  is  usual  with  Protestants,  in  speaking  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary,  to  show  a  repugnance  to  calling  her  "  the  Mother  of  God." 
In  so  doing,  they  are  doing,  unawares,  what  Nestorius  and  his  mas- 
ter, Theodore  (afterward  Bishop  of  Mopsuestia),  a  teacher  in  the 
school  of  Antioch,  openly  taught  people  to  do  in  the  beginning  of 
the  fifth  century.  In  the  preceding  centuries  such  men  as  Origen, 
S.  Alexander  of  Alexandria,  and  S.  Athanasius,  only  expressed  the 
common  belief  and  orthodox  sense  of  Christians,  by  emphatically 
calling  Mary  "  the  Mother  of  God." 

Arianism  and  Nestorianism  are  the  legitimate  parents  of  modern 
Unitarianisra.  Arius  denied  the  divinity  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
therefore  refused  to  Christ,  the  Incarnate  Son,  the  title  and  quality 
of  true  God.  Theodore  and  Nestorius,  while  admitting  that  the 
Son  was  God,  denied  that  the  man  Christ,  born  of  the  Virgin 
Mary,  was  in  any  sense  true  God.  'It  is  madness  to  say"  (such 
are  his  words)  "  God  was  born  of  the  Virgin ;  not  God,  but  the 
temple  in  which  God  dwelt  was  born  of  Mary."  These  false 
teachers  affirmed  that  the  Divine  Word  had  His  dwelling  in  every 
human  soul ;  but  in  Christ  He  manifested  extraordinary  power. 
He  participated  of  the  glory  of  the  Word  and  Son  more  than  any 
other  human  being;  but  it  was  only,  after  all,  a  difference  in  de- 
gree. It  was,  according  to  them,  an  error  to  say  "  God  was  born 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,"  "God  suffered,  rose  again  from  the  tomb, 
and  ascended  into  Heaven."  These  things  could  only  be  affirmed 
of  human  nature. 

The  whole  Nestorian  controversy  thus  turned  on  the  great  dogma, 
or  doctrinal  fact,  whether  Mary  was  and  should  be  called  "the 
Mother  of  God."  On  June  22d,  431,  a  general  council  assembled 
at  Ephesus — the  city  in  which  Mary  had  spent  the  last  years  of  her 
life,  and  which  cherished  toward  her  a  deep  and  tender  piety.  The 
cathedral  church  in  which  the  160  bishops  met,  under  the  presi- 
dence  of  S.  Cyril,  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  who  represented  Pope 
S.  Celestine  I. — was  named  in  honor  of  "the  Mother  of  God." 
The  session  lasted  far  into  the  night,  and  the  doctrine  of  Nestorius 
and  his  school  was  solemnly  condemned — the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary 
was  declared  to  be  truly  Ototoxof,  Mother  of  God. 

The  city,  thereupon,  was  spontaneously  illuminated,  and  the 
bishops,  on  issuing  from  the  cathedral,  were  escorted  to  their  lodg- 
ings by  the  joyous  multitude,  bearing  lighted  torches,  and  breaking 
forth  into  hymns  of  praise  and  thanksgiving. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  it  was  the  Person  of  Christ  Him- 
self, at  once  both  true  God  and  true  man,  who  thus  triumphed  in 
this  solemn  definition  of  faith.  The  heretics  denied  that  the  Son 
of  the  Virgin  Mary  was  God ;  the  bishops  of  the  East  and  West 
assembled  affirmed  that  He  was,  and  that  she  was  most  truly 
Mother  of  God. 

Her  honor,  therefore,  was  reflected  on  her  Son.  But,  while  He 
is  very  God,  she  is  only  a  human  being ;  she,  the  Mother  of  Christ, 
is  only  a  creature — the  most  highly  honored  indeed  of  all  created 
beings ;  while  He  is  Creator. 


In  going  back  to  the  time  of  the  Council  of  Ephesus,  A.  D.  431 — 
two  years  before  S.  Patrick,  sent  by  the  same  Pope  Celestine  I., 
landed  in  Pagan  Ireland,  we  are  amazed  to  find,  in  the  writings 
of  such  men  as  S.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  and  in  the  authentic  de- 
scriptions of  popular  manners  among  Eastern  Christians,  how 
deeply  reverence  for  the  Mother  of  God  had  penetrated  all  classes 
in  the  community.  The  great  Christian  writers  of  that  and  the 
preceding  century — these  saintly  men  whom  we  call  the  Fathers  of 
the  Church,  speak  of  Mary,  not  only  as  the  Mother  of  God,  but  as 
the  "Second  Eve."  Long  before  them,  one  whose  doctrine  was 
derived  from  the  immediate  disciples  of  the  Apostles — S.  Irenseus — 
draws  out  an  elaborate  parallel  between  Mary  and  the  first  Eve. 
"  Mary,  by  her  obedience,  became  both  to  herself  and  to  all  man- 
kind the  cause  of  salvation.  .  .  .  The  knot  of  Eve's  disobedience 
was  loosed  by  Mary's  obedience.  .  .  .  What  the  Virgin  Eve  bound 
by  unbelief,  that  the  Virgin  Mary  unbound  by  faith.  ...  As  by  a 
Virgin  the  human  race  had  been  given  over  to  death,  so  by  a  Vir- 
gin it  is  saved." 

It  is  also  to  be  remarked  here,  that  just  as  the  title  "Virgin 
Mother  "  was  given  to  the  Church  by  the  early  Fathers,  so  we  find 
them  applying  the  same  prophetic  passages  of  Scripture  both  to  the 
Virgin  Mother  of  Christ,  and  to  His  spouse  the  Church,  who  is  the 
Virginal  Mother  of  His  children  here  below.  Indeed,  it  is  but 
natural  to  assume  that  she  who  is  the  Parent  of  Christ  our  Head, 
entertains  all  a  parent's  affection  for  His  members,  and  performs 
towards  them  throughout  the  ages,  both  in  Heaven  and  on  earth, 
all  a  Mother's  offices  of  love  and  watchfulness. 

Hence,  the  constant  application  now  to  the  Church,  and  now  to 
the  Immaculate  Mother,  of  that  passage  in  Apocalypse  xii.  i : 
"And  a  great  sign  appeared  in  Heaven,  a  woman  clothed  with  the 
sun  and  the  moon  under  her  feet,  and  on  her  head  a  crown  of 
twelve  stars.  And  being  with  child,  she  cried  travailing  in  birth, 
and  was  in  pain  to  be  delivered.  And  there  was  seen  another  sign  in 
Heaven  :  and  behold  a  great  red  dragon  having  seven  heads  and  ten 
horns.  .  .  .  And  the  dragon  stood  before  the  woman,  who  was 
ready  to  be  delivered,  that,  when  she  should  be  delivered,  he  might 
devour  her  son.  .  .  .  And  her  son  was  taken  up  to  God  and  to 
His  throne.  And  there  was  a  great  battle  in  Heaven ;  Michael 
and  his  angels  fought  with  the  dragon,  and  the  dragon  fought  and  his 
angels.  .  .  .  And  that  great  dragon  was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent, 
who  is  called  the  Devil  and  Satan,  who  seduceth  the  whole  world." 
It  is  only  carrying  out  the  idea  of  S.  Irenaeus,  to  see  the  conflict 
prophesied  in  Genesis  iii.  14,  15,  at  the  very  beginning  of  Revealed 
History,  described  as  it  happened  in  the  last  half  of  the  first  century 
of  Christianity,  as  it  has  continued  down  to  our  own  day.  The 
Second  Eve  is  foretold  to  the  First  in  the  memorable  passage : 
"I  will  put  enmities  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  thy  seed 
and  her  seed  :  she  shall  crush  thy  head  and  thou  shalt  lie  in  wait 
for  her  heel.  To  the  woman  also  He  said :  I  will  multiply  thy 
sorrows,  and  thy  conceptions:  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  bring  forth 
children.  ..." 

The  enemy  of  God  and  of  mankind  has  never  ceased  trom  that 
day  till  now,  to  make  war  on  God's  children  here  below ;  in  the 
Old  Law  on  the  Church  which  God  established  through  Moses — 
amid  what  "sorrows"  did  she  bring  forth  sons  to  God  !  In  the 
New  Law,  how  the  battle  has  gone  on,  between  the  Church  of 
Christ  and  the  seven-headed  serpent  of  Heresy — ever  watchful  to 
devour  each  generation  of  Christians !  It  is  surely  in  sorrow, 
especially  in  our  days,  that  the  Church  brings  forth  her  children ; 
and  she  needs  the  embattled  hosts  of  Michael,  invisibly  aiding  her, 
to  cast  out  the  Old  Serpent,  the  Adversary. 


!he  fife  and  Wpitirj)gi,  g[  it.  ^etep/ 

WITH  NOTES  BY  THE  REV.  W.  H.  COLOGAN. 


I.  ST.  PETER  IN  THE  GOSPELS. 

The  Change  of  Name  Foretold. 


ND  Andrew  the  brother  of  Simon  Peter 
was  one  of  the  two  who  had  heard  of 
John,  and  followed  him.  He  findeth 
first  his  brother  Simon,  and  saitli  to 
him :  "  We  have  found  the  Messias," 
which  is,  being  interpreted,  the  Christ. 
And  he  brought  him  to  Jesus.  And  Jesus  look- 
ing upon  him,  said :  "  Thou  art  Simon  the  son 
of  Jona:  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas,"f  which 
is  interpreted  Peter. 

Peter,  the  Chief. 

St.  Mark  iii.  14-16.      St.  Matthew  x.  2. 
{Si.  Mark.)     And  He  made  that  twelve  should 
be  with  Him  :    and   that  He  might  send  them  to 
preach.     And  He  gave  them  power  to  heal  sick- 

*  In  the  narrative  of  the  pubUc  life  of  Christ,  Peter's  words 
and  acts  receive  a  great  deal  more  attention  than  those  of  any 
one  else.  St.  John  comes  next  to  him  in  this  respect :  but 
St.  John  is  mentioned  altogether  but  thirty-three  times,  -hile 
St.  Peter  is  spoken  of  twenty-three  times  by  St.  Matti  w, 
eighteen  times  by  St.  Mark,  twenty  by  .St,  Luke,  and  thirty  by 
St.  John  :   in  all,  ninety-one  times. 

Simon,  the  son  of  Jona  and  brother — probably  younger 
brother — of  Andrew,  was  a  fisherman  of  Bethsaida,  a  small 
town  on  the  bank  of  tlie  Sea  of  Galilee.  He  and  his  brother 
were  men  of  good  and  pious  dispositions,  and  were  disciples 
of  St.  John  the  Baptist. 

f  Thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas.  Of  the  names  imposed 
by  God  some  are  prophetic  and  denote  the  office  which  the 
bearer  of  the  name  is  to  fulfil.  Of  this  class  are  the  names 
Israel,  a  prince  before  God;  Joshua,  a  saviour;  Abraham,  the 
father  of  a  multitude;  Jesus,  who  "shall  save  His  people  from 
their  sins;"  Cephas,  the  rock,  or  foundation  of  the  Church, 
[t  is,  therefore,  full  of  significance  that  our  Blessed  Lord  on 
His  first  meeting  with  Simon  should  have  solemnly  promised 
him  a  new  name,  and  that  name  one  which  had  been  applied 
to  Himself  in  prophecy,  and  which  very  aptly  denoted  the 
prominent  par*  which  that  humble  fisherman  was  to  play  in  the 
history  or  the  Church,  and  the  exalted  office  which  he  was  to 
fulfil.  St.  Ambrose  says:  "Christ  is  the  rock,  but  yet  He  did 
not  deny  the  grace  of  this  name  to  His  disciple,  that  he  should 


ness  and  to   cast    out    devils.     And  to  Simon  He 
gave  the  name  Peter. 

{St.  Matt  hew  ?j  The  names  of  the  Apostles  are 
these  :  the  first,  Simon, J  who  is  called  Peter. 

Peter's  Call  to  the  Apostleship. 

St.   Luke  V.  i-ii. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  the  multitudes 
pressed  tipon  Him  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  He 
stood  by  the  lake  of  Genesareth,  and  saw  two 
ships  standing  by  the  lake :  but  the  fishermen 
were  gone  out  of  them  and  were  washing  their 
nets.  And  going  up  into  one  of  the  ships  that 
was  Simon's,  He  desired  him  to  draw  back  a  little 
from  the  land.  And  sitting  He  taught  the  multi- 
tudes out  of  the  ship. 

Now  when  He  had  ceased  to  speak,  He  said  to 
Simon :  "  Launch  out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down 
your  nets  for  a  draught."  And  Simon  answering, 
said  to  Him  :    "  Master,  we  have  laboured  all  the 


be    Peter,    because   he   has    from    the    Rock,    firm    constancy, 
immovable  faith." 

\  The  first,  Simon.  "The  first  of  all  and  the  chief  of 
them,"  says  St.  Chrysostom.  In  each  of  the  four  lists  of  the 
Apostles  given  by  St.  Matthew,  St.  Mark,  and  St.  Luke  (vi.  14) 
and  Acts  (i.  13),  St.  Peter  is  named  in  the  first  place,  Judas  in 
the  last;  the  other  ten  are  not  named  in  any  special  order. 
Origen,  commenting  on  this,  asks  what  should  be  thought  the 
cause  of  this  order?  And  he  answers  that  it  was  because  Peter 
was  "more  honoured  than  the  rest."  This  order,  too,  is 
observed  wherever  Peter  is  mentioned  together  with  any  other 
of  the  Apostles:  his  name  is  always  put  in  the  place  of  honour; 
"Peter,  James  and  John;"  "Peter  and  John;"  ".Simon 
Peter,  and  Thomas,  and  Nathaniel  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebe- 
dee;"  "Peter  and  the  rest;"  "Peter  and  the  Apostles;" 
"Peter  standing  up  with  the  eleven;"  &c.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  the  sense  requires  that  the  more  important  person 
should  be  named  last ;  in  such  cases  Peter's  name  is  in  the 
last  place:  "I  indeed  am  of  Paul;  and  I  of  Apollo  ;  and  I  of 
Cephas  (Peter);  and  I  of  Christ;"  "the  rest  of  the  Apostieb, 
and  the  brethren  of  the  Lord,  and  Cephas." 


17( 


THE  LIFE  AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


night,  and  have  taken  nothing ;  but  at  Thy  word 
I  will  let  down  the  net." 

And  when  they  had  done  this,  they  enclosed  a 
very  great  multitude  of  fishes,  and  their  net  broke. 
And  they  beckoned  to  their  partners  that  were  in 
the  other  ship,  that  they  should  come  and  helpi 
them.  And  they  came,  and  filled  both  the  ships, 
so  that  they  were  almost  sinking.  Which  when 
Simon  Peter  saw,  he  fell  down  at  Jesus's  knees, 
saying :  "  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man, 

0  Lord."  For  he  was  wholly  astonished,  and  all 
that  were  with  him,  at  the  draught  of  fishes  which 
they  had  taken  :  and  so  also  were  James  and  John 
the  sons  of  Zebedee,  who  were  Simon's  partners. 
And  Jesus  saith  to  Simon :  "  Fear  not ;  from 
henceforth  thou  shall  catch  men."  And  having 
brought  their  ships  to  land,  leaving  all  things 
they  followed  Him.* 

Healing  of  Peter's  Wife's  Mother. 

St.  Matthew  viii.  14,  15. 

And  when  He  was  come  into  Peter's  house  [at 
Capharnaum],  He  saw  his  wife's  mother  f  lying,  and 
sick  of  a  fever ;  and  He  touched  her  hand  and  the 
fever  left  her,  and  she  arose  and  ministered  to  them. 

*  They  followed  Him.  When  St.  Peter  first  came  to 
know  our  Blessed  Lord  and  received  the  call  to  be  His 
disciple,  he  obeyed,  followed  His  divine  Master,  listened  to 
His  preaching,  and  frequently  went  with  Him;  but  he  still 
followed  his  calling  of  fisherman  and  spent  much  of  his  time 
with  his  boat  and  his  net  on  the  waters  of  Genesareth.  But 
being  called  a  second  time  in  a  more  special  manner  and  to  a 
closer  following  of  His  Divine  Master,  "leaving  all  things," 
his  trade  and  livelihood,  and  his  home,  he  followed  Him. 
Towards  the  close  of  our  Lord's  public  life  He  was  telling  His 
disciples  with  what  difficulty  the  rich  would  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven,  and  "Peter,  answering,  said  to  Him: 
'Behold  we  have  left  all  things  and  have  followed  Thee;  what, 
therefore,  shall  we  have?'     And  Jesus  said  to  them:   'Amen, 

1  say  to  you,  that  you  who  have  followed  Me,  in  the  regenera- 
tion, when  the  Son  of  Man  shall  sit  upon  the  seat  of  His 
majesty,  you  also  shall  sit  on  twelve  seats,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel.'  " 

f  His  Wife's  Mother.  Of  all  the  Apostles,  Peter  is  the 
only  one  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament  as  having  been 
married.  Tradition  tells  us  that  on  receiving  the  distinct  call 
from  our  Lord,  he  "left  all,"  even  his  wife,  to  follow  him. 
St.  Clement  of  Alexandria  relates  that  the  wife  of  Peter  suffered 
martyrdom  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  her  husband  being  present 
and  exhorting  her  to  fortitude. 


Raising  of  the  Daughter  of  Jairus. 

St.  Luke  viii.  41-56. 

And  behold  there  came  a  man  whose  name  was 
Jairus,  and  he  was  a  ruler  of  the  synagogue  :  and 
he  fell  down  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  beseeching  Him 
that  He  would  come  into  his  house  :  for  he  had  an 
only  daughter  almost  twelve  years  old,  and  she 
was  dying. 

And  it  happened,  as  He  went,  that  He  was 
thronged  by  the  multitudes.  And  there  was  a 
certain  woman  having  an  issue  of  blood  twelve 
years,  who  had  bestowed  all  her  substance  on 
physicians,  "and  could  not  be  healed  by  any :  she 
came  behind  Him,  and  touched  the  hem  of  His 
garment ;  and  immediately  the  issue  of  her  blood 
stopped.  And  Jesus  said :  "  Who  is  it  that 
touched  Me  ?  "  And  all  denying,  Peter  and  they 
that  were  with  Him  said :  "  Master,  the  multi- 
tudes throng  and  press  Thee,  and  dost  Thou  say, 
Who  touched  Me  ?  "  And  Jesus  said  :  "  Some- 
body hath  touched  Me :  for  I  know  that  virtue  is 
gone  out  from'  Me."  And  the  woman,  seeing  that 
she  was  not  hid,  came  trembling,  and  fell  down 
before  His  feet,  and  declared  before  all  the  people 
for  what  cause  she  had  touched  Him,  and  how  she 
was  immediately  healed.  But  He  said  to  her: 
"  Daughter,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole ;  go 
thy  way  in  peace." 

As  He  was  yet  speaking,  there  cometh  one  to 
the  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  sayiug  to  him  :  "  Thy 
daughter  is  dead  ;  trouble  Him  not."  And  Jesus, 
hearing  this  word,  answered  the  father  of  the 
maid :  "  Fear  not ;  believe  only,  and  she  shall  be 
safe."  And  when  He  was  come  to  the  house.  He 
suffered  not  any  man  to  go  in  with  Him  but  Peter, 
and  James,  and  John, J  and  the  father  and  mother 
of  the  maiden.  And  all  wept  and  mourned  for 
her.  But  He  said  :  "  Weep  not ;  the  maid  is  not 
dead,  but  sleepeth."  And  they  laughed  Him  to 
scorn,  knowing  that  she  was  dead.  But  He  taking 
her  by  the  hand,  cried  out,  saying :  "  Maid,  arise." 
And  her  spirit  returned,  and  she  rose  immediately. 
And  He  bid  them  give  her  to  eat.  And  her  parents 
were  astonished,  whom  He  charged  to  tell  no  man 
what  was  done. 


X  Peter,  James  and  John,  the  three  privileged  Apostles  who 
were  frequently  in  His  company  when  all  others  were  excluded. 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


171 


Peter  Walks  upon  the  Waters. 

St.  Matthew  xiv.  23-33. 

Jesus  obliged  His  disciples  to  go  up  into  the  boat, 
and  to  go  before  Him  over  the  water,  till  He  dis- 
missed the  peeple.  And  having  dismissed  the 
multitude,  He  went  up  into  a  mountain  alone  to 
pray.  And  when  it  was  evening.  He  was  there 
alone.  But  the  boat  in  the  midst  of  the  sea  was 
tossed  with  the  waves  :  for  the  wind  was  contrary. 

And  in  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night,  He  came 
to  them  walking  upon  the  sea.  And  they,  seeing 
Him  walking  upon  the  sea,  were  troubled,  saying : 
"  It  is  an  apparition  :"  and  they  cried  out  for  fear. 
And  immediately  Jesus  spoke  to  them,  saying:  "  Be 
of  good  heart:  it  is  I,  fear  ye  not."  And  Peter 
making  answer,  said :  "  Lord,  if  it  be  Thou,  bid  me 
come  to  Thee  upon  the  waters."  And  He  said : 
"  Come."  And  Peter,  going  down  out  of  the  boat, 
walked  upon  the  water  to  come  to  Jesus.  But 
seeing  the  wind  strong,  he  was  afraid :  and  when 
he  began  to  sink,  he  cried  out,  saying :  "  Lord, 
save  me."  And  immediately  Jesus,  stretching 
forth  His  hand,  took  hold  of  him,  and  said  to 
him :  "  O  thou  of  little  faith,  why  didst  thou 
doubt?"  And  when  they  were  come  up  into  the 
boat,  the  wind  ceased.  And  they  that  were  in  the 
boat  came  and  adored  Him,  saying  :  "  Indeed  Thou 
art  the  Son  of  God." 

Peter's  Faith, 

St.  John  vi.  48-70.  , 

Jesus  said :  "I  am  the  bread  of  life.*  Your 
fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  desert,  and  are  dead. 
This  is  the  bread  which  cometh  down  from  heaven : 
that  if  any  man  eat  of  it,  he  may  not  die.  I  am  the 
living  bread,  which  came  down  from  heaven:  If. any 
man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever :  and 
the  bread  that  I  will  give,  is  My  flesh  for  the  life  of 
the  world." 

The  Jews  therefore   strove   among   themselves, 

*  I  AM  THE  Bread  of  Life.  Our  Lord  is  "the  bread  of 
life"  for  two  reasons:  first,  because  faith  in  Him  is  the  root 
and  foundation  of  holiness,  and  the  beginning  of  supernatural 
life ;  secondly,  because  He  nourishes  and  sustains  that  super- 
natural life  by  giving  His  Sacred  Body  and  Blood  to  be  the  food 
of  our  soul,  that  as  our  bodies  live  the  natural  life  by  food  and 
drink,  so  our  soul  may  live  the  life  of  grace  by  being  united 
with  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ:  "My  Flesh  is  meat  indeed, 
and  My  Blood  is  drink  indeed. " 


saying :  "  How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to 
eat  ?"  Then  Jesus  said  to  them  :  "Amen,  amen,  I 
say  unto  you :  Except  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son 
of  Man,  and  drink  His  blood,  you  shall  not  have 
life  in  you.  He  that  eateth  My  flesh,  and  drinketh 
My  blood,  hath  everlasting  life:  and  I  will  raise 
him  up  in  the  last  day.  For  My  flesh  is  meat 
indeed,  and  My  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that 
eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood,  abideth  in 
Me,  and  I  in  him.  As  the  living  Father  hath  sent 
Me,  and  I  live  by  the  Father :  so  he  that  eateth  Me, 
the  same  also  shall  live  by  Me.  This  is  the  bread 
that  came  down  from  heaven.  Not  as  your  fathers 
did  eat  manna,  and  are  dead :  he  that  eateth  this 
bread  shall  live  for  ever." 

These  things  He  said  teaching  in  the  synagogue, 
in  Capharnaum.  Many  therefore  of  his  disciples 
hearing  it,  said :  "  This  saying  is  hard,  and  who 
can  hear  it  ?" 

But  Jesus,  knowing  in  Himself  that  His  disciples 
murmured  at  this,  said  to  them :  "  Doth  this  scan- 
dalize you  ?  If  then  you  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man 
ascend  up  where  He  was  before  ?  It  is  the  spirit 
that  quickeneth  :  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing.f  The 
words  that  I  have  spoken  to  you,  are  spirit  and  life. 
But  there  are  some  of  you  that  believe  not."  For 
Jesus  knew  from  the  beginning  who  they  were  that 
did  not  believe,  and  who  he  was  that  would  betray 
Him.  And  He  said  :  '*  Therefore  did  I  say  to  you, 
that  no  man  can  come  to  Me,  unless  it  be  given 
him  by  My  Father." 

After  this  many  of  His  disciples  went  back,  and 
walked  no  more  with  Him.  Then  Jesus  said  to 
the  twelve:    "Will   you  also   go  away?"f     And 

f  The  flesh  profiteth  nothing.  This  does  not  mean  that 
the  Flesh  of  Christ  profiteth  nothing ;  it  would  be  blasphemy  to 
say  so.  But  when,  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  "the  flesh"  and 
' '  the  spirit ' '  are  opposed  to  each  other,  the  one  means  the  mind 
of  man  unenlightened  by  grace,  the  other,  "the  spirit,"  is  the 
mind  so  enlightened.  Thus  St.  Paul  says:  "The  wisdom  of  the 
flesh  is  death;  the  wisdom  of  the  spirit  is  life  and  peace." 
Therefore  the  meaning  of  this  passage  is,  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
Holy  Eucharist,  just  taught  by  our  Lord,  is  too  deep  a  mystery 
to  be  received  by  man  left  to  himself;  it  requires  a  strong  act 
of  faith  with  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

I  AViLL  YOU  ALSO  GO  AWAY  ?  Our  Lord  addressed  this  ques- 
tion to  the  twelve.  Simon  Peter  at  once  answered  in  the  name 
of  the  others.  Mr.  Allies  says:  "It  is  the  custom  of  the  Evan- 
gelist, when  they  record  anything  which  touches  all  the  Apostles, 


172 


THE   LIFE  AND   WRITINGS   OF  ST.  PETER. 


Simon  Peter  answered  Him  :  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall 
we  go?*  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life. 
And  we  have  believed  and  have  known  that  Thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God." 

St.  Peter's  Confession  of  Faith. 

St.  MaUhew  xvi.  13-19- 

And  Jesus  came  into  the  quarters  of  Cesarea 
Philippi :  and  He  asked  His  disciples,  saying : 
'  Whom  do  men  say  that  the  Son  of  Man  is  ?" 

But  they  said :  "  Some  John  the  Baptist,  and 
other  some  Elias,  and  others  Jeremias,  or  one  of 
the  prophets."  Jesus  saith  to  them  :  "  But  whom 
do  you  say  that  I  am  ?"  Simon  Peter  answered 
and  said :  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,t  the  Son  of  the 
living  God."  And  Jesus  answering,  said  to  him : 
"  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-Jona :  because  flesh 
and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  to  thee,  but  My 
Father  who  is  in  heaven.  And  I  say  to  thee : 
That  thou  art  Peter; J  and  upon  this  rock  I  will 

almost  invariably  to  exhibit  Peter  as  singly  speaking  for  all,  and 
representing  all. ' '  After  giving  several  instances,  all  of  which 
are  to  be  found  in  these  pages,  he  continues:  "A  very  remarkable 
occasion  occurs  where  our  Lord  had  been  telling  to  His  disciples 
the  parable  of  the  watchful  servant,  upon  which  Peter  said  to 
Him,  '  Lord,  dost  Thou  speak  this  parable  to  us,  or  likewise  to 
all  ? '  and  the  reply  seems  by  anticipation  to  express  the  very 
office  which  Peter  was  to  hold,  '  Who,  then,  is  the  faithful  and 
wise  steward  whom  his  Lord  setteth  over  His  family,  to  give 
them  their  measure  of  wheat  in  due  season?'  Now  it  looks  not 
like  an  equal,  but  a  superior,  to  anticipate  the  rest,  to  represent 
them,  to  speak  and  act  for  them.  St.  Chrysostom  drew  the  con- 
clusion long  ago :  '  UTiat,  then,  says  Peter,  the  .mouth-piece  of 
the  Apostles?  Everywhere,  impetuous  as  he  is,  the  leader  of 
the  bond  of  the  Apostles,  when  a  question  is  asked  of  all,  he 
replies.'  " 

*  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  A  veiry  beautiful  act  of 
faith.  The  Jews  liad  said,  ' '  How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh 
to  eat?"  St.  Peter  also  seems  to  have  been  puzzled;  but  note 
the  difference — the  Jews  understood  not,  and  went  away ;  St. 
Peter  also  understood  not,  but  yet  he  believed. 

f  Thou  art  the  Christ.  Our  Lord  had  asked  His  disciples 
whom  they  believed  Him  to  be.  Peter  answering,  not  of  his 
own  knowledge,  but  of  a  special  revelation  from  God,  made  that 
splendid  confession  of  faith,  "Thou  art  the  Christ,"  that  is,  the 
Anointed  One,  the  long  looked-for  Saviour,  "the  Son  of  the 
living  God." 

J  Thou  art  Peter.  This  and  the  following  passages  form  one 
of  the  great  texts  proving  the  primacy  of  St.  Peter,  his  supreme 
authority,  under  Christ,  over  the  Church.  On  first  seeing  Simon, 
even  before  he  was  called  to  be  an  Apostle,  our  Ixjrd  said  to  him, 
"Thou  art  Simon,  thou  shalt  be  called  Peter."     Now  He  again 


build  My  church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 

addresses  him  by  the  name  he  had  received  at  his  circumcision, 
"Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-Jona"  (Simon,  son  of  John). 
Then  He  makes  the  solemn  change  of  name,  "  And  1  say  to  thee 
that  thou  art  Peter."  The  word  Peter  (or  Cephas')  means  a 
rock;  why  did  our  Lord  call  Simon  "a  rock?"  He  explains 
what  He  means :  "And  upon  this  rock  (/.  e.,  upon  you,  Simon) 
I  will  build  My  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it." 

Our  Lord,  in  His  address  to  Peter,  is  speaking  of  the  spiritual 
Church  made  up  of  human  beings,  the  society  of  true  believers 
in  Jesus  Christ.  To  found  this  society  He  came  upon  earth ; 
He  acquired  it,  gained  it,  by  His  Precious  Blood.  To  ensure 
that  His  Church  should  last  for  ever,  He  was  going  to  raise  it 
upon  a  firm  and  immovable  foundation,  against  which  the  devil 
and  all  the  powers  of  hell  might  rage  with  all  their  fury  but 
should  never  be  able  to  overcome  it.  And  Simon,  the  first  and 
chief  of  the  Apostles,  was  to  be  to  the  Church  of  Christ  what  a 
firm  foundation  is  to  a  building.  The  Church  was  to  rest  upon 
him,  to  be  kept  firmly  together  by  him.  This  was  to  be  through 
Simon's  firmness  in  the  faith,  and  through  his  supreme  authority  ; 
guided  and  taught  by  him,  the  Church  should  never  fall  into 
error  ;  ruled  by  him  it  should  be  kept  in  unity,  because  he  had 
divinely-given  authority  over  all. 

St.  Cyprian  (a.  d.  248)  referring  to  this  text  says  :  "  There  is 
one  Church  founded  by  the  Lord  Christ  upon  Peter,  for  the 
origin  and  purpose  of  unity."  St.  Jerome  (a.  d.  290),  writing 
against  the  heretic  Jovinian,  says  :  "Therefore  is  one  chosen  out 
of  the  twelve,  that  the  occasion  of  schism  might  be  taken  away ; ' ' 
and  in  a  letter  to  Pope  Damasus  the  same  holy  Doctor  writes  : 
"  I,  following  none  as  first  except  Christ,  am  joined  in  commu- 
nion with  your  Holiness,  that  is,  with  the  See  of  Peter ;  on  this 
rock,  I  know,  the  Church  is  built."  St.  Augustine  (a.  d.  400) 
calls  upon  the  Donatist  schismatics  to  "  Number  up  the 
Bishops  from  the  very  See  of  Peter,  and  in  that  order  of 
Fathers  see  who  succeeded  to  whom ;  this  (the  See  of  Peter) 
is  the  rock  which  the  proud  gates  of  hell  overcome  not." 
St.  Gregory  the  Great  (a.  d.  604),  the  Apostle  of  England, 
writes:  "Who  is  ignorant  that  the  holy  Church  is  established 
on  the  firmness  of  the  chief  of  the  Apostles  ?  who  in  his  name 
signified  the  firmness  of  his  mind,  being  called  Peter,  from  a 
rock." 

Many  of  the  Fathers  do,  indeed,  understand  the  rock  to  mean 
the  confession  of  Peter,  or  the  faith  confessed  by  Peter.  But 
this  interpretation  is  not  in  any  way  opposed  to  the  one  given 
above,  viz  :  that  Peter  was  the  rock,  and  the  Church  was  built 
on  him.  For  the  confession  of  Peter,  or  the  faith  confessed  by 
Peter,  could  not  exist  without  Peter  himself:  therefore,  that  the 
Church  was  built  upon  the  confession  of  Peter  is  the  same  as 
saying  that  it  was  built  on  Peter  confessing  the  faith,  or  on  Peter 
because  of  his  confession  of  Faith ;  and  that  this  is  the  meaning 
of  the  Fathers  referred  to  is  clear  from  ths  fact  that  none  oi 
them  exclude  Peter,  while  many  of  them  mention  hirn  togethe* 
with  the  confession  of  faith. 


THE    LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


173 


prevail  against  it,*  and  to  thee  I  will  give  the  keys 

Note,  however,  that  Christ  Himself  is  the  rock  in  the  first 
place,  Peter  only  in  the  second  place.  The  Church  rests  upon 
Christ  chiefly.  He  is  its  Founder.  He  "acquired  it  with  His 
blood."  But  as  He  has  allowed  others  to  share  in  His  labours 
and  has  given  them  qualities  and  names  which  are  strictly  speak- 
ing His  alone — for  instance,  Christ  is  the  Chief  Priest,  yet  He 
has  made  other  priests  to  continue  His  ministry:  He  alone  has 
the  power  of  forgiving  sins ;  but  He  has  given  to  others  that 
same  power,  to  be  used  in  His  Name :  so  He  is  the  chief  corner- 
stone and  the  one  foundation  of  the  Church  ;  but  He  has  allowed 
others  to  share  in  this  name  and  in  this  relation  to  the  society 
which  He  has  founded,  that  they  may  be  the  foundation  of  the 
Church  in  a  secondary  sense  and  after  Him.  So  St.  Paul  reminds 
the  Ephesians:  "You  are  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints  and  the 
domestics  of  God,  built  upon  the  foundations  of  the  Apostles  and 
Prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone." 
But  though  the  Church  is  built  upon  the  Apostles  and  the 
Prophets,  yet  it  is  in  special  manner  built  upon  Peter — after 
Christ  chiefly  upon  Peter,  for  Christ  called  him,  and  him  alone, 
not  merely  a  foundation  of  the  Church,  but  the  rock  of  the 
Church.  In  this  sense  writes  St.  Ambrose  (a. d.  340):  "Great 
is  the  grace  of  Christ,  who  bestowed  almost  all  His  own  names 
on  His  disciples.  I,  said  He,  am  the  light  of  the  world,  and 
yet  He  granted  to  His  disciples  the  very  name  in  which  He 
exulted  by  the  words,  You  are  the  light  of  the  world.  Christ  is 
the  Rock,  but  yet  He  did  not  deny  the  grace  of  this  to  his 
disciple,  that  he  should  be  Peter,  because  he  has  from  the  Rock 
(Christ)  firm  constancy,  immovable  faith." 

*  The  Gates  of  Hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  By 
the  "gates  of  hell"  is  meant  the  devil  and  the  wicked  angels, 
and  those  who  side  with  them  and  do  their  work ;  and  these 
"shall  not  prevail  against  the  Church."  A  magnificent  promise 
resting  on  the  word  of  Truth  itself!  And  what  does  this 
promise  mean?  It  means  that  in  spite  of  the  fiercest  opposition 
and  persecution  the  Church  shall  never  be  destroyed.  More 
than  this ;  Christ's  promise  is  made  not  merely  to  the  Church 
as  a  Church,  but  to  the  Church  as  His  Church  (for  there  is  only 
one  true  Church).  Later  on,  on  the  eve  of  Plis  Passion,  He 
promised  to  the  pastors  of  His  Church  the  Spirit  of  Truth  Who 
should  abide  with  them /^r  ifji^r  and  teach  them  all  truth;  and 
on  Ascension  Day  He  told  them:  "Behold  I  am  with  you" 
(by  My  assistance  and  protection)  "all  days,  even  to  the  con- 
summation of  the  world."  Now,  if  the  Church  were  to  fall 
away  from  the  faith,  it  would  no  longer  be  the  Church  of  Christ, 
it  would  no  longer  be  taught  by  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  or  have  the 
special  assistance  and  protection  of  its  Divine  Founder.  Or  if 
it  were  to  become  a  wicked  Church,  it  could  no  longer  be  the 
Church  of  Christ  and  His  Spouse — it  would  have  failed,  fallen 
away,  and  the  gates  of  hell  would  have  conquered  it.  Therefore 
the  Church  can  never  be  apostate,  or  heretic,  or  depraved. 
1  'ortions  of  the  Church  may  indeed  fall  away,  as  happened  at  the 
time  of  the  .so-called  "Reformation"  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
])ut  the  Church  as  a  whole,  will  ever  be  true  to  its  Founder, 


of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  .f  And  whatsoever  thou 
shall  bind  upon  earth,  it  shall  be  bound  also  in 

unshaken  and  unconquered  by  the  countless  persecutions,  apos- 
tacies,  heresies,  schisms,  which  have  been,  or  may  hereafter  be, 
raised  up  against  her  by  the  powers  of  hell.  After  nineteen  cen- 
turies of  storm  it  is  still  the  "  city  seated  upon  a  hill  that  cannot 
be  hid ;  ' '  and  why  ?  Because  it  has  been  founded  upon  the 
firm  and  immovable  rock  (Peter)  and  the  gates  of  hell  are  not 
to  prevail  against  it. 

By  this  promise  of  our  Lord  the  so-called  ' '  Reformation  ' '  is 
self-condemned.  The  motive  of  the  Reformation  was  grounded 
(apart  from  the  motives  of  policy  and  of  gain)  on  a  pretended 
necessity  for  reform.  It  was  alleged  by  the  "reformers"  that 
the  Church  had  fallen  into  idolatry  and  error,  and  had  need  of 
being  reformed.  If  this  were  true  then  the  gates  of  hell  would 
have  prevailed  against  the  Church  and  Christ  would  not  have 
been  faithful  to  His  promise. 

f  To  THEE  will  I  cni;  the  Keys  of  the  KingdoxM  of 
Heaven.  Another  figure  of  speech,  by  which  our  Lord  meant 
that  He  would  give  to  Peter  the  chief  power  and  authority  in  His 
Church.  Our  Lord  by  saying  that  He  would  give  to  St.  Peter 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  meant  that  He  would  give 
him  the  same  authority  over  the  Church,  which  is  Christ's  king- 
dom upon  earth,  that  the  master  of  the  house  has  over  his  house- 
hold. Hence  Peter  is  constantly  called  by  the  early  Christian 
writers  (the  Fathers  and  Doctors  of  the  Church)  the  "key- 
bearer,"  the  "door-keeper"  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  etc. 

St.  Cyprian  in  his  letter  to  Jubaianus,  writes:  "The  Church, 
which  is  one,  was  founded  by  the  voice  of  the  Lord  upon  one 
(Peter)  who  also  received  the  keys  thereof."  St.  Hilary 
addresses  St.  Peter  thus:  "O  blessed  keeper  of  the  gates  of 
heaven,  to  whose  disposal  are  delivered  the  keys  of  the  entrance 
into  eternity ;  whose  judgment  on  earth  is  an  authority  prejudged 
in  heaven."  St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem  (a.  d.  363)  calls  Peter 
"  The  prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  the  key-bearer  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  St.  Chrysostom  writes:  "He  committed  to  the 
hands  of  a  mortal  man  the  authority  over  all  things  in  heaven 
when  He  gave  him  the  keys. ' '  St.  Gregory  the  Great  says : 
"  To  all  who  know  the  Gospels  it  is  clear,  that  by  the  voice  of 
the  Lord  the  care  of  the  whole  Church  was  committed  to  holy 
Peter  the  prince  of  the  Apostles.  For  to  him  it  is  said,  '  Peter, 
dost  thou  love  ?  Feed  My  sheep '  ....  To  him  it  is  said, 
'  Thou  art  Peter  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church,  and 
the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it,  and  to  thee  I  will 
give  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.'  Behold  he  receives 
the  keys  of  the  heavenly  kingdom,  the  power  of  binding  and 
loosing  is  given  to  him,  and  the  care  and  government  of  the 
whole  Church  is  committed  to  him."  Our  Venerable  Bede 
(a.  d.  700)  says  :  "  Blessed  Peter  in  a  special  manner  received 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  and  the  headship  of  judiciary  power, 
that  all  believers  throughout  the  world  may  understand  that  who- 
ever in  any  way  separate  themselves  from  the  unity  of  his  faith 
and  communion  can  neither  be  loosed  from  the  chains  of  their 
sins  nor  enter  the  heavenly  kingdom." 


174 


THE  LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


heaven  :  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth, 
it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven."* 

Peter  is  Rebuked  by  Our  Lord. 

St.  Matthew  xvi.  21-23. 

From  that  time  Jesus  began  to  show  to  His  dis- 
ciples that  He  must  go  to  Jerusalem  and  suflfer 
many  things  from  the  ancients  and  scribes  and 
chief  priests,  and  be  put  to  death,  and  the  third 
day  rise  again.  And  Peter  taking  Him,  began  to 
rebuke  Him,  saying :  "  L/ord,  be  it  far  from  Thee, 
this  shall  not  be  unto  Thee."  Who  turning  said 
to  Peter :  ''  Go  behind  Me,  Satan,f  thou  art  a  scan- 
dal unto  Me :  because  thou  savourest  not  the  things 
that  are  of  God,  but  the  things  that  are  of  men." 

Then  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples  :  "  If  any  man 
will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take 
up  his  cross  and  follow  Me." 

Peter  at  the  Transfiguration. 

St.  Matthew  xvii.  1-3. 
And  after  six  days  Jesus  taketh  unto  Him  Peter, 
and  James,  and  John  his  brother,  and  bringeth  them 
up  into  a  high  mountain  apart.    And  He  was  trans- 
figured before  them.    And  His  face  did  shine  as  the 

*  Whatsoever  you  shall  loose  upon  Earth,  etc.  Here 
again  is  the  same  idea  conveyed  in  different  words :  Peter  is 
made  the  rock,  he  is  given  the  power  of  the  keys  (to  open  and 
shut  the  gates  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven, )  and  the  power  of 
loosing  and  binding,  all  signifying  the  supreme  power  and 
authority  of  Peter  in  ruling  the  Church.  It  is  very  true  that  our 
lord  not  long  afterwards  gave  to  the  other  Apostles  the  power 
of  loosing  and  binding,  but  the  same  power  is  here  given  in  a 
special  manner  to  Peter  alone,  and  to  him  alone  is  the  promise 
made  that  he  should  be  the  foundation  of  the  Church,  and  have 
the  power  of  the  keys,  he  alone  had  his  name  changed,  his  new 
name  denoting  the  office  to  which  he  was  appointed ;  all  this 
denoted  special  privileges  and  powers  granted  to  Peter  above 
those  given  to  the  other  Apostles — he  was  the  first  and  the  chief, 
and  they  were  subject  to  him.  So  St.  Basil  speaks  of  Peter  as, 
"  That  blessed  Peter  who  was  preferred  before  all  the  disciples  : 
who  alone  received  a  greater  testimony  and  blessing  than  the 
rest,  he  to  whom  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  were 
entrusted."  St.  Optatus  writes:  "For  the  good  of  unity, 
blessed  Peter  both  merited  to  be  preferred  before  all  the  Apostles, 
and  he  alone  received  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  that  he 
might  communicate  them  to  others,"  and  Tertullian  :  "If  thou 
thinkest  heaven  is  closed,  remember  that  the  Lord  left  here  the 
key  thereof  to  Peter,  and  through  him  to  the  Church. ' ' 

f  Go  BEHIND  Me,  Satan.  St.  Jerome  says  that  St.  Peter  is 
here  called  Satan,  an  adversary,  because  he  wa.s  so  at  that 
moment,  when,  out  of  human  affection,  he  opposed  Christ,  Who 
desired  to  suffer  and  be  crucified ;  but  that  he  was  appointed  to 


sun :  and  His  garments  became  white  as  snow. 
And  behold  there  appeared  to  them  Moses  and 
Elias  talking  with  Him.  And  Peter  answering, 
said  to  Jesus :  "  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here: 
if  Thou  wilt,  let  us  make  three  tabernacles,|:  one 
for  Thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias." 

And  as  he  was  yet  speaking,  behold  a  bright 
cloud  overshaded  them.  And  lo  a  voice  out  of  the 
cloud,  saying:  "This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased:  hear  ye  Him."  And  the  dis- 
ciples hearing,  fell  upon  their  face,  and  were  very 
much  afraid.  And  Jesus  came  and  touched  them : 
and  said  to  them:  "Arise,  and  fear  not."  And  they 
lifting  up  their  eyes,  saw  no  one,  but  only  Jesus. 
And  as  they  came  down  from  the  mountain,  Jesus 
charged  them,  saying :  "  Tell  the  vision  to  no  man, 
till  the  Son  of  Man  be  risen  from  the  dead." 
The  Payment  of  the  Tribute-money. 

St.  Matthew,  xvii.  23-26. 

And  when  they  were  come  to  Capharnaum,  they 
that  received  the  didrachmas§  came  to  Peter,|| 
and  said  to  him :  "  Doth  not  your  master  pay  the 
didrachma  ?"     He  said  :  "  Yes." 

And  when  he  was  come  into  the  house,  Jesus 
prevented  him,Ty  saying :  "  What  is  thy  opinion, 
Simon  ?  The  kings  of  the  earth,  of  whom  do  they 
receive  tribute  or  custom  ?  of  their  own  children, 
or  of  strangers ?"  And  he  said:  "  Of  strangers." 
Jesus  said  to  him :  "  Then  the  children  are  free. 
But  that  we  may  not  scandalize  them,  go  to  the 
sea,  and  cast  in  a  hook :  and  that  fish  which  shall 
first  come  up,  take :  and  when  thou  hast  opened 
its  mouth,  thou  shalt  find  a  stater :  take  that  and 
give  it  to  them  for  Me  and  thee."** 

be  a  Rock  in  the  future,  that  is,  he  was  to  be  the  foundation  and 
head  of  the  Church  after  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 

\  Let  us  make  three  tabernacles.  St.  Mark  adds  that 
Peter  "knew  not  what  he  said,  for  they  were  struck  with  fear." 

§  The  didrachmas.  A  didrachma  was  a  tax  laid  upon  every 
one  for  the  service  of  the  Temple ;  its  value  was  half  a  stater, 
about  fifteen  pence  in  English  money. 

II  Came  to  Peter.  Why  to  Peter?  St.  Chrysostom  says, 
"As  Peter  seemed  to  be  the  first  of  the  disciples  they  go  to  him. " 

^  Jesus  prevented  him.  Our  Lord  knowing  what  had  taken 
place,  and  that  Peter  was  about  to  speak  to  Him  of  the  tribute - 
money,  forestalled  him,  and  Himself  brought  up  the  subject 
before  Peter  had  time  to  speak  of  it. 

**  For  Me  and  for  thee.  Christ  had  just  declared  that  being 
the  Son  of  God  by  nature,  not  by  adoption,  He  was  free  from 


THE   LIFE  AND   WRITINGS  OF   ST.  PETER. 


175 


The  Disciples'  Dispute  for  Precedence. 

St.  Matthew  xviii.  1-3. 
At  that  hour*  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus,  saying: 
"  Who,  thinkest  thou,  is  the  greater  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  ?"  And  Jesus,  calling  unto  Him  a  little 
child,  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  said: 
"Amen  I  say  unto  you,  unless  you  be  converted 
and  become  as  little  children,  you  shall  not  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Whosoever  therefore, 
shall  humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  he  is  the 
greater  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Peter's  Question  on  the  Forgiveness  of  Injuries. 

St.  Matthew  xviii.  21,  22. 
Then  came  Peter  unto  Him  and  said :  "  Lord, 
how  often  shall  my  brother  offend  against  me.  and 
I  forgive  him  ?  till  seven  times  ?  "  Jesus  saith  to 
him  :  "  I  say  not  to  thee  till  seven  times  ;  but  till 
seventy  times  seven  times." 

The  Barren  Fig-tree. 

St.  Mark  xi.  11-14;    19-24. 

And  He  entered  into  Jerusalem,  into  the  Temple : 

and  having  viewed  all  things  round  about,  when 

now  the  eventide  was  come,  He  went  out  to  Beth- 

ania   with   the   twelve.     And  the  next  day  when 


the  tribute  paid  to  His  Eternal  Father ;  now,  being  willing  to 
pay  the  tribute,  He  associates  Peter  with  Himself,  and  by  His 
miraculous  power  provides  one  coin  to  pay  for  both.  "You  see 
the  greatness  of  the  'honor,"  exclaims  St.  Chrysostom :  "in 
reward  for  his  faith  He  connected  him  (Peter)  with  Himself  in 
the  payment  of  the  tribute."  And  speaking  of  Peter's  humility 
the  holy  writer  continues,  ' '  Mark,  the  disciple  of  Peter,  seems 
not  to  have  recorded  this  incident,  because  it  pointed  out  the 
great  honour  bestowed  on  him  ;  but  he  did  record  his  denial, 
while  he  was  silent  as  to  the  points  which  made  him  conspicuous, 
his  master  perhaps  begging  him  not  to  say  great  things  about 
him." 

*  At  that  Hour.  The  dispute  among  the  disciples  as  to 
which  of  them  should  be  the  greater  seems  to  have  arisen  almost 
immediately  after,  and  in  consequence  of,  the  honour  paid  to  St. 
Peter:  St.  Mark,  indeed  says  that  "when  they  were  in  the 
house,  he  asked  them  :  what  did  you  treat  of  in  the  way  ?  But 
they  held  their  peace,  for  in  the  way  they  had  disputed  among 
themselves  which  of  them  should  be  the  greatest. ' '  Cornelius  a 
Lapide,  following  St.  Chrysostom  and  others,  states  that  the 
Apostles  frequently  had  this  contention  among  themselves  on 
account   of  the   preference  shown   sometimes   to    Peter  alone, 

L sometimes  to  Peter,  James,  and  John ;  but  the  immediate  occa- 
sion of  ihe  present  dispute  was  that  they  saw  Peter  treated  with 
special  favour,  inasmuch  as  Christ  had  paid  the  didrachma  for 
him  alone. 


they  came  out  from  Bethania,  He  was  hungry. 
And  when  He  had  seen  afar  off  a  fig-tree  having 
leaves.  He  came  if  perhaps  He  might  find  any- 
thing on  it.  And  when  He  was  come  to  it.  He 
found  nothing  but  leaves,  for  it  was  not  the  time  for 
figs.  And  answering  He  said  to  it :  "  May  no  man 
hereafter  eat  fruit  of  thee  any  more  for  ever."  And 
His  disciples  heard  it. 

And  when  evening  was  come,  He  went  forth  out 
of  the  city.  And  when  they  passed  by  in  the 
morning,  they  saw  the  fig-tree  dried  up  from  the 
roots.  And  Peter  remembering,  said  to  Him : 
"  Rabbi,  behold  the  fig-tree  which  Thou  didst  curse 
is  withered  away."  And  Jesus  answering,  saith  to 
them  :  "  Have  the  faith  of  God.  Amen  I  say  to 
you,  that  whosoever  shall  say  to  this  mountain, 
'  Be  thou  removed  and  be  cast  into  the  sea,'  and 
shall  not  stagger  in  his  heart,  but  believe  that 
whatsoever  he  saith  shall  be  done,  it  shall  be  done 
unto  him.  Therefore,  I  say  unto  you,  all  things 
whatsoever  you  ask  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  you 
shall  receive  ;  and  they  shall  come  unto  you." 
Peter  is  Sent  to  Prepare  the  Pasch. 

St.  Luke  xxii.  7-16. 

And  the  day  of  the  unleavened  bread  came,  on 
which  it  was  necessary  that  the  pasch  should  be 
killed.  And  He  sent  Peter  and  John,f  saying: 
"Co  and  prepare  for  its  the  pasch,  that  we  may 
eat."  But  they  said  :  "  Where  wilt  Thou  that  we 
prepare  ?  "  And  He  said  to  them  :  "  Behold,  as 
you  go  into  the  city,  there  shall  meet  you  a  man 
carrying  a  pitcher  of  water :  follow  him  into  the 
house  where  he  entereth  in.  And  you  shall  say  to 
the  good  man  of  the  house  :  '  The  Master  saith  to 
thee  :  Where  is  the  guest-chamber,  where  I  may 
eat  the  pasch  with  My  disciples  ? '  And  he  will 
show  you  a  large  dining-room  furnished :  and  there 
prepare."  And  they  going,  found  as  He  said  to 
them,  and  made  ready  the  pasch. 

And  when  the  hour  was  come.  He  sat  down,  and 
the  twelve  Apostles  with  Him.  And  He  said  to 
them  :  "  With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this 
pasch  with  you  before  I  suffer :  for  I  say  to  you, 
that  from  this  time  I  will  not  eat  it,  till  it  be  ful- 
filled in  the  kingdom  of  God." 

f  He  sent  Peter  and  John.  Peter,  the  one  who  had  been 
appointed  the  chief,  John,  the  beloved  disciple. 


176 


THE    LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


The  \v  ashing  of  the  Feet. 

St.  John  xiii.  3-1 1  ;   21-26. 

Qesus],  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  Him 
all  things  into  His  hands,  and  that  He  came  from 
God,  and  goeth  to  God,  He  riseth  from  supper,  and 
layeth  aside  His  garments,  and  having  taken  a 
towel  girded  Himself.  After  that  he  putteth  water 
into  a  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the  feet  of  His  dis- 
ciples, and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  wherewith 
He  was  girded.  He  cometh  therefore  to  Simon 
Peter.*  And  Peter  said  to  Him  :  "  Lord,  dost  Thou 
wash  my  feet  ?"  Jesus  answered  and  said  to  Him  : 
"  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,t  but  thou  shalt 
know  hereafter."  Peter  said  to  Him  :  "  Thou  shalt 
never  wash  my  feet."  Jesus  answered  him  :  "  If  I 
wash  thee  not,  thou  shalt  have  no  part  with  Me." 
Simon  Peter  saitli  to  Him :  "  Lord,  not  only  my 
feet,  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head."  Jesus  saith 
to  him  :  "  He  that  is  washed,  needeth  not  but  to 
wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  wholly.  And  you  are 
clean,  but  not  all."  For  He  knew  who  he  was  that 
would  betray  Him  ;  therefore  He  said :  "  You  are 
not  all  clean " 

When  Jesus  had  said  these  things,  He  was 
troubled  in  spirit :  and  He  testified,  and  said : 
"Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you,  one  of  you  shall 
betray  Me."  The  disciples  therefore  looked  one 
upon  another,  doubting  of  whom  He  spoke.  Now 
there  was  leaning  on  Jesus's  bosom  one  of  His  dis- 
ciples whom  Jesus  loved.  Simon  Peter  therefore 
beckoned  to  him,  and  said  to  him  :  "  Who  is  it  of 
whom  He  speaketh  ?"    He  therefore  leaning  on  the 

*  He    COMETH    THEREFORE    TO     SiMON    PeTER.       ComeliuS    a 

I.apide,  the  great  commentator  on  the  Holy  Scriptures,  writes 
on  this  text:  "He  comes  to  Peter  that  in  the  washing,  as  on 
other  occasions,  He  may  begin  with  him  as  the  head  and  chief 
of  the  Apostles.  For  if  he  had  come  to  the  other  Apostles  first, 
they  would  certainly  have  declined,  even  as  Peter  did,  so  great 
and  so  unaccustomed  a  humiliation  [on  the  part  of  our  Lord] ; 
but  when  they  saw  Peter  reproved  by  Christ  and  submitting, 
they  also  submitted  and  suffered  their  feet  to  be  washed  by 
Christ. ' '  A  Lapide  says  that  this  is  the  opinion  of  St.  Augustine, 
the  Venerable  Bede,  and  others. 

f  Thou  knowest  not  now.  The  mystery  implied  by  the 
action  of  our  Lord  and  not  understood  by  Peter  was,  first,  a 
lesson  of  humility  and  charity  to  the  Apostles,  and  to  all  Chris- 
tians, especially  to  those  in  authority;  and  secondly,  a  lesson  as 
to  the  cleanness  of  heart  required  of  those  who  appro""'^  the 
Holy  Eucharist, 


breast  of  Jesus  saith  to  Him  :  "  Lord,  who  is  it  ?'' 
Jesus  answered :  "  He  it  is  to  whom  I  shall  reach 
bread  dipped."  And  when  He  had  dipped  the 
bread.  He  gave  it  to  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of 
Simon. 

"Lord,  Whither  Goest  Thou?" 

St.  John  xiii.  33-38. 
[Jesus  said  :]  "  Little  children,  yet  a  little  while 
I  am  with  you.  You  shall  seek  Me,  and  as  I  said 
to  the  Jews :  Whither  I  go,  you  cannot  come :  so 
I  say  to  you  now.  A  new  commandment  I  give 
unto  you  :  That  you  love  one  another,  as  I  have 
loved  you,  that  you  also  love  one  another.  By 
this  shall  all  men  know  that  you  are  My  disciples 
if  you  have  love  for  one  another."  Simon  Peter 
saith  to  Him:  "Lord,  whither  goest  Thou?" J 
Jesus  answered :  "  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not 
follow  Me  now,  but  thou  shalt  follow  hereafter." 
Peter  saith  to  Him  :  "  Why  cannot  I  follow  Thee 
now?  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  Thee."  Jesus 
answered  him :  "  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for 
Me  ?  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  thee,  the  cock  shall 
not  crow,  till  thou  deny  Me  thrice." 

Peter,  the  Confirmer  of  his  Brethren. 

St.  Luke  xxii.  24-32. 
And  there  was  also  a  strife  amongst  them,§ 
which  of  them  should  seem  to  be  greater.  And 
He  said  to  them  :  "  The  kings  of  the  Gentiles  lord 
it  over  them  ;  and  they  that  have  power  over  them 
are  called  beneficent.  But  you  not  so  :  but  he  that 
is  the  greater  II  among  you,  let  him  become  as  the 

I  Whither  goest  Thou  ?  St.  Peter  did  not  understand  that 
our  Lord  was  speaking  of  His  leaving  the  Apostles  by  His  ascen- 
sion into  Heaven.  St.  Peter  could  not  follow  Him  there  now, 
but  he  could  do  so  hereafter — after  his  own  crucifixion  for  his 
Master's  sake. 

§  There  was  also  a  strife  amongst  them.  As  already 
stated,  there  was  frequently  a  contention  among  the  Apostles 
which  of  them  should  be  the  greatest.  On  the  present  occasion 
it  probably  arose  from  the  knowledge  that  their  Master  was  soon 
to  be  taken  from  them,  and  they  contended  who  should  take  His 
•place.  True,  our  Lord  had  already  pointed  out  one,  but  it  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Apostles  were,  up  to  the  present,  dull, 
uneducated,  unenlightened  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they  had 
been  frequently  reproved  for  their  want  of  understanding;  and 
their  knowledge,  or  at  least  suspicion,  of  Peter's  preference 
tended  to  make  them  jealous,  unmindful  of  our  Lord's  frequent 
exhortations  to  humility. 

II  He  that  is  the  greater.     The  lesson  was  addressed  to 


THE    LIFE   AND    WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


177 


younger :  and  lie  that  is  the  leader,  as  he  that 
serveth.  For  which  is  greater,  he  that  sitteth  at 
table  or  he  that  serveth  ?  Is  it  not  he  that  sitteth 
at  table  ?  but  I  am  in  the  midst  of  you  as  he  that 
serveth.  And  you  are  they  who  have  continued 
with  Me  in  My  temptations  :  and  I  dispose  to  you, 
as  My  Father  hath  disposed  to  Me,  a  kingdom,  that 
you  may  eat  and  drink  at  My  table  in  My  kingdom, 
and  may  sit  upon  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel."  And  the  Lord  said :  "  Simon,  Simon, 
behold  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you  *  that  he 
may  sift  you  as  wheat.  But  I  have  prayed  for 
thee,t  that  thy  faith  fail  not :  and  thou  being  once 
converted,  confirm  thy  brethren." 

all :  all  of  them  were  to  avoid  the  overbearing  lordship  of  the 
kings  of  the  Gentiles.  But  a  special  lesson  was  given  to  the 
chief  among  them — he  was  to  be  as  the  younger  and  as  the 
servant.  Note  our  Lord's  words  "He  that  is  the  greater  .  .  . 
he  that  is  the  leader,"  therefore  there  was  a  "greater,"  there 
was  a  "leader." 

*  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you.  The  desire  of  Satan 
extended  to  all  the  Apostles:  "to  have  jct'w,"  "that  he  may  sift 
you  as  wheat."  He  desired  "to  sift  them  as  wheat,"  to  shake 
them  asunder  and  utterly  destroy  them  as  a  body,  that  by  so 
doing  he  might  utterly  destroy  and  bring  to  ruin  the  Church 
which  Christ  was  founding.  Our  Lord  had  foreseen  this  fierce 
assault  of  Satan,  and  had  promised  that  neither  this  attempt  to 
destroy  the  Church,  nor  future  attempts,  should  succeed — the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 

f  I  HAVE  PRAYED  FOR  THEE.  Satan's  attack  is  directed  against 
all :  Christ  prays  for  one,  and  by  this  prayer  for  one — for  Christ's 
prayer  is  unfailing,  He  is  heard  for  the  reverence  due  to  Him — 
Satan  is  defeated.  Now  what  was  Christ's  prayer?  "That  thy 
faith  fail  not,  and  thou,  being  once  converted,  confirm  thy 
brethren."  Therefore  Peter's  faith  was  not  to  fail,  and  he  was 
to  confirm,  that  is  to  strengthen  and  keep  .:ogether,  even  the 
Apostles.  This  is  a  repetition  of  the  promise  already  made  to 
Peter,  viz.,  that  he  was  to  be  the  firm  and  immovable  founda- 
tion on  which  the  Church  was  to  rest,  but  here  it  is  distinctly 
stated,  that  even  the  pillars  of  the  Church  were  to  be  kept  firm 
by  Peter. 

St.  Leo,  writing  in  the  fifth  century  and  alluding  to  this  pas- 
sage, says:  "The  danger  from  the  temptation  of  fear  was 
common  to  all  the  Apostles,  and  all  equally  needed  the  Divine 
protection,  since  the  devil  desired  to  dismay  all,  to  crush  all ; 
and  yet  a  special  care  of  Peter  is  undertaken  by  our  Lord,  and 
He  prays  especially  for  the  faith  of  Peter,  as  if  the  state  of  the 
rest  would  be  more  sure  if  the  mind  of  their  chief  were  not  con- 
quered. In  Peter  therefore,  the  fortitude  of  all  is  protected,  and 
the  help  of  Divine  grace  is  so  ordered,  that  the  firmness  which 
through  Christ  is  given  to  Peter,  is  conferred  through  Peter  on 
the  Apostles. ' ' 
12 


Peter's  Presumption, 

St.  Matthew  xxvi.  31-35. 
Then  Jesus  saith  to  them:  "And  you  shall  be 
scandalized  in  Me  this  night.  For  it  is  written : 
/  will  strike  the  shepherd^  and  the  sheep  of  the  flock 
shall  be  dispersed.  But  after  I  shall  be  risen  again, 
I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee."  And  Peter 
answering  said  to  Him :  "Although  all  shall  be 
scandalized  in  thee,  I  will  never  be  scandalized." 
Jesus  said  to  him  :  "Amen,  I  say  to  thee,  that  in 
this  night)  before  the  cock  crow,  thou  wilt  deny 
Me  thrice."  Peter  saith  to  Him  :  "  Yea,  though  I 
should  die  with  Thee,|  I  will  not  deny  Thee." 
And  in  like  manner  said  all  the  disciples. 
Peter  at  Gethsemani. 

St.  Matthew  xxvi.  36-50.     St.  John  xviii.  10-12. 

{St.  Matthew)}  Then  Jesus  came  with  them  into 
a  country  place  which  is  called  Gethsemani.  And 
He  said  to  His  disciples :  "  Sit  you  here,  till  I  go 
yonder  and  pray.''  And  taking  with  Him  Peter  § 
and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  He  began  to  grow 
sorrowful  and  to  be  sad.  Then  He  saith  to  them : 
"  My  soul  is  sorrowful  even  unto  death  :  stay  you 
here  and  watch  with  Me."  And  going  a  little  fur- 
ther. He  fell  upon  His  face,  praying,  and  saying : 
"  My  father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  chalice  pass 
from  Me :  nevertheless  not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou 
wilt." 

And  He  cometh  to  His  disciples,  and  findeth  them 
asleep,  and  He  saith  to  Peter :1|  "What?     Could 

St.  Ambrose  also  writes  to  the  same  effect :  "Peter,  after  being 
tempted  by  the  devil,  is  set  over  the  Church.  The  Lord  there- 
fore signified  beforehand  what  that  is,  that  He  afterwards  chose 
him  to  be  Pastor  of  the  Lord's  flock.  For  to  him  He  said,  'But 
thou,  when  thou  art  converted,  confirm  thy  brethren. '  ' ' 

\  Yea,  though  I  should  die  with  Thee.  St.  Mark  adds 
that  after  our  Lord's  warning,  Peter  "spoke  the  more  vehe- 
mently." Peter  committed  herein  a  threefold  sin — he  per- 
sistently contradicted  his  divine  Master,  he  preferred  himself  to 
the  other  Apostles,  and  he  presumed  upon  his  own  strength. 

§  Taking  with  Him  Peter.  Eight  of  the  Apostles  were  left 
at  the  gate  of  the  garden  ;  the  three  privileged  ones,  Peter,  and 
James  and  John  (the  two  sons  of  Zebedee),  were  taken  some 
distance  into  the  garden,  where  they  were  stationed  to  watch  and 
pray,  our  Lord  Himself  going  a  little  further  on. 

II  He  saith  to  Peter.  Though  speaking  to  Peter  alone,  He 
addressed  him  in  the  plural  number  "Could  you  not  watch?" 
Because,  as  the  members  are  praised  or  blamed  in  their  head,  so 
in  reproving  Peter,  He  was  reproving  all. 


178 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS    OF   ST.  PETER. 


you  not  watch  one  liour  with  Me  ?  Watch  ye,  and 
pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation.  The  spirit 
indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  weak."  Again  the 
second  time.  He  went  and  prayed,  saying :  "  My 
Father,  if  this  chalice  may  not  pass  away,  but  I 
must  drink  it.  Thy  will  be  done."  And  He  cometh 
again,  and  findeth  them  sleeping :  for  their  eyes 
were  heavy.  And  leaving  them  He  went  again : 
and  He  prayed  the  third  time,  saying  the  self-same 
word.  Then  He  cometh  to  His  disciples,  and  saith 
to  them  :  "  Sleep  ye  now  and  take  your  rest :  behold 
the  hour  is  at  hand,  and  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be 
betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinners.  Rise  let  us  go ; 
behold  he  is  at  hand  that  will  betray  Me." 

As  He  yet  spoke,  behold  Judas,  one  of  the  twelve, 
came,  and  with  him  a  great  multitude  with  swords 
and  clubs,  sent  from  the  chief  priests  and  the 
ancients  of  the  people.  And  he  that  betrayed  Him 
gave  them  a  sign,  saying :  "  Whomsoever  I  shall 
kiss,  that  is  He ;  hold  Him  fast."  And  forthwith 
coming  to  Jesus,  he  said  :  "  Hail,  Rabbi."  And  he 
kissed  Him.  And  Jesus  said  to  him :  "  Friend, 
whereto  art  thou  come  ?"  Then  they  came  up,  and 
laid  hands  on  Jesus,  and  held  Him. 

{St.  John.)  Then  Simon  Peter  having  a  sword, 
drew  it,  and  struck  the  servant  of  the  high-priest, 
and  cut  off  his  right  ear :  and  the  name  of  the  ser- 
vant was  Malchus.  Jesus  therefore  said  to  Peter : 
"  Put  up  thy  sword  into  the  scabbard  :  the  chalice 
which  My  Father  hath  given  Me,  shall  I  not  drink 
it?"  Then  the  band  and  the  tribune,  and  the  ser- 
vants of  the  Jews,  took  Jesus,  and  bound  Him. 
Peter's  Fall. 

St.  John  xviii.  13-16.     St.  Mark  xiv.  66-72. 

{St.  John.)  And  they  led  Him  away  to  Annas 
first,  for  he  was  father-in-law  to  Caiphas,  who  was 
the  high-priest  of  that  year.  Now  Caiphas  was  he 
who  had  given  the  counsel  to  the  Jews,  that  it  was 
expedient  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people. 
And  Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus,  and  so  did  another 
disciple.*  And  that  disciple  was  known  to  the 
high-priest,  and  went  in  with  Jesus  into  the  court 
of  the  high-priest. 

But  Peter  stood  at  the  door  without.  The  other 
disciple  therefore  who  was  known  to  the  high-priest, 
went  out,  and  spoke  to  the  portress  and  brought  in 
*  Another  disciple.     This  other  disciple  was  St.  John. 


Peter.  The  maid,  therefore  that  was  portress,  saith 
to  Peter :  "Art  not  thou  also  one  of  this  man's  dis- 
ciples ?"  He  saith :  "  I  am  not."  Now  the  ser- 
vants and  ministers  stood  at  a  fire  of  coals,  because 
it  was  cold,  and  warmed  themselves.  And  with 
them  was  Peter  also  standing,  and  warming  him- 
self 

{St.  Mark.)  Now  when  Peter  was  in  the  court 
below,  there  cometh  one  of  the  maid-servantsf  of 
the  high-priest :  and  when  she  had  seen  Peter 
warming  himself,  looking  on  him  she  saith  :  "  Thou 
also  wast  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  But  he  denied, 
saying :  "  I  neither  know  nor  understand  what  thou 
sayest."  And  he  went  forth  before  the  court ;  and 
the  cock  crew.  And  again  a  maid-servant  seeing 
him,  began  to  say  to  the  standers  by  :  "  This  is  one 
of  them.''  But  he  denied  again.  And  after  a  while 
they  that  stood  by  said  again  to  Peter :  "  Surely 
thou  art  one  of  them  ;  for  thou  art  also  a  Galilean." 
But  he  began  to  curse  and  to  swear,  saying :  "  I 
know  not  this  man  of  whom  you  speak." 

{St.  Luke.)  And  the  Lord  turning,  looKed  on 
Peter.J;     And  Peter  remembered  the  word  of  the 

f  One  of  the  maid-servants.  According  to  St.  John  it  was 
"the  maid  that  was  portress  "  who  first  taxed  Peter  with  being 
one  of  our  Lord's  disciples.  Probably  as  she  was  letting  him  in, 
not  seeing  him  clearly  as  it  was  dark,  she  asked  him,  "Art  not 
thou  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples  ? ' '  He  said  :  "I  am  not. ' ' 
Then,  soon  after,  as  Peter  was  sitting  by  the  fire  with  the  ser- 
vants, this  same  portress  came,  and  looking  at  him  earnestly  by 
the  light  of  the  fire,  spoke  of  him  to  another  maid-servant,  and 
perhaps  to  one  or  two  of  the  bystanders,  and  they  repeated  the 
question,  Peter  again  denying.  Then,  after  about  an  hour's 
interval,  "one  of  the  servants  of  the  high-priest  (a  kinsman  to 
him  whose  ear  Peter  cut  off)  saith  to  him.  Did  I  not  see  thee  in 
the  garden  with  him  ?"  And  on  Peter's  denying  the  bystanders 
took  it  up :  "Thou  art  also  a  Galilean;  even  thy  speech  doth 
discover  thee. ' '  Peter  began  to  curse  and  to  swear  in  his  denial, 
and  then  the  cock  crew  the  second  time — at  day-break. 

I  The  Lord  turning  looked  on  Peter.  Possibly  at  that 
moment  our  Lord  was  being  conveyed  from  the  hall  of  the  high 
priest,  the  examination  being  over,  to  some  other  portion  of  the 
house  where  he  was  to  remain  till  morning,  and  passing  within 
view  of  Peter  cast  upon  him  His  heart -searching  glance  :  and 
Peter,  coming  to  himself,  going  out,  wept  bitterly.  Peter's 
bitter  sorrow  at  the  fault  he  had  committed  was  accompanied  by 
hope  in  God's  mercy,  and  we  know  that  he  was  pardoned  ; 
Judas  also  repented  of  his  crime,  but  he  despaired  and  was  lost. 

What  was  Peter's  sin  in  denying  his  Lord?  Was  it  a  sin 
against  faith  ?  Rather  it  was  a  sin  against  the  outward  profession 
of  faith.      There  was  faith  in  his  heart,  he  still  believed   in  his. 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS    OF   ST.  PETER. 


179 


Lord,  as  He  had  said ;  "  Before  the  cock  crow, 
thou  shalt  deny  Me  thrice."  And  Peter  going  out 
wept  bitterly. 

Easter  Day  and  St.  Peter. 

St.  Mark  xvi.  i-8.  St.  John  xx.  2-9. 
When  the  Sabbath  was  passed,  Mary  Magdalen, 
and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  Salome,  brought 
sweet  spices,  that  coming  they  might  anoint  Jesus. 
And  very  early  in  the  morning  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  they  come  to  the  sepulchre,  the  sun  being 
now  risen.  And  they  said  one  to  another :  *'  Who 
shall  roll  us  back  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the 
sepulchre?"  And  looking  they  saw  the  stone 
rolled  back.  For  it  was  very  great.  And  entering 
into  the  sepulchre,  they  saw  a  young  man  sitting 
on  the  right  side,  clothed  with  a  white  robe :  and 
they  were  astonished.  Who  saith  to  them :  "  Be 
not  affrighted ;  you  seek  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Who 
was  crucified :  He  is  risen.  He  is  not  here,  behold 
the  place  where  they  laid  Him.  But  go,  tell  His 
disciples  and  Peter,*  that  He  goeth  before  you 
into  Galilee ;  there  you  shall  see  Him,  as  He 
told  you."  But  they  going  out,  fled  from  the 
sepulchre.     For  a  trembling  and   fear  had    seized 

Master  and  loved  him,  or  why  should  he  have  followed  Him  into 
so  dangerous  a  place  ?  but  he  was  lacking  in  moral  courage  (in 
spite  of,  or  because  of,  his  presumption  at  the  supper)  and  so  he 
was  afraid  to  own  Him.  This  fall  of  Peter  is  not  unfrequently 
brought  up  as  an  argument  against  both  the  supremacy  and  the 
infallibility  of  St.  Peter.  The  objectors  say  St.  Peter  denied  his 
Master  three  times;  how  could  he  then  be  head  of  the  Church 
or  infallible  ?  Such  people  confuse  supremacy  and  infallibility 
with  impeccability  or  sinlessness  :  but  that  St.  Peter  was  impec- 
cable or  sinless  is  no  part  of  Catholic  teaching.  Neither  did  his 
sin,  such  as  it  was,  in  any  way  concern  his  office ;  it  was  a 
private,  individual  act,  not  an  official  act. 

Hence  our  reply  to  the  objection  is,  that  infallibility  is  not 
sinlessness  ;  that  Peter's  sin  was  not  a  falling  away  from  the  faith, 
but  from  the  outward  profession  of  faith ;  and,  whatever  his 
fault  was,  it  was  not  a  public  official  act :  whereas  Catholics  hold 
that  St.  Peter,  and  his  successors  the  Bishops  of  Rome,  are 
infallible,  not  in  their  private  capacity,  but  only  when  as  head  of 
the  Church,  they  define  a  doctrine  concerning  faith  or  morals  to 
be  held  by  the  whole  Church.  It  is  further  to  be  observed, 
that  St.  Peter  at  the  time  of  his  fall  was  not  yet  head  of  the 
Church  and  he  was  therefore  not  infallible.  He  had  received 
the  promise  of  the  office  but  was  not  yet  appointed  because  our 

LLord  Himself  was  still  the  visible  head. 
*  Tell  His  disciples  and  Peter.     The  Angel  makes  a  dis- 
tinct mention  of  Peter  as  a  mark  of  honour. 
■ 


them :  and  they  said  nothing  to  any  man ;  for  they 
were  afraid. 

{SL  JoAn.)  Mary  Magdalen  ran  therefore,  and 
cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and  to  the  other  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved,  and  saith  to  them  :  "  They  have 
taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we 
know  not  where  they  have  laid  Him."  Peter  there- 
fore went  out,  and  that  other  disciple,  and  they 
came  to  the  sepulchre.  And  they  both  ran 
together,  and  that  other  disciple  did  out-run  Peter, 
and  came  first  to  the  sepulchre.  And  when  he 
stooped  down,  he  saw  the  linen  cloths  lying :  but 
yet  he  went  not  in.f  Then  cometh  Simon  Peter, 
following  him.  and  went  into  the  sepulchre,  and 
saw  the  linen  cloths  lying,  and  the  napkin  that  had 
been  about  His  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen 
cloths,  but  apart,  wrapt  up  into  one  place.  Then 
that  other  disciple  also  went  in,  who  came  first  to 
the  sepulchre :  and  he  saw  and  believed.  For  as 
yet  they  knew  not  the  Scripture,!  that  He  must 
rise  again  from  the  dead. 

Peter  Made  Shepherd  of  the  Flock  of  Christ. 
Peter's  Question  Concerning  John. 

St.  John  xxi.  1-23. 
After  this  Jesus  showed  Himself  again  to  the 
disciples  at  the  sea  of  Tiberias  :  and  He  showed 

f  He  went  not  in.  St.  John  being  younger  and  more  active 
got  to  the  sepulchre  first.  He  did  not  go  in,  but,  contenting 
himself  with  stooping  down  and  looking  inside,  he  waited  till 
St.  Peter  came  up,  giving  him  the  precedence  on  so  important 
an  occasion.     St.  Peter,  on  arriving,  at  once  went  in. 

I  They  understood  not  the  Scripture.  Although  our 
Lord  had  frequently  reminded  them  of  the  prophecies  concern- 
ing Himself  that  He  should  be  put  to  death  and  should  rise 
again,  yet  they  had  not  laid  these  truths  to  heart. 

St.  Paul  in  relating  the  appearances  of  the  risen  Saviour  to 
the  Apostles  and  others  of  the  faithful,  says,  first,  "  that  He  was 
seen  by  Cephas. ' '  This  implies  a  distinct  manifestation  of  our 
Lord  to  Peter  before  He  appeared  to  the  other  disciples.  And 
that  this  actually  took  place  is  clear  from  the  passage  in  the 
Gospel  of  St.  Luke,  which  tells  us  how  the  two  disciples,  to 
whom  our  Lord  had  appeared  at  Emmaus,  on  their  return  to 
Jerusalem,  "  found  the  eleven  gathered  together,  and  those  that 
were  with  them,  saying,  'The  Lord  hath  risen  indeed,  and  hath 
appeared  to  Simon.'  "  And  it  is  noticeable  that  while  the  word 
of  these  two  disciples — who,  as  it  would  seem,  told  those  of  the 
faithful  whom  they  met  on  the  way  from  Emmaus  to  Jerusalem 
what  they  had  seen — and  of  Mary  Magdalen  and  the  holy 
women,  is  not  received,  yet  on  Peter's  word  they  say,  "The 
Lord  is  risen  indeed." 


180 


THE    LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


Himself  after  this  manner.  There  were  together 
Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  who  is  called  Didymus, 
and  Nathanael  who  was  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and 
the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two  others  of  his  disciples. 
Simon  Peter  saith  to  them  :  "  I  go  a-fishing."  They 
say  to  him  :  "  We  also  come  with  thee."*  And 
they  went  forth  and  entered  into  the  ship :  and  that 
night  they  caught  nothing.  But  when  the  morn- 
ing was  come,  Jesus  stood  on  the  shore ;  yet  the 
disciples  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus. 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  them :  "  Children,  have 
you  any  meat  ?"  They  answered  Him :  "  No." 
He  saith  to  them :  "  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side 
of  the  ship;  and  you  shall  find."  They  cast 
therefore :  and  now  they  were  not  able  to  draw  it 
for  the  multitude  of  fishes.  That  disciple  therefore 
whom  Jesus  loved,  said  to  Peter :  "  It  is  the  Lord." 
Simon  Peter,  when  he  heard  that  it  was  the  Lord, 
girt  his  coat  about  him  (for  he  was  naked)  and  cast 
himself  into  the  sea.  But  the  other  disciples  came 
in  the  ship  (for  they  were  not  far  from  the  land, 
but  as  it  were  two  hundred  cubits)  dragging  the 
net  wJth  fishes.  As  soon  then  as  they  came  to 
land,  they  saw  hot  coals  lying,  and  a  fish  laid 
thereon,  and  bread.  Jesus  saith  to  them  :  "  Bring 
hither  of  the  fishes  which  you  have  now  caught." 
Simon  Peter  went  up,  and  drew  the  net  to  land,t 
full  of  great  fishes,  one  hundred  and  fifty-three : 
and  although  there  were  so  many,  the  net  was  not 
broken. 

Jesus  saith  to  them :  "  Come,  and  dine."  And 
none  of  them  who  were  at  meat  durst  ask  Him  : 
"Who  art  Thou?"  knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord. 
And  Jesus  cometh  and  taketh  bread,  and  giveth 
them,  and  fish  in  like  manner.  This  is  now  the 
third  time  that  Jesus  was  manifested  to  His  dis- 
ciples, after  He  was  risen  from  the  dead. 

When  therefore  they  had  dined,  Jesus  saith  to 

*  I  GO  A-FiSHiNG.  As  our  Lord  was  no  longer  with  them 
continuously  and  no  special  work  had  been  enjoined  to  them, 
these  Apostles  returned  to  their  former  occupation. 

•j-  Simon  Peter  went  up  into  the  boat  and  drew  the  net. 
Cornelius  a  Lapide,  commenting  on  this  text,  says  that  through- 
out this  fishing  the  primacy  of  Peter  is  suggested  :  Peter  is  the 
first  to  call  the  others  to  the  fishing ;  he  is  the  first  to  come  to 
Christ  on  the  shore  ;  he  draws  the  net  to  land,  that  thereby 
might  be  signified  that  all  the  faithful  are  to  be  brought  to 
Christ,  and  governed  by  him. 
t 


Simon  Peter  :|  "  Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou 
Me  more  than  these  ?  "§  He  saith  to  Him  :  "  Yea, 
Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee."  He  saith 
to  him :    "  Feed  My  lambs."  ||     He  saith  to  him 

J  Jesus  saith  ro  Simon  Peter.  Our  Lord  now  addresses 
Himself  to  Peter  alone.  Twice  He  had  promised  Peter  that  he 
was  to  have  a  special  relation  to  the  Church,  by  being  made  its 
head  and  chief  ruler.  Now  He  fulfils  His  promise.  This 
promise  had  not  yet  been  fulfilled,  because  Christ  Himself  was 
the  visible  Head  and  Ruler  of  the  Church;  but  now  He  was 
about  to  leave  this  earth,  and,  as  a  visible  body  requires  a  visible 
head,  He  appoints  Peter  to  take  His  place. 

§  LovEST  thou  Me  more  than  these  ?  Note  the  expression 
"  more  than  these  " — even  more  than  the  other  apostles.  More 
love  was  asked  for  from  Peter  because  the  charge  committed  to 
him  was  so  great. 

II  Feed  My  lambs  ;  Feed  My  sheep.  Under  the  figure  of  a 
shepherd  feeding  his  sheep,  our  I^ord  makes  St.  Peter  the  ruler 
of  the  Church — gives  him  authority  over  all  the  faithful.  We 
speak  of  the  pastor  of  a  diocese  or  of  a  parish,  and  thereby  we 
mean  the  one  who  has  spiritual  authority,  who  is  the  ruler  of  a 
diocese  or  parish.  When  our  Lord  spoke  of  Himself  as  the 
Good  Shepherd,  when  He  said  that  there  was  to  be  "one  fold 
and  one  Shepherd, ' '  the  idea  conveyed  to  us  is  connected  with 
headship,  authority  and  submission  to  authority. 

In  the  first  and  second  exhortation  of  our  Lord  to  St.  Peter, 
' '  Feed  ray  lambs,  ....  feed  my  lambs, ' '  the  Greek  word — 
and  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  St.  John's  Gospel  was  written 
originally  in  Greek — is  boske,  which  means  simply  feed  or 
pasture,  and  thereby  St.  Peter  was  exhorted  to  guide  and  teach 
the  faithful.  But  in  the  third  exhortation  "  feed  my  sheep"  a 
different  word  is  used — poimaine — which  means  7-ule.  The 
same  word  is  used  in  Psalm  ii.  in  which  the  Eternal  Father  is 
represented  as  saying  to  Christ,  "  Thou  shalt  rule  them  with  a 
rod  of  iron  ;  "  and  of  Bethlehem  it  was  prophesied:  "Out  of 
thee  shall  come  forth  the  leader  who  shall  rule  My  people  Israel. ' ' 
St.  Paul  again  xaes  the  same  word  when  he  tells  the  Bishops  of 
Ephesus  that  they  have  been  placed  by  the  Holy  Ghost  ' '  to  rule 
the  Church  of  God."  And  St.  Peter  exhorts  the  Bishops  to 
"feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among  you,  taking  care  of  it  not 
by  constraint,  but  willingly  as  of  God. ' '  In  all  these  passa^^s 
the  Greek  versions  have  the  word  poitnainein — to  rule. 

St.  Peter,  therefore,  was  appointed  to  be  Shepherd  over^  *b- .. 
is  to  guide  and  to  rule,  the  flock  of  Christ,  which  is  the  Church. 
And  see  how  widely  his  authority  extends  :  "  Feed  My  lambs ; 
feed  My  sheep, ' '  our  Lord  tells  him.  Who  are  the  lambs  and 
sheep  of  Christ  ?  Surely,  all  true  believers,  all  true  followers  of 
Christ,  all  Christians.  Nor  is  any  exception  made :  high  and 
low,  lay  and  cleric,  Bishops  and  even  Apostles  are  of  the  flock 
of  Christ,  all  are  committed  to  Peter's  care.  The  bishop  is 
pastor  over  all  in  his  diocese  j  Peter  is  pastor  over  the  whole 
Church. 

Hear  what  some  of  the  Fathers  say  on  the  commission  given 
to  St.  Peter : 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


181 


again  :  "  Simon  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  Me  ?  " 
He  saith  to  Him  :  "  Yea,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that 
I  love  Thee."  He  saith  to  him:  "Feed  My 
lambs."     He  said  to  him  the  third  time :  "  Simon 

St.  Ambrose :  "As  He  (Christ)  is  about  to  be  raised  up  into 
heaven  He  is  leaving  him  (Peter)  to  us,  as  it  were  the  vicar  of 
His  love.  For  thus  you  have  it :  '  Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest 
thou  Me  ?  .  .  .  Feed  My  sheep.  ..."  Because  he  alone  out  of 
all  makes  this  profession  (of  love)  he  is  preferred  before  all  .  .  . 
and  now  he  is  not  ordered  as  at  first,  to  feed  the  lambs,  but  His 
sheep,  that  the  more  perfect  might  govern  the  more  perfect. ' ' 

St.  Chrysostom:  "Why  then  passing  by  the  others  does  He 
converse  with  Peter  on  those  things?  He  was  the  chosen  one  of 
the  Apostles,  the  mouth  of  the  disciples,  the  leader  of  the  choir. 
On  this  account  Paul  also  went  up  on  a  certain  occasion  to  see 
him  rather  than  the  others.  And  also,  to  show  him  that  he 
nust  have  confidence,  as  the  denial  was  done  away  with.  He 
puts  into  his  hands  the  presidency  over  his  brethren.  And  He 
brings  not  forward  that  denial,  neither  does  He  reproach  him 
with  the  past,  but  says  to  him,  'if  thou  love  Me,  rule  over  the 
brethren.'  And  the  third  time  He  gives  him  the  same  injunc- 
tion, showing  at  what  a  price  He  sets  the  presidency  over  His 
own  sheep,  and  if  any  one  should  say,  how  then  did  James 
receive  the  throne  [episcopal  see]  of  Jerusalem? — we  would 
answer  that  he  appointed  the  former  (Peter)  teacher  not  of  that 
throne,  but  of  the  world. "  Again:  "Why,  then  did  He  shed 
His  blood?  That  He  might  possess  those  sheep  which  He 
entrusted  to  Peter  and  to  those  after  him." 

St.  Augustine,  giving  his  reasons  for  being  a  Catholic,  says  i 
"The  agreement  of  peoples  and  nations  keeps  me  (in  the  bosom 
of  the  Catholic  Church)  ;  an  authority  begun  with  miracles, 
nourished  with  hope,  increased  with  charity,  strengthened  with 
antiquity,  keeps  me;  the  succession  of  bishops  from  the  Chair 
itself  of  Peter,  to  whom  the  Lord  after  His  Resurrection  com- 
mittee His  sheep  to  be  fed,  down  even  to  the  present  Bishop, 
keeps  me."  And  in  another  place:  "Justly,  after  His  Resur- 
rection, the  Lord  commended  to  Peter  himself,  His  sheep  to  be 
fed.  For  not  he  alone  among  the  disciples  merited  to  feed  the 
Lord's  sheep;  but  when  Christ  speaks  to  one,  unity  is  com- 
mended, and  to  Peter  chiefly,  because  among  the  Apostles 
Peter  is  the  first." 

St.  Leo:  "To  the  blessed  Apostle  Peter,  above  the  others, 
after  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  had  been  given,  is  the  care  of  the 
Lord's  fold  committed."  And:  "  Whereas  Peter  alone  received 
many  things,  nothing  passed  unto  any  one  (else)  without  his 
participation  in  it.  Out  of  the  whole  world  the  one  Peter  is 
chosen  to  be  set  over  both  the  calling  of  the  nations,  and  over 
all  the  Apostles,  and  all  the  fathers  of  the  Church;  that  although 
in  the  people  of  God,  there  be  many  priests  and  many  shepherds, 
Peter  may  rule  all,  whom  Christ  also  rules  by  supreme  headship. ' ' 

St.  Gregory  :  "To  all  who  know  the  Gospel  it  is  clear  that 
by  the  voice  of  the  Lord  the  care  of  the  whole  Church  was 
committed  to  holy  Peter,  prince  of  all  the  Apostles,  for  to  him 
it  is  said,  '  Peter  lovest  thou  Me  ?     Feed  My  sheep. '  ' ' 


son  of  John,  lovest  thou  Me  ?  "  Peter  was  grieved, 
because  He  had  said  to  him  the  third  time,  ''Lovest 
thou  Me  ?  "  And  he  said  to  Him  :  "  Lord,  Thou 
knowest  all  things :  Thou  knowest  that  I  love 
Thee."  He  said  to  him  :  "  Feed  My  sheep.  Amen, 
amen,  I  say  to  thee :  when  thou  wast  younger, 
thou  didst  gird  thy.self,  and  didst  walk  where  thou 
wouldst.  But  when  thou  shalt  be  old,  thou  shalt 
stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and  another  shall  gird 
thee,  and  lead  thee  whither  thou  wouldst  not." 
And  this  He  said,  signifying  by  what  death  he 
should  glorify  God.  And  when  He  had  said  this, 
He  saith  to  him :  "  Follow  me."  Peter  turning 
about,  saw  that  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  follow- 
ing, who  also  leaned  on  His  breast  at  supper, 
and  said :  "  Lord,  who  is  he  that  shall  betray 
Thee  ?  "  Him  therefore  when  Peter  had  seen,  he 
saith  to  Jesus :  "  Lord,  and  what  shall  this 
man  do  ? "  Jesus  saith  to  him :  "  So  I  will 
have  him  to  remain  till  I  come,  what  is  it  to 
thee?  follow  thou  Me." 

This  saying  therefore  went  abroad  among  the 
brethren,  that  that  disciple  should  not  die.  And 
Jesus  did  not  say  to  him  :  he  should  not  die  ;  but, 
"  So  I  will  have  him  to  remain  till  I  come,  what  is 
it  to  thee  ?" 

II.   ST.  PETER  IN  THE  ACTS.* 
The  Election  of  Matthias. 

Acts  i.  12-26. 
They  returned  to  Jerusalem,  from  the  mount 
that  is  called  Olivet,  which  is  nigh  Jerusalem, 
within  a  sabbath  day's  journey.  And  when  they 
were  come  in,  they  went  up  into  an  upper  room, 
where  abode  Peter  and  John,  James  and  Andrew, 
Philip  and  Thomas,  Bartholomew  and  Matthew, 
James  of  Alpheus  and  Simon  Zelotes,  and  Jude 
the  brother  of  James.  All  these  were  persevering 
with  one  mind  in  prayer  with  the  women,  and  Mary 
the  Mother  of  Jesus,  and  with  His  brethren. 

*  The  "Acts  of  the  Apostles  "  is  a  narrative,  incomplete  it  is 
true,  but  still  in  some  particulars  very  full,  of  the  history  of  the 
Church  for  a  period  of  about  thirty  years  from  the  Ascension  of 
our  Lord.  The  Acts  may  be  divided  into  two  parts  :  the  first 
part  consisting  of  the  first  twelve  chapters,  relates  the  history  of  the 
Church  during  the  first  ten  years  of  its  existenee  ;  the  second 
part  is  entirely  occupied  with  the  missionary  labours  of  St.  Paul, 
St.  Luke,  the  inspired  writer  of  the  .^cts,  having  been  St.  Paul's 
constant  companion  throughout  his  journeys.     As  in  the  Gospels 


182 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


In  those  days  Peter  rising  up  in  the  midst  of  the 
brethren,*  said :  (now  the  number  of  persons 
together  was  about  an  hundred  and  twenty,) 
"  Men,  brethren,  the  Scripture  must  needs  be  ful- 
filled, which  the  Holy  Ghost  spoke  before  by  the 
mouth  of  David  concerning  Judas,  who  was  the 
leader  of  them  that  apprehended  Jesus  :  who  was 
numbered  with  us,  and  had  obtained  part  of  this 
ministry.  And  he  indeed  hath  possessed  a  field  of 
the  reward  of  iniquity,  and  being  hanged,  burst 
asunder  in  the  midst :  and  all  his  bowels  gushed 
out.  And  it  became  known  to  all  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem  :  so  that  the  same  field  was  called  in 
their  tongue  Haceldama,  that  is  to  say.  The  field  of 
blood.  For  it  is  written  in  the  book  of  Psalms  : 
'  Let  their  habitation  become  desolate,  and  let  there 
be  none  to  dwell  therein.  And  his  bishopric  let 
another  take.'  Wherefore  of  these  men  who  have 
companied  with  us,  all  the  time  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  came  in  and  went  out  amongst  us,  begin- 
ning from  the  baptism  of  John  until  the  day 
wherein  He  was  taken  up  from  us,  one  of  these 
must  be  made  a  witness  with  us  of  His  resur- 
rection."    And  they  appointed  two,  Joseph,  called 

our  Lord  is  the  prominent  figure,  so  in  the  first  part  of  the  Acts 
it  is  St.  Peter  who  stands  out  before  any  other  Apostle.  His 
words,  his  doings,  his  miracles  are  told  in  detail ;  of  the  other 
Apostles  very  little  is  said.  In  fact  this  first  part  of  the  Acts 
might  well  be  called  a  history  of  St.  Peter. 

St.  Chrysostom  points  out  this  prominence  of  St.  Peter: 
"  Behold  him  making  his  rounds  on  every  side,  and  the  first  to 
be  found  ;  when  an  Apostle  was  to  be  chosen,  he  was  the  first ; 
when  the  Jews  ware  to  be  told  that  they  were  not  drunken  ; 
when  the  lame  man  was  to  be  healed  ;  when  the  mulitude  was 
to  be  addressed,  he  is  before  the  rest ;  when  they  had  to  do 
with  the  rulersj  it  is  he  ;  when  with  Ananias,  when  healings 
took  place  from  the  shadow,  still  it  is  he.  Where  there  was 
danger  it  is  he,  and  when  there  was  dispensation ;  but  when  all 
is  tranquil  they  act  in  common.  He  sought  not  the  greater 
honour.  But,  again,  when  miracles  are  to  be  worked,  he  comes 
forth  before  the  rest." 

*  Peter  rising  up  in  the  midst  of  the  brethren.  He  is  the 
first  to  speak,  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "  both  as  fervent  and  as  one 
entrusted  by  Christ  with  the  flock,  and  as  the  first  of  the  choir  " 
(of  Apostles).  Peter  takes  the  initiative,  opens  the  proceedings, 
tells  the  company  what  they  are  to  do,  and  limits  the  election  to  the 
"men  who  companied  with  us  .  .  .  one  of  them  must  be  made 
witness  with  us  of  His  resurrection."  "But  might  not  Peter 
by  himself  have  elected  ?' '  asks  St.  Chrysostom ;  ' '  Certainly, ' ' 
he  replies,  "but  he  does  not,  so  that  he  may  not  seem  partial." 


Barsabas,  who  was  sumamed  Justus,  and  Matthias. 
And  praying  they  said :  "  Thou,  Lord,  Who  knowest 
the  hearts  of  all  men,  show  whether  of  these  two 
Thou  hast  chosen,  to  take  the  place  of  this  minis- 
try and  apostleship,  from  which  Judas  hath  by  trans- 
gression fallen,  that  he  might  go  to  his  own  place." 
And  they  gave  them  lots,  and  the  lot  fell  upon 
Matthias,  and  he  was  numbered  with  the  eleven 
Apostles. 

St,  Peter  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost. 

Acts  ii. 

And  when  the  days  of  the  Pentecost  were  accom- 
plished, they  were  altogether  in  one  place.  And 
suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from  heaven,  as  of  a 
mighty  wind  coming,  and  it  filled  the  whole  house 
where  they  were  sitting.  And  there  appeared  to 
them  parted  tongues  as  it  were  of  fire,  and  it  sat 
upon  every  one  of  them.  And  they  were  all  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they  began  to  speak  with 
divers  tongues,  according  as  the  Holy  Ghost  gave 
them  to  speak. 

Now  there  were  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  Jews, 
devout  men  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven. 
And  when  this  was  noised  abroad,  the  multitude 
came  together,  and  were  confounded  in  mind, 
because  that  every  man  heard  them  speak  in  his 
own  tongue.  And  they  were  all  amazed  and  won- 
dered saying :  "  Behold,  are  not  all  these  that  speak, 
Galileans?  And  how  have  we  heard  every  man 
our  own  tongue  wherein  we  were  born  ?  Parthians, 
and  Medes,  and  Elamites,  and  inhabitants  of  Meso- 
potamia, Judea,  and  Cappadocia,  Pontus  and  Asia, 
Phrygia  and  Pamphilia,  Egypt,  and  the  parts  of 
Libya  about  Cyrene,  and  strangers  of  Rome,  Jews 
also,  and  proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians  :  we  have 
heard  them  speak  in  our  own  tongues  the  wonderful 
works  of  God." 

And  they  were  all  astonished,  and  wondered,  say- 
ing one  to  another :  *'  What  meaneth  this  ?  "  But 
others  mocking  said :  "  These  men  are  full  of  new 
wine."  But  Peter,  standing  up  with  the  eleven,t 
f  Peter  standing  up  with  the  eleven.  The  charge, 
"These  men  are  full  of  new  wine"  is  made  against  all  the 
Apostles;  it  is  Peter  who  comes  forward  and,  in  the  name  of  all, 
refutes  it.  St.  Chrysostom  says  on  this  passage:  "What  means 
with  the  eleven  ?  They  uttered  a  common  voice  and  he  was  the 
mouthpiece  of  all.  And  the  eleven  stand  beside  him  and  beai 
witness  to  his  words." 


THE   LIFE   AND    WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


183 


lifted  up  his  voice  and  spoke  to  them  :  *  "  Ye  men 
of  Judea,  and  all  you  that  dwell  in  Jerusalem,  be 
this  known  to  you,  and  with  your  ears  receive  my 
words :  for  these  are  not  drunk,  as  you  suppose, 
seeing  it  is  but  the  third  hour  of  the  day :  but  this 
is  that  wh'  'h  was  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  Joel : 
'And  it  s'  all  come  to  pass,  in  the  last  days,  saith 
the  Lo  i,  I  will  pour  out  of  My  Spirit  upon  all 
flesh  •  and  your  sons  and  your  daiighters  shall 
prophesy,  and  your  young  men  shall  see  visions, 
and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams.  And  upon 
My  servants  indeed  and  upon  My  handmaids  will  I 
pour  out  in  those  days  of  My  Spirit,  and  they  shall 
prophesy.  And  I  will  show  wonders  in  the  heaven 
above,  and  signs  on  the  earth  beneath ;  blood  and 
fire,  and  vapour  of  smoke.  The  sun  shall  be 
turned  into  darkness,  and  the  moon  into  blood, 
before  the  great  and  manifest  day  of  the  Lord 
come.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  whoso- 
ever shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  shall 
be  saved.' 

"  Ye  men  of  Israel,  hear  these  words :  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  a  man  approved  of  God  among  you,  by 
miracles  and  wonders  and  signs,  which  God  did  by 
Him  in  the  midst  of  you,  as  you  also  know :  This 
same  being  delivered  up,  by  the  determinate  counsel 
and  foreknowledge  of  God,  you  by  the  hands  of 
wicked  men  have  crucified  and  slain.  Whom  God 
hath  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  sorrows  of  hell, 
as  it  was  impossible  that  He  should  be  holden  by 
it.  For  David  saith  concerning  Him :  '  I  foresaw 
the  Lord  before  my  face :  because  He  is  at  my 
right  hand  that  I  may  not  be  moved.  For  this 
my  heart  hath  been  glad,  and  my  tongue  hath 
rejoiced ;  moreover  my  flesh  also  shall  rest  in 
hope.  Because  Thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in 
hell,  nor  suffer  Thy  Holy  One  to  see  corruption. 
Thou  hast  made  known  to  me  the  wavT  of  life : 
Thou  shalt  make  me  full  of  joy  witL  Thy  coun- 
tenance.' 

"  Ye  men,  brethren,  let  me  freely  speak  to  you 
of  the  patriarch  David ;  that  he  died  and  was 
buried  ;  and  his  sepulchre  is  with  us  to  this  present 

*  Spoke  to  them.  Peter  was  the  first  of  the  Apostles  to  fulfil 
the  commission  given  to  them  /(?  teach,  to  be'witneates  to  Christ ; 
and  here,  before  an  excited  crowd,  he  preaches  the  necessity  of 
belief  in  Christ. 


day.  Whereas  therefore  he  was  a  prophet,  and 
knew  that  '  God  had  sworn  to  him  with  an  oath 
that  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins  one  should  sit  upon 
his  throne ;'  foreseeing  this,  he  spoke  of  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ.  For  neither  was  He  left  in  hell, 
neither  did  His  flesh  see  corruption.  This  Jesus 
hath  God  raised  again,  whereof  all  we  are  witneses. 
Being  exalted  therefore  by  the  right  hand  of  God, 
and  having  received  of  the  Father  the  promise  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  He  hath  poured  forth  this,  which 
you  see  and  hear.  For  David  ascended  not  into 
heaven ;  but  he  himself  said :  '  The  Lord  said  to 
my  Lord,  sit  Thou  on  my  right  hand,  until  I  make 
Thy  enemies  Thy  footstool.'  Therefore  let  all  the 
house  of  Israel  know  most  certainly  that  God  hath 
made  both  Lord,  and  Christ,  this  same  Jesus, 
Whom  you  have  crucified." 

Now  when  they  had  heard  these  things  they  had 
compunction  in  their  heart,  and  said  to  Peter  and 
to  the  rest  of  the  Apostles :  "  What  shall  we  do, 
men  and  brethren ?"f  But  Peter  said  to  them: 
"  Do  penance,  and  be  baptised  every  one  of  you  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  your 
sins :  and  you  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  For  the  promise  is  to  you,  and  to  your 
children,  and  to  all  that  are  far  off,  whomsoever  the 
Lord  our  God  shall  call."  And  with  very  many 
other  words  did  he  testify  and  exhort  them,  say- 
ing :  "  Save  yourselves  from  this  perverse  genera- 
tion." They  therefore  that  received  his  word  were 
baptised :  and  there  were  added  in  that  day  about 
three  thousand  souls.  And  they  were  persever- 
ing in  the  doctrine  of  the  Apostles,  and  in 
the  communication  of  the  breaking  of  bread, 
and  in  prayers.  And  fear  came  upon  every 
soul :  many  wonders  also  and  signs  were  done 
by  the  Apostles  in  Jerusalem,  and  there  was  great 
fear  in  all. 

j  What  shall  we  do,  men  and  brethren  ?  The  Jews  make 
this  inquiry  of  all  the  Apostles,  it  is  addressed  to  Peter  as  repre- 
senting them.  And  "here  again,"  St.  Chrysostom  says, " where 
all  are  asked  he  alone  replies."  "And  here  we  see  how  fitting 
it  was  that  Peter,  whom  Christ  had  set  as  the  foundation  and 
rock  of  the  Church,  should  labor  with  all  his  might  as  the  chief 
architect  after  Him  to  build  up  the  structure.  But  what  in  the 
meantime  of  the  other  Apostles  ?  Were  not  they  also  architects  ? 
Yes,  but  with  Peter  and  under  Peter,  whom  accordingly  they 
attend  and  support." 


184 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


The  First  Miracle. 

Acts  iii. 

Now  Peter  and  John  went  up  into  the  Temple,  at 
the  ninth  hour  of  prayer.  And  a  certain  man, 
who  was  lame  from  his  mother's  womb,  was  car- 
ried ;  whom  they  laid  every  day  at  the  gate  of  the 
Temple,  which  is  called  Beautiful,  that  he  might 
ask  alms  of  them  that  went  into  the  Temple.  He, 
when  he  had  seen  Peter  and  John*  about  to  go  into 
the  Temple,  asked  to  receive  an  alms.  But  Peter 
with  John  fastening  his  eyes  upon  him  said: 
"  Look  upon  us."  But  he  looked  earnestly  upon 
them,  hoping  that  he  should  receive  something  of 
them.  But  Peter  said  if  "  Silver  and  gold  I  have 
none ;  but  what  I  have,  I  give  thee :  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  arise,  and  walk." 
And  taking  him  by  the  right  hand,  he  lifted  him 


up. 


and  forthwith    his    feet    and    soles    received 


strength.  And  he  leaping  up  stood,  and  walked, 
and  went  in  with  them  into  the  Temple,  walking, 
and  leaping,  and  praising  God.  And  all  the  people 
saw  him  walking  and  praising  God.  And  they  knew 
him,  that  it  was  he  who  sat  begging  alms  at  the 
Beautiful  gate  of  the  Temple ;  and  they  were  filled 
with  wonder  and  amazement  at  that  which  had 
happened  to  him. 

And  as  he  held  Peter  and  John,  all  the  people 
ran  to  them  to  the  porch  which  is  called  Solomon's, 
greatly  wondering.  But  Peter  seeing,  made  an- 
swer! to  the  people:  "Ye  men  of  Israel,  why 
wonder  you  at  this  ?  or  why  look  you  upon  us,  as 
if  by  our  strength  or  power  we  had  made  this  man 
to  walk  ?  The  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of 
Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  the  God  of  our  fathers, 
hath  glorified  His  Son  Jesus,  Whom  you  indeed 
delivered  up  and  denied  before  the  face  of  Pilate, 
when  he  judged  He  should  be  released.  But  you 
denied  the  Holy  One  and  the  Just,  and  desired  a 
murderer  to  be  granted  unto  you.     But  the  author 

*  Peter  and  John.  If  any  of  the  Apostles  were  in  a  higher 
position  than  Peter,  or  even  on  an  equality  with  him,  it  would 
surely  be  St.  John,  yet  whenever  these  two  are  associated  in  any 
work  of  importance,  Peter  is  always  mentioned  first  and  takes 
the  precedence. 

■j-  Peter  said.  It  is  Peter  who  works  the  miracle,  John  is 
silent. 

J  Peter  seeing,  made  answer.  Again  Peter  takes  up  the 
word  and  speaks  for  himself  and  John. 


of  life  you  killed.  Whom  God  hath  raised  from  the 
dead,  of  which  we  are  witnesses.  And  in  the  faith 
of  His  Name,  this  man,  whom  you  have  seen  and 
know,  hath  His  Name  strengthened ;  and  the  faith 
which  is  by  Him,  hath  given  this  perfect  soundness 
in  the  sight  of  you  all. 

"And  now,  brethren,  I  know  that  you  did  it 
through  ignorance,  as  did  also  your  rulers.  But 
those  things  which  God  before  had  showed  by  the 
mouth  of  all  the  prophets,  that  His  Christ  should 
suifer.  He  hath  so  fulfilled.  Be  penitent,  therefore, 
and  be  converted,  that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out. 
That  when  the  times  of  refreshment  shall  come 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  He  shall  send 
Him  Who  hath  been  preached  unto  you,  Jesus 
Christ,  Whom  heaven  indeed  must  receive  until  the 
times  of  the  restitution  of  all  things,  which  God 
hath  spoken  by  the  mouth  of  His  holy  prophets 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world.  For  Moses  said : 
'A  prophet  shall  the  Lord  j^our  God  raise  up  unto 
you  of  your  brethren  like  unto  me  :  Kim  you  shall 
hear  according  to  all  things  whatsoever  He  shall 
speak  to  you.  And  it  shall  be,  that  everj^  soul 
which  will  not  hear  that  prophet,  shall  be  destroyed 
from  among  the  people.'  And  all  the  prophets 
from  Samuel  and  afterwards,  who  have  spoken  have 
told  of  these  ways.  You  are  the  children  of  the 
prophets  and  of  the  testament  which  God  made  to 
our  fathers,  saying  to  Abraham  :  'And  in  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth  be  blessed.'  To 
you,  first,  God  raising  up  His  Son,  hath  sent  Him 
to  bless  you :  that  every  one  may  convert  himself 
from  his  wickedness." 

Peter  and  John  before  the  Council. 

Acts  iv.  1-23. 

And  as  they  were  speaking  to  the  people,  the 
priests  and  the  officer  of  the  temple  and  the  Sad- 
ducees  came  upon  them,  being  grieved  that  they 
taught  the  people,  and  preached  in  Jesus  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead :  and  they  laid  hands  upon 
them,  and  put  them  in  hold,  till  the  next  day  ;  for 
it  was  now  evening.  But  many  of  them,  who  had 
heard  the  word,  believed  :  and  the  number  of  the 
men  was  made  five  thousand. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  their 
princes,  and  ancients,  and  scribes  were  gathered 
together  in  Jerusalem ;  and  Annas  the  high-priest, 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


185 


and  Caiphas,  and  Jolin,  and  Alexander,  and  as 
many  as  were  of  the  kindred  of  the  high-priest. 
And  setting  them  in  the  midst,  they  asked  :  "  By 
what  power,  or  by  what  name  have  you  done 
this  ?"  Then  Peter,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,* 
said  to  them :  "  Ye  princes  of  the  people,  and 
ancients,  hear :  If  we  this  day  are  examined  con- 
cerning the  good  deed  done  to  the  infirm  man,  by 
what  means  he  hath  been  made  whole,  be  it  known 
to  you  all,  and  to  all  the  people  of  Israel,  that  by 
the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth, 
Whom  you  crucified.  Whom  God  hath  raised  from 
the  dead,  even  by  Him  this  man  standeth  here 
before  you  whole.  This  is  the  stone  xvhich  was 
rejected  by  you  the  builders^  which  is  become  the 
head  of  the  corner :  neither  is  there  salvation  to 
any  other ;  for  there  is  no  other  name  under  heaven 
given  to  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved." 

Now  seeing  the  constancy  of  Peter  and  of  John, 
understanding  that  they  were  illiterate,  and  ignor- 
'^ut  men,  they  wondered ;  and  they  knew  them  that 
hey  had  been  with  Jesus.  Seeing  the  man  also 
vho  had  been  healed,  standing  with  them,  they 
could  say  nothing  against  it.  But  they  commanded 
them  to  go  aside  out  of  the  council :  and  they  con- 
ferred among  themselves,  saying :  "  What  shall  we 
do  to  these  men  ?  for  indeed  a  known  miracle  hath 
been  done  by  them  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  Jeru- 
salem :  it  is  manifest,  and  we  cannot  deny  it.  But 
that  it  may  be  no  farther  spread  among  the  people, 
let  us  threaten  them,  that  they  speak  no  more  in 
this  Name  to  any  man."  And  calling  them,  they 
charged  them  not  to  speak  at  all,  nor  teach  in  the 
name  of  Jesus.  But  Peter  and  John  answering, 
said  to  them  :  "  If  it  be  just  in  the  sight  of  God  to 
hear  you  rather  than  God,  judge  ye.  For  we  can- 
not but  speak  the  things  which  we  have  seen  and 
heard." 

But  they  threatening,  sent  them  away,  not  find- 
ing how  they  might  punish  them,  because  of  the 
people  :  for  all  men  glorified  what  had  been  done, 
in  that  which  had  come  to  pass.     For  the  man  was 

*  Peter  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  Peter  and  John 
were  present  before  the  council,  it  was  Peter  who  was  inspired 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  answer  for  both.  "See,"  exclaims  St. 
Chrysostom,  "how  John  is  on  every  occasion  silent,  while  Peter 
defends  him  likewise." 


above  forty  years  old,  in  whom  that  miraculous 
cure  had  been  wrought.     And  being  let  go,  they 
came  to  their  own  company,  and  related  all  that  the 
chief  priests  and  ancients  had  said  to  them. 
The  Punishment  of  Ananias  and  Saphira. 

Acts  iv.  32-37,  V.  i-ii. 

And  the  multitude  of  believers  had  but  one 
heart  and  one  soul :  neither  did  any  one  say  that 
aught  of  the  things  which  he  possessed  was  his 
own,  but  all  things  were  common  unto  them.  And 
with  great  power  did  the  Apostles  give  testimony 
of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord :  and 
great  grace  was  in  them  all.  For  neither  was  there 
any  one  needy  among  them  :  for  as  many  as  were 
owners  of  lands  or  houses  sold  them,  and  brought 
the  price  of  the  things  they  sold,  and  laid  it  down 
before  the  feet  of  the  Apostles :  and  distribution 
was  made  to  every  one,  according  as  he  had  need. 
And  Joseph,  who  by  the  Apostles  was  surnamed 
Barnabas  (which  is  by  iuterpretation,  the  son  of 
consolation),  a  levite,  a  Cyprian  bom,  having  land, 
sold  it,  and  brought  the  price,  and  laid  it  at  the  feet 
of  the  Apostles. 

But  a  certain  man  named  Ananias,  with  Saphira 
his  wife,  sold  a  piece  of  land,  and  by  fraud  kept 
back  part  of  the  price  of  land,  his  wife  being  privy 
thereunto  :  and  bringing  a  certain  part  of  it,  laid  it 
at  the  feet  of  the  Apostles. 

But  Peter  said :  "  Ananias,  why  hath  Satan 
tempted  thy  heart,  that  thou  shouldst  lie  to  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  by  fraud  keep  part  of  the  price  of 
the  land  ?  Whilst  it  remained,  did  it  not  remain 
to  thee  ?  and  after  it  was  sold,  was  it  not  in  thy 
power  ?  Why  hast  thou  conceived  this  thing  in 
thy  heart?  Thou  hast  not  lied  to  men,  but  to 
God."  And  Ananias  hearing  these  words,  fell 
do^vn,  and  gave  up  the  ghost.  And  there  came 
great  fear  upon  all  that  heard  it.  And  the  young 
men  rising  up,  removed  him,  and  carrying  him  out, 
buried  him. 

And  it  was  about  the  space  of  three  hours  after, 
when  his  wife,  not  knowing  what  had  happened, 
came   in.     And    Peter   said  f   to   her :  "  Tell   me, 

■j-  Peter  said.  Ananias  and  Saphira  had  laid  the  price  of  the 
land  ' '  at  the  feet  of  the  Apostles, ' '  but  it  is  Peter  who  uses  the 
judicial  power  ;  he  acts  as  the  judge,  though  the  other  Apostles 
are  present  and  sit  in  judgment  with  him ;  he  questions  Ananias 


186 


THE   LIFP:   and   writings   of   ST.  PETER. 


woman,  whether  you  sold  the  land  for  so  much  ?  " 
And  she  said :  "  Yea,  for  so  much."  And  Peter 
said  unto  her :  "  Why  have  you  agreed  together  to 
tempt  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  ?  Behold,  the  feet  of 
them  who  have  buried  thy  husband  are  at  the  door, 
and  they  shall  carry  thee  out."  Immediately  she  fell 
down  before  his  feet,  and  gave  up  the  ghost.  And 
the  young  men  coming  in,  found  her  dead ;  and 
carried  her  out,  and  buried  her  by  her  husband. 
And  there  came  great  fear  upon  the  whole  church, 
and  upon  all  that  heard  these  things. 
Peter's  Shadow. 

Acts  V.  1 2-16. 

And  by  the  hands  of  the  Apostles  *  were  many 
signs  and  wonders  wrought  among  the  people. 
And  they  were  all  with  one  accord  in  Solomon's 
porch.  But  of  the  rest  no  man  durst  join  himself 
unto  them  ;  but  the  people  magnified  them.  And 
the  multitude  of  men  and  women  who  believed  in 
the  Lord  was  more  increased :  insomuch  that  they 
brought  forth  the  sick  into  the  streets,  and  laid 
them  on  beds  and  couches,  that  when  Peter  came, 
his  shadow  at  the  least  might  overshadow 
any  of  them,  and  they  might  be  delivered  from 
their  infirmities.  And  there  came  also  together 
to  Jerusalem  a  multitude  out  of  the  neighbour- 
ing cities,  bringing  sick  persons,  and  such  as 
were  troubled  with  unclean  spirits ;  who  were  all 
healed. 

and  passes  sentence  upon  him,  and  the  sentence  has  immediate 
effect,  "Ananias  hearing  these  words  fell  down  and  gave  up  the 
ghost."  So  also  with  Saphira,  Peter  questions  her,  convicts 
her,  and  passes  upon  her  the  same  sentence  as  he  passed  upon 
her  husband.  The  conduct  of  Peter  in  this  matter,  acting  as  he 
did  upon  his  own  initiative,  though  the  other  Apostles  were 
present,  and  inflicting  the  punishment  of  death  for  the  violation 
of  ecclesiastical  law  and  the  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  a  strong 
proof  that  he  had  a  position  of  chief  and  head  of  the  Apostles 
and  that  this  position  was  admitted  by  them. 

*  By  the  hands  of  the  Apostles.  All  the  Apostles,  or  at 
least  many  of  them,  took  part  in  the  working  of  signs  and 
wonders  ;  but  special  mention  is  made  of  Peter's  miracles,  and 
some  of  these  miracles  were  of  a  particular  kind,  worked  even 
by  his  shadow  passing  over  the  sick  in  their  beds.  Peter's 
superiority  over  the  other  Apostles  seems  to  have  been  well 
known,  for  people  brought  their  sic^t  and  laid  them  in  Peter's 
way,  that  his  ' '  shadow  at  the  least  might  overshadow  any  of 
them,  and  they  might  be  delivered  from  their  infirmities." 
They  knew  his  position  and  his  power,  and  so  sought  him  more 
than  any  other  of  the  Apostles. 


The  Apostles  Imprisoned. 

Acts  v.  17-42. 

Then  the  high-priest  rising  up,  and  all  they  that 
were  with  him  were  filled  with  envy  ;  and  they  laid 
hands  on  the  Apostles,  and  put  them  in  the  com- 
mon prison.  But  an  Angel  of  the  Lord,  by  night 
opening  the  doors  of  the  prison,  and  leading  them 
out,  said :  "  Go,  and  standing,  speak  in  the  Temple 
to  the  people  all  the  words  of  this  life."  Who  hav- 
ing heard  this,  early  in  the  morning  entered  into 
the  Temple,  and  taught. 

And  the  high-priest  coming,  and  they  that  were 
with  him,  called  together  the  council,  and  all  the 
ancients  of  the  children  of  Israel :  and  they  sent 
to  the  prison  to  have  them  brought.  But  when  the 
ministers  came,  and  opening  the  prison,  found  them 
not  there,  they  returned  and  told,  saying :  "  The 
prison  indeed  we  found  shut  with  all  diligence,  and 
the  keepers  standing  before  the  doors  :  but  opening 
it,  we  found  no  man  within." 

Now  when  the  officer  of  the  Temple  and  the  chief 
priests  heard  these  words,  they  were  in  doubt  con- 
cerning them,  what  would  come  to  pass.  But  one 
came  and  told  them :  "  Behold,  the  men  whom  you 
put  in  prison,  are  in  the  Temple,  standing,  and 
teaching  the  people."  Then  went  the  officer  with 
the  ministers,  and  brought  them  without  violence : 
for  they  feared  the  people,  lest  they  should  be 
stoned. 

And  when  they  had  brought  them,  they  set 
them  before  the  council.  And  the  high-priest 
asked  them,  saying :  "  Commanding  we  com- 
manded you  that  you  should  not  teach  in  this 
name :  and  behold  you  have  filled  Jerusalem  with 
your  doctrine,  and  you  have  a  mind  to  bring  the 
blood  of  this  Man  upon  us."  But  Peter  and  the 
Apostlesf  answering  said:  "  We  ought  to  obey  God 
rather  than  men.  The  God  of  our  fathers  hath 
raised  up  Jesus,  Whom  you  put  to  death,  hanging 
Him  upon  a  tree :  Him  hath  God  exalted  with  His 
right  hand  to  be  Prince  and  Saviour,  to  give  repent- 
ance to  Israel,  and  remission  of  sins.  And  we  are 
witnesses  of  these  things,  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
Whom  God  hath  given  to  all  that  obey  Him." 

When  they  had  heard  these  things,  they  were 

t  Peter  and  the  Apostles.  Peter  acting  as  spokesman,  his 
defence  was  theirs  as  well  as  his. 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


187 


cut  to  the  heart,  and  thought  to  put  them  to 
death.  But  one  in  the  council  rising  up,  a 
Pharisee  named  Gamaliel,  a  doctor  of  the  law, 
respected  by  all  the  people,  commanded  the  men 
to  be  put  forth  a  little  while.  And  he  said  to 
them :  "  Ye  men  of  Israel  take  heed  to  your- 
selves what  you  intend  to  do  as  touching  these 
men.  For  before  these  days  rose  up  Theodas, 
affirming  himself  to  be  somebody,  to  whom  a  num- 
ber of  men,  about  four  hundred,  joined  themselves : 
who  was  slain,  and  all  that  believed  him  were  scat- 
tered and  brought  to  nothing.  After  this  man  rose 
np  Judas  of  Galilee,  in  the  days  of  enrolling,  and 
drew  away  the  people  after  him  :  he  also  perished ; 
and  all,  even  as  many  as  consented  to  him,  were 
dispersed.  And  now  therefore  I  say  to  you,  refrain 
from  these  men,  and  let  them  alone:  for  if  this 
counsel  or  this  work  be  of  men,  it  will  come  to 
nought.  But  if  it  be  of  God,  you  cannot  overthrow 
it,  lest  perhaps  you  be  found  even  to  fight  against 
God." 

And  they  consented  to  him.  And  calling  in  the 
Apostles,  after  they  had  scourged  them,  they 
charged  them  that  they  should  not  speak  at  all  in 
the  Name  of  Jesus,  and  they  dismissed  them.  And 
they  indeed  went  from  the  presence  of  the  council 
rejoicing,  that  they  were  accounted  worthy  to  sufier 
reproach  for  the  name  of  Jesus„  And  every  day 
they  ceased  not,  in  the  Temple,  and  from  house  to 
house,  to  teach  and  preach  Christ  Jesus. 

Peter  in  Samaria. 

Acts  viii.  5-25. 
And  Philip,  going  down  to  the  city  of  Samaria, 
preached  Christ  unto  them.  And  the  people  with 
one  accord  were  attentive  to  those  things  which 
were  said  by  Philip,  hearing,  and  seeing  the 
miracles  which  he  did.  For  many  of  them  who 
had  unclean  spirits,  crying  with  a  loud  voice,  went 
out ;  and  many  taken  with  the  palsy  and  that  were 
lame,  were  healed ;  there  was  therefore  great  joy 
in  that  city.  Now  there  was  a  certain  man  named 
Simon,  who  before  had  been  a  magician  in  that 
city,  seducing  the  people  of  Samaria,  giving  out 
that  he  was  some  great  one :  to  whom  they  all  gave 
ear,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  saying :  "  This 
man  is  the  power  of  God,  which  is  called  great." 
And  they  were  attentive  to  him,  because  for  a  long 


time  he  had  bewitched  them  with  his  magical  prac- 
tices. But  when  they  had  believed  Philip  preach- 
ing of  the  kingdom  of  God,  in  the  Name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  they  were  baptized  both  men  and  women. 
Then  Simon  himself  believed  also ;  and  being  bap- 
tized, he  stuck  close  to  Philip,  and  being  astonished, 
wondered  to  see  the  signs  and  exceeding  great 
miracles  which  were  done. 

Now  when  the  Apostles,  who  were  in  Jerusalem, 
had  heard  that  Samaria  had  received  the  word  of 
God,  they  sent  unto  them  Peter  and  John.*  Who 
when  they  were  come,  prayed  for  them,  that  they 
might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  He  was  not  as 
yet  come  upon  any  of  them :  but  they  were  only 
baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Then 
they  laid  their  hands  upon  them,  and  they  received 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

And  when  Simon  saw  that  by  the  imposition  of 
the  hands  of  the  Apostles  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
given,  he  offered  them  money,  saying :  "  Give  me 
also  this  power,  that  on  whomsoever  I  shall  lay  my 
hands  he  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost."  But  Peter 
said  to  him :  f  "  Keep  thy  money  to  thyself,  to 
perish  with  thee,  because  thou  hast  thought  that 
the  gift  of  God  may  be  purchased  with  money. 
Thou  hast  no  part  nor  lot  in  this  matter ;  for  thy 

*  They  sent  unto  them  Peter  and  John.  Objectors  to  the 
primacy  of  St.  Peter  bring  forward  this  passage  to  prove  that  St. 
Peter  was  not  the  chief  of  the  Apostles.  The  sender,  they  say, 
must  be  greater  than  the  person  sent :  as  the  Apostles  sent  Peter 
and  John  they  were  therefore  their  superiors  and  hence  St.  Peter 
was  not  the  head  of  the  Apostles.  To  this  we  reply  that  the 
sender  is  not  necessarily  greater  than  the  person  sent :  for 
instance  it  is  written  that  "  God  so  loved  the  world  as  to  send 
His  Only-Begotten  Son,"  but  the  Son  is  Himself  God,  equal  to 
the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  of  the  Third  Person  of 
the  Blessed  Trinity  our  Lord  says,  ' '  I  will  send  Him  from  the 
Father, ' '  but  the  Holy  Ghost  is  equal  to  the  Father  and  to  the 
Son.  Again,  Saul  (Paul)  and  Barnabas  were  sent  by  the 
Church  at  Antioch  to  the  work  which  the  Holy  Ghost  had 
appointed  for  them,  but  St.  Paul  was  at  least  not  inferior  to  the 
Church  of  Antioch.  In  all  these  cases  the  person  sent  was  him- 
self one  of  the  senders  and  the  act  of  sending  was  done  with 
his  consent  and  authority.  It  is  as  if  the  ministerial  cabinet,  or 
government,  were  to  send  the  prime  minister  on  a  mission  of 
importance  ;  no  one  would  say  that,  because  he  was  sent,  the 
prime  minister  was  therefore  not  at  the  head  of  the  government. 

f  Peter  said  to  him.  St.  John  also  was  present  but  Peter 
takes  the  lead,  and  gives  the  sharp  reproof  to  Simon  the 
magician.  ^ 


188 


THE  LIFE   AND   WRITINGS    OF   ST.  PETER. 


heart  is  not  right  in  the  sight  of  God.  Do  pen- 
ance therefore  for  this  thy  wickedness ;  and  pray 
to  God,  if  perhaps  this  thought  of  thy  heart  may 
be  forgiven  thee.  For  I  see  thou  art  in  the  gall  of 
bitterness,  and  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity." 

Then  Simon  answering,  said :  "  Pray  you  for  me 
to  the  Lord,  that  none  of  these  things  which  you 
have  spoken  may  come  upon  me." 

And  they  indeed  having  testified  and  preached 
the  word  of  the  Lord :  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and 
preached   the   gospel    to    many    countries   of    the 
Samaritans. 
Peter's  Journey  of  Visitation;  his  Miracles. 

Acts  ix.  31-43. 
Now  the  Church  had  peace  throughout  all  Judea 
and  Galilee  and  Samaria,  and  was  edified,  walking 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  was  filled  with  the 
consolation  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  it  came  to 
pass  that  Peter,  as  he  passed  through  visiting  all,* 

*  He  passed  through  visiting  all.  St.  Peter  as  chief  shep- 
herd made  his  pastoral  visitation  everywhere.  St.  James  pre- 
sided over  the  Church  of  Jenisalem,  other  Apostles  had  taken 
their  share  in  planting  the  faith — ;why  then  did  Peter  make  this 
tour  of  inspection,  "visiting  all,"  if  it  were  not  that  all  were 
under  his  care  ?  St.  Chrysostom  writes,  on  this  text:  "Like  a 
general  he  went  round  surveying  the  ranks,  seeing  what  portion 
was  well  massed  together,  what  in  order,  what  needed  his  pres- 
ence.    Behold  him  making  his  rounds  in  every  direction." 

Again  St.  Luke  enters  into  detail  in  relating  the  miracles  of 
St.  Peter,  though  he  tells  us  little  or  nothing  of  the  miracles 
worked  by  the  other  Apostles.  In  like  manner  in  the  Gospels 
the  miracles  of  our  Lord  are  fully  described,  while  those  of  His 
disciples  are  only  spoken  of  in  a  general  way.  Our  Lord  is  the 
prominent  figure  in  the  Gospels,  St.  Peter  is  the  prominent 
figure  in  the  Acts.  Again  note  the  similarity  of  St.  Peter's 
miracles  to  those  of  our  Lord.  One  instance  has  already  been 
given ;  in  this  chapter  the  healing  of  Eneas  reminds  us  of  the 
healing  of  the  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  and  the  raising  of  Dorcas 
bears  a  very  close  resemblance  to  the  raising  of  the  daughter  of 
Jairus. 

Peter  had  been  the  first  to  preach  to  the  Jews  and  to  procure 
their  admission  into  the  Church  He  was  now  to  do  the  same 
for  the  Gentiles.  But  in  order  to  understand  the  importance  of 
this  step,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Jews  looked  upon 
themselves  as  the  chosen  people  of  God — as  indeed  they  were  up 
to  the  time  of  the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel — and  considered 
that  they  alone  were  the  possessors  of  the  special  favours  of  God. 
Consequently  they  held  the  Gentiles — those  who  were  not  Jews 
— in  aversion,  and  would  not  associate  with  them  or  even  eat 
with  them  When  this  very  strong  feeling  on  the  part  of  the 
Jews  against   the  Gentiles  is  considered,  it  will  be  seen   that 


came  to  the  saints  who  dwelt  at  Lydda.  And  he 
found  there  a  certain  man  named  Eneas,  who  had 
kept  his  bed  for  eight  years,  who  was  ill  of  the 
palsy.  And  Peter  said  to  him  :  "  Eneas,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  healeth  thee:  arise,  and  make  thy 
bed."  And  immediately  he  arose.  And  all  that 
dwelt  at  Lydda  and  Saron  saw  him  :  who  were  con- 
verted to  the  Lord. 

And  in  Joppe  there  was  a  certain  disciple  named 
Tabitha,  which  by  interpretation  is  called  Dorcas. 
This  woman  was  full  of  good  works  and  alms-deeds 
which  she  did.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days 
that  she  was  sick  and  died  :  whom  when  they  had 
washed,  they  laid  her  in  an  upper  chamber.  And 
forasmuch  as  Lydda  was  nigh  to  Joppe,  the  dis- 
ciples hearing  that  Peter  was  there,  sent  unto  him 
two  men,  desiring  him  that  he  would  not  be  slack 
to  come  unto  them.  And  Peter  rising  up  went  with 
them. 

And  when  he  was  come,  they  brought  him  into 
the  upper  chamber :  and  all  the  widows  stood  about 
him  weeping,  and  showing  him  the  coats  and  gar- 
ments which  Dorcas  made  them.  And  they  all 
being  put  forth,  Peter,  kneeling  down,  prayed,  and 
turning  to  the  body,  he  said:  "Tabitha,  arise." 
And  she  opened  her  eyes  ;  and  seeing  Peter,  she  sat 
up :  and  giving  her  his  hand,  he  lifted  her  up. 
And  when  he  had  called  the  saints  and  the  widows, 
he  presented  her  alive.  And  it  was  made  known 
throughout  all  Joppe  ;  and  many  believed  in  the 
Lord.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  he  abode  many 
days  in  Joppe,  with  one  Simon  a  tanner. 

Peter  Admits  the  First  Gentiles  into  the  Church. 

Acts  X.,  xi. 
And  there  was  a  certain  man  in  Cesarea,  named 
Cornelius,  a  centurion  of  that  which  is  called  the 
Italian  band,  a  religious  man,  and  fearing  God  with 
all  his  house,  giving  much  alms  to  the  people,  and 
always  praying  to  God.  This  man  saw  in  a  vision 
manifestly,  about  the  ninth  hour  of  the  day,  an 
angel  of  God  coming  in  unto  him,  and  saying  to 
him  :  "  Cornelius."  And  he  beholding  him,  being 
seized  with  fear,  said  :  "  What  is  it,  Lord  ?  "     And 

Peter's  reception  of  Cornelius  and  his  family  into  the  Church 
was  an  act  of  the  highest  importance.  Yet  Peter  received  them 
on  his  own  responsibility,  acting  indeed  under  a  Divine  inspira- 
tion, and  without  waiting  to  consult  even  the  other  Apostles. 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS    OF   ST.  PETER. 


lo9 


he  said  to  him  :  "  Thy  prayers  and  thy  alms  are 
ascended  for  a  memorial  in  the  sight  of  God.  And 
now  send  men  to  Joppe,  and  call  hither  one  Simon, 
who  is  surnamed  Peter :  he  lodgeth  with  one  Simon 
a  tanner,  whose  house  is  by  the  seaside :  he  will 
tell  thee  what  thou  must  do."  And  when  the  angel 
who  spoke  to  him  was  departed,  he  called  two  of  his 
household  servants,  and  a  soldier  who  feared  the 
Lord,  of  them  that  were  under  him  :  to  whom  when 
he  had  related  all,  he  sent  them  to  Joppe. 

And  on  the  next  day  whilst  they  were  goinj^  on 
their  journey,  and  drawing  nigh  to  the  city,  Peter 
went  up  to  the  higher  parts  of  the  house  to  pray, 
about  the  sixth  hour.  And  being  hungry,  he  was 
desirous  to  taste  somewhat.  And  as  they  were  pre- 
paring, there  came  upon  him  an  ecstacy  of  mind  : 
and  he  saw  the  heaven  opened,  and  a  certain  vessel 
descending,  as  it  were  a  great  linen  sheet*  let 
down  by  the  four  corners  from  heaven  to  the  earth, 
wherein  were  all  manner  of  four-footed  beasts,  and 
creeping  things  of  the  earth,  and  fowls  of  the  air. 
And  there  came  a  voice  to  him  :  "Arise,  Peter,  kill 
and  eat."  But  Peter  said  :  "  Far  be  it  from  me ; 
for  I  never  did  eat  anything  that  is  common  and 
unclean."  And  the  voice  spoke  to  him  again  the 
second  time  :  "  That  which  God  hath  cleansed,f  do 
not  thou  call  common."  And  this  was  done  thrice: 
and  presently  the  vessel  was  taken  up  into  heaven. 

Now  whilst  Peter  was  doubting  within  himself, 
what  the  vision  that  he  had  seen  should  mean : 
behold  the  men  who  were  sent  from  Cornelius, 
inquiring    for   Simon's  house,  stood    at    the  gate. 

*  A  GREAT  LINEN  SHEET.  In  this  vision  the  great  linen  sheet 
signified  the  Christian  Church.  "The  four-footed  beasts,  and 
creeping  things  of  the  earth,  and  fowls  of  the  air ' '  represented 
human  beings, — the  "clean"  creatures  representing  the  Jews, 
the  "  unclean,"  or  "common,"  representing  the  Gentiles. 

•j-  That  which  God  hath  cleansed.  God  was  now  about  to 
call  the  Gentiles  to  the  knowledge  of  Himself,  and  to  be  partners 
with  the  Jews  in  the  blessings  offered  through  the  Incarnation 
and  the  Redemption.  Hitherto  the  Jews  had  been  the  "chosen 
nation,"  God's  "  peculiar  people;  "  and  the  Gentiles  had  been 
looked  upon  as  outcast  and  unclean.  Now  the  Gentiles  were  to 
be  called  into  the  Church,  and  the  prophecy  of  Malachy  was  to 
be  fulfilled  :  ' '  From  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  to  the  going 
down,  My  Name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles,  and  in  every  place 
there  is  sacrifice,  and  there  is  offered  to  My  Name  a  clean  obla- 
tion, for  My  Name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles,  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts." 


And  when  they  had  called,  they  asked  if  Simon, 
who  is  surnamed  Peter,  were  lodged  there  ?  And 
as  Peter  was  thinking  of  the  vision,  the  Spirit  said 
to  him :  "  Behold,  three  men  seek  thee.  Arise, 
therefore,  get  thee  down,  and  go  with  them,  doubt- 
ing nothing :  for  I  have  sent  them."  Then  Peter 
going  down  to  the  men,  said :  "  Behold  I  am  he 
whom  you  seek  ;  what  is  the  cause  for  which  you 
are  come  ?"  Who  said  :  "  Cornelius,  a  centurion, 
a  just  man  and  one  that  feareth  God,  and  having 
good  testimony  from  all  the  nation  of  the  Jews, 
received  an  answer  of  an  holy  angel,  to  send  for 
thee  into  his  house  and  to  hear  words  of  thee." 
Then  bringing  them  in,  he  lodged  them. 

And  the  day  following  he  arose  and  went  with 
them  :  and  some  of  the  brethren  from  Joppe  accom- 
panied him.  And  the  morrow  after  he  entered  into 
Cesarea.  And  Cornelius  waited  for  them,  having 
called  together  his  kinsmen  and  special  friends. 
And  it  came  to  pass  that  when  Peter  was  come  in, 
Cornelius  came  to  meet  him,  and  falling  at  his  feet 
adored.  But  Peter  lifted  him  up,  saying :  "Arise, 
I  myself  also  am  a  man."  And  talking  with  him, 
he  went  in,  and  found  many  that  were  come 
together.  And  he  said  to  them  :  "  You  know  how 
abominable  it  is  for  a  man  that  is  a  Jew,J  to  keep 
company  or  to  come  unto  one  of  another  nation : 
but  God  hath  showed  to  me  to  call  no  man  com- 
mon or  unclean.  For  which  cause,  making  no 
doubt,  I  came  when  I  was  sent  for :  I  ask  there- 
fore, for  what  cause  you  have  sent  for  me  ?"  And 
Cornelius  said :  "  Four  days  ago,  unto  this  hour,  I 
was  praying  in  my  house  at  the  ninth  hour,  and 
behold  a  man  stood  before  me  in  white  apparel,  and 
said  :  '  Cornelius,  thy  prayer  is  heard,  and  thy  alms 
are  had  in  remembrance  in  the  sight  of  God.  Send 
therefore  to  Joppe,  and  call  hither  Simon,  who  is 
surnamed  Peter :  he  lodgeth  in  the  house  of  Simon 
a  tanner  by  the  seaside.'  Immediately  therefore  I 
sent  to  thee ;  and  thou  hast  done  well  in  coming. 
Now  therefore  all  we  are  present  in  thy  sight,  to 
hear  all  things  whatsoever  are  commanded  thee  by 
the  Lord." 

I  How    ABOMINABLE    IT    IS    FOR    A    MAN    THAT  IS  A    JeW.       St. 

Peter  here  draws  attention  to  the  violent  prejudice  of  the  Jews 
against  the  Gentiles.  They  would  not  associate  with  them,  much 
less  would  they  communicate  with  them  in  matters  of  religion. 


190 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


And  Peter  opening  his  mouth,  said :  ''  In  very 
deed  I  perceive  that  God  is  not  a  respecter  of 
persons  :  but  in  every  nation,  he  that  feareth  him, 
and  worketh  justice,  is  acceptable  to  him.  God 
sent  the  word  to  the  children  of  Israel,  preaching 
peace  by  Jesus  Christ :  (He  is  Lord  of  all.)  You 
know  the  word  which  hath  been  published  through 
all  Judea  :  for  it  began  from  Galilee,  after  the  bap- 
tism which  John  preached,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  :  how 
God  anointed  Him  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with 
power.  Who  went  about  doing  good,  and  healing 
all  that  were  oppressed  by  the  devil,  for  God  was 
with  Him.  And  we  are  witnesses  of  all  things 
that  He  did  in  the  land  of  the  Jews  and  in  Jeru- 
salem ;  Whom  they  killed,  hanging  Him  upon  a 
tree.  Him  God  raised  up  the  third  day,  and  gave 
Him  to  be  made  manifest,  not  to  all  the  people,  but 
to  witnesses  pre-ordained  by  God,  even  to  us,  who 
did  eat  and  drink  with  Him  after  He  arose  again 
from  the  dead.  And  He  commanded  us  to  preach 
to  the  people,  and  to  testify  that  it  is  He  Who  was 
appointed  by  God  to  be  judge  of  the  living  and  of 
the  dead.  To  Him  all  the  prophets  give  testimony, 
that  by  His  name  all  receive  remission  of  sins, 
who  believe  in  Him." 

While  Peter  was  yet  speaking  these  words,  the 
Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  them  that  heard  the  word. 
And  the  faithful  of  the  circumcision,  who  came  with 
Peter,  were  astonished,  for  that  the  grace  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  poured  out  upon  the  Gentiles  also. 
For  they  heard  them  speaking  with  tongues,  and 
magnifying  God. 

Then  Peter  answered :  "  Can  any  man  forbid 
water,  that  these  should  not  be  baptized,  who  have 
received  the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  we  ?  "  And  he 
commanded  them  to  be  baptised  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Then  they  desired  him  to  tarry 
with  them  some  days. 

And  the  Apostles  and  brethren,  who  were  in 
Judea,  heard  that  the  Gentiles  also  had  received  the 
word  of  God.  And  when  Peter  was  come  up  to 
Jerusalem,  they  that  were  of  the  circumcision  con- 
tended with  him,  saying :  "  Why  didst  thou  go  in 
to  men  uncircumcised,  and  didst  eat  with  them?" 
But  Peter  began  and  declared  to  them  *  the  matter 

*  Peter  began  and  declared  unto  them.  St.  John  Chrys- 
""stom  and  St.  Gregory  the  Great  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that 


in  order,  saying  :  "  I  was  in  the  city  of  Joppe  pray- 
ing, and  I  saw  in  an  ecstacy  of  mind  a  vision — a 
certain  vessel  descending,  as  it  were  a  great  sheet 
let  down  from  heaven  by  four  corners,  and  it  came 
even  unto  me.  Into  which  looking  I  considered, 
and  saw  four-footed  creatures  of  the  earth,  and 
beasts,  and  creeping  things,  and  fowls  of  the  air: 
And  I  heard  also  a  voice  saying  to  me :  'Arise, 
Peter,  kill  and  eat.'  And  I  said :  '  Not  so.  Lord ; 
for  nothing  common  or  unclean  hath  ever  entered 
into  my  mouth.'  And  the  voice  answered  again  from 
heaven  •  *  What  God  hath  made  clean,  do  not  thou 
call  common.'  And  this  was  done  three  times  :  and 
all  were  taken  up  again  to  heaven.  And  behold 
immediately  there  were  three  men  come  to  the 
house  wherein  I  was,  sent  to  me  from  Cesarea.  And 
the  Spirit  said  to  me  that  I  should  go  with  them, 
nothing  doubting.  And  these  six  brethren  went 
with  me  also :  and  we  entered  into  the  man's  house. 
And  he  told  us,  how  he  had  seen  an  angel  in  his 
house,  standing  and  saying  to  him :  '  Send  to 
Joppe,  and  call  hither  Simon,  who  is  surnamed 
Peter,  who  shall  speak  to  thee  words  whereby  thou 
shalt  be  saved,  and  all  thy  house.'  And  when  I 
had  begun  to  speak,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon 
them,  as  upon  us  also  in  the  beginning.  And  I 
remembered  the  word  of  the  Lord,  how  that  He 
said :  '  John  indeed  baptized  with  water,  but  you 
shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost.'  If  then 
God  gave  them  the  same  grace,  as  to  us  also  who 
believed  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  who  was  I,  that 
could  withstand  God  ?  " 

Having  heard  these  things,  they  held  their 
peace,  and  glorified  God,  saying :  "  God  then 
hath  also  to  the  Gentiles  given  repentence  unto 
life." 

St.  Peter  might  have  answered  the  complaint  of  the  Jewish 
Christians  by  an  appeal  to  his  authority,  yet  he  chose  to  give  an 
explanation  of  his  conduct  and  win  them  by  reasoning.  St. 
Chrysostom  says :  "See  how  he  defends  himself  and  will  not 
use  his  dignity  as  the  Teacher,  for  he  knew  that  the  more  gently 
he  spoke  with  them,  the  surer  he  was  to  win  them. ' '  St.  Greg- 
ory writes  :  "If  when  blamed  by  the  faithful,  he  had  considered 
the  authority  which  he  held  in  holy  Church,  he  might  have 
answered  that  the  sheep  entrusted  to  the  shepherd  should  not 
venture  to  censure  him.  But  if,  in  the  complaint  of  the  faithful, 
he  had  said  anything  of  his  own  power,  he  would  not  have  beea. 
the  teacher  of  meekness. ' ' 


THE   LIFE   AND    WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


191 


St.  Peter's  Imprisonment  a^<  Deliverance. 

Acts  xii.  1-19. 

At  the  same  time  Herod  the  king  stretched  forth 
his  hands,  to  afflict  some  of  the  Church :  and  he 
killed  James  the  brother  of  John  *  with  the  sword. 
And  seeing  that  it  pleased  the  Jews,  he  proceeded 
to  take  up  Peter  also.  Now  it  was  in  the  days  of 
the  azymes.  And  when  he  had  apprehended  him, 
he  cast  him  into  prison,  delivering  him  to  four  files 
of  soldiers  to  be  kept,  intending  after  the  Pasch  to 
bring  him  forth  to  the  people. 

Peter  therefore  was  kept  in  prison.  But  prayer 
was  made  without  ceasing  f  by  the  Church  unto 
God  for  him.  And  when  Herod  would  have  brought 
him  forth,  the  same  night  Peter  was  sleeping  between 
two  soldiers,  bound  with  two  chains  :  and  the  keep- 
ers before  the  door  kept  the  prison.  And  behold  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  him  :  and  a  light  shined 
in  the  room :  and  he  striking  Peter  on  the  side  raised 
him  up,  saying :  "Arise  quickly."  And  the  chains 
fell  off  from  his  hands.  And  the  angel  said  to  him  : 
"  Gird  thyself,  and  put  on  thy  sandals."  And  he 
did  so.  And  he  said  to  him  :  "  Cast  thy  garment 
about  thee,  and  follow  me."  And  going  out  he  fol- 
lowed him,  and  he  knew  not  that  it  was  true  which 
was  done  by  the  angel :  but  thought  he  saw  a 
vision.  And  passing  through  the  first  and  second 
ward,  they  came  to  the  iron  gate  that  leadeth  to  the 
city,  which  of  itself  opened  to  them.  And  going 
out,  they  passed  on  through  one  street :  and  imme- 
diately the  angel  departed  from  him.  And  Peter 
coming  to  himself,  said :  "  Now  I  know  in  very 
deed  that  the  Lord  hath  sent  His  angel,  and  hath 

*  He  killed  James  the  brother  of  John.  This  important 
event,  the  martyrdom  of  the  first  of  the  Apostles  who  shed  his 
blood  for  Christ,  is  passed  over  by  St.  Luke  in  a  few  words.  On 
the  other  hand  the  greater  part  of  the  chapter  is  devoted  to  the 
imprisonment  and  escape  of  St.  Peter.  This  shows  that  the 
latter  event  was  of  greater  importance  to  the  Church,  and  there- 
fore more  worthy  of  a  detailed  record,  because  of  the  higher 
position  of  the  person  whose  life  was  in  danger. 

f  Prayer  was  made  without  ceasing.  We  do  not  read  that 
when  St.  James  was  imprisoned  that  prayer  was  made  without 
ceasing  by  the  Church  for  him,  though  we  cannot  doubt  that  he 
was  prayed  for,  nor  is  there  any  record  of  general  prayer  being 
made  for  St.  Paul  when  he  was  arrested.  As  Mr.  Allies  rightly 
says,  ' '  James  and  Paul  were  most  distinguished  members,  but 
Peter  was  more.  This  was  an  honour  reserved  to  the  head  alone, 
as  the  life  of  the  head  was  peculiarly  precious  to  the  whole  body. ' ' 


delivered  me  out  of  the  hand  of  Herod,  and  from  all 
the  expectation  of  the  people  of  the  Jews."  And 
considering,  he  came  to  the  house  of  Mary  the 
mother  of  John,  who  was  sumamed  Mark,  where 
many  were  gathered  together  and  praying. 

And  when  he  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  gate,  a 
damsel  came  to  hearken,  whose  name  was  Rhode. 
And  as  soon  as  she  knew  Peter's  voice,  she  opened 
not  the  gate  for  joy,  but  running  in  she  told  that 
Peter  stood  before  the  gate.  But  they  said  to  her : 
"  Thou  art  mad."  But  she  afl&rmed  that  it  was  so. 
Then  said  they  :  "  It  is  his  angel." 

But  Peter  continued  knocking.  And  when  they 
had  opened,  they  saw  him,  and  were  astonished. 
But  he,  beckoning  to  them  with  his  hand  to  hold 
their  peace,  told  how  the  Lord  had  brought  him  out 
of  prison,  and  he  said :  "  Tell  these  things  to 
James  and  to  the  brethren."  And  going  out  he 
went  into  another  place. 

Now  when  day  was  come,  there  was  no  small  stir 
among  the  soldiers,  what  was  become  of  Peter. 
And  when  Herod  had  sought  for  him,  and  found 
him  not,  having  examined  the  keepers,  he  com- 
manded they  should  be  put  to  death :  and  going 
down  from  Judea  to  Cesarea,  he  abode  there. 

The  First  General  Council. 

Acts  XV.  1-30. 

And  some  coming  down  from  Judea,  taught  the 
brethren  :  That  except  you  be  circumcised  after  the 
manner  of  Moses,  {  you  cannot  be  saved.  And 
when  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  no  small  contest  with 
them,  they  determined  that  Paul  and  Barnabas,  and 
certain  others  of  the  other  side,  should  go  up  to  the 
Apostles  and  priests  to  Jerusalem,  about  this  ques- 
tion. They  therefore  being  brought  on  their  way 
by  the  Church,  passed  through  Phenice  and 
Samaria,  relating  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles : 
and  they  caused  great  joy  to  all  the  brethren.  And 
when  they  were  come  to  Jerusalem,  they  were 
received  by  the  Church  and  by  the  Apostles  and 
ancients,  declaring  how  great  things  God  had  done 
with  them  :  but  there  arose  some  of  the  sect  of  the 
Pharisees  that  believed,  saying :  "  They  must  be 
circumcised,  and  be  commanded  to  observe  the  law 

I  After  the  manner  of  Moses.  The  question  was  whether 
or  not  the  Gentile  converts  were  bound  to  be  circumcised,  and 
to  observe  the  other  precepts  peculiar  to  the  law  of  Moses. 


192 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS    OF   ST.  PETER. 


of  Moses."     And.  the  Apostles  and  ancients  assem- 
bled to  consider  this  matter. 

And  when  there  had  been  much  disputing,*  Peter, 
rising  up,  said  to  them  :  "  Men,  brethren,  you  know 
that  in  former  days  God  made  choice  among  us, 
that  by  my  mouth  the  Gentiles  should  hear  the 
word  of  the  Gospel,f  and  believe.  And  God,  Who 
knoweth  the  hearts,  gave  testimony,  giving  unto 
them  the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  to  us,  and  put  no 
difference  between  us  and  them,  purifying  their 
hearts  by  faith.  Now  therefore,  why  tempt  you 
God,  to  put  a  yoke  i:pon  the  necks  of  the  disciples 
which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  have  been  able  to 
bear  ?  But  by  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
we  believe  to  be  saved,  in  like  manner  as  they  also." 

And  all  the  multitude  held  their  peace  |  and  they 
heard  Barnabas  and  Paul  telling  what  great  signs 
and  wonders  God  had  wrought  among  the  Gentiles 
by  them. 

And  after  they  had  held  their  peace,  James 
answered,  saying :  "  Men  brethren,  hear  me.  Simon 
hath  related  how  God  first  visited  to  take  of  the 
Gentiles  a  people  of  his  name.  And  to  this  agree 
the  words  of  the  prophets,  as  it  is  written :  'After 
these  things  I  will  return,  and  will  rebuild  the 
tabernacle  of  David,  which  is  fallen  down,  and  the 
ruins  thereof  I  will  rebuild,  and  I  will  set  it  up : 
that  the  residue  of  men  may  seek  after  the  Lord  and 
all  nations  upon  whom  My  Name  is  invoked,  saith 
the  Lord  Who  doth  these  things.'  To  the  Lord 
was  His  own  work  known  from  the  beginning  of 

*When  there  had  been  much  disputing.  "See,"  says 
St.  Chrysostom,  "  he  first  permits  a  discussion  to  arise  and  then 
he  speaks." 

f  That  by  my  mouth  the  Gentiles  should  hear  the  Word 
OF  the  Gospel.  St.  Peter  rising  up  in  the  midst  of  the  con- 
troversy appealed  in  settlement  of  the  question,  to  his  own  con- 
duct under  Divine  inspiration,  as  though  this  were  sufficient  to 
decide  the  question.  Moreover,  "God  gave  testimony,  giving 
to  them  the  Holy  Ghost,"  thus  giving  His  approval  to  the 
admission  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  Church.  St.  Peter  con- 
tinues with  a  stern  reproof,  much  in  the  same  terms  as  those  in 
which  he  spoke  to  Ananias  and  Saphira  :  "  Now,  therefore,  why 
tempt  you  God,  to  put  a  yoke  upon  the  necks  of  the  disciples." 

I  All  the  multitude  held  their  peace.  There  had  been 
"much  disputing"  before,  but  after  St.  Peter  had  spoken,  all 
were  quiet ;  and  they  listened  to  Barnabas  and  Paul  who  told 
them  of  the  miracles  which  had  been  worked  among  the 
Gentiles. 


the  world.  For  which  cause  I  judge  §  that  they, 
who  from  among  the  Gentiles  are  converted  to  God, 
are  not  to  be  disquieted.  But  that  we  write  unto 
them  that  they  refrain  themselves  from  the  pollu- 
tions of  idols,  and  from  fornication,  and  from  things 
strangled,  and  from  blood.  For  Moses  of  old  time 
hath  in  every  city  them  that  preach  him  in  the 
synagogues,  where  he  is  read  every  sabbath." 

Then  it  pleased  the  Apostles  and  ancients  with 
the  whole  Church  to  choose  men  of  their  own  com- 
pany, and  to  send  to  Antioch  with  Paul  and  Barna- 
bas, namely,  Judas,  who  was  sumamed  Barsabas, 
and  Silas,  chief  men  among  the  brethren,  writing  by 
their  hands.  "  The  Apostles  and  ancients  brethren, 
to  the  brethren  of  the  Gentiles  that  are  at  Antioch 
and  in  Syria  and  Cilicia  greeting.  Forasmuch  as 
we  have  heard  that  some  going  out  from  us  have 
troubled  you  with  words,  subverting  your  souls,  to 
whom  we  gave  no  commandment :  it  hath  seemed 
good  to  us,  being  assembled  together,  to  choose  out 
men,  and  to  send  them  unto  you  with  our  well- 

§  I  judge  (ox  viy  sentence  is) .  The  Greek  word  for  this  is 
krino,  but  neither  the  Greek  verb  nor  the  English  necessarily 
imply  a  judicial  sentence.  When  we  say  that  we  judge  a  thing 
to  be  this  or  that,  we  may  mean  that  in  our  opinion  it  is  so. 
And  it  would  seem  from  the  context  that  this  was  the  meaning 
of  St.  James's  words — in  his  opinion  the  converted  Gentiles 
were  not  to  be  disquieted.  But  St.  James  and  all  the  Apostles 
and  elders  present  had  a  right  to  give  their  vote,  and  the  decree 
was  issued  in  the  name  of  all :  ''  Tt  h^je  =eemed  good  to  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  to  us."  In  every  aeiiDerative  assembly  each 
member  has  the  right  not  only  of  expressing  his  opinion,  but 
also  of  voting,  and  the  act  or  decision,  or  decree,  is  that  of  the 
whole  body .  Nor  are  the  rights  of  the  members  in  any  way  in 
opposition  to  the  authority  of  the  head.  A  government,  a 
parliament,  a  council,  convocation,  has  its  head  vested  with 
fitting  authority,  each  member  is  however  free  to  give  his 
opinion  and  to  vote  for  or  against  a  measure. 

Tertullian,  a  writer  of  the  second  century,  speaking  of  Peter's 
action  in  this  Council  of  Jerusalem,  says:  "  In  that  discussion 
as  to  maintaining  the  law,  Peter,  first  of  all,  instinct  with  the 
Spirit,  and  preluding  with  the  vocation  of  the  Gentiles,  sa3-s, 
'And  now  why  tempt  ye  the  Lord,  by  imposing  a  yoke  on  the 
brethren  which  neither  we  nor  our  fathers  have  been  able  tp 
bear?  But  by  the  grace  of  Christ  we  believe  that  we  shall  b-- 
saved,  as  also  they.'  This  sentence  both  loosed  what  was  given 
up  of  the  law,  and  kept  binding  what  was  reserved."  St. 
Jerome  writes  that  Peter  "used  his  accustomed  freedom  and 
the  Apostle  James  followed  his  sentence;  all  the  ancients  at 
once  agreed  to  it,  and  the  decree  was  drawn  up  upon  his 
wording." 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS    OF   ST.  PETER. 


195 


beloved  Barnabas  and  Paul,  men  that  bath  given 
their  lives  for  the  Name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
We  have  sent  therefore  Judas  and  Silas,  who  them- 
selves also  will  by  word  of  mouth  tell  you  the  same 
things.  For  it  hath  seemed  good  to  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  to  us,  to  lay  no  farther  burden  upon  you  than 
these  necessary  things :  that  you  abstain  from 
things  sacrificed  to  idols,  ard  from  blood,  and  from 
things  strangled,  and  from  lomication  :  from  which 
things  keeping  yourselves  you  shall  do  well.  Fare 
ye  well." 

They  therefore,  being  dismissed,  went  down  to 
Antioch  :  and  gathering  together  the  multitude, 
delivered  the  epistle.  Which  when  they  had  read, 
they  rejoiced  for  the  consolation :  but  Judas  and 
Silas,  being  prophets  also  themselves,  with  many 
words  comforted  the  brethren,  and  confirmed  them. 

III.   ST.  PAUL'S  INTERCOURSE  WITH 
ST.  PETER. 

Galatians  i.  11-24,  '••  i-iS- 
"  I  give  you  to  understand,  brethren,*  that  the 
Gospel  which  was  preached  by  me  is  not  according 
to  man.  For  neither  did  I  receive  it  of  man,  nor 
did  I  learn  it ;  but  by  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ.  For  you  have  heard  of  my  conversation 
in  time  past  in  the  Jews'  religion  :  how  that  beyond 
measure  I  persecuted  the  Church  of  God,  and  wasted 
it.  And  I  made  progress  in  the  Jews'  religion 
above  many  of  my  equals  in  my  own  nation,  being 
more  abundantly  zealous  for  the  traditions  of  my 
fathers.  But  when  it  pleased  Him,  Who  separated 
me  from  my  mother's  womb,  and  called  me  by  His 
grace,  to  reveal  His  Son  in  me,  that  I  might  preach 
Him  among  the  Gentiles,  immediately  I  conde- 
scended not  to  flesh  and  blood.  Neither  went  I  to 
Jerusalem  to  the  Apostles  who  were  before  me  ;  but 
I  went  into  Arabia,  and  again  I  returned  to  Damas- 

*  I  GIVE    YOU    TO    UNDERSTAND,   BRETHREN.       St.     Paul    in    his 

epistle  to  the  Christians  of  Galatia,  a  province  of  Asia  Minor,  is 
defending  his  authority  against  the  attacks  of  some  false  brethren 
who  asserted  that  he  had  not  the  same  spiritual  power  as  the 
Apostles  had,  and  that  his  gospel  or  teaching  was  different  from 
theirs.  St.  Paul  here  proves  that  he  received  his  gospel  directly 
from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  by  revelation,  not  from  man ;  never- 
theless before  beginning  his  apostleship  he  went  up  to  see  Peter. 
Afterwards  he  again  went  to  Jerusalem  and  conferred  with  Peter, 
James,  and  John,  comparing  his  teaching  with  theirs,  and  they 
approved  of  what  he  had  preached. 
13 


cus.  Then,  after  three  years,  I  went  to  Jerusalem 
to  see  Peter ,t  and  I  tarried  with  him  fifteen  days. 
But  other  of  the  Apostles  I  saw  none ;  saving 
James  the  brother  of  the  Lord.  Now  the  things 
which  I  write  to  you  ;  behold  before  God,  I  lie  not. 

"Afterwards  I  came  into  the  regions  of  Syria 
and  Cilicia.  And  I  was  unknown  by  face  to  the 
churches  of  Judea,  which  were  in  Christ.  But  they 
had  heard  only  [that]  he,  who  persecuted  us  in 
times  past,  doth  now  preach  the  faith  which  once  he 
impugned.     And  they  glorified  God  in  me. 

"  Then  after  fourteen  years,  I  went  up  again  to 
Jerusalem  with  Barnabas,  taking  Titus  also  with 
me.  And  I  went  up  according  to  revelation,  and 
conferred  with  them  the  Gospel  which  I  preach 
among  the  Gentiles,  biit  apart  with  them  who 
seemed  to  be  something :  |  lest  perhaps  I  should 
run,  or  had  run  in  vain.  But  neither  Titus,  who 
was  with  me,  being  a  Gentile,  was  compelled  to  be 
circumcised.  But  because  of  false  brethren  unawares 
brought  in,  who  came  in  privately  to  spy  our 
liberty,  which  we  have  in  Christ  Jesus,  that  they 
might  bring  us  into  servitude.  To  whom  we 
yielded  not  by  subjection,  no,  not  for  an  hour, 
that  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  might  continue 
with  you. 

"  But  of  them  who  seemed  to  be  something,  (what 
they  were  some  time,  it  is  nothing  to  me.  God 
accepteth  not  the  person  of  man,)  for  to  me  they 
that  seemed  to  be  something  added  nothing.  But 
contrariwise,  when  they  had  seen  that  to  me  was 

f  To  SEE  Peter.  St.  Chrysostom,  commenting  on  this  text 
says  :  "  He  went  but  for  this  alone,  to  see  him  and  honour  him 
by  his  presence.  He  says,  I  went  up  to  visit  Peter.  He  said 
not  to  see  Peter,  but  to  visit  Peter,  as  they  say  in  becoming 
acquainted  with  great  and  illustrious  cities.  So  much  pains  he 
thought  it  worth  only  to  see  the  man."  In  another  place  the 
same  holy  writer  has  as  follows  :  "  Peter  was  the  one  preferred 
among  the  Apostles,  the  mouthpiece  of  the  disciples,  and  the 
head  of  the  band  ;  therefore,  too,  Paul  then  went  up  to  visit 
him  ra//iif/- /Aa«  the  rest. "  St.  Jerome  writes :  "Even  in  that 
he  (St.  Paul)  seemed  to  go  to  Jerusalem  in  order  that  he  might 
see  the  Apostle  ;  it  was  not  to  learn,  as  having  himself  also  the 
same  author  of  his  preaching,  but  to  show  honour  to  the  first 
Apostle. ' ' 

\  Lest  perhaps  i  should  run,  or  had  run  in  vain.  St. 
Jerome  quotes  this  passage  as  showing  that  St.  Paul  "had  no 
security  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  unless  it  were  confirmed  by 
the  sentence  of  Peter  and  those  who  were  with  him." 


194 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


committed  the  Gospel  *  of  the  iincircumcision,  as  to 
Peter  was  that  of  the  circumcision :  (for  he  who 
wrought  in  Peter  to  the  apostleship  of  the  circum- 
cision f  wrought  in  me  also  among  the  Gentiles.) 
And  when  they  had  known  the  grace  that  was 
given  to  me,  James  and  Cephas  and  John,|  who 
seemed  to  be  pillars,  gave  to  me  and  Barnabas 
the  right  hands  of  fellowship,  that  we  should  go 
unto  the  Gentiles,  and  they  go  unto  the  circum- 
cision :  only  that  we  should  be  mindful  of  the 
poor  :  which  same  thing  also  I  was  careful  to  do. 

"  But  when  Cephas  was  come  to  Antioch,  I  with- 
stood him  to  the  face,  §  because  he  was  to  be  blamed. 

*To  ME  WAS  COMMITTED  THE  GOSPEL  OF  THE  UNCIRCUMCISION. 

Non-Catholic  writers  have  tried  to  show  from  this  text  that  there 
was  a  division  of  jurisdiction,  St.  Peter  having  authority  over 
the  Jews,  St.  Paul  having  authority  over  the  Gentiles.  But  if 
the  jurisdiction  in  the  Christian  Church  was  divided  in  this  way 
between  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  what  jurisdiction  had  the  other 
Apostles?  The  commission  to  go  and  teach  all  nations  was 
given  to  all  the  Apostles  ;  and  we  know  that  Peter  preached  to 
Gentiles  as  well  as  to  Jews  (he  was  the  first  to  admit  the  Gen- 
tiles into  the  church),  St.  Paul  preached  to  Jews  as  well  as  to 
Gentiles.  It  is  however,  true,  that  St.  Peter's  field  of  work  lay 
chiefly  among  the  Jews,  while  that  of  St.  Paul  was  chiefly 
among  the  Gentiles.  For  this  reason  the  one  may  well  be 
called  the  "minister  of  the  circumcision,"  the  othei  "the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles. ' '  But  there  is  not  a  particle  of  proof 
for  the  opinion  that  there  was  a  separate  and  independent 
jurisdiction. 

f  Apostleship  of  the  Circumcision.  It  is  remarkable  that 
St.  Paul  gives  to  St.  Peter  the  same  title  that  he  gives  to  Christ, 
who  while  He  was  sent  out  to  the  House  of  Israel,  yet  had 
power  and  authority  over  all. 

;  James,  and  Cephas,  and  John.  James  the  Less,  Bishop  of 
Jerusalem,  brother  (/.<?.  cousin)  to  the  Lxjrd.  St.  Chrysostom 
and  many  of  the  Fathers,  also  some  copies  of  the  Scriptures, 
read  Cephas  and  James  and  John  putting  Cephas  (Peter)  in  the 
first  place. 

§  I  withstood  him  to  the  face  because  he  was  to  be 
blamed.  "If  Peter  was  blamed,"  says  Tertullian,  "certainly 
it  was  a  fault  of  conduct,  not  of  preaching  :  ' '  and  St.  Cyprian, 
"  Not  even  Peter,  whom  the  Lord  chose  first,  and  upon  whom 
He  built  His  Church,  when  afterwards  Paul  disagreed  with  him 
respecting  circumcision,  claimed  aught  proudly  or  assumed 
aught  arrogantly  to  himself,  saying  that  he  held  the  primacy, 
and  that  obedience  rather  was  due  to  him  by  those  younger  and 
later.  Nor  did  he  despise  Paul,  but  assented  to  the  legitimate 
reasons  which  Paul  vindicated,  giving  to  us  an  example  of 
unanimity  and  patience,  that  we  may  not  with  pertinacity  love 
what  is  our  own." 

Mr.  Allies  says :    "As   to  the   reprehension    itself,    it  would 


For  before  that  some  came  from  James,  he  did  eat 
with  the  Gentiles  :  but  when  they  were  come,  he 
withdrew  and  separated  himself,  fearing  them  who 
were  of  the  circumcision.  And  to  his  dissimulation 
the  rest  of  the  Jews  consented,  so  that  Barnabas  also 
was  led  by  them  into  that  dissimulation.  But  when 
I  saw  that  they  walked  not  uprightly  unto  the  truth 
of  the  Gospel,  I  said  to  Cephas  before  them  all : 
'  If  thou,  being  a  Jew,  livest  after  the  manner  of 
the  Gentiles,  and  not  as  the  Jews  do,  how  dost 
thou  compel  the  Gentiles  to  live  as  do  the  Jews  ? 
We  by  nature  are  Jews,  and  not  of  the  Gentiles 
sinners.' " 

IV.  THE  WRITINGS  OF  ST.  PETER. 

The  First  Epistle  of  St.  Peter  the  Apostle. 

CHAPTER  I. 

He  gives  thanks  to  God  for  the  benefit  of  our  being  called  to  the 
true  faith,  and  to  eternal  life,  into  which  we  are  to  enter  by 
many  tribulations.  He  exhorts  to  holiness  of  life,  considering 
the  holiness  of  God,  and  our  redemption  by  the  blood  of  Christ. 

Peter,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  the 
strangers  dispersed  through  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cap- 
padocia,  Asia,  and  Bythynia,  elect,  according  to 
the  foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father  unto  the 
sauctification  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience  and 
sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ :  Grace 
unto  you  and  peace  be  multiplied. 

Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  uur  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  Who  according  to  His  great  mercy  hath 
regenerated  us  unto  a  lively  hope,  by  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  "  unto  an 
inheritance  incorruptible  and  undefiled,  and  that 
cannot  fade,  reserved  in  heaven  for  you,"  who,  by 
by  the  power  of  God,  are  kept  by  faith  unto  salva- 
tion ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time.  Wherein 
seem  to  have  been  not  on  a  point  of  doctrine  at  all  but  of  con- 
duct. St.  Peter  had  long  ago  both  admitted  the  Gentiles  into 
the  Church,  and  declared  that  they  were  not  bound  to  the  Jew- 
ish law.  But  out  of  regard  to  the  circumcised  converts,  he  pur- 
sued a  line  of  conduct  at  Antioch  which  they  mistook  to  mean 
an  approval  of  their  error,  and  which  needed  therefore  to  be 
publicly  explained.  Accordingly,  Peter's  fault,  if  any  there 
were,  amounted  to  this,  that  having,  with  the  best  intention, 
done  what  was  not  forbidden,  he  had  not  sufficiently  foreseen 
what  others  would  thence  infer  contrary  to  his  intention.  Can 
this  be  esteemed  a  dogmatic  error,  or  a  proof  of  his  not  holding 
supreme  authority?  But  the  eventhtmg  injurious,  and  contrary 
to  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  why  should  not  Paul  admonish  Peter 
concerning  it?"     (St.  Peter,  ch.  vi.) 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


195 


you  shall  greatly  rejoice,  if  now  you  must  be  for  a 
little  time  made  sorrowful  in  divers  temptations : 
that  the  trial  of  your  faith  (much  more  precious 
than  gold  which  is  tried  by  the  fire)  may  be  found 
unto  praise  and  glory  and  honour  at  the  appearing 
of  Jesus  Christ :  Whom  having  not  seen,  you  love : 
in  Whom  also  now,  though  you  see  Him  not,  you 
believe :  and  believing,  shall  rejoice  with  joy  un- 
speakable and  glorified,  receiving  the  end  of  your 
faith,  even  the  salvation  of  your  souls. 

Of  which  salvation  the  prophets  have  inquired 
and  diligently  searched,  who  prophesied  of  the 
grace  to  come  in  you,  searching  what  or  what 
manner  of  time  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  them  did 
signify,  when  it  foretold  those  sufferings  that  are 
in  Christ,  and  the  glories  that  should  follow.  To 
whom  it  was  revealed  that,  not  to  themselves  but 
to  you  they  ministered  those  things  which  are  now 
declared  to  you  by  them  that  have  preached  the 
gospel  to  you,  the  Holy  Ghost  being  sent  down 
from  heaven,  on  Whom  the  angels  desire  to  look. 
Wherefore  having  the  loins  of  your  mind  girt  up, 
being  sober,  trust  perfectly  in  the  grace  which  is 
offered  to  you  in  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  as 
children  of  obedience,  not  conformed  to  the  former 
desires  of  your  ignorance :  but  according  to  Him 
that  hath  called  you.  Who  is  holy,  be  you  also  in 
all  manner  of  conversation  holy ;  because  it  is 
written  :  "  You  shall  be  holy  because  I  am  holy." 

And  if  you  invoke  as  Father  Him  Who,  without 
respect  of  persons,  judgeth  according  to  every  one's 
work  :  converse  in  fear  during  the  time  of  your 
sojourning  here.  Knowing  that  you  were  not 
redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as  gold  or  silver, 
from  your  vain  conversation  of  the  tradition  of 
your  fathers  :  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ, 
as  of  a  lamb  unspotted  and  undefiled :  foreknown 
indeed  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but 
manifested  in  the  last  times  for  you,  who  through 
Him  are  faithful  in  God,  Who  raised  Him  up  from 
the  dead,  and  hath  given  Him  glory,  that  your 
faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God.  Purifying  your 
souls  in  the  obedience  of  charity,  with  a  brotherly 

Llove,  from  a  sincere  heart  love  one  another  earn- 
estly :  being  born  again  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but 
'.  acorruptible,  by  the  word  of  God  Who  liveth  and 
;  emaineth  for  ever.  "  For  all  flesh  is  as  grass  :  and 
I 


all  the  glory  thereof  as  the  flower  of  grass.  The 
grass  is  withered,  and  the  flower  thereof  falleth 
away."  But  the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  for 
ever,  and  this  is  the  word  which  by  the  Gospel  hath 
been  preached  unto  you. 

CHAPTER  II. 

IVe  are  to  lay  aside  all  guile,  and  go  to  Christ  the  living  stone  : 
and  as  being  now  His  people  walk  worthily  of  Him,  with  sub- 
mission to  superiors,  and  patience  under  sufferings. 

Wherefore — laying  away  all  malice,  and  all  guile, 
and  dissimulations,  and  envies,  and  all  detractions 
— as  new-born  babes,  desire  the  rational  milk  with- 
out guile,  that  thereby  you  may  grow  unto  salva- 
tion. If  so  be  you  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is 
sweet ;  unto  Whom  coming,  as  to  a  living  stone, 
rejected  indeed  by  men,  but  chosen  and  made  hon- 
ourable by  God  :  be  you  also  as  living  stones  built 
up,  a  spiritual  house,  a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up 
spiritual  sacrifice*?,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus 
Christ. 

Wherefore  it  is  said  in  the  Scripture  :  "  Behold  I 
lay  in  Sion  a  chief  comer-stone,  elect,  precious. 
And  he  that  shall  believe  in  Him,  shall  not  be  con- 
founded." To  you  therefore,  that  believe,  He  is 
honour ;  but  to  them  that  believe  not,  "  the  stone 
which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  is  made  the 
head  of  the  comer ;  "  and  a  stone  of  stumbling, 
and  a  rock  of  scandal,  to  them  who  stumble  at  the 
word,  neither  do  believe,  whereunto  also  they  are 
set.  But  you  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  kingly 
priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  purchased  people  :  that 
you  may  declare  His  virtues.  Who  hath  called  you 
out  of  darkness  into  His  marvellous  light,  "  who  in 
time  past  were  not  a  people,  but  are  now  a  people 
of  God :  who  had  not  obtained  mercy,  but  now 
have  obtained  mercy." 

Dearly  beloved,  I  beseech  you  as  ncrangers  and 
pilgrims,  to  refrain  yourselves  from  carnal  desires 
which  war  against  the  soul,  having  your  conversa- 
tion good  among  the  Gentiles :  that  whereas  they 
speak  against  you  as  evil-doers,  they  may  by  the 
good  works,  which  they  shall  behold  in  you,  glorify 
God  in  the  day  of  visitation.  Be  ye  subject  there- 
fore to  every  human  creature  for  God's  sake : 
whether  it  be  to  the  king  as  excelling,  or  to  gov- 
ernors as  sent  by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil- 
doers, and  for  the  praise  of  the  good  :  for  so  is  the 


196 


THE    LIFE   AND    WRITINGS    OF   ST.  PETER. 


will  of  God,  that  by  doing  well,  you  may  put  to 
silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men  :  as  free,  and 
not  as  making  liberty  a  cloak  for  malice,  but  as  the 
servants  of  God.  Honour  all  men.  Love  the 
brotherhood.     Fear  God.     Honour  the  king. 

Servants,  be  subject  to  your  masters  with  all 
fear,  not  only  to  the  good  and  gentle,  but  also  to 
the  froward.  For  this  is  thanks-worthy,  if  the  con- 
science towards  God  a  man  endure  sorrows,  suffer- 
ing wrongfully.  For  what  glory  is  it,  if  commit- 
ting sin  and  being  buffeted  for  it  you  endure  ?  But 
if  doing  well  you  suffer  patiently  ;  this  is  thanks- 
worthy  before  God.  For  unto  this  are  you  called  : 
because  Christ  also  suffered  for  us,  leaving  you  an 
example  that  you  should  follow  His  steps.  "  Who 
did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  His  mouth." 
Who,  when  He  was  reviled,  did  not  revile :  when 
He  suffered.  He  threatened  not :  but  delivered 
Himself  to  him  that  judged  Him  unj  5tly.  Who 
His  own  self  bore  our  sins  in  His  body  upon  the 
tree  ;  that  we  being  dead  to  sins,  should  live  to 
justice :  by  Whose  stripes  you  were  healed.  For 
you  were  as  sheep  going  astray  ;  but  you  are  now 
converted  to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  your  souls. 

CHAPTER  III. 

How  wives   are  to  behave  to  their  husbands :    what  ornaments 

they  are  to  seek.     Exhortations  to  divers  virtues. 

In  like  manner  also  let  wives  be  subject  to  their 
husbands :  that  if  any  believe  not  the  word,  they 
may  be  won  without  the  word,  by  the  conversation 
of  the  wives,  considering  your  chaste  conversation 
with  fear.  Whose  adorning  let  it  not  be  the  out- 
ward plaiting  of  the  hair,  or  the  wearing  of  gold,  or 
the  putting  on  of  apparel :  but  the  hidden  man  of 
the  heart  in  the  incorruptibility  of  a  quiet  and 
meek  spirit,  which  is  rich  in  the  sight  of  God.  For 
after  this  manner  heretofore  the  holy  women  also, 
who  trusted  in  God,  adorned  themselves,  being  in 
subjection  to  their  own  husbands :  as  Sara  obeyed 
Abraham,  calling  him  lord :  whose  daughters  you 
are,  doing  well,  and  not  fearing  any  disturbance. 

Ye  husbands,  likewise  dwelling  with  them  accord- 
ing to  knowledge,  giving  honour  to  the  female  as  to 
the  weaker  vessel,  and  as  to  the  co-heirs  of  the  grace 
of  life  :  that  your  prayers  be  not  hindered.  And  in 
fine  be  ye  all  of  one  mind,  having  compassion  one 
of  another,  being  lovers  of  the  brotherhood,  merci- 


ful, modest,  humble :  not  rendering  evil  for  evil, 
nor  railing  for  railing,  but  contrariwise  blessing : 
for  unto  this  are  you  called,  that  you  may  inherit  a 
blessing.  "  For  he  that  will  love  life,  and  see  good 
days,  let  him  refrain  his  tongue  from  evil,  and  his 
lips  that  they  speak  no  guile.  Let  him  decline 
from  evil,  and  do  good :  let  him  seek  after  peace, 
and  pursue  it.  Because  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are 
upon  the  just,  and  His  ears  unto  their  prayers  :  but 
the  countenance  of  the  Lord  [is]  upon  them  that  do 
evil  things." 

And  who  is  he  that  can  hurt  you,  if  you  be  zeal- 
ous of  good  ?  But  if  also  you  suffer  anything  for 
justice  sake,  blessed  are  ye.  And  be  not  afraid  of 
their  fear,  and  be  not  troubled.  But  sanctify  the 
Lord  Christ  in  your  hearts,  being  ready  always  to 
satisfy  every  one  that  asketh  you  a  reason  of  that 
hope  which  is  in  you.  But  with  modesty  and  fear, 
having  a  good  conscience  :  that  whereas  they  speak 
evil  of  you,  they  may  be  ashamed  who  falsely 
accuse  your  good  conversation  in  Christ.  For  it  is 
better  doing  well  (if  such  be  the  will  of  God)  to 
suffer  than  doing  ill.  Because  Christ  also  died 
once  for  our  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust :  that  He 
might  offer  us  to  God,  being  put  to  death  indeed  in 
the  flesh,  but  enlivened  in  the  spirit.  In  which 
also  coming  He  preached  to  those  spirits  that  were 
in  prison  :  which  had  been  some  time  incredulous, 
when  they  waited  for  the  patience  of  God  in  the 
days  of  Noe,  when  the  ark  was  a  building  :  wherein 
a  few,  that  is,  eight  souls  were  saved  by  water. 
Whereunto  baptism  being  of  the  like  form,  now 
saveth  you  also  :  not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth 
of  the  flesh,  but  the  examination  of  a  good  con- 
science towards  God  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Who  is  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  swallow- 
ing down  death,  that  we  might  be  made  heirs  of 
life  everlasting :  being  gone  into  heaven,  the 
angels  and  powers  and  virtues  being  made  subject 
to  Him. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Exhortations  to  cease  from  sin  ;  to  mutual  charity  ;  to  do  all  for 
the  glory  of  God ;  to  be  willing  to  suffer  for  Christ. 

Christ  therefore  having  suffered  in  the  flesh,  be 
you  also  armed  with  the  same  thought :  for  he  that 
hath  sufiered  in  the  flesh,  hath  ceased  from  sins : 
that  now  he  may  live  the  rest  of  his  time  in  the 


THE    LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


197 


flesh,  not  after  the  desires  of  men,  but  according  to 
the  will  of  God.  For  the  time  past  is  sufl&cieut  to 
have  fulfilled  the  will  of  the  Gentiles,  for  them  who 
have  walked  in  riotousness,  lusts,  excess  of  wine, 
revellings,  banquetings,  and  unlawful  worshipping 
of  idols.  Wherein  they  think  it  strange  that  you 
run  not  with  them  into  the  same  confusion  of  riot- 
ousness, speaking  evil  of  you.  Who  shall  render 
account  to  Him,  Who  is  ready  to  judge  the  living 
and  the  dead.  For,  this  cause  was  the  Gospel 
preached  also  to  the  dead,  that  they  might  be  judged 
indeed,  according  to  men  in  the  flesh  ;  but  may  live 
according  to  God  in  the  Spirit.  But  the  end  of  all 
is  at  hand.  Be  prudent  therefore  and  watch  in 
prayers. 

But  before  all  things  have  a  constant  mutual 
charity  among  yourselves :  for  charity  covereth  a 
multitude  of  sins.  Using  hospitality  one  towards 
another  without  murmuring.  As  every  ma-i  hath 
received  grace,  ministering  the  same  one  to  another : 
as  good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God.  If 
any  man  speak,  let  him  speak  as  the  words  of  God. 
If  any  man  minister,  let  him  do  it  as  of  the  power 
which  God  administereth :  that  in  all  things  God 
may  be  honoured  through  Jesus  Christ :  to  Whom 
is  glory  and  empire  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

Dearly  beloved,  think  not  strange  the  burning 
heat  which  is  to  try  you,  as  if  some  new  thing  hap- 
pened to  you.  But  if  you  partake  of  the  suffering 
of  Christ,  rejoice  that  when  His  glory  shall  be 
revealed  you  may  also  be  glad  with  exceeding  joy. 
If  you  be  reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ,  you 
shall  be  blessed  :  for  that  which  is  of  the  honour, 
glory  and  power  of  God,  and  that  which  is  His 
Spirit,  resteth  upon  you. 

But  let  none  of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  a 
thief,  or  a  railer,  or  a  coveter  of  other  men's  things. 
But  if  as  a  Christian,  let  him  not  be  ashamed,  but 
let  him  glorify  God  in  this  name.  For  the  time  is 
that  judgment  should  begin  at  the  house  of  God : 
and  if  first  at  us,  what  shall  be  the  end  of  them  that 
believe  not  the  Gospel  of  God?  And  if  the  just 
man  shall  scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  un- 
godly and  the  sinner  appear  ?  Wherefore  let  them 
also  that  suffer  according  to  the  will  of  God,  com- 
mend their  souls  in  good  deeds  to  the  faithful 
Creator. 


CHAP  TER  V. 

He  exhorts  both  priests  and  laity  to  their  respective  duties,  and 
recommends  to  all  humility  and  watchfulness. 

The  ancients  therefore  that  are  among  you,  I 
beseech,  who  am  myself  also  an  ancient  and  a 
witness  to  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  as  also  a  par- 
taker of  that  glory  which  is  to  be  revealed  in  time 
to  come :  Feed  the  flock  of  God  which  is  among 
you,  taking  care  of  it  not  by  constraint,  but  wil- 
lingly according  to  God ;  not  for  filthy  lucre's  sake, 
but  voluntarily  :  neither  as  lording  it  over  the 
clergy,  but  being  made  a  pattern  of  the  flock  from 
the  heart.  And  when  the  prince  of  pastors  shal' 
appear,  you  shall  receive  a  never-fading  crown  of 
glory. 

In  like  manner,  ye  young  men,  be  subject  to  the 
ancients.  And  do  ye  all  insinuate  humility  one  to 
another,  "  for  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  to  the 
humble  He  giveth  grace."  Be  you  humbled  there- 
fore under  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  that  He  may 
exalt  you  in  the  time  of  visitation  :  casting  all  your 
care  upon  Him,  for  He  hath  care  of  you.  Be  sober 
and  watch  :  because  your  adversary  the  devil,  as  a 
roaring  lion,  goeth  about  seeking  whom  he  may 
devour :  whom  resist  ye,  strong  in  faith  :  knowing 
that  '.lie  same  affliction  befalls  your  brethren  who 
are  in  the  world.  But  the  God  of  all  grace.  Who 
hath  called  us  unto  His  eternal  glory  in  Christ 
Jesus,  after  you  have  suffered  a  little,  will  Himself 
perfect  you,  and  confirm  you,  and  establish  you. 
To  Him  be  glory  and  empire  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen. 

By  Sylvanus,  a  faithful  brother  unto  you,  as  I 
think,  I  have  written  briefly  :  beseeching  and  testi- 
fying that  this  is  the  true  grace  of  God  wherein 
you  stand.    The  Church  that  is  in  Babylon,*  elected 

*  The  Church  that  is  in  Babylon.  Dr.  Ellicott  (Anglican 
Bishop  of  Gloucester  and  Bristol)  says  :  "It  may  be  called  the 
established  interpretation  that  the  place  here  meant  is  Rome. 
We  never  hear  of  Peter  being  in  the  East  and  the  thing  itself  is 
improbable,  whereas  nothing  but  Protestant  prejudice  can  stand 
against  the  historical  evidence  that  St.  Peter  sojourned  and  died 
in  Rome. ' '  The  Speakers'  Commentary,  in  a  note  on  this  text, 
says:  "We  have  to  remark  (i)  that  the  city  of  Babylon  was 
certainly  not  the  seat  of  a  Christian  community  ;  ( 2 )  that  no 
ancient  record  has  the  slightest  trace  of  St.  Peter's  work  or  pres- 
ence in  Chaldsea;  (3)  that  all  ancient  authorities  are  unani- 
mous in  the  assertion  that  the  latter  year  or  years  of  his  life 


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THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


together  with  you,  saluteth  you :  and  so  doth  my 
sou  Mark.  Salute  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss. 
Grace  be  to  all  you  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus.    Amen. 

The  Second  Epistle  of  St.  Peter  the  Apostle. 

CHAPTER    I. 

He  exhorts  them  to  join  all  other  virtues  with  their  faith,  in  order 

so  secure  their  salvation. 

Simon  Peter,  servant  and  Apostle  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  them  that  have  obtained  equal  faith  with 
us  in  the  justice  of  our  God  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  Grace  to  you  and  peace  be  accomplished 
in  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  of  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord. 

As  all  things  of  His  divine  puwer,  which  apper- 
tain to  life  and  godliness,  are  given  u..,  through 
the  knowledge  of  Him  who  hath  called  us  by  His 
own  proper  glory  and  virtue.  By  whom  He  hath 
given  us  most  great  and  precious  promises,  that  by 
these  you  may  be  made  partakers  of  the  divine 
nature :  flying  the  corruption  of  that  concupiscence 

were  passed  in  the  West  of  the  Roman  Empire.  On  the  other 
hand,  Babylon  was  well  known  in  Asia  Minor  during  the  life- 
time of  St.  John  as  the  symbolical  designation  of  Rome,  and, 
as  was  before  pointed  out,  the  whole  place  has  a  symbolical  form 
or  tone.  Accordingly  we  find  an  absolute  concensus  of  ancient 
interpreters  that  here  Babylon  must  be  understood  as  equivalent 
to  Rome." 

The  Abbe  Fouard  says  that  the  fact  of  St.  Peter's  having 
resided  at  Rome  "is  hardly  ever  disputed  now-a-days :  for 
although  no  contemporary  writer  makes  any  allusion  to  that 
event,  we  have  a  series  of  witnesses  in  testimony  of  it,  from  the 
third  century  back  to  apostolic  times,  together  casting  a  continu- 
ous light  on  this  turning  point  of  history. ' ' 

That  St.  Peter  not  only  resided  in  Rome,  but  also  was  the 
first  Bishop  of  that  see,  is  likewise  attested  by  innumerable  wit- 
nesses of  the  first  five  centuries,  while  not  a  single  early  writer 
can  be  cited  against  this  truth,  nor  has  the  See  of  Rome,  ever 
been  assigned  to  any  other  Apostles,  though  the  name  of  St. 
Paul  is  frequently  joined  to  that  of  St.  Peter,  as  though  he  were 
founder  with  St.  Peter  of  Christianity  in  Rome.  St.  Irenaeus, 
Bishop  of  Lyons,  whose  youth  was  spent  in  the  company  of  St. 
Polycarp,  a  disciple  of  St.  John  the  Apostle,  speaks  of  Rome  as 
"  the  greatest,  most  ancient  and  illustrious  Church,  the  one 
founded  and  constituted  at  Rome  by  the  two  most  glorious 
Apostles,  Peter  and  Paul."  Tertullian  writes;  "The  Church 
of  the  Romans  recounts  that  Clement  was  ordained  by  Peter." 
St.  Cyprian  (a.d.  250)  calls  Rome  "  the  Chair  of  Peter  and  the 
rolling  Church,  whence  the  Unity  of  the  priesthood  has  its 
source. ' '  For  full  treatment  of  this  subject  the  reader  is  re- 
ferred to  Was  St.  Peter  Bishop  of  Rome  ?  by  C.  F.  B.  Allnat  ; 
(Catholic  Truth  Society,  price  2d.) 


which  is  in  the  world.  And  you,  employing  all 
care,  minister  in  your  faith,  virtue  :  and  in  virtue, 
knowledge  :  and  in  knowledge,  abstinence  :  and  in 
abstinence,  patience  :  and  in  patience,  godliness : 
and  in  godliness,  love  of  brotherhood  :  and  in  love 
of  brotherhood,  charity.  For  if  these  things  be 
with  you,  and  abound,  they  will  make  you  to  be 
neither  empty  nor  untruthful  in  the  knowledge  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  For  he  that  hath  not  these 
things  with  him  is  blind,  and  groping,  having  for- 
gotten that  he  was  purged  from  his  old  sins. 

Wherefore,  brethren,  labour  the  more,  that  by 
good  works  you  may  make  sure  your  calling  and 
election.  For  doing  these  things,  you  shall  not  sin 
at  any  time.  For  so  an  entrance  shall  be  ministered 
to  you  abundantly  into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  For  which  cause  I  will 
begin  to  put  you  alwaj^s  in  remembrance  of  these 
things  though  indeed  you  know  them,  and  are  con- 
firmed in  the  present  truth.  But  I  think  it  meet 
as  long  as  I  am  in  this  tabernacle,  to  stir  you  up 
by  putting  you  in  remembrance.  Being  assured 
that  the  laying  away  of  this  my  tabernacle  is  at 
hand,*  according  as  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  also 
hath  signified  to  me.  And  I  will  do  my  endeavour, 
that  after  my  decease  also,  you  may  often  have 
whereby  you  may  keep  a  memory  of  these  things. 
For  we  have  not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables, 
when  we  made  known  to  you  the  power  and  presence 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  but  having  been  made 
eye-witness  of  His  majesty.  For,  He  received  from 
God  the  Father,  honour  and  glory  ;  this  voice  com- 
ing down  to  Him  from  the  excellent  glory,  "  This 
is  My  beloved  Son  in  Whom  I  have  pleased  Myself, 
hear  ye  Him."  And  this  voice  we  heard  brought 
from  heaven  when  we  were  with  Him  in  the  holy 
mount. 

And  we  have  the  more  firm  prophetical  word, 
whereunto  you  do  well  to  attend,  as  to  a  light  that 
shineth  in  a  dark  place,  until  the  day  dawn,  and  the 

*  The  laying  away  of  this  my  tabernacle  is  at  hand. 
Our  Blessed  Lord,  had  already  foretold  to  St.  Peter,  that  he 
should  glorify  God  by  martyrdom.  It  is  the  generally  received 
opinion  that  St.  Peter  suffered  at  Rome,  being  crucified  with  his 
head  downwards.  The  29th  June,  a.  d.  67,  is  assigned  as  the 
date  of  his  death,  and  there  are  strong  reasons  for  believing  that 
St.  Paul  was  beheaded  on  the  same  day,  also  at  Rome. 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


19f> 


day-star  arise  in  your  hearts  :  understanding  this 
first,  that  no  prophecy  of  Scripture  is  made  by  pri- 
vate interpretation.'''  For  prophecy  came  not  by 
the  will  of  man  at  any  time :  but  the  holy  men  of 
God  spoke,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

CHAPTER  II. 
He  warns   them   against  false  teachers,    and  foretells  their 
punishment. 

But  there  were  also  false  prophets  among  the 
people,  even  as  there  shall  be  among  you  lying 
teachers,  who  shall  bring  in  sects  of  perdition,  and 
deny  the  Lord  Who  bought  them  :  bringing  upon 
themselves  swift  destruction.  And  many  shall 
follow  their  riotousnesses,  through  whom  the  way 
of  truth  shall  be  evil  spoken  of  And  through 
covetousness  shall  they  with  feigned  words  make 
merchandise  of  you.  Whose  judgment  now  of  a 
long  time  lingereth  not,  and  their  perdition  slum- 
bereth  not. 

For  if  God  spared  not  th  angels  that  sinned : 
but  delivered  them,  drawn  .^own  by  infernal  ropes 
to  the  lower  hell,  unto  torments,  to  be  reserved  unto 
judgment :  and  spared  not  the  original  world,  but 
preserved  Noe  the  eighth  person,  the  preacher  of 
justice,  bringing  in  the  flood  upon  the  world  of  the 
ungodly  ;  And  reducing  the  cities  of  the  Sodomites 
and  of  the  Gomorrhites  into  ashes,  condemned 
them  to  be  overthrown,  making  them  an  example 
to  those  that  should  after  act  wickedly ;  and  deliv- 
ered just  Lot,  oppressed  by  the  injustice  and  lewd 
conversation  of  the  wicked ;  for  in  sight  and  hear- 
ing he  was  just:  dwelling  among  them,  who  from 
day  to  day  vexed  the  just  soul  with  unjust  works. 
The  Lord  knoweth  how  to  deliver  the  godly  from 
temptation,  but  to  reserve  the  unjust  unto  the  day 
of  judgment  to  be  tormented:  and  especially  them 

*  No  PROPHECY  OF  SCRIPTURE  IS  MADE  BY  PRIVATE  INTERPRE- 
TATION. In  these  two  verses,  St.  Peter  gives  us  the  true  idea  of 
Holy  Scripture,  i.  e.,  that  it  is  the  word  of  God  Himself.  The 
prophets  and  other  sacred  writers  spoke  not  of  themselves  but  as 
they  were  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit  Who  spake  in  them. 
Hence  their  words  must  be  interpreted  by  the  help  of  the  same 
Divine  Spirit,  not  by  the  judgment  of  mere  men.  Thus  our 
own  St.  Bede  says  on  this  passage,  "Wherefore  as  the  prophets 
wrote  not  their  own  words  but  the  words  of  God,  so  their  reader 
cannot  use  his  own  interpretation  lest  he  wander  from  the  mean- 
ing of  the  truth,  but  he  should  in  every  wise  observe  how  He 
that  wrote  wished  His  words  to  be  understood- ' ' 


who  walk  after  the  flesh  in  the  lust  of  uncleanness, 
and  despise  government ;  audacious,  self-willed, 
they  fear  not  to  bring  in  sects,  blaspheming. 

Whereas  angels  who  are  greater  in  strength  and 
power,  bring  not  against  themselves  a  railing  judg- 
ment. But  these  men,  as  irrational  beasts,  natu- 
rally tending  to  the  snare  and  to  destruction,  blas- 
pheming those  things  which  they  know  not,  shall 
perish  in  their  corruption,  receiving  the  reward  of 
their  injustice,  counting  for  a  pleasure  the  delights 
of  a  day :  stains  and  spots,  sporting  themselves  to 
excess,  rioting  in  their  feasts  with  you,  having  eyes 
full  of  adultry  and  of  sin  that  ceaseth  not :  allur- 
ing unstable  souls,  having  their  heart  exercised 
with  covetousness,  children  of  malediction  :  leav- 
ing the  right  way  they  have  gone  astray,  having 
followed  the  way  of  Balaam  of  Bosor,  who  loved 
the  wages  of  iniquity,  but  had  a  check  of  his  mad- 
ness, the  dumb  beast  used  to  the  yoke,  which 
speaking  with  man's  voice,  forbade  the  folly  of  the 
prophet. 

These  are  fountains  without  water  and  clouds 
tossed  with  whirlwinds,  to  whom  the  mist  of  dark- 
ness is  reserved.  For,  speaking  proud  words  of 
vanity,  they  allure  by  the  desires  of  fleshly  riotous- 
ness,  those  who  for  a  little  while  escape,  such  as 
converse  in  error  :  promising  them  liberty,  whereas 
they  themselves  are  the  slaves  of  corruption.  For 
by  whom  a  man  is  overcome,  of  the  same  also  he  is 
the  slave.  For  if,  flying  from  the  pollutions  of  the 
world  through  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  they  be  again  entangled  in 
them  and  overcome :  their  latter  state  is  become 
unto  them  worse  than  the  former.  For  it  had  been 
better  for  them  not  to  have  known  the  way  of  jus- 
tice, than  after  they  have  known  it,  to  turn  back 
from  that  holy  commandment  which  was  delivered 
to  them.  For  that  of  the  true  proverb  has  happened 
to  them  :  The  dog  is  returned  to  his  vomit,  and  the 
sow  that  was  washed  to  her  wallowing  in  the  mire. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Against  scoffers,  denying  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  he  declares 
the  sudden  dissolution  of  this  world,  and  exhorts  to  holiness 
of  life. 

Behold  this  second  epistle  I  write  to  you,  my 
dearly  beloved,  in  which  I  stir  up  by  way  of  admoni- 
tion your  sincere  mind :  that  you  may  be  mindful 


200 


THE   LIFE   AND   WRITINGS   OF   ST.  PETER. 


of  those  words  whicli  I  told  you  before  from  the 
holy  prophets,  and  of  your  Apostles,  of  the  precepts 
of  the  Lord  and  Saviour.  Knowing  this  first,  that 
in  the  last  days  there  shall  come  deceitful  scoffers, 
walking  after  their  own  lusts,  saying :  "  Where  is 
I-Iis  promise  or  His  coming  ?  for  since  the  time  that 
the  fathers  slept,  all  things  continue  as  they  were 
from  the  beginning  of  the  creation."  For  this  they 
are  wilfully  ignorant  of,  that  the  heavens  were 
before,  and  the  earth,  out  of  water,  and  through 
water,  consisting  by  the  word  of  God.  Whereby 
the  world  that  then  was,  being  overflowed  with 
water,  perished.  But  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
which  are  now,  by  the  same  word  are  kept  in  store, 
reserved  unto  fire  against  the  day  of  judgment  and 
perdition  of  the  ungodly  men. 

But  of  this  one  thing  be  not  ignorant,  my  beloved, 
that  one  day  with  the  Lord  is  as  a  thousand  years, 
and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day.  The  Lord 
(lelayeth  not  His  promise,  as  some  imagine :  but 
dealeth  patiently  for  your  sake,  not  willing  that 
any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  return  to 
penance.  But  the  day  of  the  Lord  shall  come  as  a 
thief,  in  which  the  heavens  shall  pass  av/ay  with 
great  violence,  and  the  elements  shall  be  melted 
with  heat,  and  the  earth  and  the  works  which  are  in 
it  shall  be  burnt  up. 

Seeing  then  that  all  these  things  are  to  be  dis- 
solved, what  manner  of  people  ought  you  to  be  in 
holy  conversation  and  godliness ;  looking  for  and 
hasting  unto  the  coming  of  the  day  of  the  Lord,  by 
which  the  heavens  being  on  fire  shall  be  dissolved, 
and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  the  burning 
heat.  But  we  look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth  according  to  His  promises,  in  which  justice 
dwelleth. 

Wherefore,  dearly  beloved,  seeing  that  you  look 
for  these  things,  be  diligent  that  ye  may  be  found 
undefiled  and  unspotted  to  Him  in  peace.  And 
account  the  long-suffering  of  our  Lord  salvation,  as 
also  our  most  dear  brother  Paul,  according  to  the 
wisdom  given  him,  hath  written  to  you  :  as  also  in 


all  his  epistles,  speaking  in  them  of  these  things ; 
in  which  are  certain  things  hard  to  be  understood,* 
which  the  unlearned  and  unstable  wrest,  as  they  do 
also  the  other  scriptures,  to  their  own  destruction. 
You  therefore,  brethren,  knowing  these  things 
before,  take  heed,  lest  being  led  aside  by  the  error 
of  the  unwise,  you  fall  from  your  own  steadfastness. 
But  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  To  Him  be  glory 
both  now  and  unto  the  day  of  eternity.     Amen. 

A  Prayer  to  St.  Peter. 

Ant.  Thou  art  the  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  O 
Prince  of  the  Apostles ;  to  thee  were  given  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  Heaven. 

V.  Thou  art  Peter. 

R.  And  upon  this  Rock  I  will  build  My  Church. 

Let  us  pray. 

Raise  us  up,  we  beseech  Thee,  O  Lord,  by  the 
apostolic  might  of  Thy  blessed  Apostle,  Peter ; 
that  the  weaker  we  are  in  ourselves,  the  more 
powerful  may  be  the  assistance  whereby  we  are 
strengthened  through  his  intercession,  that  thus, 
ever  fortified  by  the  protection  of  Thine  Apostle, 
we  may  never  yield  to  sin,  nor  be  overwhelmed  by 
adversity.     Through  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

*  Certain  things  hard  to  be  understood.  As  in  Chap. 
i.  20,  21,  St.  Peter  tells  us  what  the  Scripture  is  and  how  it  must 
be  interpreted ;  so  here  he  ranks  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  with 
the  other  sacred  writings,  and  condemns  certain  erroneous 
private  interpretations  which  were  already  put  forward  in  the 
Apostle's  lifetime.  The  words  "speaking  in  them  of  these 
thing"  are  referred  by  some  to  the  exhortation  immediately 
preceding  them.  Others,  with  good  reason,  understanri  them  of 
the  whole  passage  concerning  "  the  day  of  the  Lord."  Accord- 
ing to  the  reading  of  the  best  Greek  MSS.,  the  words  "in 
which"  maybe  connected  with  the  words  "all  his  epistles." 
St.  Augustine  considers  that  certain  texts  of  St.  Paul  concerning 
faith  and  the  works  of  the  law  are  among  the  passages  of  which 
St.  Peter  is  here  speaking.  Certainly  those  words  have  since 
been  misunderstood  by  many  and  wrested  by  the  unstable  to 
their  own  destruction. 


J^ 


7a 


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■^ 


^ft^H: 


r?; 


V 


mm 


-^ 


\. 


jf\. 


^' 


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^^^ 


'V 


.1^^ 


X^ 


tv\\p  art  ill  l|eai  en^puoiveil 
tethti  name;  ihji  hinqdam  tome; 
thii  itill  he  ilone  on  earth,  nn 
h  in  I|eaiTeiu     ^f>iie  ii«  thi.s 

« 

pplajl  om  rlatljj  hrearl;  ami  farrjire 
xxn  om  iuHi^iifiHtH  im  ivt  f\m't\\vt 
lofie  luho  trespafifi  aqatn.st  u?i; 
mul  lead  ufj  imt  iiita  temp« 
t^tian,  hut  ilelirer  \m  firom  eril 


II 


?4 


<^i?- 


X 


g.^:::^ 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


203 


2,  V.  I,  2,  3,  etc.,  and  Mich.  4,  v.   i,  2,  where  the 

Church  of  Christ  is  described  as  "  a  mountain  upon 

the  top  of  mountains,  exposed  to  the  view  of  all 

nations  flowing  into  it."     And  Daniel  2,  v.  35,  as 

^'  a  great  mountain,  filling  the  whole  earth."   Matt. 

5,  V.  14,  as  "  a  city  on  a  mountain  which  cannot  be 

hid."     (Isaias  60,  v.   11,  12.)     As  "a  city  whose 

gates  shall  be  open  continually,  and  shall  not  be 

shut  day  nor  night,  that  men  may  bring  thither 

the  forces  of  the  Gentiles,  and  that  their  kings  may 

be  brought."     "  Upon  the  walls  of  which  city  God 

has  set  watchmen,  all  the  day  and  all  the  night," 

(Isaias  62,  v.  6,)   "  which   shall  never  hold  their 

peace." 

SECTION  II. 

That  Christ' s  Church  upon  Earth  is  always  One. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  Christ's  Church  upon 
earth  is  always  one  ? 

A.  From  many  texts  of  Scripture.  Canticle  of 
Canticles  6,  v.  9,  10.  "  My  dove,  My  undefiled,  is 
but  one — fair  as  the  moon,  bright  as  the  sun,  terri- 
ble as  an  army  set  in  array."  (John  10,  v.  16.) 
"  Other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold," 
(viz.,  the  Gentiles,  who  were  then  divided  from  the 
^ews,)  "  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall 
jiear  My  voice,  and  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and  one 
shepherd."  (Ephes.  4,  v.  4,  5.)  "  There  is  one 
body  and  one  spirit,  as  you  are  called  in  one  hope 
of  your  calling ;  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism." 
Tn  fine,  as  we  have  seen  already,  the  Church  of 
;^hrist  is  a  kingdom  which  shall  stand  forever,  and 
therefore  must  be  always  one  ;  for  "  every  kingdom 
divided  against  itself  shall  be  made  desolate,  and 
every  city  or  house  divided  against  itself  shall  not 
stand."     (Matt.  12,  v.  25.) 

Q.  May  not  persons  be  saved  in  any  religion  ? 

A.  No,  certainly;  St.  Paul  tells  us,  (Heb.  11,  v. 
6,)  that  "  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please 
God."  And  St.  Peter  assures  us,  (Acts  4,  v.  12,) 
that  "  there  is  no  other  name  under  heaven  given 
to  men  by  which  we  may  be  saved,  but  by  the 
name  of  Jesus."  And  Christ  Himself  tells  us, 
(Mark  16,  v.  16,)  "  He  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
condemned."  So  that  it  is  manifest  from  the  Holy 
Scripture,  that  true  faith  is  necessary  to  salvation. 
,  Now,  true  faith,  in  order  to  please  God  and  save 
our  souls,  must  be  entire  ;  that  is  to  say,  we  must 


believe  without  exception  all  such  articles  as  are 
revealed  by  God  and  proposed  by  His  Church  to  be 
believed  ;  and  he  who  voluntarily  and  obstinately 
disbelieveth  any  one  of  these  articles,  is  no  less 
void  of  true  saving  faith  than  he  who  disbelieves 
them  all.  As  St.  James  tells  us  with  regard  to 
practical  duties,  (chap.  2,  v.  10,)  "  Whosoever  shall 
keep  the  whole  law,  but  offend  in  one  point,  is 
become  guilty  of  all."  Hence  St.  Paul,  (Gal.  5,  v. 
20,)  reckons  heresies  (that  is,  false  religions) 
amongst  those  works  of  the  flesh  of  which  he  pro- 
nounces that  "  they  who  do  such  things  shall  not 
obtain  the  kingdom  of  God."  And  God  Him- 
self (Isaias  60,  v.  12)  tells  His  Church,  "The 
nation  and  kingdom  that  will  not  serve  thee  shall 
perish." 

Q.  Can  any  one  be  out  of  the  way  of  salvation 
without  the  guilt  of  mortal  sin  ? 

A.  No ;  only  all  such,  as  through  obstinacy, 
negligence,  or  indifference  in  matters  of  religion, 
will  not  hear  the  true  Church  and  her  pastors,  are 
guilty  of  mortal  sin  against  faith.  (Matt.  11,  v. 
18.)  "  If  he  neglect  to  hear  the  Church,  let  him 
be  to  thee  as  a  heathen  and  a  publican."  (Luke 
10,  V.  16.)  "  He  that  heareth  you  (the  pastors  of 
the  Church)  heareth  Me ;  and  he  that  despiseth 
you  despiseth  Me ;  and  he  that  despiseth  Me  des- 
piseth Him  that  sent  Me." 

Q.  But  what  do  you  think  of  those  whose 
conscience  persuades  them  they  are  in  the  true 
Church  ? 

A.  If  this  error  of  theirs  proceeds  from  invinci- 
ble ignorance,  they  may  be  excused  from  the  sin  of 
heresy ;  provided  that,  in  the  sincere  disposition  of 
their  hearts,  they  would  gladly  embrace  the  truth, 
if  they  could  find  it  out,  in  spite  of  all  opposition 
of  interest,  passion,  etc.  But  if  this  error  of  their 
conscience  be  not  invincible,  but  such  as  they 
might  discover  if  they  were  in  earnest  in  matter  of 
so  great  consequence,  their  conscience  will  not 
excuse  them,  no  more  than  St.  Paul's,  whilst  out  of 
blind  zeal  he  persecuted  the  Church  ;  or  the  mis- 
taken conscience  of  the  Jews,  when,  putting  the 
disciples  of  Christ  to  death,  they  thought  they  did 
a  service  to  God.  (John  16,  v.  2.)  "  For  there  is 
a  way  that  seemeth  to  a  man  right,  and  the  end 
thereof  leads  to  death."     (Proverbs  16,  v.  25.) 


204 


THE   GROUNDS    OF   THE   CATHOLIC    DOCTRINE. 


Q.  But  does  not  the  Scripture  somewliere  say, 
that  a  remnant  of  all  religions  shall  be  saved  ? 

A.  No :  though  I  have  often  heard  such  words 
alleged  by  Protestants,  they  are  not  anywhere  to  be 
found  in  Scripture,  from  the  beginning  of  Genesis 
to  the  end  of  Revelation.  I  suppose  what  has  given 
occasion  to  their  mistake  must  have  been  the  words 
of  St.  Paul,  (Romans  9,  v.  27,)  where,  quoting  Isa. 
10,  V.  22,  he  tells  us,  "  Though  the  number  of  the 
children  of  Israel  be  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  a  rem- 
nant "  {i.  e.y  a  small  part  of  them  only)  "  shall  be 
saved."  Which  remnant  the  Apostle  himself 
explains  (Rom.  1 1,  v.  5)  of  such  of  the  Jewish  nation 
as  at  that  time,  by  entering  into  the  Church,  were 
saved  by  God's  grace.  But  what  is  this  to  a  salva- 
tion of  a  remnant  of  all  religions  ? — a  doctrine  so 
visibly  contradicting  the  Scripture,  that  even  the 
English  Protestant  Church  herself,  in  the  eigh- 
teenth of  her  Thirty-nine  Articles,  has  declared 
them  to  be  accursed  who  presume  to  maintain  it. 

SECTION  III. 

That  the  Church  of  Christ  is  always  Holy  in  her  Doctrine  and 

Terms  of  Communion,  and  always  free  from  Pernicious  Errors. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  this  ? 

A.  I  St.  Because,  as  we  have  seen  above  from 
Matt.  16,  V.  18,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Who  cannot 
tell  us  a  lie,  has  promised  that  "  His  Church  should 
be  built  upon  a  rock,"  proof  against  all  floods  and 
storms,  like  the  house  of  the  wise  builder,  of  whom 
He  speaks,  (Matt.  7,  v.  25,)  and  that  the  gates  of 
hell — that  is,  the  powers  of  darkness — should  never 
prevail  against  it.  Therefore  the  Church  of  Christ 
could  never  cease  to  be  holy  in  her  doctrine,  could 
never  fall  into  idolatry,  superstition,  or  any  heretical 
errors  whatsoever. 

2dly.  Because  Christ,  Who  is  the  way,  the  truth, 
and  the  life,  (John  14,  v.  6,)  has  promised,  (Matt. 
28,  V.  19,  20,)  to  the  pastors  and  teachers  of  His 
Church,  to  be  "  with  them  always,  even  to  the  end 
of  the  world."  Therefore  they  could  never  go 
astray  by  pernicious  errors.  For  how  could  they 
go  out  of  the  right  way  of  truth  and  life,  who  are 
assured  to  have  always  in  their  company,  for  their 
guide.  Him  who  is  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life? 

3dly.  Because  our  Lord  has  promised  to  the 
same  teachers,  (John  14,  v.  16,  17,)  "  I  will  ask  the 
Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another  Paraclete, 


that  He  may  abide  with  you  forever — the  Spirit  of 
Truth.''  And  (v.  26,)  He  assures  them  that  this 
Spirit  of  Truth  "  will  teach  them  all  things  ;  "  and, 
(chap.  16,  V.  13,)  that  He  "shall  teach  them  all 
truth."  How  then  could  it  be  possible  that  the 
whole  body  of  these  pastors  and  teachers  of  the 
Church,  who,  by  virtue  of  these  promises,  were  to 
be  forever  guided  into  all  the  truth  by  the  Spirit  of 
Truth,  should  at  any  time  fall  from  the  truth  by 
errors  in  faith  ? 

4thly.  Because  (Isa.  59,  v.  20,  21,)  God  has 
made  a  solemn  covenant,  that,  after  the  comiug  of 
our  Redeemer,  His  Spirit  and  His  words — that  is^ 
the  whole  doctrine  which  this  Redeemer  was  to  teach 
— should  be  forever  maintained  by  His  Church 
through  all  generations.  "  The  Redeemer  shall 
come  to  Zion,"  etc.  "  This  is  My  covenant  with 
them,  saith  the  Lord ;  "  My  Spirit  that  is  in  thee, 
and  My  words  that  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth,  shall 
not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  month 
of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed, 
saith  the  Lord,  from  henceforth  and  forever." 

5thly.  Because  the  Church  of  Christ  is  repre- 
sented (Isa.  35,  V.  8)  as  a  highway,  a  way  of  holi- 
ness, a  way  so  plain  and  secure  that  even  "  fools 
shall  not  err  therein."  How  then  could  it  ever  be 
possible  that  the  Church  itself  would  err  ? 

6thly.  Because  pernicious  errors  in  faith  and 
morals  must  needs  be  such  as  to  provoke  God's 
indignation.  Now,  God  Almighty  has  promised  to 
His  Church,  (Isa.  54,  v.  9,  10,)  "As  I  have  sworn 
that  the  waters  of  Noah  should  no  more  go  over 
the  earth,  so  have  I  sworn  not  to  be  angry  with 
thee,  and  not  to  rebuke  thee.  For  the  mountains 
shall  be  moved,  and  the  hills  shall  tremble ;  but 
My  mercy  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  and  the 
covenant  of  My  peace  shall  not  be  moved,  saith  the 
Lord,  that  hath  mercy  on  thee."  So  that,  as  we 
are  assured  that  there  shall  not  be  a  second  flood, 
so  we  are  that  the  Chtirch  of  Christ  shall  never 
draw  upon  herself  the  wrath  of  God,  by  teaching 
errors  contrary  to  faith. 

In  fine,  the  Church  is  called  by  St.  Paul  (i  Tim. 
3,  V.  15)  "the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth;" 
therefore  she  cannot  uphold  pernicious  errors. 
From  all  which  it  is  manifest,  that  the  Church  of 
Christ  is  infallible  in  all  matters  relating  to  faith, 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


205 


so  that  she  can  neither  add  nor  retrench  from  what 

Christ  taught. 

SECTION  IV. 

That  the  Church  of  Christ  is  Catholic,  or  Universal. 

Q.  What  do  you  understand  by  this  ? 

A.  Not  only  that  the  Church  of  Christ  shall 
always  be  known  by  the  name  of  Catholic, — by 
which  she  is  called  in  the  Creed' — but  that  she 
shall  also  be  truly  Catholic,  or  universal,  by  being 
the  Church  of  all  ages  and  of  all  nations. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  the  true  Church  of 
Christ  must  be  the  Church  of  all  ages  ? 

A.  Because  the  true  Church  of  Christ  must  be 
that  which  had  its  beginning  from  Christ,  and  as 
He  promised,  was  to  continue  until  the  end  of  the 
world.     (See  sects,  i  and  3.) 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  the  true  Church  of 
Christ  must  be  the  Church  of  all  nations  "^ 

A.  From  many  texts  of  Scripture,  in  which  the 
true  Church  of  Christ  is  always  represented  as  a 
numerous  congregation  spread  through  the  world. 
(Genesis  22,  v.  18.)  "  In  thy  seed  shall  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed."  (Psalm  2,  v.  8.) 
"Ask  of  Me,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  Gentiles  for 
thine  inheritance,  and  the  utmost  parts  of  the  earth 
for  thy  possession."  (Psalm  21,  v.  28.)  "And  all 
the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  remember,  and  shall  be 
converted  to  the  Lord,  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the 
Gentiles  shall  adore  in  His  sight."  (Isa.  49,  v.  6.) 
"  It  is  a  small  thing  that  thou  shouldst  be  My  ser- 
vant to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob.  Behold  I  have 
given  thee  to  be  the  light  of  the  Gentiles,  that  thou 
may  St  be  My  salvation  even  to  the  farthest  part  of 
the  earth."  (Isa.  54,  v.  i,  2,  3,)  "  Give  praise,  O 
thou  barren  that  bearest  not ;  sing  forth  praise,  and 
make  a  joyful  noise,  that  thou  didst  not  travail  with 
child ;  for  many  are  the  children  of  the  desolate, 
more  than  of  her  that  hath  a  husband,  saith  the 
Lord.  Enlarge  the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  stretch 
out  the  skins  of  thy  tabernacles.  Spare  not ; 
lengthen    thy   cords    and   strengthen    thy    stakes. 

LFor  thou  shalt  pass  on  to  the  right  hand  and  to  the 
left ;  and  thy  seed  shall  inherit  the  Gentiles,"  etc. 
(Malachy  i,  v.  11.)  "  From  the  rising  of  the  sun 
even  to  the  going  down,  My  name  is  great  among 
the  Gentiles."  (See  Isa.  2,  v.  2,  3  ;  Mich.  4,  v.  i, 
2  ;  Dan.  2,  v.  21,  etc.) 


SECTION  V. 

That  the  Church  of  Christ  must  be  Apostolical  by  a  Succession  of 
her  Pastors,  and  a  lawful  Mission  derived  from  the  Apostles. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  this  ? 

A.  1st.  Because  only  those  that  can  derive  their 
lineage  from  the  Apostles  are  the  heirs  of  the  Apos- 
tles ;  and  consequently,  they  alone  can  claim  a  right 
to  the  Scriptures,  to  the  administrations  of  the  sac- 
raments, or  any  share  in  the  pastoral  ministry.  It 
is  their  proper  inheritance,  which  they  have  received 
from  the  Apostles,  and  the  Apostles  from  Christ. 
"As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  also  I  send  you." 
(John  20,  V.  21.) 

2dly.  Because  Christ  promised  to  the  Apostles 
and  their  successors,  that  "  He  would  be  with  them 
always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  (Matt.  28, 
V.  20.)  "And  that  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Spirit  of 
truth,  should  abide  with  them  forever."  (John  14, 
V.  16,  17.) 

SECTION  VI. 

That  the  Catholic  Church,  and  fiot  the  Protestant  Church  is  the 
tnie  Church  of  Christ. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  the  Catholic  Church, 
in  communion  with  Rome,  is  the  true  Church  of 
Christ,  rather  than  Protestants  or  other  sectaries  ? 

A.  From  what  has  been  already  said  in  the  fore- 
going sections,  ist.  The  true  Church  of  Christ 
can  be  no  other  than  that  which  has  always  had  a 
visible  being  in  the  world  ever  since  Christ's  time  ; 
as  we  have  seen,  section  i.  She  was  founded  by 
Christ  Himself,  with  express  promises  that  "  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  her."  (Matt. 
16,  V.  18.)  She  is  "  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  which 
shall  never  be  destroyed."  (Dan.  2,  v.  44.)  There- 
fore the  true  Church  of  Christ  can  be  no  other  than 
the  Catholic  Church,  which  alone  has  always  had  a 
visible  being  in  the  world  ever  since  Christ's  time  ; 
not  the  Protestants,  nor  any  other  modem  sect, 
which  only  came  into  the  world  since  the  yeai 
1500.  For  those  sects  that  came  into  the  world 
1500  years  after  Christ,  came  into  the  world  1500 
years  too  late  to  be  the  religion  or  Church  of  Christ. 

2dly.  The  true  Church  of  Christ,  in  virtue  of  the 
promises  both  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  was 
to  continue  pure  and  holy  in  her  doctrine  and 
terms  of  communion  in  all  ages,  even  to  the  end  of 
the  world,  as  we  have  seen,  section  3,  and,  conse- 


206 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   CATHOLIC   DOCTRINE. 


quently,  could  never  stand  in  need  of  a  Protestant 
■'  reformation."  Therefore,  that  which  was  of  old 
the  true  Church  of  Christ  must  still  be  so ;  and  it 
is  in  vain  to  seek  for  the  true  Church  amongst  any 
of  the  sects  or  pretenders  to  "  reformation  ;  "  because 
they  all  build  upon  a  wrong  foundation,  that  is, 
upon  the  supposition  that  the  Church  of  Christ  was 
for  many  ages  gone  astray. 

3dly.  The  true  Church  of  Church  must  be 
Catholic,  or  universal.  She  must  not  only  be  the 
Church  of  all  ages,  but  also  more  or  less  the  Church 
of  all  nations,  as  we  also  have  seen,  section  4.  She 
must  be  apostolical,  by  a  succession  and  mission 
derived  from  the  Apostles,  as  we  have  also  seen, 
section  5.  Now  these  characters  cannot  agree  to 
any  of  our  modern  sects,  but  only  to  the  old  relig- 
ion, which  alone  is  the  Church  of  all  ages,  and  more 
or  less  of  all  nations  ;  and  which  descends  in  an 
uninterrupted  succession,  continued  in  the  same 
communion,  from  the  Apostles,  down  to  these  our 
days.  Therefore  the  old  religion  alone  is  the  true 
Church  of  Christ,  which  can  be  but  one,  and  in  one 
communion,  as  we  have  seen,  section  2. 

CHAPTER  II. 

OF   SCRIPTURE   AND   TRADITION. 

Q.  What  is  your  belief  concerning  the  Scripture  ? 

A.  That  it  is  to  be  received  by  the  Christian  as 
the  infallible  word  of  God. 

Q.  Do  you  look  upon  the  Scripture  to  be  clear 
and  plain  in  all  points  necessary ;  that  is,  in  all 
such  points  wherein  our  salvation  is  so  far  con- 
cerned, that  the  misunderstanding  and  misinter- 
preting of  it  may  endanger  our  eternal  welfare  ? 

A.  No ;  because  St.  Peter  assures  us  (2  Pet.  3, 
V.  15)  that  "  in  St.  Paul's  Epistles  there  are  some 
things  hard  to  be  understood,  which  the  unlearned 
and  unstable  wrest,  as  they  do  also  the  other  Scrip- 
tures, to  their  own  destruction." 

Q.  How  then  is  this  danger  to  be  avoided  ? 

A.  By  taking  the  meaning  and  interpretation  of 
the  Scripture  from  the  same  hand  from  which  we 
received  the  book  itself,  that  is,  from  the  Church. 

Q.  Why  may  not  every  particular  Christian 
have  liberty  to  interpret  the  Scripture  according  to 
his  own  private  judgment,  without  regard  to  the 
interpretation  of  the  Church  ? 


A.  ist.  Because,  "  No  prophecy  of  the  Scrip- 
ture is  made  by  private  interpretation."  (2  Pet. 
I,  V.  20.)  2dly.  Because,  as  men's  judgments  are 
as  different  as  their  faces,  such  liberty  as  this  must 
needs  produce  as  many  religions  almost  as  men. 
3dly.  Because  Christ  has  left  His  Church  and  her 
pastors  and  teachers  to  be  our  guides  in  all  contro- 
versies relating  to  religion,  and  consequently  in  the 
understanding  of  Holy  Writ.  (Eph.  4,  y.  11,  12, 
etc.)  "  Some,  indeed,  He  gave  to  the  Apostles ; 
and  some,  prophets ;  and  others,  evangelists  ;  and 
others,  pastors  and  teachers.  For  the  perfecting  of 
the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  unto  the 
edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ.  Till  we  all  meet 
in  the  unity  of  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure 
of  the  age  of  the  fulness  of  Christ.  That  we  may 
not  now  be  children,  tossed  tc  and  fro,  and  carried 
about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  in  the  wicked- 
ness of  men,  in  craftiness  by  which  they  lie  in  wait 
to  deceive.  But,  performing  the  truth  in  charity, 
we  may  in  all  things  grow  up  in  Him  who  is  the 
head,  Christ."  Hence,  St.  John,  in  his  First 
Epistle,  (chap.  4,  v.  6,)  gives  us  this  rule  for  the 
trying  of  spirits  :  "  He  that  knoweth  God,  heareth 
us  "  (the  pastors  of  the  Church).  "  He  that  is  not 
of  God,  heareth  not  us.  By  this  we  know  the 
spirit  of  truth,  and  the  spirit  of  error." 

Q.  Why  does  the  Church,  in  her  profession  of 
faith,  oblige  her  children  never  to  take  or  interpret 
the  Scripture  otherwise  than  according  to  the  unani- 
mous consent  of  the  holy  fathers  ? 

A.  To  arm  them  against  the  danger  of  novelty 
and  error.  (Proverbs  22,  v.  28.)  "  Remove  not  the 
ancient  landmark,  which  thy  fathers  have  set." 

SECTION  I. 
Of  Apostolical  and  Ecclesiastical  Traditions. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  apostolical  traditions  ? 

A.  All  such  points  of  faith,  or  Church  discipline, 
which  were  taught  or  established  by  the  Apostles, 
and  have  carefully  been  preserved  in  the  Church 
ever  since. 

Q.  What  difference  is  there  between  apostolical 
and  ecclesiastical  traditions  ? 

A.  The  difference  is  this,  that  apostolical  tradi- 
tions are  those  which  had  their  origin  or  institut:o:i 
from  the  Apostles,  such   as  infants'  baptism,  the. 


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207 


Lord's  (lay,  receiving  the  sacrament,  fasting,  etc. 
Ecclesiastical  traditions  are  such  as  had  their  insti- 
tiition  from  the  Church,  as  holy  days  and  fasts 
ordained  by  the  Church. 

Q.  How  are  we  to  know  what  traditions  are  truly 
apostolical,  and  what  are  not  ? 

A.  In  the  same  manner,  and  by  the  same  au- 
thority, by  which  we  know  what  Scriptures  are 
apostolical,  and  what  are  not ;  that  is,  by  the 
authority  of  the  apostolical  Church,  guided  by  the 
unerring  Spirit  of  God. 

Q.  But  why  should  not  the  Scripture  alone  be 
the  rule  of  our  faith,  without  having  recourse  to 
apostolical  traditions  ? 

A.  Because,  without  the  help  of  apostolical  tra- 
dition, we  cannot  so  much  as  tell  what  is  Scripture, 
and  what  not.  2.  Because  infants'  baptism,  and 
several  other  necessary  articles,  are  either  not  all 
contained  in  Scripture,  or,  at  least,  are  not  plain  in 
Scripture  without  the  help  of  tradition. 

Q.  What  Scripture  can  you  bring  in  favor  of 
traditions  ? 

A.  "  Therefore,  brethren,  stand  fast,  and  hold 
the  traditions  which  you  have  learned,  whether  by 
word  or  by  our  epistle."  (2  Thes.  2,  v.  14.)  "Ask 
thy  Father,  and  he  will  show  thee  ;  thy  elders,  and 
they  will  tell  thee."     (Deut.  32,  v.  7.)     (See  Psalm 

19,  V.  5,  6,  7 ;    I  Cor.  11,  v.  2  ;    2  Thes.  2,  v.  6 ;    2 
Tim.  I,  v.  13.     C.  2,  V.  2  ;  C.  3,  v.  14.) 

SECTION  II. 
Of  the  Ordinances  and  Constitutions  of  the  Church. 
Q.  Why  do  you  make  profession  of  admitting 
and  embracing  all  the  ordinances  and  constitutions 
of  the  Church  ? 

A.  Because  Christ  has  commanded,  "  He  that 
heareth  you,  heareth  Me ;  and  he  that  despiseth 
you,  despiseth  Me."  (Luke  10,  v.  16.)  "As  My 
Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  I  send  you."     (John 

20,  v.  21.)     Hence,  St.  Paul  (Heb.   13,  v.  17,)  tells 
us,  "Obey  your  prelates,  and  be  subject  to  them." 

Q.  Why  does  the  Church  command  so  many 
holy  days  to  be  kept  ?  Is  it  not  enough  to  keep 
the  Sunday  holy  ? 

A.  God,  in  the  old  law,  did  not  ordain  it  enough 
to  appoint  the  weekly  Sabbath,  which  was  the  Sat- 
urday ;  but  also  ordained  several  other  festivals, — 
as  that  of  the  Passover,  in  memory  of  the  delivery 


of  His  people  from  the  Egyptian  bondage,  that  of 
the  weeks,  or  Pentecost,  that  of  the  Tabernacles, 
etc. ;  and  the  Church  has  done  the  same  in  the  new 
law,  to  celebrate  the  memory  of  the  chief  mysteries 
of  our  redemption,  and  to  bless  God  in  His  saints. 
And  in  this  Protestants  seem  to  agree  with  us,  by 
appointing  almost  all  the  same  holy  days  in  their 
Common  Prayer-Book. 

Q.  Is  it  not  said  in  the  law,  (Exodus  20,  v.  9,) 
"  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor,  and  do  all  thy  work  ?" 
etc.  Why  then  should  the  Church  derogate  from 
this  part  of  the  commandment  ? 

A.  This  was  to  be  understood  in  case  no  holy 
day  came  in  the  week ;  otherwise  the  law  would 
contradict  itself,  when  in  the  23d  chapter  of  Leveti- 
cus,  it  appoints  so  many  other  holy  days  besides 
the  Sabbath,  with  command  to  abstain  from  all 
servile  works  on  them. 

Q.  As  to  fasting  days,  do  you  look  upon  it  sinful 
to  eat  meat  on  these  days  without  necessity  ? 

A.  Yes  ;  because  it  is  a  sin  to  disobey  the  Church. 
"If  he  neglect  to  hear  the  Church,  let  him  be  to 
thee  as  a  heathen  and  a  publican."  (Matt.  18,  v.  17.) 
Q.  Does  not  Christ  say,  (Matt.  15,  v.  11,)  "That 
which  goeth  into  the  mouth  does  not  defile  a  man  ?" 
A.  True ;  it  is  not  any  uncleanness  in  the  meat, 
(as  many  ancient  heretics  imagined,)  or  any  dirt  or 
dust  which  may  stick  to  it,  by  eating  it  without 
first  washing  the  hands,  (of  which  case  our  Lord 
speaks  in  the  texts  here  quoted,)  which  can  defile 
the  soul ;  for  every  creature  of  God  is  good,  and 
whatsoever  corporal  filth  enters  in  at  the  mouth  is 
cast  forth  into  the  draught ;  but  that  which  defiles 
the  soul,  when  a  person  eats  meat  on  a  fasling- 
day,  is  the  disobedience  of  the  heart,  in  trans- 
gressing the  precept  of  the  Church  of  God.  In 
like  manner,  when  Adam  ate  of  the  forbidden 
fruit,  it  was  not  the  apple  which  entered  in  by 
the  mouth,  but  the  disobedience  to  the  law  of  God 
which  defiled  him. 

CHAPTER  HI. 

OF  THE  SACRAMENTS. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  a  sacrament  ? 

A.  An  institution  of  Christ,  consisting  in  some 
outward  sign  or  ceremony,  by  which  grace  is  given 
to  the  soul  of  the  worthy  receiver. 


208 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   CATHOLIC    DOCTRINE. 


Q.  How  many  such  sacraments  do  you  find  in 
Scripture  ? 

A.  Tliese  seven :  Baptism,  Confirmation,  Eu- 
charist, Penance,  Extreme  Unction,  (or  the  anoint- 
ing of  the  sick,)  Holy  Orders,  and  Matrimony. 

Q.  What  Scripture  have  you  for  Baptism  ? 

A.  John  3,  V.  5.  "  Unless  a  man  be  born  again 
of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God."  (Matt.  28,  v.  19.)  "  Going, 
therefore,  teach  ye  all  nations ;  baptizing  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost." 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  this  commission  given 
to  the  Apostles  of  baptizing  Christians  is  to  be 
understood  of  baptism  administered  in  water  ? 

A.  From  the  belief  and  practice  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  in  all  ages,  and  of  the  Apostles  them- 
selves, who  administered  baptism  in  water.  (Acts 
8,  v.  36,  38.)  "  See,  here  is  water,"  said  the  eunuch 
to  St.  Philip  ;  "  what  doth  hinder  me  from  being 
baptized?  And  they  went  down  both  into  the 
water,  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch  ;  and  he  baptized 
him."  (Acts  10,  v.  47,  48.)  "Can  any  man  forbid 
water,"  said  St.  Peter,  "  that  these  should  not  be 
baptized,  who  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost  as  well 
we  ?  And  he  commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord." 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  Confirmation  ? 

A.  Confirmation  is  a  sacrament,  wherein,  by  the 
invocation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  imposition  of  the 
bishop's  hands,  with  unction  of  holy  chrism,  a  per- 
son receives  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  a 
strength  in  order  to  the  professing  of  his  faith. 

Q.  What  Scripture  have  you  for  Confirmation  ? 

A.  Acts  8,  V.  15,  16,  where  Peter  and  John  con- 
firmed the  Samaritans.  "  They  prayed  for  them 
that  they  might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost;  then 
they  laid  their  hands  upon  them,  and  they  received 
the  Holy  Ghost." 

Q.  What  Scripture  have  you  for  the  Eucharist^ 
or  Supper  of  the  Lord  ? 

A.  We  have  the  history  of  its  institution  set 
down  at  large,  (Matt.  26 ;  Mark  14 ;  Luke  22 ; 
I  Cor.  II,)  and  that  this  sacrament  was  to  be  con- 
tinued in  the  Church  till  the  Lord  comes,  that  is, 
till  the  day  of  judgment,  as  we  learn  from  St.  Paul, 
I  Cor.  II,  V.  26. 


Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  the  sacrament  of 
Penance  ? 

A.  The  confession  of  sins,  with  a  sincere  repent- 
ance, and  the  priest's  absolution. 

Q.  What  Scripture  have  you  to  prove  that  the 
bishops  and  priests  of  the  Church  have  power  to 
absolve  the  sinner  that  confesses  his  sins  with  a 
sincere  repentance  ? 

A.  John  20,  V.  22,  23.  "  Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost :  whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are 
forgiven  them ;  and  whose  sins  you  shall  retain, 
they  are  retained."  (Matt.  18,  v.  18.)  "Amen,  I 
say  to  you,  whatsoever  you  shall  bind  upon  earth, 
shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven  ;  and  whatsoever  you 
shall  loose  upon  earth,  shall  be  loosed  also  in 
heaven."  Which  texts  Protestants  seem  to  under- 
stand in  the  same  manner  as  we,  since  in  their 
^^  Common  Prayer-Book,''^  in  the  order  for  the  visita- 
tion of  the  sick  we  find  this  rubric :  "  Here  shall 
the  sick  person  be  moved  to  make  a  special  con- 
fession of  his  sins,  if  he  feel  his  conscience  troubled 
with  any  weighty  matter.  After  which  confession, 
the  priest  shall  absolve  him  (if  he  humbly  and 
heartily  desire  it)  after  this  sort : 

"  '  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  left  power 
to  His  Church  to  absolve  all  sinners  who  truly 
repent  and  believe  in  Him,  of  His  great  mercy 
forgive  thee  thine  offences ;  and  by  His  authority, 
committed  to  me,  I  absolve  thee  from  all  thy  sins, 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.     Amen.'  " 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  from  the  texts  above 
quoted,  of  John  20,  v.  22,  23,  and  Matt.  18,  v.  18, 
the  necessity  of  the  faithful  confessing  their  sins 
to  the  pastors  of  the  Church,  in  order  to  obtain  the 
absolution  and  remission  of  them  ? 

A.  Because  in  the  text  above  quoted,  Christ  has 
made  the  pastors  of  His  Church  His  judges  in  the 
court  of  conscience,  with  commission  and  authority 
to  bind  or  loose,  to  forgive  or  retain  sins,  according 
to  the  merits  of  the  cause  and  the  disposition  of  the 
penitents.  Now,  as  no  judge  can  pass  sentence 
without  having  a  full  knowledge  of  the  cause, — 
which  cannot  be  had  iu  this  kind  of  causes,  which 
regards  men's  consciences,  but  by  their  own  con- 
fession,— it  clearly  follows,  that  He  Who  has  made 
the  pastors  of  His  Church  the  judges  of  men's 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


209 


consciences,  lias  also  laid  an  obligation  upon  the 
faithful  to  lay  open  the  state  of  their  consciences 
to  them,  if  they  hope  to  have  their  sins  remitted. 
Nor  would  our  Lord  have  given  to  His  Church  the 
power  of  retaining  sins,  much  less  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  (Matt.  i6,  v.  19,)  if  such  sins 
as  exclude  men  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven  might 
be  remitted  independently  of  the  keys  of  the  Church. 

Q.  Have  you  any  other  texts  of  Scripture  which 
favor  the  Catholic  doctrine  and  practice  of  con- 
fession ? 

A.  Yes  ;  we  find  in  the  old  law — which  was  a 
figure  of  the  law  of  Christ — that  such  as  were 
infected  with  the  leprosy — which  was  a  figure  of 
sin — were  obliged  to  show  themselves  to  the  priests, 
and  subject  themselves  to  their  judgment.  (See 
Lev.  13  and  14,  and  Matt.  8,  v.  4.)  Which,  accord- 
ing to  the  holy  fathers,  was  an  emblem  of  the  con- 
fession of  sins  in  the  sacrament  of  penance.  And 
in  the  same  law,  a  special  confession  of  sins  was 
expressly  prescribed.  (Numb.  5,  v.  6,  7.)  "  When 
a  man  or  woman  shall  have  committed  any  of  all 
the  sins  that  men  are  wont  to  commit,  and  by  neg- 
ligence shall  have  transgressed  the  commandment 
of  the  Lord,  and  offended,  they  shall  confess  their 
sin."  The  same  is  prescribed  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. (James  5,  V.  16.)  "  Confess,  therefore,  your 
sins  one  to  another ; "  that  is,  to  the  priests  or 
elders  of  the  Church,  whom  the  Apostles  ordered 
to  be  called  for.  (v.  14.)  And  this  was  evidently 
the  practice  of  the  first  Christians.  (Acts  19,  v. 
18.)  "  Many  that  believed,  came  and  confessing, 
and  declaring  their  deeds." 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  Extreme  Unction  ? 

A.  You  have  both  the  full  description  and  proof 
of  it  (James  5,  v.  14,  15).  "Is  any  man  sick  among 
you  ?  Let  him  bring  in  the  priests  of  the  Church, 
and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with 
oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  And  the  prayer  of 
faith  shall  save  the  sick  man,  and  the  Lord  shall 
raise  him  up ;  and,  if  he  be  in  sins,  they  shall  be 
forgiven  him." 

Q.  What  is  Holy  Orders  ? 

A.  A  sacrament  instituted  by  Christ,  by  which 
bishops,  priests,  etc.,  are  consecrated  to  their 
respective  functions,  and  receive  grace  to  discharge 
them  well. 

14 


Q.  When  did  Christ  institute  the  sacrament  of 
Holy  Orders  ? 

A.  At  His  last  supper,  when  He  made  His 
Apostles  priests,  by  giving  them  the  power  of  con- 
secrating the  bread  and  wine  into  His  body  and 
blood.  (Luke  22,  v.  19.)  "  Do  this  for  a  com- 
memoration of  Me."  To  which  He  added,  after 
His  resurrection,  the  power  of  forgiving  the  sins  of 
the  penitent.     (John  20,  v.  22,  23.) 

Q.  What  Scripture  proof  have  you  that  Holy 
Orders  give  grace  to  those  that  receive  them 
worthily  ? 

A.  The  words  of  St.  Paul  to  Timothy,  whom  he 
had  ordained  priest  by  imposition  of  hands,  2  Tim. 
I,  V.  6.  "  Stir  up  the  grace  of  God,  which  is  in 
thee  by  the  imposition  of  my  hands  ;  "  and  i  Tim. 
4,  V.  14.  "  Neglect  not  the  grace  that  is  in  thee, 
which  was  given  thee  by  prophecy,  with  the  imposi- 
tion of  the  hands  of  the  priesthood." 

Q.  When  was  Matrimony  instituted  ? 

A.  It  was  first  instituted  by  God  Almighty  in 
Paradise  between  our  first  parents  ;  and  this  insti- 
tution was  confirmed  by  Christ  in  the  new  law 
(Matt.  19,  V.  4,  5,  6),  where  he  concludes,  "  What 
God  hath  joined  together  let  no  man  put  asunder." 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  Matrimony  is  a 
sacrament  ? 

A.  Because  it  is  a  conjunction  made  and  sancti- 
fied by  God  Himself,  and  not  to  be  dissolved  by  any 
power  of  man  ;  as  being  a  sacred  sign  or  mysterious 
representation  of  the  indissoluble  union  of  Christ 
and  His  Church.  (Ephes.  5,  v.  31,  32.)  "  For  this 
cause  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother,  and 
shall  cleave  to  his  wife,  and  they  shall  be  two  in 
one  flesh.  This  is  a  great  sacrament,  but  I  speak 
in  Christ  and  in  the  Church. " 

Q.  Why  does  not  the  Church  allow  of  the  mar- 
riage of  the  clergy  ? 

A.  Because,  upon  their  entering  into  holy  orders, 
they  make  a  vow  or  solemn  promise  to  God  and  the 
Church  to  live  continently.  Now  the  breach  of 
such  a  vow  as  this  would  be  a  great  sin  ;  witness 
St.  Paul,  (i  Tim.  5,  V.  11,  12,)  where,  speaking  of 
widows  that  are  for  marrying  after  having  made 
such  a  vow  as  this,  he  says,  they  "  have  damnation, 
because  they  have  cast  off  their  first  faith  ;  "  that 
is,  their  solemn  engagement  made  to  God. 


210 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   CATHOLIC   DOCTRINE. 


Q.  But  why  does  the  Church  receive  none  to 
Holy  Orders  but  those  that  make  this  vow  ? 

A.  Because  she  does  not  think  it  proper  that 
they  who,  by  their  office  and  function,  ought  to  be 
wholly  devoted  to  the  service  of  God  and  the  care 
of  souls,  should  be  diverted  from  these  duties  by  the 
distractions  of  a  married  life,  (i  Cor.  7,  v.  32,  33.) 
"  He  that  is  without  a  wife  is  solicitous  for  the 
things  that  belong  to  the  Lord,  how  he  may  please 
the  Lord.  But  he  that  is  with  a  wife,  careth  for  the 
things  that  are  of  the  world,  how  he  may  please  his 
wife. 

Q.  Why  does  the  Church  make  use  of  so  many 
ceremonies  in  the  administering  of  the  sacraments  ? 

A.  To  stir  up  devotion  in  the  people,  and  rever- 
ence to  the  sacred  mysteries  ;  to  instruct  the  faith- 
ful concerning  the  effects  and  grace  given  by  the 
sacraments ;  and  to  perform  things  relating  to 
God's  honor  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  with  a 
becoming  decency. 

Q.  Have  you«any  warrant  from  Scripture  foi  the 
use  of  such  ceremonies  ? 

A.  Yes  ;  we  have  the  example  of  Christ,  Who 
frequently  used  the  like  ceremonies.  For  instance, 
in  curing  the  man  that  was  deaf  and  dumb.  (Mark 
7)  V.  33,  34.)  In  curing  him  that  was  born  blind. 
(John  9,  V.  6,  7.)  In  breathing  upon  His  Apostles, 
when  He  gave  them  the  Holy  Ghost.  (John  20,  v. 
22,  etc.) 

CHAPTER  IV. 

OF  THE  REAL  PRESENCE  AND  TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

Q.  What  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  Church 
in  relation  to  this  article  ? 

A.  We  believe  and  profess,  "  that  in  the  most 
holy  sacrament  of  the  Eucharist,  there  are  truly, 
really,  and  substantially  the  body  and  blood, 
together  with  the  soul  and  divinity,  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  And  that  there  is  a  conversion  (or 
change)  of  the  whole  substance  of  the  bread  into  His 
body,  and  of  the  whole  substance  of  the  wine  into 
His  blood  ;  which  conversion  (or  change)  the  Catho- 
lic Church  calls  Transubstantiation. 

Q.  What  proofs  have  you  for  this  ? 

A.  I  St.  (Matt.  26,  v.  26.)  "  And  whilst  they 
were  at  supper,  Jesus  took  bread,  and  blessed,  and 
broke,  and  gave  to  His  disciples,  and  said.  Take  ye 
and  eat ;  this  is  My  body.     And  taking  the  chalice. 


He  gave  thanks,  and  gave  to  them,  saying,  DrinV 
ye  all  of  this ;  for  this  is  My  blood  of  the  New 
Testament,  which  shall  be  shed  for  many  for  the 
remission  of  sins."  (Mark  14,  v.  22,  24.)  "Take 
ye ;  this  is  My  body.  This  is  My  blood  of  the 
New  Testament,  which  shall  be  shed  for  many." 
(Luke  22,  V.  19.)  "  This  is  My  body  which  is 
given  for  you  :  do  this  for  a  commemoration  of  ^Me. 
This  cup  is  shed  for  you."  (i  Cor.  11,  v.  24,  25.) 
"  Take  ye,  and  eat ;  this  is  My  body,  which  shall 
be  delivered  for  you.  This  chalice  is  the  New  Tes- 
tament in  My  blood;"  which  words  of  Christ, 
repeated  in  so  many  places,  cannot  be  verified, 
without  offering  violence  to  the  text,  any  other  way 
than  by  a  real  change  of  the  bread  and  wine  into 
His  body  and  blood. 

2dly.  (i  Cor.  10,  V.  16.)  "  The  chalice  of  bene- 
diction which  we  bless,  is  it  not  the  communion  of 
the  blood  of  Christ  ?  And  the  bread  which  we 
break,  is  it  not  the  partaking  of  the  body  of  the 
Lord?"  Which  interrogation  of  the  Apostle  is 
certainly  an  equivalent  to  an  affirmation,  and  evi- 
dently declares  that,  in  the  blessed  sacrament,  we 
really  receive  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ. 

3dly.  (i  Cor.  11,  v.  27,  29.)  "Whosoever  shall 
eat  this  bread  or  drink  the  cup  of  the  Lord 
unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and  of  the 
blood  of  the  Lord.  He  that  eateth  and  drinketli 
unworthily,  eateth  and  drinketli  judgment  to  him- 
self, not  discerning  the  body  of  the  Lord."  Now, 
how  should  a  person  be  guilty  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  the  Lord  by  receiving  unworthily,  if  what 
he.  received  were  only  bread  and  wine,  and  not  the 
body  and  blood  of  the  Lord  ?  Or  where  should 
be  the  crime  or  not  discerning  the  body  of  the  Lord, 
if  the  body  of  the  Loi'd  wci'e  not  there  ? 

4thly.  (John  6,  v.  51,  etc.)  "  The  bread  that  I 
will  give  is  My  flesh,  for  the  life  of  the  world.  The 
Jews,  therefore,  strove  among  themselves,  saying, 
How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat  ?  Then 
Jesus  said  to  them.  Amen,  amen,  I  say  unto  you, 
Unless  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and 
drink  His  blood,  you  shall  not  have  life  in  you. 
He  that  eateth  ]\Iy  flesh,  and  drinketh  My  blood, 
hath  everlasting  life,  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the 
last  day.  For  My  flesh  is  meat  indeed  and  M}'- 
blood  is  drink  indeed.     He  that  eateth   My  flesh, 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


211 


and  drinketh  My  blood,  abideth  in  Me,  and  I  in 
him.  As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  Me,  and  I 
live  by  the  Father,  so  he  that  eateth  Me,  the  same 
also  shall  live  by  Me.  This  is  the  bread  that  came 
down  from  heaven.  Not  as  your  fathers  did  eat 
manna,  and  died.  He  that  eateth  this  bread  shall 
live  forever." 

Hence  the  Protestants,  in  the  catechism  in  the 
Common  Prayer-Book^  are  forced  to  acknowledge 
that  "  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  are  verily  and 
indeed  taken  and  received  by  the  faithful  in  the 
Lord's  Supper."  Now,  how  that  can  be  verily  and 
indeed  taken  and  received  which  is  not  verily  and 
indeed  there,  is  a  greater  mystery  than  Transub- 
stantiation. 

"  The  literal  sense  is  hard  to  flesh  and  blood ; 
But  nonsense  never  can  be  understood. ' ' 

Dryden's  Hind  and  Panther. 

Q.  Are  we  not  commanded  (Luke  22,  v.  19) 
to  receive  the  sacrament  in  commemoration  of 
Christ  ? 

A.  Yes,  we  are  ;  and  St.  Paul  (i  Cor.  11,  v.  26) 
lets  us  know  what  it  is  that  is  to  be  the  object  of 
our  remembrance  when  we  receive,  when  he  tells 
us,  "you  shall  show"  (or  show  forth)  "  the  death  of 
the  Lord  until  He  come."  But  this  remembrance 
is  no  way  opposite  to  the  real  presence  of  Christ's 
body  and  blood.  On  the  contrary,  what  better  re- 
membrance than  to  receive,  under  the  sacramental 
veil,  the  same  body  and  blood  in  which  He  suffered 
for  us? 

Q.  Why  do  you  blame  Protestants  for  taking 
tiis  sacrament  in  remembrance  of  Christ  ? 

A.  We  do  not  blame  them  for  taking  it  in 
remembrance  of  Him ;  but  we  blame  them  for 
taking  it  as  a  bare  remembrance,  so  as  to 
exclude  the  reality  of  His  body  and  blood.  That 
is,  we  blame  them  for  taking  the  remembrance 
and  leaving  out  the  substance ;  whereas  the  words 
of  Christ  require  that  they  should  acknowledge 
both. 

Q.  But  how  is  it  possible  that  the  sacrament 
should  contain  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ  ? 

A.  Because  nothing  is  impossible  to  the  Al- 
mighty ;  and  it  is  the  highest  rashness,  not  to  say 
blasphemy,  for  poor  worms  of  the  earth  to  dispute 
the  power  of  God. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OJ'"   COMMUNION   IN   ONE   KIND. 

Q.  What  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  as  to  this 
point? 

A.  We  profess,  "  that  under  either  kind  alone 
Christ  is  received  whole  and  entire,  and  a  true 
sacrament." 

Q.  What  proof  have  you  for  this  ? 

A.  Because,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  foregoing 
chapter,  the  bread,  by  consecration,  is  truly  and 
really  changed  into  the  body  of  Christ,  and  the 
wine  into  the  blood.  Now,  both  faith  and  reason 
tell  us  that  the  living  body  of  the  Son  of  God 
cannot  be  without  His  blood,  nor  His  blood  without 
His  body,  nor  His  body  and  blood  without  His  soul 
and  divinity.  It  is  true  He  shed  His  blood  for  us 
in  His  passion,  and  His  soul,  at  His  death,  was 
parted  from  His  body  ;  but  now  He  is  risen  from 
the  dead,  immortal  and  impassible,  and  can  shed 
His  blood  no  more,  nor  die  any  fiiore.  "  Christ 
rising  again  from  the  dead,"  says  the  Apostle  (Rom. 
6,  v.  9),  "  dieth  now  no  more ;  death  shall  no  more 
have  dominion  over  Him."  Therefore  whosoever 
receives  the  body  of  Christ,  receives  Christ  Himself 
whole  and  entire ;  there  is  no  receiving  Him  by 
parts. 

Q.  But  does  not  Christ  say,  (John  6,  v.  34,) 
"  Unless  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and 
drink  His  blood,  you  shall  not  have  life  in  you  ?  " 

A.  True ;  but  according  to  the  Catholic  doctrine 
we  do  this,  though  we  receive  under  one  kind  alone, 
because,  under  either  kind,  we  receive  both  the  body 
and  blood  of  Christ ;  whereas  our  adversaries  that 
make  this  objection  receive  neither  one  nor  the 
other,  but  only  a  little  bread  and  wine.  Besides, 
this  objection  does  not  sound  well  in  the  mouth  of 
Protestants,  because  they  say  those  words  of  Christ 
were  not  spoken  of  the  sacrament,  but  only  of  faith. 

Q.  Are  not  all  Christians  commanded  to  drink 
of  the  cup?  (Matt.  26,  v.  27.)  "  Drink  ye  all  of 
this." 

A.  No  ;  that  command  was  only  addressed  to  the 
twelve  Apostles,  who  were  all  that  were  then 
present,  and  they  all  drank  of  it.     (Mark  14,  v.  23.) 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  those  words  are  not 
to  be  understood  as  a  command  directed  to  all 
Christians  ? 


212 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   CATHOLIC    DOCTRINE. 


A.  Because  the  Church  of  Christ,  which  is  the 
best  interpreter  of  His  word,  never  understood  them 
so;  and  therefore,  from  the  very  beginning,  on 
many  occasions,  she  gave  the  holy  communion  in 
one  kind ;  for  instance,  to  children,  to  the  sick,  to 
the  faithful  in  time  of  persecution,  to  be  carried 
home  with  them,  etc.,  as  appears  from  the  most 
certain  monuments  of  antiquity. 

Q.  But  are  not  the  faithful  thus  deprived  of  a 
great  part  of  the  grace  of  the  sacrament  ? 
:  A.  No ;  because  under  one  kind  they  receive  the 
same,  as  they  would  do  under  both  ;  insomuch  as 
they  receive  Christ  Himself  whole  and  entire,  the 
author  and  fountain  of  all  graces. 

Q.  Why,  then,  should  the  priest  in  the  Mass 
receive  in  both  kinds,  any  more  than  the  rest  of  the 
faithful  ? 

A.  Because,  the  Mass  being  a  sacrifice,  in  which, 
by  the  institution  of  our  Lord,  the  shedding  of  His 
blood  and  His  death  were  to  be  in  a  lively  manner 
represented,  it  is  requisite  that  the  priest,  who,  as 
the  minister  of  Christ,  offers  this  sacrifice,  should, 
for  the  more  lively  representing  of  the  separation 
of  Christ's  blood  from  his  body,  consecrate  and 
receive  in  both  kinds,  as  often  as  he  says  Mass ; 
whereas,  at  other  times,  neither  priest,  nor  bishops, 
nor  the  Pope  himself,  even  upon  their  death-bed, 
receive  any  otherwise  than  the  rest  of  the  faithful, 
viz.,  in  one  kind  only. 

Q.  Have  you  any  texts  of  Scripture  that  favor 
communion  in  one  kind  ? 

A.  Yes.  1st.  All  such  texts  as  promise  ever- 
lasting life  to  them  that  receive,  though  but  in 
one  kind  ;  as,  (John  6,  v.  51,)  "  The  bread  that  I 
will  give  is  My  flesh,  for  the  life  the  world."  (v. 
57.)  "  He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My 
blood,  abideth  in  Me,  and  I  in  him."  (v.  58.) 
"  He  that  eateth  Me,  the  same  also  shall  live  by 
Me." 

2dly.  All  such  texts  as  make  mention  of  the 
faithful  receiving  the  holy  communion  under  the 
name  of  breaking  of  bread  without  any  mention 
of  the  cup;  as,  (Acts  2,  v.  42,)  "They  were  per- 
severing in  the  doctrine  of  the  Apostles,  and  in  the 
communication  of  the  breaking  of  bread,  and  in 
prayers."  (v.  46.)  "  Continuing  daily  with  one 
accord   in  the   temple,  and  breaking   bread   from 


house  to  house."  (Acts  20,  v.  7.)  "And  on  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  when  we  assembled  to  break 
bread."  (Luke  24,  v.  30,  31.)  "He  took  bread, 
blessed,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  them.  And  their 
eyes  are  opened,  and  they  knew  Him  ;  and  He 
vanished  out  of  their  sight."  (i  Cor.  10,  v.  17.) 
"  We,  being  many,  are  one  bread,  one  body,  who 
all  partake  of  one  bread." 

3dly.  I  Cor.  1 1,  v.  27  ;  where  the  Apostle  declares 
that  whosoever  receives  under  either  kind  unworth- 
ily, is  guilty  both  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ. 
"  V/hosoever  shall  eat  this  bread,  or  drink  this  cup 
of  the  Lord  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body 
and  blood  of  the  Lord."  Where  the  Protestant 
translators  have  evidently  corrupted  the  text  by 
putting  in  "  and  drink,"  instead  of  "  or  drink,"  as 
it  is  in  the  original. 

Q.  What  are  the  reasons  why  the  Church  does 
not  give  communion  to  all  her  children  in  both 
kinds  ? 

A.  I  St.  Because  of  the  danger  of  spilling  the 
blood  of  Christ,  which  could  hardly  be  avoided,  if 
all  were  to  receive  the  cup.  2dly.  Because,  con- 
sidering how  soon  wine  decays,  the  sacrament  could 
not  well  be  kept  for  the  sick  in  both  kinds.  3dly. 
Because  some  constitutions  can  neither  endure  the 
taste  nor  smell  of  wine.  4thly.  Because  true  wine 
in  some  countries  is  very  hard  to  be  met  with. 
5thly.  In  fine,  in  opposition  to  those  heretics  that 
deny  that  Christ  is  received  whole  and  entire  under 
either  kind. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

OF  THE  MASS. 

Q.  What  is  the  Catholic  doctrine  as  to  the  Mass  ? 

A.  That  in  the  Mass  there  is  offered  to  God  a 
true,  proper,  and  propitiatory  sacrifice  for  the  living 
and  the  dead. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  the  Mass  ? 

A.  The  consecration  and  oblation  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  Christ  under  the  sacramental  veils  or 
appearances  of  bread  and  wine ;  so  that  the  Mass 
was  institvited  by  Christ  Himself  at  His  last  supper. 
Christ  Himself  said  the  first  Mass,  and  ordained 
that  His  Apostles  and  their  successors  should  do 
the  like.  "  Do  this  for  a  commemoration  of  Me.'' 
(Luke  22.) 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  a  propitiatory  sacrifice  ; 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


213 


A.  A  sacrifice  for  obtaining  mercy,  or  by  which 
God  is  moved  to  mercy. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  the  Mass  is  such  a 
sacrifice  ? 

A.  Because  in  the  Mass,  Christ  Himself,  as  we 
have  seen,  (chap.  4,)  is  really  present,  and,  by 
virtue  of  the  consecration,  is  there  exhibited  and 
presented  to  the  eternal  Father  under  the  sacra- 
mental veils,  which  by  their  separate  consecration 
represent  His  death.  Now,  what  can  more  move 
God  to  mercy  than  the  oblation  of  His  only  Son, 
there  really  present,  and  under  this  figure  of  death 
representing  to  His  Father  that  death  which  He 
suffered  for  us  ? 

Q.  What  Scripture  do  you  bring  for  this  ? 

A.  The  words  of  consecration  as  they  are  related 
by  St.  Ivuke,  chap.  22,  v.  19,  20.  "This  is  my 
body,  which  is  given  for  you."  "  This  is  the  chalice, 
the  New  Testament  in  My  blood,  which  shall  be 
shed  for  you."  If  the  cup  be  shed  for  us,  that  is, 
for  our  sins,  it  must  needs  be  a  propitiatory,  at 
least  by  applying  to  us  the  fruits  of  the  bloody 
sacrifice  of  the  cross. 

Q.  What  other  text  of  the  Scripture  do  the 
fathers  apply  to  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass? 

A.  The  words  of  God  in  the  first  chapter  of  the 
prophet  Malachi,  (v.  10,  11,)  where,  rejecting  the 
Jewish  sacrifices.  He  declares  his  acceptance  of  that 
sacrifice,  or  pure  offering,  which  should  be  made  to 
Him  in  every  place  among  the  Gentiles.  2dly. 
Those  words  of  the  Psalmist,  (Ps.  109,  v.  4,)  "  Thou 
art  a  priest  forever  according  to  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedech."  Why  according  to  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedech,  say  the  holy  fathers,  but  by  reason  of  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Eucharist  prefigured  by  that  bread 
and  wine  offered  by  Melchisedech  ?    (Gen.  14,  v.  18.) 

Q.  Why  does  the  Church  celebrate  the  Mass  in 
the  Latin  tongue,  which  the  people  for  the  most 
part  do  not  understand  ? 

A.  I  St.  Because  it  is  the  ancient  language  of  the 
Church,  used  in  the  public  liturgy  in  all  ages,  in 
the  western  parts  of  the  world.  2dly.  For  a  greater 
uniformity  in  the  public  worship  ;  that  so  a  Chris- 
tian, in  whatsoever  country  he  chances  to  be,  may 
still  find  the  liturgy  performed  in  the  same  manner 
and  in  the  same  language  to  which  he  is  accus- 
tomed at  home.     3dly.  To  avoid  the  changes  which 


all  vulgar  languages  are  daily  exposed  to.  4thly. 
Because  the  Mass  being  a  sacrifice,  which  the  priest, 
as  minister  of  Christ,  is  to  offer,  and  the  prayers  of 
the  Mass  being  mostly  suited  to  this  end,  it  is 
enough  that  they  be  in  a  language  which  he 
understands.  Nor  is  this  any  way  injurious  to  the 
people,  who  are  instructed  to  accompany  him  in 
every  part  of  the  sacrifice,  by  prayers  accommodated 
to  their  devotion,  which  they  have  in  their  ordinary 
prayer-books. 

Q.  What  is  the  best  method  of  hearing  Mass  ? 

A.  The  Mass  being  instituted  for  a  standing 
memorial  of  Christ's  Death  and  Passion,  and  being 
in  substance  the  same  sacrifice  as  that  which 
Christ  offered  upon  the  cross, — because  both  the 
priest  and  the  victim  is  the  same  Jesus  Christ, — 
there  can  be  no  better  manner  of  hearing  Mass, 
than  by  meditating  on  the  Death  and  Passion  of 
Christ,  there  represented ;  and  putting  one's  self 
in  the  same  dispositions  of  faith,  hope,  charity, 
repentance,  etc.,  as  we  should  have  endeavored  to 
excite  in  ourselves  had  we  been  present  at  His 
Passion  and  Death  on  Mount  Calv?.ry. 

Q.  What  are  the  ends  for  which  this  sacrifice  is 
offered  to  God  ? 

A.  Principally  these  four,  which  both  priests  and 
people  ought  to  have  in  view.  i.  For  God's  Own 
honor  and  glory.  2.  In  thanksgiving  for  all  His 
blessings,  conferred  on  us  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.  3.  In  satisfaction  for  our  sins  through 
His  blood.  4.  For  obtaining  grace  and  all  neces- 
sary blessings  from  God. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

OF   PURGATORY. 

Q.  What  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  as  to  this 
point  ? 

A.  We  constantly  hold  that  there  is  a  Purgatory; 
and  that  the  souls  therein  detained  are  helped  by 
the  suffrages  of  the  faithful.  That  is,  by  the 
prayers  and  alms  offered  for  them,  and  principally 
by  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  Purgatory  ? 

A.  A  middle  state  of  souls,  who  depart  this  life 
in  God's  grace,  yet  not  without  some  lesser  stains  of 
guilt  or  punishment,  which  retard  them  from  enter- 
ing heaven.     But  as  to  the  particular  place  where 


214 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE    CATHOLIC    DOCTRINE. 


these  souls  suffer,  or  the  quality  of  the  torments 
which  they  suffer,  the  Church  has  decided  nothing. 

Q.  What  sort  of  Christians  then  go  to  Purgatory  ? 

A.  I  St.  Such  as  die  guilty  of  lesser  sins,  which 
we  commonly  call  venial ;  as  many  Christians  do, 
who,  either  bj'-  sudden  death  or  otherwise,  are  taken 
out  of  this  life  before  they  have  repented  for  these 
ordinary  failings,  adly.  Such  as  have  been  for- 
merly guilty  of  greater  sins,  and  have  not  made 
full  satisfaction  for  them  to  divine  justice. 

Q.  Why  do  you  say  that  those  who  die  guilty  of 
lesser  sins  go  to  Purgatory  ? 

A.  Because  such  as  depart  this  life  before  they 
have  repented  of  these  venial  frailties  and  imper- 
fections, cannot  be  supposed  to  be  condemned  to  the 
eternal  torments  of  hell,  since  the  sins  of  which  they 
are  guilty  are  but  small,  which  even  God's  best 
servants  are  more  or  less  liable  to.  Nor  can  they 
go  straight  to  heaven  in  this  state,  because  the 
Scripture  assures  us,  (Apocalypse  21,  v.  27,)  "  There 
shall  not  enter  into  it  anything  defiled." 

Now  every  sin,  be  it  ever  so  small,  certainly 
defileth  the  soul :  hence  our  Saviour  assures  us  that 
we  are  to  render  an  account  even  for  every  idle  word. 
(Matt.  12,  V.  6.) 

Q.  Upon  what,  then,  do  you  ground  your  belief 
of  Purgatory  ? 

A.  Upon  Scripture,  tradition,  and  reason. 

Q.  How  upon  Scripture  ? 

A.  Because  the  Scripture  in  many  places  assures 
us  that  "  God  will  render  to  every  one  according  to 
his  works."  (Ps.  62,  v.  12  ;  Matt.  16,  v.  27  ;  Rom. 
2,  V.  6;  Apoc.  22,  V.  12.)  Now,  this  would  not  be 
true,  if  there  was  no  such  thing  as  Purgatory  ;  for 
how  would  God  render  to  every  one  according  to 
his  works,  if  such  as  die  in  the  guilt  of  any,  even 
the  least  sin,  which  they  have  not  taken  care  to  blot 
out  by  repentance,  would  nevertheless  go  straight 
to  heaven  ? 

Q.  Have  you  any  other  text  which  the  fathers 
and  ecclesiastical  writers  interpret  of  Purgatory? 

A.  Yes,  I  Cor.  3,  v.  13,  14,  15.  "  Every  man's 
work  shall  be  manifest ;  for  the  day  of  the  Lord 
shall  declare  it,  because  it  shall  be  revealed  in  fire ; 
and  the  fire  shall  try  every  man's  work  of  what 
sort  it  is.  If  any  man's  work  abide  which  he  hath 
built  thereupon  [that  is,  upon  the  foundation  which 


I  is  Jesus  Christ,  v.  11,]  he  shall  receive  a  reward. 
If  any  man's  work  burn,  he  shall  suffer  loss ;  but 
he  himself  shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire."  From 
which  text  it  appears,  that  such  as  in  their  faith, 
and  in  the  practice  of  their  lives,  have  stuck  to  the 
foundation,  which  is  Christ  Jesus,  so  as  not  to  for- 
feit His  grace  by  mortal  sin ;  though  they  have 
otherwise  been  guilty  of  great  imperfection,  by 
building  wood,  hay,  and  stubble,  (v.  12,)  upon  this 
foundation, — it  appears,  I  say,  that  such  as  these, 
according  to  the  Apostle,  must  pass  through  a  fiery 
trial  at  the  time  that  every  man's  work  shall  be 
made  manifest ;  which  is  not  until  the  next  life ; 
and  that  they  shall  be  saved  indeed,  yet  so  as  by 
fire,  that  is,  by  passing  first  through  Purgatory. 

2dly.  Matt.  5,  v.  25,  26.  "  Be  at  agreement  with 
thy  adversary  betimes,  whilst  thou  are  in  the  way 
with  him ,  lest,  perhaps,  the  adversary  deliver  thee 
to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to  the 
ofiEcer,  and  thou  be  cast  into  prison.  Amen,  I  say 
to  thee.  Thou  shalt  not  go  out  from  thence  till  thou 
repay  the  last  farthing."  Which  text  St.  Cyprian, 
one  of  the  most  ancient  fathers,  understands  of  the 
prison  of  Purgatory.     (Epis.  52,  ad  Antonium.) 

3dly.  Matt.  12,  v.  32.  "Whosoever  speaketh 
against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  shall  not  be  forgiven 
him,  neither  in  this  world  nor  in  the  world  to 
come."  Which  last  words  plainly  imply  that  some 
sins  which  are  not  forgiven  in  this  world  may  be 
forgiven  in  the  world  to  come ;  otherwise  why 
our  Saviour  make  any  mention  of  forgiveness  in 
the  world  to  come  ?  Now,  if  there  may  be  any  for- 
giveness of  sins  in  the  wx)rld  to  come,  there  must 
be  a  Purgatory ;  for  in  hell  there  is  no  forgiveness, 
and  in  heaven  no  sin. 

Besides,  a  middle  place  is  also  implied,  (i  Pet.  3, 
V.  18,  19,  20,)  where  Christ  is  said  by  His  Spirit  to 
have  gone  and  preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison, 
which  sometimes  were  disobedient,  etc.  Which 
prison  could  be  no  other  than  Purgatory  ;  for,  as  to 
the  spirits  that  were  in  the  prison  of  hell,  Christ 
certainly  did  not  preach  to  them. 

Q.  How  do  you  ground  the  belief  of  Purgatory 
upon  tradition  ? 

A.  Because,  both  the  Jewish  Church  long  before 
our  Saviour's  coming,  and  the  Christian  Church, 
from  the  very  beginning,  in  all  ages  and  in  all 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


21» 


nations,  offered  prayers  and  sacrifice  for  the  repose 
and  relief  of  the  faithful  departed  ;  as  appears  in 
regard  to  the  Jews,  from  2  Macchab.  12,  where  this 
practice  is  approved  of,  which  books  of  Macchabees, 
the  Church,  says  St.  Augustine,  (L.  18,  de  Div. 
Dei,  c.)  accounts  canonical,  though  the  Jews  do  not. 
And  in  regard  of  tlie  Christian  Church,  the  same 
is  evident  from  the  fathers  and  the  most  ancient 
liturgies.  Now,  such  prayers  as  these  evidently 
imply  the  belief  of  a  Purgatory,  for  souls  in  heaven 
stand  in  no  need  of  prayers,  and  those  in  hell  can- 
not be  bettered  by  them. 

Q.  How  do  you  ground  the  belief  of  Purgatory 
upon  reason  ? 

A.  Because  reason  clearly  teaches  these  two 
things  :  ist.  That  all  and  every  sin,  how  small 
soever,  deserves  punishment.  2dly.  That  some 
sins  are  so  small,  either  through  the  levity  of  the 
matter,  or  for  want  of  full  deliberation  in  the  action, 
as  not  to  deserve  eternal  punishment.  From 
whence  it  is  plain,  that  besides  the  place  of  eternal 
punishment,  which  we  call  hell,  there  must  be  also 
a  place  of  temporal  punishment  for  such  as  die  with 
little  sins,  and  this  we  call  Purgatory. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

OF  THE  VENERATION  AND  INVOCATION   OF  SAINTS. 

Q.  What  is  the  Catholic  doctrine  touching  the 
veneration  and  invocation  of  saints  ? 

A.  We  are  taught,  ist.  That  there  is  an  honor 
and  veneration  due  to  the  angels  and  saints.  2dly. 
That  they  offer  up  prayers  to  God  for  us.  3dly. 
That  it  is  good  and  profitable  to  invoke  them,  that 
is,  to  have  recourse  to  their  intercession  and  prayers. 
4thly.  That  their  relics  are  to  be  held  in  veneration. 

SECTION  I. 
Of  the   Veneration  of  the  Angels  and  Saints. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  there  is  an  honor  and 
veneration  due  to  the  angels  and  saints  ? 

A.  Because  they  are  God's  angels  and  saints, 
that  is  to  say,  most  faithful  servants  and  messen- 
gers, and  favorites  of  the  King  of  kings,  who,  hav- 
ing highly  honored  Him,  are  now  highly  honored 
by  Him,  as  He  has  promised,  i  Sam.  2,  v.  30. 
*'  Them  that  glorify  Me  I  will  glorify." 

2dly.  Because  they  have  received  from  their  Lord 
most  eminent  and  supernatural  gifts  of  grace  and 


glory,  which  make  them  truly  worthy  of  our  honor 
and  veneration,  and  therefore  we  give  it  to  them  as 
their  due,  according  to  that  of  the  Apostle,  (Rom. 
13,  V.  7,)  "  Honor  to  whom  honor  is  due." 

3dly.  Because  the  angels  of  God  are  our  guar- 
dians, tutors,  and  governors  ;  as  appears  from  many 
texts  of  Scripture.  (Ps.  90,  v.  11,  12.)  "  He  shall 
give  His  angels  charge  over  thee  to  keep  thee  in  all 
thy  ways  ;  in  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up, 
lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone."  (Matt. 
18,  V.  ID.)  "  See  that  you  despise  not  one  of  these 
little  ones ;  for  I  say  to  you,  that  their  angels  in 
heaven  always  see  the  face  of  My  Father  Who  is  in 
heaven."  (Heb.  i,  14.)  "Are  they  not  all  minis- 
tering spirits,  sent  to  minister  for  them  who  shall 
receive  the  inheritance  of  salvation  ?  "  It  is  there- 
fore evidently  the  will  of  God  that  we  should  have 
a  religious  veneration  for  these  heavenly  guardians. 
(Exodus  23,  V.  20,  21.)  "Behold  I  will  send  an 
angel  before  thee  to  keep  thee  in  thy  journey,  and 
to  bring  thee  into  the  place  that  I  have  prepared  ; 
take  notice  of  him,  and  hear  his  voice,  and  do  not 
think  him  one  that  is  to  be  contemned,  for  My 
name  is  in  him." 

4thly.  Because  God  has  promised  to  His  saints  a 
power  over  all  nations.  (Apoc.  2,  v.  26,  27.)  "  He 
that  shall  overcome  and  keep  My  words  unto  the 
end,  to  him  will  I  give  power  over  the  nations; 
and  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron.  As  I 
received  of  My  Father."  (Apoc.  5,  v.  10.)  "  Thou 
hast  made  us  unto  our  God  a  kingdom  and  priest, 
and  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth."  Therefore  all 
nations  ought  to  honor  the  saints,  as  having 
received  from  God  this  kingly  power  over  them. 

5thly.  Because  we  have  instances  in  Scripture 
of  honor  and  veneration  paid  to  the  angels  by  the 
servants  of  God.     (See  Joshua  5,  v.  14,  15.) 

6thly.  Because  the  Church  in  all  ages  has  paid 
this  honor  and  veneration  to  the  saints  by  erecting 
churches  and  keeping  holy  days  in  their  memory  ; 
a  practic  which  the  English  Protestants  have  also 
retained. 

Q.  Do  you  then  worship  the  angels  and  saints 
as  God,  or  give  them  the  honor  that  belongs  to 
God  alone  ? 

A.  No :  God  forbid.  For  this  would  be  high 
treason  against  His  Divine  Majesty. 


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Q.  What  is  the  difference  between  that  honor 
which  you  give  to  God,  and  that  which  you  give  to 
the  saints  ? 

A.  There  is  no  comparison  between  the  one  and 
the  other.  We  honor  God  with  a  sovereign  honor, 
as  the  Supreme  Lord  and  Creator  of  all  things,  as 
our  first  beginning  and  our  last  end ;  we  believe 
in  Him  alone ;  we  hope  in  Him  alone ;  we  love 
Him  above  all  things ;  to  Him  alone  we  pay  our 
homage  of  adoration,  praise,  and  sacrifice.  But  as 
for  the  saints  and  aneels.  we  only  reverence  them 
with  relative  honors,  as  belonging  to  Him,  for  His 
sake,  and  upon  account  of  the  gifts  which  they  had 
received  from  Him. 

Q.  Do  you  not  give  a  particular  honor  to  the 
Virgin  Mary  ? 

A.  Yes,  we  do,  by  reason  of  her  eminent  dignity 
of  mother  of  God,  for  which  "  all  generations  shall 
call  her  blessed."  (Ivuke  i,  v.  48.)  As  also  by 
reason  of  that  fulness  of  grace  which  she  enjoyed 
in  this  life,  and  the  sublime  degree  of  glory  to 
which  she  is  raised  in  heaven.  But  still  even  this 
honor  which  we  give  to  her  is  infinitely  inferior  to 
that  which  we  pay  to  God,  to  Whom  she  is  indebted 
for  all  her  dignity,  grace,  and  glory. 

SECTION  II. 
That  the  Saints  and  Angels  pray  to  God  for  us. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  this  ? 

A.  ist.  From  Zacharias,  (ch.  i,  v.  12,)  where  the 
prophet  heard  an  angel  praying  for  Jerusalem  and 
the  cities  of  Judah.  "  The  angel  of  the  Lord 
answered,  and  said,  O  Lord  of  Hosts,  how  long  wilt 
Thou  not  have  mercy  on  Jerusalem,  and  on  the 
cities  of  Judah,  with  which  Thou  hast  been  angry  ? 
This  is  now  the  seventieth  year." 

2dly.  (From  Apoc.  5,  v.  8.)  "  The  four  and 
twenty  ancients  fell  down  before  the  Lamb,  having 
every  one  of  them  harps  and  golden  vials  full  of 
odor,  which  are  the  prayers  of  the  saints."  And, 
(Apoc.  8,  V.  4,)  "  The  smoke  of  the  incense  of  the 
prayers  of  the  saints  ascended  up  before  God  from 
the  hand  of  the  angel."  From  which  texts,  it  is 
evident  that  both  the  saints  and  angels  offer  up  to 
God  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  that  is,  of  the  faithful 
upon  earth. 

3dly.  Because  we  profess  in  the  creed  the  com- 
munion of  saints;    and  St.  Paul,    (Heb.    12,   22,) 


speaking  of  the  children  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
tells  them  that  they  have  a  fellowship  with  the 
saints  in  heaven.  "  You  are  come  to  Mount  Sion, 
and  to  the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  and  to  the  company  of  many  thousands 
of  angels,  and  to  the  Church  of  the  first-bom,  who 
are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all, 
and  to  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  and  to 
Jesus  the  Mediator,"  etc.  Therefore  the  children 
of  the  Church  of  Christ  upon  earth  are  fellow-mem- 
bers with  the  saints  in  heaven,  of  the  same  body, 
under  the  same  head,  which  is  Christ  Jesus.  Hence, 
the  same  Apostle  (Galat.  4,  v.  29)  calls  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem  our  mother,  and  (Ephes.  2,  v.  19)  tells  us 
that  we  are  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints.  There- 
fore the  saints  in  heaven  have  a  care  and  solicitude 
for  us,  as  being  members  of  the  same  body,  it  being 
the  property  of  the  members  of  the  same  body  to 
be  solicitous  for  one  another,  (i  Cor.  12,  v.  25,  26.) 
Consequently,  the  saints  in  heaven  pray  for  us. 

4thly.  Because,  according  to  the  docrrine  of  the 
Apostle,  (i  Cor.  13,  v.  8,)  it  is  the  property  of  the 
virtue  of  charity  not  to  be  lost  in  heaven,  as  faith 
and  hope  are  there  lost.  "  Charity,''^  saith  St.  Paul, 
"  never  faileth?''  On  the  contrary,  this  heavenlj'' 
virtue  is  perfected  in  heaven,  where,  by  seeing  God 
face  to  face,  the  soul  is  inflamed  with  a  most  ardent 
love  for  God,  and  for  his  sake  loves  exceedingly  his 
children,  her  brethren  here  below.  How  then  can 
the  saints  in  heaven,  having  so  perfect  a  charity  for 
us,  not  pray  for  us,  since  the  very  first  thing  that 
charity  prompts  a  person  to  do,  is  to  seek,  to  succor, 
and  assist  those  whom  he  loves  ? 

5thly.  Because  we  find  (Luke  16,  v.  27,  28)  the 
rich  glutton  in  hell  petitioning  in  favor  of  his  five 
brethren  here  upon  earth  ;  how  much  more  are  we 
to  believe,  that  the  saints  in  heaven  intercede  for 
the  brethren  here ! 

6thly.  Becaiise  (Apoc.  6,  v.  10)  the  souls  of  the 
martyrs  pray  for  justice  against  their  persecutors 
who  had  put  them  to  death  ;  how  much  more  do 
they  pray  for  mercy  for  the  faithful  children  of  the 
Church  ! 

7thly.  In  fine,  because  our  Lord  (Luke  16,  v.  9) 
tells  us,  "  Make  to  yourselves  friends  of  the  mam- 
mon of  iniquity ;  that,  when  you  shall  fail,  they 
may    receive    you     into     everlasting    dwellings." 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


217 


Where  He  gives  us  to  understand  that  the  servants 
of  God,  whom  we  have  helped  by  our  alms,  after 
they  themselves  have  got  to  heaven,  help  and  assist 
us  to  enter  into  that  everlasting  kingdom. 

SECTION  III. 
Of  the  Invocation  of  Saints. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  the  invocation  of 
saints  ? 

A.  I  mean  such  petitions  or  requests  as  are  made 
to  desire  their  prayers  and  intercession  for  us. 

Q.  Do  Catholics  pray  to  saints  ? 

A.  If,  by  praying  to  saints,  you  mean  address- 
ing ourselves  to  them,  as  to  the  authors  or  dis- 
posers of  grace  and  glory,  or  in  such  manner  as  to 
suppose  they  have  any  power  to  help  us  independ- 
ently of  God's  good  will  and  pleasure,  we  do  not 
pray  to  them ;  but  if,  by  praying  to  saints,  you 
mean  no  more  than  desiring  them  to  pray  to  God 
for  us,  in  this  sense  we  hold  it  both  good  and  profit- 
able to  pray  to  the  saints. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  it  is  good  and  profit- 
able to  pray  to  the  saints  and  angels  in  heaven  to 
pray  to  God  for  us  ? 

A.  Because  it  is  good  and  profitable  to  desire  the 
servants  of  God  here  upon  earth  to  pray  for  us  ; 
for  "  the  prayer  of  the  righteous  man  availeth 
much."  (James  5,  v.  16.)  Moses  by  his  prayers 
obtained  mercy  for  the  children  of  Israel.  (Exodus 
32,  V.  II,  14.)  A.nd  Samuel  by  his  prayers  defeated 
the  Philistines,  (i  Samuel  7,  v.  8,  9,  10.)  Hence 
St.  Paul,  in  almost  all  his  Epistles,  desires  the 
faithful  to  pray  for  him.  (Romans  15,  v.  30; 
Ephesians  6,  v.  18,  19 ;  i  Thes.  5,  v.  25  ;  Hebrews 
13)  ^-  ^3-)  -^^^  God  Himself  (Job  42,  v.  8)  com- 
manded Eliphaz  and  his  two  friends  to  go  to  Job, 
that  Job  should  pray  for  them,  promising  to  accept 
of  his  prayers.  Now,  if  it  be  acceptable  to  God, 
and  good  and  profitable  to  ourselves,  to  seek  the 
prayers  and  intercession  of  God's  servants  here  on 
earth,  must  it  not  be  much  more  so  to  seek  the 
prayers  and  intercession  of  the  saints  in  heaven ; 
since  both  their  charity  for  us  and  their  intercession 
with  God  are  much  greater  now  than  when  they 
were  here  upon  earth  ? 

Q.  But  does  it  not  argue  a  want  of  confidence  in 
the  infinite  goodness  of  God  and  the  superabound- 
ing  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Redeemer,  to  address 


ourselves  to  the  saints  for  their  prayers  and  inter- 
cession ? 

A.  No  more  than  to  address  ourselves  to  our 
brethren  here  below,  as  Protestants  do  when  they 
desire  the  prayers  of  the  congregation ;  since  we 
desire  no  more  of  the  saints  than  what  we  desire  of 
our  brethren  here  below,  viz.,  that  they  would  pray 
for  us,  and  with  us,  to  the  infinite  goodness  of  God, 
who  is  both  our  Father  and  their  Father,  our  Lord 
and  their  Lord,  by  the  merits  of  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  both  our  Mediator  and  their  Media- 
tor. For,  though  the  goodness  of  God  and  the 
merits  of  Christ  be  infinite,  yet  as  this  is  not  to 
exempt  us  from  frequent  prayer  for  ourselves,  so 
much  recommended  in  Scripture,  so  it  is  no  reason 
for  our  being  backward  in  seeking  the  prayers  of 
others,  whether  in  heaven  or  earth,  tnat  so  God 
may  have  the  honor,  and  we  the  benefit,  of  so  many 
more  prayers. 

Q.  But  is  there  no  danger,  by  acting  thus,  of 
giving  to  the  saints  the  honor  that  belongs  to  God 
alone  ? 

A.  No ;  it  is  evident  that  to  desire  the  prayers 
and  intercession  of  the  saints  is  by  no  means  giving 
them  an  honor  which  belongs  to  God  alone ;  so  far 
from  it,  that  it  would  even  be  a  blasphemy  to  beg 
of  God  to  pray  for  us ;  because  whosoever  desires 
any  one  to  pray  for  him,  for  the  obtaining  of  a  grace 
or  blessing,  supposes  the  persons  to  whom  he  thus 
addresses  himself  to  be  inferior  and  dependent  on 
some  other,  by  whom  this  grace  or  blessing  is  to  be 
bestowed. 

Q.  Have  you  any  reason  to  think  that  the  saints 
and  angels  have  any  knowledge  of  your  addresses 
or  petitions  made  to  them  ? 

A.  Yes,  we  have.  ist.  Because  our  Lord  assures 
us,  (Luke  15,  V.  10,)  "  There  shall  be  joy  before  the 
angels  of  God,  upon  one  sinner  doing  penance." 
For  if  they  rejoice  at  our  repentance,  consequently 
they  have  a  knowledge  of  our  repentance ;  and,  if 
they  have  a  knowledge  of  our  repentance,  what 
reason  can  we  have  to  doubt  of  their  knowing  our 
petitions  also  ?  What  is  said  of  the  angels  is  also 
to  be  understood  of  the  saints,  of  whom  our  Lord 
tells  us  (Luke  20,  v.  35)  that  "  they  are  equal  to 
the  angels." 

2dly.  Because  the  angels  of  God  who  are  always 


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amongst  us,  and  therefore  cannot  be  ignorant  of 
our  requests;  especially  since,  as  we  have  seen 
from  Apoc.  5,  v.  8,  and  8,  v.  4,  both  angels  and 
saints  oflFer  up  our  prayers  before  the  throne  of 
God,  and  therefore  must  needs  know  them. 

3dly.  Because  it  appears  from  Apoc.  11,  v.  15, 
and  Apoc.  19,  v.  i  and  2,  that  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven  know  what  passeth  upon  earth.  Hence, 
St.  Paul,  (i  Cor.  4,  V.  9,)  speaking  of  himself  and 
his  fellow-Apostles,  saith,  "  We  are  made  a  spec- 
tacle to  the  world,  and  to  angels,  and  to  men." 

4thly.  We  cannot  suppose  that  the  saints  and 
angels,  who  enjoy  the  light  of  glory,  can  be  igno- 
rant of  such  things  as  the  prophets  and  servants  of 
God  in  this  world  have  often  known  by  the  light  of 
grace,  and  even  the  very  devils  by  the  light  of 
nature  alone ;  since  the  light  of  glory  is  so  much 
more  perfect  than  the  light  of  grace  or  nature, 
according  to  the  Apostle  (i  Cor.  13,  v.  12):  "For 
we  see  now  through  a  glass  in  a  dark  manner ;  but 
then  face  to  face.  Now  I  know  in  part ;  but  then  I 
.■^;hall  know  even  as  I  am  known ;"  that  is,  by  a 
most  perfect  knowledge.  Hence,  (i  John  3,  v.  2,) 
it  is  written,  "  We  shall  be  like  Him,"  (God,)  "  for 
we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is."  Now  it  is  certain  that 
the  servants  of  God  in  this  world,  by  a  special  light 
of  grace,  have  often  known  things  that  passed  at  a 
great  distance,  as  Elisha  (2  Kings  5)  knew  what 
passed  between  Naaman  and  his  servant  Gehazi, 
and  (2  Kings  6)  what  was  done  in  the  King  of 
Syria's  private  chamber.  It  is  also  certain  that 
the  devils,  by  the  mere  light  of  nature,  know 
what  passes  amongst  us,  as  appears  in  many 
places  in  the  Book  of  Job,  and  by  their  being 
our  accusers.  (Apoc.  12,  v.  10.)  Therefore  we 
cannot  reasonably  question,  but  that  the  saints 
in  heaven  know  the  petetions  that  we  address 
unto  them. 

5thly.  In  fine,  because  it  is  weak  reasoning  to 
argue  from  our  corporeal  hearing  (the  object  of 
which  being  sound,  that  is,  a  motion  or  undulation 
of  the  air,  cannot  reach  beyond  a  certain  distance) 
concerning  the  hearing  of  spirits,  which  is  inde- 
pendent of  sound,  and,  consequently,  independent 
of  distance;  though  the  manner  of  it  be  hard 
to  explicate  to  those  who  know  no  other  hearing 
but  that  of  the  corporeal  ear. 


Q.  Have  you  any  other  warrant  in  Scripture  for 
the  invocation  of  angels  and  saints  ? 

A.  Yes  ;  we  have  the  example  of  God's  best  ser- 
vants. Thus  Jacob  (Gen.  48,  v.  15,  16)  begs  the 
blessing  of  his  angel  guardian  for  his  two  grand- 
sons, Ephraim  and  Manasseh.  "  God  in  whose 
sight  my  fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  walked,  God 
that  feedeth  me  from  my  youth  until  this  day — 
the  angel  that  delivered  me  from  all  evils  bless 
these  boys."  The  same  Jacob  (Osee  12,  v.  4) 
"  wept  and  made  supplication  to  an  angel ;"  and 
St.  John,  (Apoc.  I,  V.  4,)  writing  to  the  Seven 
Churches  of  Asia,  petitions  for  the  intercession  of 
the  seven  angels  in  their  favor.  "  Grace  be  unto 
you,  and  peace  from  Him,  Who  is,  and  Who  was, 
and  Who  is  to  come,  and  from  the  seven  spirits 
which  are  before  His  throne." 

SECTION  IV. 
Of  Relics. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  relics  ? 

A.  The  bodies  or  bones  of  saints,  or  anything 
else  that  has  belonged  to  them. 

Q.  What  grounds  have  you  for  paying  a  venera- 
tion to  the  relics  of  the  saints  ? 

A.  Besides  the  ancient  tradition  and  practice  of 
the  first  ages,  attested  by  the  best  monuments  of 
antiquity,  we  have  been  warranted  to  do  so  by  many 
illustrious  miracles  done  at  the  tombs,  and  by  the 
relics  of  the  saints,  (see  St.  Augustine,  L.  22,  Of 
the  City  of  God,  chap.  8,)  which  God,  who  is  truth 
and  sanctity  itself,  would  never  have  effected,  if  this 
honor  paid  to  the  precious  remnant  of  his  servants 
was  not  agreeable  to  him. 

Q.  Have  you  any  instances  in  Scripture  of 
miracles  done  by  relics  ? 

A.  Yes;  we  read  (2  Kings  13,  v.  21)  of  a  dead 
man  raised  to  life  by  the  bones  of  the  prophet 
Elisha;  and  (Acts  19,  v.  12,)  "from  the  body  of 
Paul  were  brought  unto  the  sick  handkerchiefs  and 
aprons,  and  the  diseases  departed  from  them,  and 
the  wicked  spirits  went  out  of  them." 

CHAPTER  IX. 

OF  IMAGES. 

Q.  What  is  your  doctrine  as  to  images  ? 
A.  We  hold  that  the  images  of  pictures  of  Christ, 
of  his  blessed  mother  ever  virgin,  and  of   other 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


219 


saints,  are  to  be  had  and  retained ;  and  that  due 
honor  and  veneration  are  to  be  given  to  them. 

Q.  Do  you  not  worship  images  ? 

A.  No,  by  no  means,  if  by  worship  you  mean 
divine  honor ;  for  this  we  do  not  give  the  highest 
angel  or  saint,  not  even  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  much 
less  to  images. 

Q.  Do  you  not  pray  to  images  ? 

A.  No,  we  do  not,  because,  as  both  our  catechism 
and  common  sense  teach  us,  they  can  neither  see, 
nor  hear,  nor  help  us. 

Q.  Why  then  do  you  pray  before  an  image  or 
crucifix  ? 

A.  Because  the  sight  of  a  good  picture  or  image^ 
for  example,  of  Christ  upon  the  cross,  helps  to 
enkindle  devotion  in  our  hearts  towards  Him  that 
has  loved  us  to  that  excess  as  to  lay  down  His  life 
for  the  love  of  us. 

Q.  Are  you  taught  to  put  your  trust  and  confi- 
dence in  images  as  the  heathens  did  in  their  idols, 
as  if  there  were  a  certain  virtue,  power,  or  divinity 
residing  in  them  ? 

A.  No  ;  we  are  expressly  taught  the  contrary  by 
the  Council  of  Trent,  Session  25. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  it  is  lawful  to  make 
or  keep  images  of  Christ  and  His  saints  ? 

A.  Because  God  Himself  commanded  Moses 
(Exod.  25,  V.  18,  19,  20,  21)  to  make  two  cherubims, 
of  beaten  gold,  and  place  them  at  the  two  ends  of 
the  mercy  seat,  over  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  in  the 
very  sanctuary.  "  Thence,"  says  He,  (v.  22,)  "will 
I  give  orders,  and  will  speak  to  thee  over  the  pro- 
pitiatory, and  from  the  midst  of  the  two  cherubims 
which  shall  be  upon  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  all 
things  which  I  will  command  the  children  of  Israel 
by  thee."  God  also  commanded  (Numb.  21,  v.  8,  9) 
"  a  serpent  of  brass  to  be  made,  for  the  healing  of 
those  who  were  bit  by  the  fiery  serpents  ;  which 
serpent  was  an  emblem  of  Christ."  (John  3, 
V.  14,  15.) 

Q.  Is  it  not  forbidden,  (Exod.  20,  v.  4,)  "  to  make 
the  likeness  of  anything  in  heaven  above,  or  in  the 
earth  beneath,  or  in  the  waters  under  the  earth  ?  " 

A.  It  is  forbidden  to  make  to  ourselves  any  such 
image  or  likeness ;  that  is  to  say,  to  make  it  our 
God,  or  put  our  trust  in  it,  or  give  it  the  honor 
which  belongs  to  God ;  which  is  explained  by  the 


following  words :  "  Thou  shalt  not  adore  them, 
(for  so  both  the  Septuagint  and  the  Vulgate  trans- 
late it,)  nor  serve  them."  Otherwise,  if  all  like- 
nesses were  forbid  by  this  commandment,  we  should 
be  obliged  to  fling  down  our  sign-posts  and  deface 
the  king's  coin. 

Q.  What  kind  of  honor  do  Catholics  give  to  the 
image  of  Christ  and  His  saints  ? 

A.  A  relative  honor. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  a  relative  honor  ? 

A.  By  a  relative  honor,  I  mean  an  honor  which 
is  given  to  a  thing,  not  for  any  intrinsic  excellence 
or  dignity  in  the  thing  itself,  but  barely  for  the 
relation  it  has  to  something  else  ;  as  when  the 
courtiers  bow  to  the  chair  of  state,  or  Christians 
to  the  name  of  Jesus,  which  is  an  image  or  remem- 
brance of  our  Saviour  to  the  ear,  as  the  crucifix  is 
to  the  eye. 

Q.  Have  you  any  instances  of  this  relative  honor 
allowed  by  Protestants  ? 

A.  Yes  ;  in  the  honor  they  give  to  the  name  of 
Jesus,  to  their  churches,  to  the  altar,  to  the  Bible, 
to  the  symbols  of  bread  and  wine  in  the  sacrament. 
Such,  also,  was  the  honor  which  the  Jews  gave  to 
the  ark  and  cherubims,  and  which  Moses  and 
Joshua  gave  to  the  land  on  which  they  stood,  as 
being  holy  ground.  (Exod.  3,  v.  5  ;  Josh.  5,  v. 
15,  etc.) 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  there  is  a  relative 
honor  due  to  images  or  pictures  of  Christ  and  His 
saints  ? 

A.  From  the  dictates  of  common  sense  and  reason, 
as  well  as  of  piety  and  religion,  which  teach  us  to 
express  our  love  and  esteem  for  the  persons  whom 
we  honor  by  setting  a  value  upon  all  things  that 
belong  to  them,  or  have  any  relation  to  them ; 
thus,  a  loyal  subject,  a  dutiful  child,  a  loving 
friend,  value  the  pictures  of  their  king,  father, 
or  friend ;  and  those  who  make  no  scruple  of 
abusing  the  image  of  Christ,  would  severely 
punish  the  man  that  would  abuse  the  image 
of  their  king. 

Q.  Does  your  Church  allow  images  of  God  the 
Father,  or  of  the  Blessed  Trinity  ? 

A.  Our  profession  of  faith  makes  no  mention  of 
such  images  as  these ;  yet  we  do  not  think  them 
unlawful,  provided  that  they  be  not  understood  to 


220 


thp:  grounds  of  the  catholic  doctrine. 


bear  any  likeness  or  resemblance  of  the  Divinity, 
which  cannot  be  expressed  in  colors  or  represented 
by  any  hnman  workmanship.  For,  as  Protestants 
make  no  difficulty  in  painting  the  Holy  Ghost 
under  the  figure  of  a  dove,  because  He  appeared  so 
when  Christ  was  baptized,  (Matt.  3,  v.  16,)  so  we 
make  no  difficulty  of  painting  God  the  Father 
under  the  figure  of  a  venerable  old  man,  because 
he  appeared  in  that  manner  to  the  prophet  Daniel, 
chap.  7,  V.  9. 

CHAPTER  X. 

OF  INDULGENCES. 

Q.  What  do  you  mean  by  indulgences  ? 

A.  Not  leave  to  commit  sin,  nor  pardon  for  sins 
to  come ;  but  only  a  releasing,  by  the  power  of  the 
keys  committed  to  the  Church,  the  debt  of  temporal 
punishment  which  may  remain  due  upon  account 
of  our  sins,  after  the  sins  themselves,  as  to  the 
guilt  and  eternal  punishment^  have  been  already 
remitted  by  contrition,  confession,  and  absolution. 

Q.  Can  you  prove  from  Scripture  that  there  is  a 
punishment  often  due  upon  account  of  our  sins, 
after  the  sins  themselves  have  been  remitted  ? 

A.  Yes ;  this  evidently  appears  in  the  case  of 
King  David,  (2  Kings  12,)  where,  although  the 
prophet  Nathan,  upon  his  repentance,  tells  him, 
(v,  13,)  "  the  Lord  hath  taken  away  thy  sin,"  yet 
he  denounces  unto  him  many  terrible  punishments, 
(v.  10,  II,  12,  14,)  which  should  be  inflicted  by 
reason  of  this  sin,  which  accordingly  afterwards 
ensued. 

Q.  What  is  the  faith  of  your  Church  touching 
indulgences  ? 

A.  It  is  comprised  in  these  words  of  our  Profes- 
sion of  Faith :  I  affirm  that  the  power  of  indul- 
gences was  left  by  Christ  in  the  Church,  and  that 
the  use  of  them  is  most  wholesome  to  Christian 
people. 

Q.  Upon  what  Scripture  do  you  ground  this  ? 

A.  The  power  of  granting  indulgences  was  left 
by  Christ  to  the  Church.  (Matt.  16,  v.  19.)  "  I 
will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven ;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  upon 
earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  ;  and  whatsoever 
thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  also  in 
heaven."  And  we  have  an  instance  in  Scripture  of 
St.  Paul's  granting  indulgence  to  the  Corinthian 


whom  he  had  put  under  penance  for  incest.  (2  Cor. 
2,  V.  10.)  "  To  whom  you  have  pardoned  anything." 
(he  speaks  of  the  incestuous  sinner  whom  he  had 
desired  them  now  to  receive,)  "  I  pardon  also ;  for 
what  I  have  pardoned  anything  for  your  sakes, 
I  have  pardoned  it  in  the  person  of  Christ ;  "  that 
is,  by  the  power  and  authority  received  from  Him. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

OF    THE    SUPREMACY    OF    ST.    PETER    AND    HIS 
SUCCESSORS. 

Q.  What  is  the  Catholic  doctrine  as  to  the  Pope's 
supremacy  ? 

A.  It  is  comprised  in  these  two  articles  :  ist,  that 
St.  Peter,  by  divine  commission,  was  head  of  the 
Church  under  Christ;  2dly,  that  the  Pope,  or 
Bishop  of  Rome,  as  successor  to  St.  Peter,  is  at 
present  head  of  the  Church,  and  Christ's  vicar  upon 
earth. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  St.  Peter's  supremacy  ? 

A.  I  St.  From  the  very  name  of  Peter,  or  Cephas, 
which  signifies  a  rock,  which  name  our  Lord,  Who 
does  nothing  without  reason,  gave  to  him,  who 
before  was  called  Simon,  to  signify  that  he  should 
be  as  the  rock  or  foundation  upon  which  He  would 
build  His  Church,  according  to  what  He  Himself 
declared,  (Matt.  16,  v.  18,)  when  He  told  him, 
"  Thou  are  Peter,"  (that  is,  a  rock,)  "  and  upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  My  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it." 

2dly.  From  the  following  words  (Matt.  16,  v.  19) : 
"  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth 
shall  be  bound  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven." 
Where,  under  the  figure  of  the  keys  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  our  Lord  insured  to  Peter  the  chief 
authority  in  His  Church  ;  as  when  a  king  gives  to 
one  of  his  officers  the  keys  of  a  city,  he  thereby 
declares  that  he  makes  him  governor  of  that  city. 

3dly.  From  Luke  22,  v.  31,  32.  "The  Lord 
said,  Simon,  Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  desired  to 
have  you  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat.  But  I 
have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail  not ;  and 
thou,  being  once  converted,  confirm  thy  brethren." 
In  which  text  our  Lord  not  only  declared  His  par- 
ticular concern  for  Peter  in  praying  for  him  that 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


221 


his  faith  might  not  fail,  but  also  committed  to  him 
the  care  of  his  brethren,  the  other  Apostles,  in 
charging  him  to  confirm  or  strengthen  them. 

4thly.  From  John  21,  v.  15,  etc.  "Jesus  said  to 
Simon  Peter,  Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  Me 
more  than  these  ?  He  saith  to  Him,  Yea,  Lord, 
Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee.  He  saith  to  him. 
Feed  My  lambs.  He  saith  to  him  again,  the  second 
time,  Simon,  son  of  John,  lovest  thou  Me  ?  He 
saith  unto  Him,  Yea,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I 
love  Thee.  He  saith  unto  him.  Feed  My  lambs. 
He  saith  unto  him  a  third  time,  Simon,  son  of 
John,  lovest  thou  Me  ?  Peter  was  grieved  because 
He  said  unto  him  a  third  time,  Lovest  thou  Me  ? 
and  he  said  unto  Him,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  all 
things,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee.  Jesus 
saith  unto  him.  Feed  My  sheep."  In  which  text, 
our  Lord,  in  a  most  solemn  manner,  thrice  com- 
mitted to  Peter  the  care  of  His  whole  flock,  of  all 
His  sheep  without  exception,  that  is,  of  His  whole 
Church. 

Q.  How  do  you  prove  that  this  commission  given 
to  Peter  descends  to  the  Pope,  or  Bishop  of  Rome  ? 

A.  Because,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the 
fathers  and  the  tradition  of  the  Church  in  all  ages, 
the  Bishops  of  Rome  are  the  successors  of  St.  Peter, 
who  translated  his  chair  from  Antioch  to  Rome, 
and  died  Bishop  of  Rome.  Hence,  the  See  of 
Rome,  in  all  ages,  was  called  the  "  See  of  Peter," 
the  "  chair  of  Peter,"  and,  absolutely,  the  "  See 
apostolic ; "  and  in  that  quality  has,  from  the 
beginning,  exercised  jurisdiction  over  all  other 
churches,  as  appears  from  the  best  records  of 
church  history. 

Besides,  supposing  the  supremacy  of  St.  Peter, 
which  we  have  proved  above  from  plain  Scripture, 
it  must,  consequently,  be  allowed  that  this  su- 
premacy, which  Christ  established  for  the  better 
government  of  His  Church,  and  maintaining  of 
unity,  was  not  to  die  with  Peter  no  more  than  the 
Church,  which  He  promised  should  stand  forever. 
For  how  can  any  Christian  imagine  that  Christ 
should  appoint  a  head  for  the  government  of  His 
Church  and  maintaining  of  unity  during  the  Apos- 
tles' time,  and  design  another  kind  of  government 
for  succeeding  ages,  when  there  was  likely  to  be  so 
m  ach  more  need  of  a  head  ?     Therefore  we  must 


grant  that  St.  Peter's  supremacy  was  by  buccession 
to  descend  to  somebody.  Now  I  would  willingly 
know  who  has  so  fair  a  title  to  this  succession  as 
the  Bishop  of  Rome. 

Q.  Why  do  you  call  the  Roman  Church  the 
mother  and  mistress  of  all  churches  ? 

A.  Because,  as  we  have  already  seen,  her  bishop 
is  St.  Peter's  successor  and  Christ's  vicar  upon 
earth,  and  consequently  the  father  and  pastor  of  all 
the  faithful ;  and,  therefore,  this  Church,  as  being 
St.  Peter's  See,  is  the  mother  and  mistress  of  all 
churches. 

CONCLUSION. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  more  to  add  in  confirma- 
tion of  these  tenets,  contained  in  your  Profession  of 
Faith  ? 

A.  I  shall  add  no  more  than  this,  that  having 
already  proved,  in  the  first  chapter,  that  the  Church 
in  communion  with  Rome  is  the  true  and  only 
Church  of  Christ,  and,  consequently,  her  councils 
and  pastors  the  guides  of  divine  appointment,  which 
Christ  has  established  to  be  our  conductors  in  the 
way  to  a  happy  eternity,  it  follows,  that  we  should, 
without  further  hesitation,  believe  and  profess  what 
this  Church  and  her  pastors  believe  and  profess, 
and  condemn  and  reject  what  they  condemn  and 
reject ;  assuring  ourselves  that,  by  doing  this,  we 
shall  be  secure,  since  we  shall  follow  those  guide 
which  Christ  Himself  has  appointed,  with  whom  He 
has  promised  to  abide  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

Q.  Why  do  you  in  your  Profession  of  Faith 
make  a  declaration  of  receiving  in  particular  the 
doctrine  of  the  Council  of  Trent  ? 

A.  Because  this  was  the  last  general  council, 
called  in  opposition  to  the  new  doctrines  of  Luther 
and  Calvin ;  and  therefore  we  particularly  declare 
our  assent  to  the  decrees  of  this  council,  as  being 
levelled  against  those  heresies  which  have  been 
most  prevalent  in  these  two  last  ages. 

May  the  God  of  unity,  peace,  and  truth,  by  His 
infinite  mercy,  conduct  all  Christians  to  unity, 
peace,  and  truth.     Amen.     Amen. 

AN  APPENDIX, 

In  which  are  briefly  proposed  the  motives,  or 
rational  inducements  to  the  Catholic  faith,  which, 
according  to  Dr.  Jeremy  Taylor,  a  learned  Protestant 


222 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   CATHOLIC    DOCTRINE. 


prelate,  {Lib.  of  Proph.  sect.  20,  pp.  249,  250,) 
''  may  very  easily  persuade  persons  of  much  reason 
and  more  piety  to  retain  that  which  they  know  to 
be  the  religion  of  their  forefathers,  and  which  had 
actual  possession  and  seizure  of  men's  understand- 
ing before  the  opposite  profession  had  a  name," 
p.  251. 

1.  "  I  consider,"  says  he,  (p.  249,)  "  that  those 
doctrines  that  had  long  continuance  and  possession 
in  the  Church  cannot  easily  be  supposed  in  the 
present  professors  to  be  a  design,  since  they  received 
them  from  so  many  ages.  Long  prescription  is  a 
prejudice  often  so  irresistible,  that  it  cannot,  with 
any  argument,  be  retrenched,  as  relying  upon  these 
grounds,  that  truth  is  more  ancient  than  falsehood ; 
that  God  would  not  for  so  many  ages  forsake  His 
Church,  and  leave  her  in  an  error  ;  that  whatsoever 
is  new  is  not  only  suspicious,  but  false ;  which  are 
suppositions  pious  and  plausible  enough."  We 
have  proved  them  to  be  not  only  pious  and  plausible 
suppositions,  but  the  plain  doctrine  of  the  Word  of 
God.  (Chap.  I.,  sects,  i  and  3.)  He  adds  for  other 
motives  : 

2.  "  The  beauty  and  splendor  of  their  church ; 
the  pompous  services  ;  the  stateliness  and  solemnity 
of  their  hierarchy." 

3.  "  Their  name  of  Catholic,  which  they  suppose 
their  own  due."  They  have  certainly  reason  to 
suppose  so,  if  the  possession  or  prescription  of 
eighteen  ages  can  make  it  their  due.  "  I  am  sure 
it  has  fixed  it  so  strongly  upon  them,  that  even 
their  adversaries  cannot  help  giving  it  them  on 
many  occasions." 

4.  "  The  antiquity  of  many  of  their  doctrines." 
He  should  have  said  all  ;  but  this  could  not  be 
expected  from  a  Protestant. 

5.  "  The  continual  succession  of  their  bishops  ; 
their  immediate  derivation  from  the  Apostles." 

6.  "  Their  title  to  succeed  St.  Peter,  the  sup- 
posal  and  pretence  of  his  personal  prerogatives." 
Grounded  upon  plain  Scripture,  as  we  have  seen, 
(chap.  II,)  and  therefore  no  vain  pretence. 

7.  "  The  multitude  and  variety  of  people  which 
are  of  their  persuasion." 

8.  "Apparent  consent  with  antiquity,  in  many 
ceremonials  which  other  churches  have  rejected; 
and  a  pretended,  and  sometimes  an  apparent  consent 


with  some  elder  ages  in  many  matters  doctrinal." 
Here  he  minces  the  matter  for  fear  of  allowing  too 
much,  yet  cannot  dissemble  that  venerable  antiquity 
is  apparently  on  the  Catholic  side. 

9.  "  The  great  consent  of  one  part  with  another, 
in  that  which  most  of  them  affirm  to  be  of  faith  ; 
the  great  difFerence  commenced  among  their  adver- 
saries." Whose  first  fathers  and  teachers,  from  the 
very  beginning  of  their  pretended  reformation,  went 
quite  different  ways,  even  unto  an  utter  breach  of 
communion,  which  never  since  could  be  repaired. 

10.  "  Their  happiness  of  being  instruments  in 
converting  divers  nations."  Whereas  none  of  the 
reformed  churches  have  ever  yet  converted  one. 

11.  "The  piety  and  the  austerity  of  their  relig- 
ious orders  of  men  and  women  ;  the  single  life  of 
their  priests  and  bishops  ;  the  severity  of  their  fasts 
and  their  exterior  observances."  All  which  the 
good-natured  "  reformation  "  has  laid  aside. 

12.  "  The  great  reputation  of  their  first  bishops 
for  faith  and  sanctity  ;  the  known  holiness  of  some 
of  those  persons  whose  institutes  the  religious  per- 
sons pretend  to  imitate." 

13.  "  Their  miracles,  true  or  false,"  says  the 
doctor ;  true,  say  I,  if  any  faith  may  be  given  to 
the  most  certain  records  of  all  ages  and  of  all 
nations. 

14.  "  The  casualties  and  accidents  that  have 
happened  to  their  adversaries."  I  suppose  he  means 
such  as  Luther's  sudden  death  after  a  plentiful 
supper  ;  Zuinglius's  falling  in  battle  defending  his 
reformed  gospel  sword  in  hand ;  CEcolampadius 
being  found  dead  in  his  bed,  oppressed,  as  Luther 
will  have  it,  (Z.  de  Miss.  Privata  &  Unct.  Sac.  t. 
7,  Wit.  fol.  230,)  by  the  devil ;  Calvin's  dying  of  a 
strange  complication  of  distempers,  consumed  alive 
by  vermin,  etc. 

15.  "  The  oblique  arts  and  indirect  proceedings 
of  some  of  those  who  departed  from  them."  In 
manifestly  corrupting  the  Scripture,  as  the  first 
Protestants  did  in  all  their  translations,  to  make  it 
chime  with  their  errors;  in  quoting  falsely  the 
fathers  and  ecclesiastical  writers ;  in  perpetually 
misrepresenting,  in  their  sermons  and  writings,  the 
Catholic  Church  and  her  doctrine — &  fault  from 
which  the  doctor  himself  is  not  exempt — etc. 

I  have  passed  over  some  other   things  of  less 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   CATHOLIC    DOCTRINE. 


223 


weight,  which  he  alleges  in  the  same  place,  and 
shall  only  desire  the  reader  to  compare  the  motives 
which,  by  the  concession  of  this  prelate,  so  much 
esteemed  by  all  Protestants,  may  retain  Catholics 
at  present  in  the  religion  of  their  forefathers,  with 
those  motives  which  St.  Augustine  alleged,  1400 
years  ago,  against  the  heretics  of  his  time,  and  by 
which  he  declares  himself  to  have  been  retained  in 
the  Catholic  Church,  L.  contra  Epistolam  Fund.  c. 
4.  "  Not  to  speak,"  says  he,  "  of  that  true  wisdom 
which  you  do  not  believe  to  be  in  the  Catholic 
Church,  there  are  many  other  things  which  must 
justly  hold  me  in  her  communion,  i.  The  agree- 
ment of  people  and  nations.  2.  Her  authority, 
begun  by  miracles,  nourished  by  hope,  increased 
by  charity,  and  confirmed  by  antiquity.  3.  A  suc- 
cession of  prelates,  descending  from  Peter  the 
Apostle,  to  whom  Christ  after  His  resurrection  com- 
mitted His  flock,  to  the  present  bishop.  Lastly,  the 
very  name  of  Catholic^  of  which  this  Church  alone 
has,  not  without  reason,  in  such  manner  kept  the 
possession,  that,  although  all  heretics  desire  to  be 
called  Catholics,  yet,  if  a  stranger  ask  them  where 
the  Catholics  go  to  church,  none  of  them  all  has  the 
face  to  point  out  his  own  church  or  meeting-house." 
These  were  St.  Augustine's  motives  for  being  a 
Catholic,  and  these  are  ours. 

Besides,  we  cannot  dissemble  that  there  were 
many  shocking  circumstances  in  the  whole  man- 
agement of  the  pretended  reformation,  which  deter 
us  from  embracing  it,  whatever  temporal  inconve- 
niences we  are  forced  to  sustain  by  this  resusancy. 

1.  The  first  "reformer,"  Martin  Luther,  had 
nothing  of  extraordinary  edification  in  his  life  and 
conversation.  On  the  contrary,  all  his  works 
declare  him  to  have  been  a  man  of  an  implacable 
nature,  rigidly  self-willed,  impatient  of  contradic- 
tion, and  rough  and  violent  in  his  declamations 
against  all  those,  of  what  quality  soever,  who  dis- 
sented in  the  least  from  him.  But  what  was  the 
most  scandalous  in  this  pretended  restorer  of  the 
purity  of  religion  was  his  marrying  a  nun  after  the 
most  solemn  vows  by  which  both  he  and  she  had  con- 
secrated themselves  to  God,  in  the  state  of  perpetual 
continency,  in  which  he  was  imitated  by  a  great 
part  of  the  first  "  reformed  "  ministers. 

2.  He   and   his   first   associates   were   certainly 


schismatics,  because  they  separated  themselves  from 
all  churches,  pure  or  impure,  true  or  false,  that 
were  then  upon  earth,  and  stood  alone  upon  their 
own  bottom.  Therefore,  if  there  were  any  such 
thing  then  in  the  world  as  the  true  Church  of 
Christ,  (as  there  must  always  be,  if  the  Scripture 
and  creed  be  true,)  Luther  and  his  fellows,  separat- 
ing from  all  churches,  must  have  separated  from 
the  true  Church,  and  consequently  must  have  been 
schismatics.  "At  first,"  says  Luther,  in  the  pre- 
face to  his  works,  "  I  was  alone."  Which  is  con- 
firmed by  Dr.  Tillotson,  (Serm.  49,  p.  588,)  and 
Mr.  Collier,  in  his  Historical  Dictionary,  under 
"  Martin  Luther,"  where  he  praises  his  magnan- 
imity in  having  opposed  himself  alone  to  thewhole 
earth. 

3.  It  appears  from  his  book  de  Massa  Privala  & 
Unci.  Sac.  (t.  7,  Wit.  fol.  2S8,  etc.)  that  he  learned 
no  small  part  of  his  "  reformation  "  from  the  father 
of  lies,  in  a  nocturnal  conference,  of  which  he 
there  gives  his  readers  an  account. 

4.  Those  that  were  most  busy  in  promoting  the 
"  reformation "  here  at  home  were,  for  the  most 
part,  men  of  most  wretched  characters,  such  as 
King  Henry  VIH.,  and  the  leading  men  in  the 
government  during  the  minority  of  Edward  VI., 
not  to  speak  of  the  ministry  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, the  most  M'icked,  says  a  late  Protestant  his- 
torian, (Short  View  of  Eng.  Hist.,  p.  273,)  that 
ever  was  known  in  any  reign. 

5.  The  foundation  of  the  "  reformation  "  of  Eng- 
land was  laid  by  manifold  sacrileges,  in  pulling 
down  monasteries  and  other  houses  consecrated  to 
God,  rifling  and  pillaging  churches,  alienating 
church  lands,  etc.,  as  may  be  seen  in  "  The  History 
of  the  Reformation,"  by  Dr.  Heylin. 

6.  The  "  reformation  "  was  everywhere  introduced 
by  lay  authority,  and,  for  the  most  part,  in  direct 
opposition  to,  and  contempt  of  the  bishops,  the 
Church  guides  of  divine  appointment ;  a  proceeding 
manifestly  irregular  and  unjustifiable,  that,  ir. 
Church  matters,  the  laity,  with  a  few  of  the  inferior 
clergy,  and  those  under  the  ecclesiastical  censures, 
should  take  upon  them  to  direct  those  whom  Christ 
appointed  to  be  their  directors. 

7.  England  herself,  which  gk  ies  most  in  the 
regularity  of  her  "  reformation,"  ,  ^mpared  to  the 


224 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   CATHOLIC    DOCTRINE. 


tumultuous  proceedings  of  "  reformers "  abroad, 
owes  lier  present  establishment  of  the  church  to 
the  lay  authority  of  Queen  Elizabeth  and  her  Par- 
liament, in  opposition  to  all  the  bishops  then  sit- 
ting, (who  were  all  but  one  displaced  for  their  non- 
conformity,) to  the  whole  convocation,  and  both  the 
universities  ;  that  is,  in  a  word,  to  the  whole  clergy 
of  the  kingdom,  as  appears  from  Fuller,  (L.  9,)  and 
Dr.  Heylin,  Hist,  of  the  Ref.,  pp.  285,  286. 

8.  Wheresoever  the  "  reformed "  gospel  was 
preached,  it  brought  forth  seditions,  tumults, 
rebellions,  etc.,  as  appears  from  all  the  histories  of 
those  times.  Insomuch  that  in  France  alone  the 
"  reformed  gospellers,"  besides  innumerable  other 
outrages,  are  said  to  have  destroyed  no  less  than 
twenty  thousand  churches.  (Jerusalem  and  Babel, 
p.  158.)  How  little  does  such  a  "  reformation  "  resem- 
ble the  first  establishment  of  the  Church  of  Christ ! 

Q.  The  fruits  of  the  "  reformation  "  were  such  as 
could  not  spring  from  a  good  tree,  i .  An  innu- 
merable spawn  of  heresies.  2.  Endless  dissensions. 
3.  A  perpetual  itch  of  changing  and  inconstancy 
in  their  doctrine.  4.  Atheism,  deism,  latitudinar- 
ianism,  and  bare-faced  impiety.  In  fine,  a  visible 
change  of  manners  for  the  worse,  as  many  of  their 
own  w^riters  freely  acknowledge,  and  old  Erasmus 
long  ago  objected  to  them,  Ep.  ad  Vultur.,  where 
he  defies  them  to  show  him  one  who  had  been 
reclaimed  from  vice  by  going  over  to  their  religion, 
and  declares  he  never  yet  met  with  one  'ho  did 
not  change  for  the  worse. 

10.  That  religion  is  the  best  to  live  in  which  is 
the  safest  to  die  in,  and  that  in  the  judgment  of 
dying  men,  who  are  not  like  to  be  biased  at  that 
time  by  interest,  humor,  or  passion.  Now,  it  is 
certain  that  thousands  who  had  lived  Protestants 
have  desired  to  die  Catholics,  and  never  yet  one 
that  had  lived  a  Catholic  desired  to  die  a  Protestant ; 
therefore,  it  must  be  safest  for  us  to  stay  where  we  are. 

1 1 .  That  religion  is  preferable  to  all  others,  the 
doctrine  and  preaching  of  which  is,  and  always  has 
been,  more  forcible  and  efiEcacious,  in  order  to  the 
taking  off  men's  minds  from  the  perishable  goods 
of  this  world,  and  fixing  them  wholly  upon  the 
great  business  of  eternity  ;  but  such  is  the  doctrine 
and  preaching  of  the  Catholic  Chi:rch,  as  appears 
from  those  multidudes  of  holy  solitaries    in   our 


Church  that  have  retired  from  all  the  advantages 
to  which  their  fortune  or  birth  entitled  them,  and 
abandoned  all  earthly  hopes  for  the  love  of  heaven. 
Whereas  the  "  reformation  "  has  never  yet  produced 
any  such  fruits. 

12.  There  was  a  true  saving  faith  in  the  days  of 
our  forefathers,  before  the  pretended  reformation, 
by  which  great  numbers  certainly  arrived  at  the 
happy  port  of  eternal  felicity.  Our  histories  are 
all  full  of  instances  of  charity,  piety,  and  devotion, 
of  kings,  bishops,  etc.,  of  the  old  religon  ;  therefore 
it  is  safer  to  follow  their  faith,  than  venture  our 
souls  in  a  new-raised  communion. 

13.  All  ancient  pretenders  to  "  reformation " 
(z'.  e.  all  those  that  ever  undertook  to  alter  or  amend 
the  Church's  faith)  were  condemned  by  the  ancient 
Church  as  heretics,  and  are  acknowledged  to  have 
been  such  by  Protestants  themselves  ;  therefore, 
there  is  just  reason  to  apprehend,  that  Protestants, 
walking  in  the  same  path,  may  be  involved  in  the 
same  misfortune. 

14.  In  fine,  Protestants,  to  defend  their  "  refor 
mation,"  (condemned  on  its  first  appearance  by  the 
Church  guides  of  divine  appointments,)  are  forced 
to  have  recourse  to  a  rule  of  faith,  which,  if  allowed, 
would  set  all  (both  ancient  and  modern)  heretics 
out  of  the  reach  of  Church  authority.  They  are 
forced  to  appeal  to  a  tribunal  at  which  it  is  nor 
possible  that  any  sectary  should  ever  be  coa 
demned.  Such  a  rule,  such  a  tribunal  is  the 
Scripture,  interpreted  not  by  authority  of  Church 
guides,  but  by  every  one's  private  judgment;  for 
this,  in  effect,  is  making  every  one  supreme  judge 
both  of  the  Scriptures  and  all  controversies,  author- 
izing him  to  prefer  his  own  whimsies  before  the 
judgment  of  the  whole  Church.  Could  it  be  con- 
sistent with  the  wisdom  and  providence  of  God,  to 
leave  His  Church  without  some  more  certain  means 
of  deciding  controversies  and  maintaining  unity? 
No,  certainly. 

Reasons  why  a  Roman  Catholic  cannot  Con- 
form to  the  Protestant  Religion. 

I.  Because  the  Protestant  religion  is  a  new  re- 
ligion, which  had  no  being  in  the  world  until  one 
thousand  five  hundred  years  after  Christ,  and  there- 
fore it  comes  one  thousand  five  hundred  years  too 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE, 


225 


late  to  be  the  true  Churcli  of  Christ.  Martin  Luther 
laid  the  first  foundation  of  the  Protestant  religion, 
in  the  year  151 7,  and  his  followers  took  the  name 
of  Protestants  in  the  year  1529  ;  before  which  time, 
neither  the  name  nor  the  religion  was  ever  heard 
of  in  the  Christian  world.  And  we  defy  all  the 
learned  men  amongst  them  to  name  so  much  as 
one  single  man,  before  Luther,  who  held  through- 
out their  thirty-nine  articles ;  or  any  other  entire 
system  of  Protestancy,  as  it  is  now  professed  in  any 
country  upon  earth.  Now,  how  can  that  be  Christ's 
Church,  which  for  so  many  ages  had  no  being  in 
the  world?  since  all  Christians  are  obliged  to 
acknowledge  that  the  true  Church  of  Christ  can 
be  no  other  than  that  which  had  its  beginning  from 
Christ,  and,  as  he  promised,  was  to  stand  forever. 
(See  St.  Matt.  16,  v.  18,  and  28,  v.  20.) 

•  2.  Because  the  Protestant  religion  cannot  be  true 
except  the  whole  Scripture,  both  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  be 
false,  which  in  so  many  places  assures  us  that  the 
Church  of  Christ  should  never  go  astray  ;  for  every 
one  knows  that  the  Protestant  religion  pretends  to 
be  a  "  reformation  "  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  it 
is  evident  there  could  be  no  room  for  a  reformation 
of  the  Church  of  Christ,  except  the  Church  was 
gone  astray ;  so  that  the  whole  building  of  their 
pretended  "  reformed  church  "  is  founded  upon  this 
supposition  of  the  whole  Church,  before  the  time  of 
Luther,  having  been  corrupted  by  damnable  errors. 
"  Laity  and  clergy,"  says  their  homily  book,  ap- 
proved by  their  thirty-nine  articles,  (Article  25,) 
"  learned  and  unlearned ;  all  ages,  sects,  and  de- 
grees of  men,  women,  and  children,  of  whole  Chris- 
tendom, (a  horrible  and  most  dreadful  thing  to 
think,)  have  been  at  once  drowned  in  abominable 
idolatry, — of  all  other  vices  most  detested  by  God, 
and  damnable  to  man, — and  that  for  the  space  of 
eight  hundred  years  and  more."  {Horn,  of  Peril  of 
Idolatry^  Part  3.) 

Now,  I  say,  if  this  be  true,  which  is  the  main 
foundation  of  the  Protestant  Church,  Scripture, 
which  so  often  promises  that  Christ's  Church  shall 
never  be  corrupted  by  errors  in  matters  of  faith, 
much  less  to  be  for  so  many  ages  overwhelmed  with 
abominable  idolatry,  must  be  false.  "  Thou  art 
Peter,  (says  our  Lord,  Matt.  16,  v.  18,)  and  upon 

16 


this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church,  and  the  gates  of 
hell  (the  powers  of  darkness)  shall  not  prevail 
against  it."  Therefore  the  Church  of  Christ  could 
never  go  astray.  "  Going,  teach  all  nations  (says 
the  same  Lord  to  the  Apostles  and  successors,  the 
pastors  of  the  Church,  Matt.  28,  v.  20)  ;  and  behold 
I  am  with  you  always,  even  to  the  consummation 
of  the  world."  Therefore  the  Church  of  Christ 
could  never  fall  into  errors,  because  Christ,  who  is 
"  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,"  (John  14,  v.  6,) 
has  promised  his  presence  and  assistance  to  her 
teachers,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.  See  also 
John  14,  V.  10,  17,  where  Christ  promises  to  the 
same  pastors  and  teachers  of  the  Church  "  the 
Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  to  abide  with  them 
forever,  to  teach  them  all  things,  (v.  26,)  and  guide 
them  into  all  truth."  Chap.  16,  v.  13  ;  and  Isaias 
59,  V.  20,  21,  where  God  promises  that,  after  the 
coming  of  our  Redeemer,  the  Church  shall  never 
err.  "  This  is  My  covenant  with  them,  saith  the 
Lord ;  My  spirit,  that  is  in  thee,  and  My  words 
which  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart 
out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy 
seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed,  saith 
the  Lord,  from  henceforth  and  forever." 

See  also  the  infallibility  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
Psalms  72,  V.  5,  7,  Psalms  89,  v.  3,  4,  27,  28,  29,  31, 
32,  33,  34,  35,  36,  37  i  Isaias  9,  v.  6,  7  ;  chap.  60,  v. 
II,  12,  25,  26;  chap.  62,  V.  6;  Jeremiah  31,  v.  36, 
37 ;  chap.  33,  V.  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21  ;  Eze- 
kiel  37,  V.  16;  Ephesians  4,  v.  11,  12,  13,  14; 
chap.  5,  V.  23,  24  ;   i  Timothy  3,  v.  14,  15. 

3.  Because  the  first  foundation  of  the  Protestant 
religion  was  laid,  by  an  insupportable  pride,  in  one 
man,  viz.  (who  is  acknowledged  to  have  been  in  the 
beginning  all  alone)  his  presuming  to  stand  out 
against  the  whole  Church  of  God  ;  therefore,  instead 
of  following  him,  or  the  religion  invented  by  him, 
we  ought,  by  the  rule  of  the  Gospel,  (St.  Matt.  18  v. 
17,)  to  look  upon  him  no  better  than  "  a  heathen 
and  a  publican."  "  If  he  neglect  to  hear  the 
Church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and 
publican." 

4.  Because  Luther  and  the  first  Protestants,  when 
they  began  to  set  up  their  new  religion,  and  dis- 
claimed all  the  authority  and  doctrine  of  all 
churches  then  upon  the  earth,  could  not  say  the 


226 


THE   GROUNDS   OF  THE   CATHOLIC   DOCTRINE. 


creed  without  telling  a  lie,  when  they  came  to  that 
article,  "  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  the 
communion  of  saints." 

5.  Because  the  Protestant  Church  has  not  those 
marks  by  which  the  Nicene  Creed  directs  us  to  the 
true  Church  of  Christ.  It  is  not  "  One,  Holy, 
Catholic,  and  Apostolical." 

1.  It  is  not  One,  because  the  different  branches 
of  the  pretended  reformation  are  divided  from  one 
another  in  faith  and  communion  ;  nay,  scarcely  any 
two  single  men  among  them  all  are,  throughout, 
of  the  same  sentiments  in  religion  ;  and  no  wonder, 
since  every  man's  private  spirit  is  with  them  the 
ultimate  judge  of  controversies,  so  that  it  is  not 
possible  they  should  be  ever  brought  to  a  unity  in 
religion. 

2.  Their  Church  is  not  Holy,  neither  in  her  doc- 
triuc ;  which,  especially  in  the  first  "  reformers," 
was  shamefully  scandalous  in  the  encouraging  lust 
and  breaking  of  vows ;  blasphemous  in  charging 
God  with  being  the  author  of  sin  ;  and  notoriously 
wicked  in  their  notions  of  free-will  and  predestina- 
tion ;  nor  is  she  Holy  in  the  lives,  either  of  her 
first  teachers  (none  of  which  were  remarkable  for 
sanctity,  and  the  greater  part  of  them  infamous  for 
their  vices)  or  of  their  followers,  who,  as  many  of 
the  chief  Protestant  writers  have  freely  owned, 
instead  of  growing  better  than  they  were  before, 
by  embracing  the  "  reformed  religion,"  grew  daily 
worse  and  worse. 

3.  Their  Church  is  not  Catholic ;  they  are  sen- 
sible this  name  belongs  not  to  them ;  therefore 
they  have  taken  to  themselves  another  name,  viz., 
that  of  Protestants.  And,  indeed,  how  could  their 
Church  be  Catholic  or  universal,  which  implies 
being  in  all  ages,  and  all  nations,  since  it  had  not 
been  for  fifteen  ages,  and  is  unknown  in  most 
nations  ? 

4.  Their  Church  is  not  Apostolical,  since  it 
neither  was  founded  by  any  of  the  Apostles,  nor  has 
any  succession  of  doctrine,  communion,  or  lawful 
mission  from  the  Apostles, 

5.  Because  Luther  (the  first  preacher  of  the  Pro- 
testant religion)  had  no  marks  of  being  actuated  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  but  bore  many  evident  badges  of 
the  spirit  of  Satan  ;  witness  his  furious  and  violent 
temper,  which  could  not  brook  the  least  contradic- 


tion ;  of  which  many  Protestants  have  loudly  com- 
plained ;  witness  his  scandalous  marriage  with  a 
nun  ;  and  his  no  less  scandalous  dispensation,  by 
which  he  allowed  Philip,  Landgrave  of  Hesse,  to 
have  two  wives  at  once,  contrary  to  the  Gospel ; 
witness  his  frequent  conference  with  the  devil ; 
in  one  of  which,  as  we  learn  from  his  own  mouth, 
(/.  7,  fol.  228,  etc.,)  he  was  taught  no  small  part 
of  his  "  reformation,"  to  wit,  his  abolishing  the 
Mass,  by  the  father  of  lies.  Now,  who  would 
venture  to  follow  that  man  for  his  master  in  relig- 
ion, who  owns  himself  to  have  been  taught  by 
Satan  ? 

6.  Because  the  first  steps  towards  introducing 
the  Protestant  religion  into  England  were  made  by 
Henry  VIIL,  a  most  wicked  prince,  "  who  never 
spared  woman  in  his  lust,  nor  man  in  his  wrath," 
and  the  first  foundations  of  that  religion  in  Eng- 
land were  cemented  by  blood,  lust,  and  sacrilege,  as 
every  one  knows  that  knows  the  history  of  those 
times.  To  this  beginning,  the  progress  was  answer- 
able in  the  days  of  King  Edward  VI.,  during  which 
the  "  reformation  "  was  carried  on  with  a  high  hand 
by  Somerset  and  Dudley  in  conjunction  with  the 
council  and  Parliament,  upon  interested  views,  not 
without  great  confusion,  and  innumerable  sarcileges, 
as  their  own  historian.  Dr.  Heylin,  is  forced,  in  his 
writings,  to  acknowledge. 

7.  Because  Protestancy  was  settled  upon  its 
present  bottom,  in  this  kingdom,  by  act  of  Parlia- 
ment^ in  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  in  opposition  to  all  the  bishops,  to  the 
whole  convocation  of  the  clergy,  and  to  both  the 
universities ;  that  is,  in  one  word,  in  opposition  to 
the  whole  body  of  the  clergy  of  the  kingdom,  as 
may  be  seen  in  Dr.  Fuller^  L.  6,  etc.,  Hcylcii, 
pp.  284,  286.  How,  then,  can  it  be  called  the 
Church  of  England,  or  any  church  at  all ;  seeing 
it  was  introduced  and  established  only  by  the 
authority  of  mere  laymen,  in  opposition  to  the 
authority  of  the  Church  ? 

8.  Because  it  is  visible  to  any  unprejudiced  eye, 
that  there  is  not  so  much  devotion,  zeal,  or  religion 
amongst  Protestants,  as  there  is  amongst  Catholics. 
We  never  hear  of  any  instances  of  extraordinary 
sanctity  amongst  them.  The  evangelical  counsel 
of  voluntary  renunciation  of  the  goods  and  pleasures 


THE  GROUNDS  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  DOCTRINE. 


227 


of  this  life,  is  a  language  whicli  none  of  them  under- 
stood ;  one  of  the  first  feats  of  their  "  reformation  " 
was  pulling  down  all  houses  and  desecrating  all 
edifices  consecrated  to  retirement  and  prayer. 

9.  Because  all  kinds  of  arguments  make  for  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  against  Protestants  ;  ours  is 
the  Church  in  which  all  the  saints  both  lived  and 
died.  Our  religion  has  been  in  every  age  confirmed 
by  innumerable  undoubted  miracles ;  we  alone, 
communicants,  inherit  the  chair  of  Peter,  to  whom 
Christ  committed  the  care  of  His  flock  (John  21). 
We  alone  inherit  the  name  of  Catholics,  appro- 
priated in  the  creed  to  the  true  Church  of  Christ. 
By  the  ministry  of  our  preachers  alone,  nations  of 
infidels  have,  in  every  age,  been  converted  to  Christ. 
In  a  word,  antiquity,  perpetual  visibility,  apostolical 
succession,  and  mission,  and  all  others,  properties 
of  the  true  Church,  are  visibly  on  our  side. 

10.  Because  even  in  the  judgment  of  Protestants 
we  must  be  on  the  safer  side.  They  allow  that  our 
Church  does  not  err  in  fundamentals  ;  that  she  is  a 
part,  at  least,  of  the  Church  of  Christ ;  that  we  have 
ordinary  mission,  succession,  and  orders  from  the 
Apostles  of  Christ ;  they  all  allow  that  there  is 
salvation  in  our  communion,  and  consequently  that 
our  Church  wants  nothing  necessary  to  salvation. 
We  can  allow  them  nothing  of  this  at  all,  without 
doing  wrong  to  truth  and  our  own  consciences. 
We  are  convinced  that  they  are  guilty  of  a  funda- 
mental error  in  this  article  of  the  Church  ;  which 
if  they  had  believed  aright,  they  would  never  have 
pretended  to  "  reform  "  her  doctrine.  We  are  con- 
vinced that  they  are  schismatics,  by  separating 
themselves  from  the  communion  of  the  Church  of 
Christ ;  and  heretics,  by  dissenting  from  her  doc- 
trine in  many  substantial  articles,  and  consequently 
that  they  have  no  part  in  the  Church  of  Christ ;  no 
lawful  mission,  no  succession  from  the  Apostles, 
no  authority  at  all  to  preach  the  word  of  God,  or 
administer  the  sacraments  ;  in  fine,  no  share  in  the 
promise  of  Christ's  heavenly  kingdom,  excepting 
the  case  of  invincible  ignorance,  from  which  the 
Scripture,  in  so  many  places,  excludes  heretics  and 
schismatics. 

11.  Because  the  Protestant  religion,  though  we 
were  to  suppose  the  professors  of  it  to  be  excused 
by  invincible  ignorance  from  the  guilt  of  heresy 


and  schism,  lays  them,  nevertheless,  under  the 
most  dreadful  disadvantages,  which  needs  highly 
endanger  their  everlasting  salvation  ;  the  more, 
because  it  is  at  least  highly  probable  they  have  no 
true  orders  amongst  them.  Hence  they  have  no 
true  sacrament  of  the  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord  ; 
they  have  no  part  in  the  eucharistical  sacrifice,  no 
communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  the  bishop's 
imposition  of  hands  in  confirmation ;  no  power  of 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  given  to  the 
Church,  (St.  Matt.  16,  v.  19,  and  John  20,  v.  22, 
23,)  for  absolving  sinners,  etc.  Add  to  this,  that 
their  religion  robs  them  of  the  communion  of  the 
saints  in  heaven,  by  teaching  them  not  to  seek  their 
prayers  or  intercession  ;  it  encourages  them,  by  the 
doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  alone ^  (Art.  11,) 
to  be  no  way  solicitous  for  redeeming  their  past 
sins  by  good  works  and  penetential  austerities  ;  it 
robs  them,  when  they  are  sick,  of  that  great  bless- 
ing, both  corporal  and  spiritual,  promised  (St. 
James  5)  to  the  anointing  of  the  sick ;  and  when 
they  are  dead,  no  prayers  must  be  said  for  fear 
of  superstition.  In  fine,  the  Scriptures  which  he 
put  in  their  hands  are  corrupted ;  the  good  works 
their  Church  prescribes  or  advises,  such  as  fasting, 
keeping  holy  days,  confession,  etc.,  are  entirely 
neglected,  and  both  ministers  and  people  run  out 
into  a  wide,  easy  way  of  living,  with  little  or  no 
apprehension  of  their  future  state.  Whereas,  the 
true  servants  of  God,  in  imitation  of  the  Apostles 
and  other  saints,  have  always  led  a  life  of  mortifi- 
cation and  self-denial,  and  have  always  strove  to 
work  out  their  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling. 

12.  Because  the  Protestant  religion  can  afford  us 
no  certainty  in  matters  of  faith.  Their  Church 
owns  herself  fallible  even  in  fundamentals ;  since 
she  only  pretends  to  be  part  of  the  universal  Church, 
and  every  part  and  particular  of  her  Church, 
according  to  her  principles,  may  fall  into  errors 
destructive  to  salvation.  What  security,  then,  can 
she  give  her  followers,  that  she  is  not  actually  lead- 
ing them  on  in  the  way  of  eternal  damnation  ?  She 
has  no  infallible  certainty  of  the  Scripture  itself, 
which  she  pretends  to  make  her  only  rule  of  faith. 
From  whence  can  she  pretend  to  have  the  certainty  ? 
Not  from  the  Scripture  itself;  for  this  would  be 
running  round  in  a  circle.     Beside,  there  is  no  part 


228 


THE   GROUNDS   OF   THE   CATHOLIC   DOCTRINE. 


of  Scripture  that  tells  us  what  books  are  Scripture, 
and  what  not;  much  less  is  there  any  part  of 
Scripture  that  assures  us  that  the  English  Protes- 
tant Bible,  for  example,  is  agreeable  to  what  the 
prophets  and  Apostles  wrote  so  many  ages  ago ;  or 
so  much  as  one  single  word  in  it  uncorrupted.  If 
she  appeal  to  tradition,  this,  according  to  her  prin- 
ciples, cannot  ground  a  certain  faith,  since  she 
makes  the  Scripture  alone  the  rule  of  faith.  If 
she  appeal  to  Church  authorit}',  this  she  pretends 
is  not  infallible.  What,  then,  must  become  of  the 
infallibility  of  her  faith,  when  she  has  no  infallible 
certainty   of  the  Scripture,  upon  which  alone  she 


pretends  to  ground  her  faith  ?  Besides,  though  she 
were  infallibly  certain  of  the  Scripture  being  the 
pure  word  of  God,  it  would  avail  her  nothing; 
except  we  were  also  infallibly  certain,  that  the 
Scriptures  are  to  be  interpreted  in  her  way.  And 
this  is  an  infallibility  to  which  she  neither  can  nor 
does  pretend  to  lay  any  claim.  And  thus,  after  all 
her  brags  of  "  the  pure  word  of  God,"  her  children 
have  no  other  ground  for  their  faith  and  religion, 
than  her  fallible  interpretation  of  the  word  of  God, 
opposite  in  many  points  to  the  interpretation  of  a 
Church  founded  on  that  authority  which  she  cannot 
pretend  to. 


SAINT    BRIUGKT 


FAITH  AND  HOPE. 

^]eb:£tati0n0  for  a  3Kt0ntl^^ 

BY   RICHARD   F.  CLARKE,  S.  J. 


FAITH. 

i._What  is  Faith  ? 

1.  Faith  is  that  disposition  of  our  minds  which 
makes  us  ready  to  accept  all  that  God  has  revealed 
simply  because  He  has  revealed  it.  It  is  an  assent 
to  that  which  comes  to  us  with  God's  authority 
because  it  comes  with  His  authority,  and  not 
because  in  itself  it  commends  itself  to  our  reason. 
It  is  quite  satisfied  that  God  has  said  that  this  or 
that  is  true,  and  it  gives  its  adherence  to  what  He 
has  said  without  any  further  question.  It  thus 
earns  the  benediction  of  those  "  who  have  not  seen 
but  have  believed."  (St.  John  xx.  29.)  Have  I 
this  simple,  unquestioning  faith  ? 

2.  Faith  is  never  opposed  to  reason.  It  is  above 
and  beyond  reason,  but  never  contrary  to  it.  What 
God  has  spoken  can  never  be  in  contradiction  with 
what  our  reason  tells  us  is  true.  It  may  contradict 
our  ordinary  experience,  as  in  the  case  of  miracles ; 
it  may  seem  to  set  aside  the  testimony  of  our  senses, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Blessed  Eucharist ;  it  may 
require  our  acceptance  of  what  is  beyond  the  power 
of  reason  to  grasp,  as  the  doctrine  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity  ;  but  it  never  requires  us  to  believe  in  an 
absurdity.  Thank  God  for  your  faith  in  the  Catho- 
lic religion,  since  all  others  are  ultimately  in  con- 
tradiction with  reason. 

3.  Yet  faith  requires  us  to  believe  many  things 
that  are  difficult  of  belief,  and  that  we  cannot 
believe  without  the  help  of  God.  Faith  is  a  gift  of 
God.  No  amount  of  searching  or  inquiry  will 
obtain  it.  I  must  humbly  pray  to  God,  "  Give  me 
a  strong  faith  ;  increase  my  faith  ;  make  me  loyal 
in  my  readiness  to  believe,"  if  I  wish  my  faith  to 
be  that  of  a  true  child  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

2, — ^The  Necessity  of  Faith. 

I.  "  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please 
God."     Until  faith  exists  in  the  soul  it  is  dead  in 


the  sight  of  God,  and  an  outcast  from  the  king- 
dom of  heaven.  The  innocent  child  bom  into  the 
world  is  not  the  child  of  God  or  pleasing  in  His 
sight,  until  it  receive  in  Baptism  the  infused  gift  of 
faith,  nor  will  it  ever  see  the  face  of  God  unless 
Divine  faith  be  found  in  its  heart.  Thank  God 
that  He  has  given  you  this  priceless  gift,  and 
remember  the  greater  responsibility  that  it  involves. 

2.  Faith  must  precede  all  other  virtues.  It  is 
the  door  into  the  Church  of  God.  He  who  has  not 
entered  in  may  be  possessed  of  the  most  brilliant 
talents  and  of  a  very  high  degree  of  natural  virtue, 
yet  these  are  of  no  account  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  receive  no  reward  in  heaven.  A  man  may  be 
generous,  charitable,  kind,  affectionate,  resolute, 
persevering,  courageous,  but  these  natural  virtues 
will  not  avail  him  hereafter  unless  he  has  faith. 
How  we  ought  to  pity  those  who  have  not  this  gift 
of  faith,  and  still  more  those  who  have  lost  it 
through  sin  and  pride  ! 

3.  Faith  is  a  privilege  which  belongs  as  of  right 
only  to  the  children  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Yet 
those  outside  the  Church,  if  they  have  not  wilfully 
rejected  grace  and  light,  may  nevertheless  possess 
this  grace  of  faith  in  some  degree.  Perhaps  it  was 
poured  into  them  at  Baptism,  and  they  have  not 
forfeited  it ;  or  God,  seeing  their  good-will  amidst 
all  their  ignorance  and  prejudice,  has  in  His  mercy 
given  them  the  grace  to  make  an  act  of  faith  and 
submission  to  His  authority.  Thank  God  for  His 
mercy,  which  extends  to  all. 

3.— The  Obscurity  of  Faith. 

I.  "  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  in  a  dark 
manner."  It  is  the  characteristic  of  faith  that  it 
sees  only  obscurely  that  which  it  apprehends.  Ix 
it  were  not  so  there  would  be  no  room  for  that 
reliance  upon  the  authority  of  God  which  is  of  the 
essence  of  faith.     All  supernatural  truths  are  in 

229 


230 


FAITH   AND    HOPE. 


our  present  life  hidden  by  a  veil  from  us,  and  we 
must  be  satisfied  with  this  imperfect  knowledge. 
Just  as  the  trials  of  this  life  are  meant  to  whet  our 
appetite  for  the  joys  of  Paradise,  so  the  ignorance 
of  Divine  things  is  meant  to  make  us  long  for  the 
clear  vision  we  shall  enjoy  in  the  sight  of  God  in 
heaven.  Have  I  this  longing  after  a  greater 
knowledge  of  God  ? 

2.  Yet  amid  all  this  obscurity  the  certainty  of 
faith  is  far  greater  than  any  natural  certainty.  It 
is  greater  than  that  of  the  evidence  of  our  senses  ; 
it  is  greater  than  what  seems  to  be  a  certain  con- 
clusion of  our  reason.  It  is  of  a  higher  order  than 
these  and  sets  aside  all  else.  It  proclaims  its 
supremacy  over  reason  not  by  contradicting  it,  but 
by  regarding  everything  from  a  higher  standpoint, 
by  penetrating  where  reason  finds  itself  at  fault,  as 
in  the  m3'steries  of  our  holy  religion.  Is  my  faith 
firm  and  unshaken  in  these  days  of  doubt  ? 

3.  To  those  who  have  a  strong  faith,  this  very 
obscurity  is  a  fresh  reason  for  acts  of  submission 
to  the  teaching  of  God.  We  learn  from  it  our 
dependence  on  Him.  If  we  could  see  directly  in 
themselves  the  truth  of  the  propositions  of  faith, 
we  should  be  tempted  to  forget  God's  authority 
and  to  fall  back  on  our  own  powers.  We  must 
thank  God  for  the  opportunity  He  gives  us  of 
trusting  to  Him,  and  earning  merits  by  our  child- 
like but  reasonable  confidence. 

4. — The  Obedience  of  Faith, 

1.  We  can  never  obey  any  one  as  we  ought  unless 
we  trust  him,  and  we  cannot  trust  him  unless  we 
place  reliance  on  his  word.  This  reliance  on  what 
God  says  to  us  is  thus  the  beginning  of  obedience 
to  His  commands  ;  it  is  the  acceptance  of  what  He 
tells  us  to  receive  as  true,  not  because  we  ourselves 
see  it  to  be  true,  but  because  He  vouches  for  its 
truth.  Our  intellect  must  first  submit  before  our 
will  consents  to  follow.  Thus  faith  is  the  keystone 
of  obedience,  and  our  obedience  will  be  in  proportion 
to  our  faith. 

2.  The  heroes  of  faith  commemorated  by  St.  Paul 
in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  (of  which  we  shall 
speak  hereafter),  were  all  of  them  primarily 
remarkable  for  their  obedience.  They  did  great 
things  for  God  and  things  that  would  have  been 


impossible  without  a  strong  and  vivid  faith.  God 
asked  of  their  obedience  many  things  repugnant  to 
human  nature.  But  the  obedience  of  the  saints 
was  made  easy  by  their  faith.  They  saw  Him 
Who  is  invisible  ;  they  heard  His  words,  and  know- 
ing them  to  be  the  words  of  God,  obeyed  with  joy. 
Have  I  this  strong  faith  that  makes  obedience  easy  ? 
3.  All  sin  is  accompanied  by  a  weakness  of  faith. 
If  we  believed  and  realized  with  the  certainty  of  an 
undoubted  faith  what  sin  is  before  God,  what  God 
is,  and  what  is  the  consequence  of  disobeying  Him, 
disobedience  would  be  impossible.  It  is  because 
our  faith  is  already  clouded  by  sin  that  we  venture 
to  set  at  nought  the  sway  of  the  Omnipotent  God. 
Pray  that  you  may  so  have  God  before  your  eyes 
as  to  make  it  impossible  for  you  to  sin. 

5.— The  Gift  of  Faith. 

1.  Faith  is  like  a  tender  plant  that  grows  up  if  it 
meets  with  a  favorable  environment  into  a  strong 
and  powerful  tree.  God  gives  to  all  baptized 
Christians  the  grace  necessary  for  an  act  of  faith, 
and  gives  it  before  all  other  graces.  And  he  who 
makes  an  act  of  faith  has  henceforward  the  habit 
of  faith,  even  though  he  had  it  not  before,  until  he 
forfeited  it  by  his  own  unfaithfulness.  Thank  God 
that  you  have  not  forfeited  this  grace,  and  pray 
that  it  may  never  die  out  of  your  heart. 

2.  As  faith  is  the  virtue  for  which  the  first  grace 
is  given,  so  it  is  the  last  that  dies  out  of  the  sin- 
ner's heart.  Charity  may  have  fled ;  hope  may 
have  died  away,  and  yet  faith  may  remain,  and  as 
long  as  it  remains  there  is  something  to  build  upon. 
From  faith  to  hope  is  a  comparatively  easy  step, 
and  from  hope  to  charity.  This  is  why  those  who 
have  lost  the  faith  are  so  hopeless — there  is  nothing 
to  build  upon,  nothing  to  appeal  to.  Until  they 
make  an  act  of  faith  we  can  get  no  further.  Pray 
then  for  those  who  have  given  up  their  religion, 
since  they  deserve  our  pity  more  than  any  others. 

3.  In  the  prayers  for  the  dying  we  appeal  to  God 
for  mercy  on  the  departing  soul  because,  although 
he  has  committed  many  sins,  he  has  not  denied  the 
faith.  To  deny  the  faith  is  thus  represented  as  the 
lowest  depth  to  which  the  sinner  can  fall.  Of  all 
sins  none  are  so  terrible  as  sins  against  the  faith  ; 
they  are  not  only  a  refusal  of  submission  to  the  law 


FAITH   AND    HOPE. 


231 


of  God,  but  they  are  a  positive  denial  of  His 
authority  and  of  His  very  existence.  My  God, 
may  I  never  sin  against  faith  ! 

6.— The  Loss  of  Faith. 

1 .  The  loss  of  faith  generally  arises  from  a  long- 
continued  and  wilful  course  of  sin,  by  which  faith 
is  weakened  until  it  is  unable  to  hold  its  ground 
against  the  difficulties  of  scepticism,  or  of  its  own 
accord  fades  away  and  disappears.  No  calamity  in 
the  whole  world  is  so  terrible  as  this.  Woe  to  those 
who  through  sin  lose  their  faith !  Yet  there  are 
souls  without  number  to  whom  this  terrible  calam- 
ity has  befallen.  Nothing  but  a  miracle  of  mercy 
can  save  them.  We  must  pray  God  for  such,  that 
He  may  bring  them  to  the  truth  before  it  is  too 
late. 

2.  The  loss  of  faith  is  always  the  result  of  pride 
in  one  shape  or  another.  Nothing  is  so  subversive 
of  faith  as  pride.  The  proud  man  hates  submission 
and  loves  to  choose  his  own  path.  Faith  demands 
submission,  and  marks  out  our  path  for  us.  Faith 
requires  that  we  should  lean  upon  God.  Pride  will 
lean  upon  none  other  than  self  Faith  requires 
loj-alty ;  the  very  essence  of  pride  is  rebellion 
against  God.  How  anxious  then  must  I  be  to 
humble  myself  in  order  that  I  may  preserve  my 
faith  ! 

3.  All  sins,  of  whatever  kind,  tend  to  gradually 
destroy  our  faith.  Faith  is  a  willing  dependence 
upon  God's  authority,  and  all  sins,  even  venial  sins, 
involve  a  disregard  of  His  authority  and  an  inde- 
pendence of  Him.  Faith,  then,  if  it  is  to  be  strong 
in  its  apprehension  of  Divine  things,  must  be  based 
on  a  continual  obedience  to  God.  If  we  love  obedi- 
ence, and  are  careful  to  avoid  all  that  displeases 
God,  we  need  never  fear  the  loss  of  our  faith. 

7. — Temptations  Against  Faith. 

I.  There  are  many  pious  souls  who  are  much 
tormented  by  temptations  against  faith.  They  are 
in  darkness  and  desolation,  and  God  seems  to  have 
forgotten  them,  and  not  to  be  true  to  His  own 
promises  that  those  who  come  to  Him  He  will  never 
abandon,  and  His  assurance  that  as  a  mother  yearns 
over  the  son  of  her  womb,  so  He  yearns  over  them. 
Dark  thoughts  that  He  is  not  a  God  of  immeasur- 


able goodness  and  compassion  and  mercy  present 
themselves  and  refuse  to  be  shaken  off.  When 
such  thoughts  come,  we  must  make  acts  of  faith 
and  confidence  and  humility,  saying,  "  Just  are  Thy 
judgments,  O  Lord,  and  in  mercy  Thou  hast 
afflicted  me." 

2.  There  are  other  temptations  against  faith 
which  are  very  painful  to  the  loyal  soul.  The 
devil  whispers  :  Perhaps  there  is  some  truth  in  the 
attacks  of  heretics  on  the  Church  ;  perhaps  the  Real 
Presence  is  all  a  delusion  ;  perhaps  after  all  punish- 
ment is  not  eternal.  With  such  temptations  we 
should  never  argue,  but  simply  make  an  opposite 
act  of  faith  in  all  that  the  Church  teaches,  however 
inscrutable  to  us. 

3.  If  temptations  against  faith  beset  us,  we  must 
ask  ourselves  if  we  have  done  anything  to  cause 
them  by  reading  bad  books,  by  an  overweening  idea 
of  our  own  ability,  by  obstinacy  of  judgment,  etc. 
On  the  humble,  temptations  against  faith  make  no 
impression,  though  they  may  be  present  to  their 
minds  and  refuse  to  depart.  Their  habit  of  sub- 
mission to  God's  authority  enables  the  humble  to 
bid  defiance  to  the  evil  one.   Have  I  this  safeguard  of 

humility  ? 

8.— The  Power  of  Faith. 

1.  Our  Lord  tells  us  that  if  we  have  faith  as  a 
grain  of  mustard-seed  we  shall  be  able  to  say  to  a 
mountain.  Remove  hence,  and  it  will  obey  us.  This 
was  the  wonder  actually  performed  by  St.  Gregory 
Thaumaturgus.  He  prayed  that  a  mountain  which 
left  no  room  for  his  church  to  be  built  might  retire 
somewhat,  and  one  night  it  did  so.  He  believed 
that  our  Lord  would  accomplish  His  promise,  and 
because  he  believed  it,  he  obtained  its  fulfilment. 
We  all  of  us  are  inclined  to  help  those  who  believe 
that  we  shall  keep  our  promises,  and  are  anxious  to 
reward  their  confidence  in  ixs.  So  too  God  will  never 
fail  those  who  do  not  lose  their  faith  in  Him. 

2.  If  so  small  an  amount  of  faith  is  able  to  work 
such  wonders,  how  is  it  that  we  can  do  so  little  ? 
It  is  becaixse  we  are  not  thoroughly  convinced  that 
God  will  keep  His  word  when  He  promises  that  He 
will  grant  all  the  petitions  of  those  who  fear  Hira, 
and  assures  us  that  all  things  work  together  for 
good  for  those  who  love  God,  and  that  lie  loves 
each  one  of  us  with  a  love  far  greater  tha^  ihat  of 


232 


FAITH   AND    HOPE. 


a  mother  for  her  only  son.  If  we  really  believed 
all  this  we  should  experience  its  truth,  but  our 
want  of  faith  prevents  God  from  giving  us  these 
blessings. 

3.  An  acorn  is  very  small,  but  it  contains  the 
germ  of  the  magnificent  oak.  So  our  faith,  (i) 
It  must  contain  in  itself  the  power  of  continual 
growth.  This  it  cannot  do  unless  it  is  firmly 
rooted.  (2)  It  must  go  on  steadily  increasing  as 
time  goes  on.  Every  supernatural  act  we  perform 
promotes  its  progress.  (3)  It  must  be  the  initial 
germ  of  the  Beatific  Vision  by  making  God  our  one 
end  and  aim.     Is  this  so  with  my  faith  ? 

9. — On  Saving  Faith. 

1.  Can  faith  alone  save  us  ?  Not  faith  as  mean- 
ing the  acceptance  of  supernatural  truth  on  God's 
authority.  It  is  a  condition  of  salvation,  but  it  is 
not  enough  by  itself  to  ensure  salvation.  The 
devils  also  believe  and  tremble.  Many  a  Catholic 
who  has  kept  the  faith  will  nevertheless  be  lost. 
Our  Lord  warned  the  Jews  not  to  trust  to  their 
being  the  children  of  Abraham  ;  we  must  beware 
of  trusting  to  the  fact  of  our  being  children  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  Instead  of  profiting  us  at  the 
Day  of  Judgment,  this  will  only  add  to  our  con- 
demnation unless  to  faith  something  else  be  added. 

2.  What  is  this  necessary  addition  ?  Besides 
accepting  all  that  God  reveals  to  us,  we  must  act 
upon  our  faith.  We  must  add  works  to  faith.  We 
must  be  able  to  show  our  faith  by  our  works.  Our 
faith  must  be  a  living  faith,  that  is  to  say,  a  faith 
actuated  by  charity,  a  faith  that  brings  forth  fruit,  a 
faith  that  unites  us  to  Jesus  Christ,  not  by  the 
mere  tie  of  a  willing  assent  to  His  Divine  words, 
but  by  the  further  and  closer  bond  of  obedience  to 
His  Divine  commands. 

3.  Yet  faith  is  the  first  step  to  justification  and 
points  the  way,  and  if  a  man  does  not  resist  the 
grace  of  God,  faith  will  lead  on  to  hope,  and  hope 
to  charity.  If  a  man  has  the  faith  in  his  heart,  he 
has  the  spark  with  which  God's  help  may  be 
blown  into  a  flame.  An  act  of  faith  cannot  be 
made  without  the  grace  of  God,  and  this  grace 
contains  the  initial  disposition  of  faith  and  charity. 
Hence  in  dealing  with  sinners  or  with  the  dying, 
we  should  begin  with  eliciting  an  act  of  faith,  and 


this  will  pave  the  way  for  an  act  of  hope  and  of 
charity. 

10. — The  Rewards  of  Faith. 

1.  Although  faith  is  the  first  step  towards  justi- 
fication, and  may  exist  firm  and  strong  in  those 
who  are  at  enmity  with  God,  yet  its  presence  has 
the  power  to  obtain  from  God  many  graces.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  certain  means  of  obtaining  what 
we  want  from  Almighty  God.  He  who  asks  in 
faith,  and  doubts  not  of  God's  willingness  to  hear, 
and  power  to  grant  his  petition,  is  sure  to  obtain  it 
if  it  is  for  his  spiritual  advantage,  and  if  he  him- 
self puts  no  obstacle  in  the  way.  Our  Lord  has 
promised  it :  "  Whatever  you  ask  in  prayer  believ- 
ing^ you  shall  receive." 

2.  Faith  is  moreover  the  most  efficacious  means 
of  inducing  God  to  work  miracles  for  us,  whether 
in  the  physical  or  the  moral  order.  Our  Lord 
made  faith  the  condition  of  healing  the  sick  while 
He  was  on  earth.  He  said  to  the  woman  of  Canaan, 
"  O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith  :  be  it  done  to  thee 
as  thou  wilt."  So  now  it  is  those  of  simple  faith 
to  whom  miracles  are  most  often  granted,  not  to 
the  wise  and  learned  of  this  world.  If  only  we 
firmly  believe  in  our  Lord's  power  to  help  us,  and 
in  His  love  and  willingness  to  come  to  our  aid,  we 
are  certain  to  obtain  His  help. 

3.  But  the  greatest  benefit  that  accompanies  a 
strong  faith  is  the  sense  of  dependence  that  faith 
carries  with  it.  As  long  as  a  man  has  the  faith, 
he  turns  naturally  to  God  in  trouble  and  distress, 
and  when  the  hour  of  death  draws  nigh,  if  he  is  not 
hardened  by  persistent  sin  and  wilful  resistance  to 
the  grace  of  God,  he  can  scarce  avoid  that  act  of 
submission  which  is  the  key  of  heaven.  O  my 
God,  grant  that  at  the  hour  of  death  I  may  have  a 
strong  faith  as  well  as  a  fervent  charity  ! 

II.— The  Model  of  Faith. 

I.  Are  we  to  look  to  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  as 
our  ideal  in  faith  as  in  all  other  virtues  ?  No,  we 
cannot  do  so.  Faith  is  the  virtue  in  which  He  does 
not  set  us  an  example.  He  always  possessed  the 
Beatific  Vision,  by  reason  of  the  Hypostatic  Union, 
and  its  perfect  brightness  is  incompatible  with  the 
obscurity  of  faith.  Even  when  the  Divinity  was 
veiled  in  the  Sacred  Humanity  it  was  impossible 


FAITH    AND    HOPE. 


233 


for  Him  to  see  "  through  a  glass,  in  a  dark  manner." 
He  saw  everything  distinctly,  as  it  really  is.  So  in 
Heaven  there  will  be  no  faith,  because  we  shall 
always  see  God. 

2.  Where  then  are  we  to  look  for  our  model  of 
faith  ?  In  the  most  perfect  of  creatures,  the  Holy 
Mother  of  God.  In  her  conduct  at  the  Annuncia- 
tion we  have  a  model  of  ready  acceptance  on  Divine 
authority  of  what  was  naturally  impossible.  In 
spite  of  her  virginity,  in  spite  of  her  vow  of  chastity, 
she  doubted  not  God's  promise  that  she  should  be 
the  Mother  of  the  Son  of  God.  What  is  impossible 
to  men,  she  knew  to  be  possible  to  God. 

3.  Yet  she  showed  that  prudence  that  is  a  part  of 
faith.  Faith  does  not  mean  that  we  are  to  gulp 
down  everything  which  is  impossible  to  nature 
unchallenged.  Faith  is  always  discreet,  and  makes 
sure  of  the  promise  being  from  God.  Until  Mary 
understood  that  God  would  intervene,  and  that  she 
would  remain  ever  a  virgin,  she  was  slow  to  believe 
that  God  had  sent  the  message.  But  when  once 
she  had  a  sufficient  motive  for  belief,  she  accepted 
with  firmest  confidence  what  was  impossible  to  man. 
Is  my  faith  like  hers  ?  Do  I  accept  all  that  God 
has  revealed  with  undoubting  confidence  as  soon  as 
I  know  that  it  is  He  Who  speaks  ? 

12. — Examples  of  Faith. 

The  eleventh  chapter  of  St.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  sets  before  us  a  number  of  wonderful 
instances  of  faith. 

1.  Abel  was  the  earliest  instance  of  faith.  God 
had  revealed  to  our  first  parents  that  sin  was  to  be 
atoned  for  by  the  offering  of  sacrifice,  and  that 
without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  was  no  re- 
mission. Cain  offered  to  God  the  choicest  fruits 
of  the  field,  preferring  his  own  judgment  of  what 
was  a  fitting  offering  to  the  Divine  command. 
Hence  Abel  was  accepted  and  Cain  rejected.  Learn 
from  this  that  what  God  desires  is  not  what  seems 
to  us  best,  but  what  He  Himself  commands  or  asks. 

2 .  Noe  believed  God  when  He  revealed  the  coming 
Deluge  and  built  the  ark,  amid  the  scoffs  and  jeers 
of  those  who  looked  upon  him  as  a  fool  for  his  pains. 
The  Apostle  tells  us  that  he  had  received  an  answer 
concerning  those  things  that  were  not  seen,  and  he 
believed  the  Divine  voice.     How  many  truths  there 


are  that  God  reveals  to  us  but  which  we  explain 
away  or  put  aside,  as,  for  instance,  that  we  shall 
give  an  account  of  every  idle  word,  and  that  what- 
ever we  ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus  we  shall  certainly 
obtain. 

3.  But  the  signal  example  of  faith  in  the  Old 
Testament  is  Abraham,  the  father  of  the  faithful. 
He  believed  God  when  He  promised  that  Sara's 
aged  womb  should  bear.  He  believed  God  when 
He  sent  him  forth  from  his  home  and  country 
promising  that  he  should  receive  a  rich  inheritance 
elsewhere.  He  believed  God  when  commanded  to 
offer  up  Isaac,  and  never  doubted  the  Divine 
promise  t.hat  from  Isaac  should  spring  a  seed  like 
the  stars  in  number.  Have  I  a  faith  that ,  believes 
God  in  spite  of  appearances  ? 

13. — Further  Examples  of  Faith. 

X.  Those  who  received  signal  mercies  at  the 
hands  of  Christ  were  either  strong  in  faith,  or  else 
they  recognized  their  weakness  and  begged  for 
more  faith,  like  the  father  of  the  demoniac,  who 
cried,  "  Lord,  I  believe  ;  help  Thou  mine  unbelief." 
(St.  Mark  ix.  23.)  The  Samaritan  woman,  sinner 
though  she  was,  believed  in  the  word  of  Jesus  when 
He  declared  Himself  to  be  the  Messias,  and  was 
converted  with  many  of  her  fellow-citizens.  The 
nobleman  believed  our  Lord  when  He  said :  "  Go, 
thy  son  liveth."  On  returning  home  he  found  that 
the  boy  had  begun  to  recover  from  the  moment  that 
the  words  were  spoken.  If  we  want  our  Lord  to  do 
great  things  for  us,  we  must  say  :  "  Lord,  I  believe ; 
help  Thou  mine  unbelief." 

2.  The  woman  of  Canaan  who  when  she  received 
what  seemed  a  refusal  of  her  request  still  perse- 
vered, showed  a  faith  such  as  we  shall  do  well  to 
imitate,  for  (i)  It  was  humble  faith.  She  was  not 
offended  at  being  compared  to  the  dogs  who  eat  the 
crumbs  from  their  master's  table.  (2)  It  was  a  per- 
severing faith.  She  was  determined  to  obtain  her 
daughter's  cure.  (3)  It  was  a  confident  faith.  She 
had  the  strongest  conviction  of  the  compassion  and 
of  the  power  of  Jesus.     Is  my  faith  like  hers  ? 

3.  The  thief  on  the  cross  was  the  most  wonderful 
instance  of  faith.  He  sees  beside  him  a  convicted 
criminal  condemned  to  die  the  same  ignominious 
death  as  himself     Yet  he  recognizes  in  Him  the 


234 


FAITH    AND    HOPE. 


King  who  is  to  reign  in  the  ages  to  come  to  all 
eternity,  and  begs  Him  to  remember  him  when 
He  enters  on  His  glory.  If  faith  can  work  such 
a  wonderful  change,  what  may  we  not  hope  for 
if  our  faith  is  strong  ? 

14. — Faith  and  Reason. 

1.  Are  faith  and  reason  friends  or  foes  ?  They 
are  the  firmest  and  closest  friends.  Faith  is  the 
superior,  and  issues  commands  which  are  out  of  the 
sphere  of  reason.  But  it  never  sets  reason  aside  or 
asks  us  to  believe  anything  which  enlightened 
reason  does  not  on  its  own  grounds  approve.  Thank 
God  that  He  has  given  you  the  knowledge  of  the 
true  faith,  which  is  so  essentially  reasonable ;  make 
an  act  faith  in  the  perfect  truth  of  all  that  the 
Church  teaches  :  and  pity  those  who  belong  to  false 
religions,  which  ask  them  to  swallow  absurdities. 

2.  Do  faith  and  reason  ever  come  into  conflict? 
They  may  seem  to  do  so,  e.  g.^  when  faith  tells  us 
that  our  Lord's  Sacred  Body  is  present  whole  and 
entire  in  each  little  Host ;  or  that  Mary  remained  a 
virgin  after  bringing  forth  her  Divine  Son.  But 
these  triiths  of  faith  are  not  really  against  reason. 
They  are  indeed  against  the  common  experience  of 
men.  But  so  is  every  miracle.  It  would  be  against 
reason  to  suppose  them  untrue,  for  this  leads  in  the 
end  to  an  irrational  and  contradictory  scepticism. 

3.  Does  reason  then  bear  its  witness  to  the  truths 
of  faith,  in  spite  of  our  receiving  them  on  authority  ? 
Yes,  it  bears  witness  to  each  and  all,  and  shows  that 
the  contradictory  of  every  truth  of  faith  \'z  ultimately 
self-contradictory.  Reason  is  the  gift  of  God  as  well 
as  faith,  and  approves  all  the  truths  of  faith,  even 
where  it  cannot  fully  understand  them.  Thank 
God  for  this,  and  make  an  act  of  faith  in  the 
reasonableness  of  faith. 

15.— The  Difficulties  of  Faith. 

I.  If  faith  is  always  in  acccordance  with  reason, 
where  is  its  difficulty  ?  Why  is  it  that  an  act  of 
faith  sometimes  requires  an  heroic  sacrifice  ? 

Though  faith  never  contradicts  reason,  yet  it 
often  requires  us  to  believe  what  at  first  sight  seems 
utterly  improbable  and  unreasonable.  What  seems 
more  unlikely  than  that  the  walls  of  Jericho  should 
fall  down  when  the  priests  of  Israel  blew  their  trum- 


pets ?  or  that  the  sun  should  stand  still  at  Josue's 
word  ?  Or  that  an  angel  should  come  down  once  a 
day  to  impart  to  a  pool  the  power  of  healing  the 
first  incomer  ?  Or  that  Job's  ulcers  came  from  the 
immediate  influence  of  the  devil  ?  Yet  faith 
requires  us  to  believe  this,  and  to  do  so  needs  a 
strong  faith. 

2.  Faith  also  requires  humility.  We  do  not  like 
to  put  our  proud  necks  beneath  the  yoke  ;  to  accept 
unchallenged  what  comes  from  Divine  authority ; 
to  be  precluded  from  doubting  and  j  udging  whether 
this  or  that  is  true.  We  are  inclined  to  say,  why 
should  I  not  enjoy  the  liberty  of  thought  that  my 
will  craves  after  ?  Why  should  I  not  be  allowed  to 
criticize  without  any  foregone  conclusion  ?  Why 
do  you  make  me  accept  my  beliefs  ready-made, 
instead  of  constructing  them  myself  ?  All  this  is 
difficult  to  human  nature. 

3.  Faith  also  involves  almost  all  worldly  disad- 
vantages, loss  of  friends,  fame,  money,  position, 
often  the  sacrifice  of  our  strongest  affections.  It 
sometimes  brings  upon  us  contempt,  ridicule,  ill- 
will  ;  all  this  is  hard.  Yet  those  who  love  God 
esteem  it  a  happiness  to  suffer  and  even  to  die  for 
the  faith.  Grant,  O  Lord,  that  I  may  rejoice  in 
suffering  for  the  faith,  and  that  I  may  count  it  my 
greatest  honor  to  incur  dishonor  from  men  for  my 

faith  in  Thee. 

HOPE. 
I. — What  is  Hope? 

1.  Hope  in  general  is  a  desire  for  some  future 
good,  difficult  of  attainment,  but  nevertheless  within 
our  reach,  joined  to  a  certain  confidence  that  we 
shall  attain  to  it.  It  sets  aside  empty  fears  and  a 
dread  of  failure,  and  encourages  us  to  fresh  efforts. 
It  is  a  disposition  of  mind  that  we  should  do  all  we 
can  to  foster  in  ourselves  and  others.  Success  in 
life  depends  in  a  great  measure  on  the  maintenance 
of  a  well-assured  hope.  He  who  loses  hope  will  not 
succeed  ;  he  who  continues  to  hope  cannot  fail  at 
last. 

2.  The  theological  virtue  of  hope  is  a  form  of 
confidence  that  God  will  give  us  eternal  life  and 
also  the  means  necessary  to  the  obtaining  of  it.  It 
includes  also  a  strong  desire  for  heaven  and  a  deter- 
mination to  do  all  that  is  required  on  our  part  not 
to  fail  of  our  eternal  reward.     A  weak  desire  or 


FAITH   AND    HOPE. 


235 


comparative  indifference  will  never  kindle  the  virtue 
of  hope,  since  it  will  not  produce  in  us  the  self- 
sacrifice  necessary  for  success.  Do  I  find  in  myself 
the  characteristics  of  hope  ?  Are  they  such  as  to 
overcome  with  God's  help  all  the  obstacles  in  my 
way? 

3.  The  chief  element  in  hope  is  confidence  in 
3^od,  not  in  ourselves.  This  it  is  which  excludes 
the  possibility  of  despair  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
the  other,  makes  presumption  impossible.  Just  in 
proportion  to  our  confidence  in  God  will  be  the 
strength  of  our  hope.  My  God,  give  me  more 
confidence  in  Thee,  and  then  I  may  hope  for 
great  things ;  great  graces,  great  virtues,  and  a 
great  reward  in  heaven. 

2. — The  Value  of  Hope. 

1.  Hope  is  no  less  necessary  for  justification  than 
faith.  Faith  is  a  preliminary  condition  ;  hope  is  a 
distinct  step  in  the  direction  of  heaven.  When 
once  we  desire  the  friendship  of  God,  and  believe 
that  He  is  ready  to  help  us  if  we  do  our  part,  half 
the  battle  is  gained.  We  are  already  on  the  road 
to  charity.  Peace  and  happiness  are  within  sight, 
even  though  the  way  may  be  long,  and  the  journey 
a  painful  one  before  we  reach  heaven.  If  I  can  say 
in  my  heart  that  I  hope  to  die  in  God's  friendship 
and  love,  I  ought  to  take  courage  and  go  on  peace- 
fully and  cheerfully. 

2.  Hope  is  a  certain  means  of  overcoming  all  the 
difficulties  and  temptations  of  our  earthly  pilgrim- 
age. It  is  like  a  cordial  that  always  keeps  us  up 
and  gives  us  a  good  heart  when  our  spirits  are 
inclined  to  sink.  If  my  hopes  are  fixed  on  heaven, 
and  I  have  a  firm  confidence  that  God  will  bring  me 
safely  thither  in  the  end,  all  the  trials  and  vexa- 
tions of  life  are  but  of  small  account.  Painful  they 
may  be,  but  somehow  the  pain  becomes  compara- 
tively light  when  I  turn  my  hopeful  glance  to 
heaven. 

3.  Hope  is  one  of  the  marks  of  holiness.  The 
saints  never  lost  hope  when  all  seemed  to  go 
wrong,  when  failure  followed  upon  failure,  and 
disappointment  upon  disappointment.  Present 
failure  made  them  practice  all  the  more  this  virtue 
of  hope,  and  the  result  was  that  God  rewarded  them 
even  in  this  life   for   their  confidence  in  Him  by 


unexpected  victories,  and  by  a  peace  and  joy  that 
seemed  to  defy  all  the  attempts  of  their  enemies  to 
disturb  it.  I  too  must  hope  on  manfully,  and  in 
the  end  I  am  sure  to  conquer. 

3. — ^The  Motives  of  Hope. 

1.  The  primary  motive  of  hope  is  the  love  that 
God  bears  me,  and  His  fidelity  to  all  His  promises. 
He  cannot  refrain  His  love  from  the  work  of  His 
Own  hands.  He  has  loved  me  from  the  first 
moment  of  my  being.  The  fondest  love  of  a  father 
or  mother  to  a  darling  child  is  as  nothing  to  the 
love  of  God  for  me.  He  has  watched  over  me  with 
tenderest  love  all  my  life  long.  He  is  most  anxious 
for  my  welfare.  He  longs  for  my  love.  He  is  also 
all-powerful,  and  He  can  give  me  and  will  give  me 
all  I  need  if  I  ask  of  Him.  What  is  there  then 
that  I  may  not  hope  for  from  Him  ? 

2.  The  second  motive  of  hope  is  the  Life,  Pas- 
sion, and  Death  of  my  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  He  came  down  from  heaven  for  me  ;  He 
lived  on  earth  for  me ;  He  suffered  for  me ;  He 
died  upon  the  Cross  for  me^  and  for  me  He  still 
prays  in  heaven,  and  holds  out  His  wounded  hands 
to  His  Eternal  Father  interceding  for  me.  He 
claims  me  as  one  of  those  whom  He  has  bought 
with  His  Precious  Blood.  "  Father,  I  will  that 
where  I  am  they  also  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me 
may  be  with  Me."  (St.  John  xvii.  24.)  He  will 
never  forsake  me  until  He  has  brought  me  safe  to 
His  Eternal  Kingdom. 

3.  The  third  motive  of  hope  is  the  love  of  Mary, 
the  Mother  of  God  and  my  Mother,  for  I  rejoice  in 
calling  myself  a  child  and  a  client  of  Mary.  I  was 
entrusted  to  her  by  Jesus  upon  the  Cross  :  she  loves 
me  for  His  sake  with  a  love  far  greater  than  that 
of  any  earthly  mother.  She  is  always  ready  to 
help  and  comfort  me.  I  know  that  if  I  hope  in 
her,  I  shall  not  be  confounded  for  ever. 

4. — Further  Motives  of  Hope. 

I.  It  is  not  merely  the  goodness  and  love  of  God 
that  should  furnish  us  with  a  continual  spring  of 
hope,  but  the  goodness  and  love  that  we  ourselve;.: 
have  personally  experienced  from  Him.  How  gooc. 
God  has  been  to  me !  When  I  look  back  upon  nn- 
past  life,  I  find  a  thousand  practical  proofs  of  Hii 


236 


FAITH   AND    HOPE. 


love.  It  would  be  mean  and  ungrateful  not  to 
acknowledge  them.  Now  if  He  has  been  so  good 
to  me  in  the  past,  I  have  every  reason  to  expect 
that  He  will  continue  the  same  to  me  in  the  future, 
Jesus  Christ  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for 
evermore.  Why  should  I  fear  with  such  guarantees 
of  His  abiding  love  ? 

2.  Besides  this,  the  very  sense  of  my  own 
nothingness  and  worthlessness  ought  to  give  me 
fresh  hope.  If  God  has,  with  such  materials  to 
work  upon,  produced  one  who  at  least  desires  to  be 
faithful  to  Him  and  pleasing  in  His  sight,  I  have 
strong  ground  for  confidence  that  He  will  continue 
His  work  of  mercy.  He  means  to  perfect  the  work 
already  done  in  me.  The  wonders  that  He  has 
wrought  hitherto  will  assuredly  go  on  as  long  as 
life  shall  last. 

3.  What,  moreover,  is  God's  object  in  all  the 
trouble  that  He  has  taken  with  me?  It  is  to 
secure  my  presence  in  heaven.  It  is  wonderful,  but 
nevertheless  it  is  certain  that  He  intends  that  even 
I  shall  be  an  ornament  of  the  celestial  courts.  If 
I  suflfer  now,  the  painful  process  is  but  the  neces- 
sary polishing  which  is  to  make  the  shapeless  bit 
of  stone  into  an  object  beautiful  in  the  sight  of  the 
angels.  In  God  therefore  I  will  hope,  now  and 
always. 

5 — The  Objects  of  Hope. 

1.  What  is  it  that  we  must  hope  for  if  we  are  to 
derive  from  our  hope  comfort  and  peace  amid  all 
troubles  and  temptations  ?  It  will  never  do  to  fix 
our  glance  on  any  earthly  good,  for  such  may  at 
any  moment  disappoint  us  ;  nor  even  on  the  conso- 
lations of  religion,  for  it  may  be  God's  will  that  we 
should  lack  consolation  all  our  life  through.  It  is 
above  and  beyond  this  world  and  our  time  of  sojourn 
here  that  we  must  fix  our  hope.  We  must  look  to 
the  land  in  which  we  shall  see  the  King  in  His 
beauty,  and  shall  repose  for  ever  in  the  bosom 
of  God. 

2.  Yet  if  we  are  not  to  rest  on  any  consolations 
of  earth,  yet  we  know  that  if  we  conform  our  will 
to  God's,  and  accept  with  patience  and  willingness 
all  that  He  sends  us,  however  painful,  we  shall 
gradually  attain  even  here  a  solid  peace  which  is 
one  of  God's  best  gifts  to  His  children  on  earth. 
"  Peace  I  leave  with  you  ;  My  peace  I  give  to  you," 


said  our  Lord  to  His  Apostles  before  leaving  them. 
This  peace  is  within  the  reach  of  all ;  we  ought  to 
strive  for  it  and  hope  soon  to  reach  it.  Do  I  do  so  ? 
3.  We  are  also  to  hope  and  firmly  believe  that 
God  will  give  us  all  the  graces  necessary  for  over- 
coming our  faults  and  attaining  such  a  degree  of 
virtue  and  holiness  as  He  designs  for  us.  One  of 
the  chief  causes  of  our  failures  is  that  we  lose  hope. 
We  think  it  is  no  use  trying  to  overcome  some 
inveterate  fault.  This  is  a  great  mistake:  God 
may  be  on  the  very  point  of  giving  us  the  grace, 
and  that  when  we  least  expect  it.  We  must  go  on 
hoping.  To  hope  is  half  the  battle.  It  will  give  us 
courage,  and  enable  us  to  persevere  amid  difficulties, 
and  will  give  us  the  victory  in  the  end. 

6. — Dangers  to  Hope. 

1.  There  is  nothing  that  so  cuts  away  the  ground 
of  our  hope  as  deliberate  and  wilful  sin  against 
Almighty  God.  If  we  make  Him  our  enemy,  what 
possible  source  of  hope  remains  to  us  ?  Ourselves  ? 
We  know  well  enough  in  our  hearts  that  to  lean  on 
self  is  trusting  to  a  broken  reed.  Our  worldly  pos- 
sessions ?  What  comfort  do  they  afford  us  ?  They 
are  rather  a  fresh  cause  of  weary  dissatisfaction. 
Our  friends  and  relations?  They  cannot  really 
help  us  in  the  hour  of  our  need.  Without  the 
friendship  of  God  there  is  nothing  to  look  forward 
to  but  the  blackness  of  misery. 

2.  There  is  one  form  of  disobedience  to  God  that 
is  more  subversive  of  hope  than  any  other,  viz., 
self-will  and  a  refusal  to  listen  to  God's  inspira- 
tions and  to  set  aside  our  will  for  His.  Sins  of 
weakness  make  us  hate  and  despise  ourselves,  but 
sins  of  pride  (and  what  is  self-will  but  a  form  of 
pride  ?)  make  us  feel  a  positive  aversion  from  Him 
Who  is  the  front  of  all  hope  and  the  God  of  conso- 
lation. A  proud  man  cannot  hope  for  reconciliation 
with  God,  because  he  will  not  ask  for  it,  so  he 
remains  shut  out  from  all  chance  of  hope  as  long 
as  he  persists  in  his  pride. 

3.  Self-confidence  will  sometimes  supply  up  to  a 
certain  point  the  place  of  hope  and  confidence  in 
God,  just  as  self-respect  will  supply  the  place  of 
virtue.  But  it  will  fail  us  in  the  hour  of  our  need. 
It  is  but  a  hollow  and  treacherous  support.  In  time 
of  success   and   prosperity   it   will   serve   us  well 


FAITH    AND    HOPE. 


237 


enough,  but  in  adversity  and  trouble,  in  tbe  hour 
of  death,  in  the  Day  of  Judgment,  it  will  avail  us 
nothing.     Do  I  trust  in  self  or  in  God  ? 

7. — ^The  Loss  of  Hope. 

1.  To  lose  hope  is  of  all  miseries  the  greatest, 
except  to  lose  our  faith.  The  conscious  suffering 
of  one  who  still  retains  his  faith  is  perhaps  greater 
than  that  of  a  man  who  has  lost  both  faith  and 
hope,  but  he  is  far  more  miserable  in  the  sight  of 
God  because  he  has  lost  that  which  alone  can 
supply  motives  for  hope.  As  long  as  a  man  keeps 
his  faith,  his  very  suffering  and  anguish  of  mind 
may,  through  God's  grace,  lead  to  the  recovery  of 
hope.  But  if  faith  is  gone,  hope  becomes  impossible. 
Thank  God  that  you  still  have  the  faith,  and  if  your 
hope  is  faint  and  feeble,  you  can  at  least  pray  to 
God,  who  promises  that  He  will  not  reject  any  who 
ask  in  faith,  that  He  may  revive  in  you  the  corso- 
lations  of  hope. 

2.  A  man  who  has  the  faith  but  has  lost  hope  is 
indeed  an  object  of  our  pity.  Cain  lost  hope  when 
he  cried  out,  "  My  sin  is  greater  than  that  I  should 
deserve  pardon."  Judas  lost  hope  when  he  saw  his 
Master  condemned  through  his  treachery.  He 
could  not  endure  the  misery  of  hopelessness,  and 
went  and  hanged  himself.  Those  who  destroy  the 
life  that  God  has  given  them  are  almost  always 
those  who  through  their  own  fault  have  lost  hope. 
Pray  God  that  even  if  charity  fades  away  at  least 
you  may  retain  the  precious  gift  of  hope. 

3.  It  is  the  loss  of  hope  that  makes  hell  what  it 
is.  It  is  not  the  burning  flame  nor  even  the  mere 
fact  of  the  absence  of  God  that  is  the  chief  torment 
of  Hell,  since  these  two  are  among  the  sufferings  of 
Purgatory.  It  is  the  loss  of  all  hope,  and  the 
knowledge  that  God  is  lost  for  ever ;  that  there  is 
no  break  in  the  gloom,  no  gleam  of  sunshine  in  the 
future,  nothing  but  the  blackness  of  darkness  to  all 
eternity.  O  my  God !  save  me  from  the  utter 
misery  of  thus  losing  for  ever  all  hope. 

8. — ^The  Diminution  of  Hope. 

I.  How  is  it  that  we  find  many  who,  in  their 
younger  days  are  full  of  hope  and  courage,  fall 
away  gradually  as  life  goes  on  from  their  early 
promise  ?     Is  it  that  advancing  years  tend  of  them-  [ 


selves  to  make  us  less  hopeful?  Or  is  it  the 
necessary  result  of  painful  experience  ?  No,  it  is 
not  the  one  or  the  other ;  it  is  in  great  measure  our 
own  fault.  It  is  because  we  have  not  advanced  in 
virtue  with  our  advancing  years  ;  it  is  because  we 
have  not  been  faithful  to  grace ;  it  is  because  we 
have  been  selfish  and  indolent,  and  have  followed 
our  own  inclinations  instead  of  the  Divine  leading. 
All  this  has  made  the  distant  light  that  shone  upon 
our  path  grow  dim  and  faint. 

2.  Especially  our  hope  has  been  dulled  by  our 
habit  of  doing  our  actions  from  natural  motives 
instead  of  from  the  love  of  God.  Natural  impulse 
has  been  for  the  most  part  the  moving  power  in  our 
life,  natural  benevolence,  activity,  zeal,  likes  and 
dislikes.  Our  conversation  has  not  been  in  heaven 
but  on  earth.  Our  affections  have  been  set  rather 
on  things  of  earth  than  on  heavenly  things.  This 
is  wny  we  have  been  disappointed  and  felt  our 
disappointment  keenly,  and  have  been  discouraged 
and  lost  hope.  If  we  had  been  working  for  God 
alone  we  should  have  hoped  on  in  spite  of  apparent 
failures. 

3.  We  have  also  dimmed  our  hope  by  a  habit  of 
finding  fault  and  grumbling.  There  is  nothing 
like  this  for  making  us  discontented.  We  create 
miseries  for  ourselves  and  make  all  things  look 
black  by  our  gloomy  way  of  looking  at  them.  He 
who  looks  at  the  right  side  will  find  that  all  becomes 
brighter  and  brighter  to  the  perfect  day. 

9. — Hope  and  Fear. 

1.  Can  hope  and  fear  dwell  in  the  same  breast? 
Yes,  certainly,  if  the  fear  be  the  fear  of  God  that  is 
the  beginning  of  wisdom.  In  fact,  hope  is  impos- 
sible without  that  salutary  filial  fear  which  fills  us 
with  a  dread  of  offending  God.  This  fear  is  a 
reverential,  not  a  servile  fear ;  a  fear  of  love,  not  of 
gloomy  terror  and  dismay.  We  rejoice  with  trem- 
bling, but  the  trembling  does  not  destroy  the  joy. 
All  the  saints  had  the  fear  of  God  strong  within 
them,  and  the  most  intense  charity  does  not  drive 
out  fear,  except  in  heaven  where  it  is  perfected. 

2.  We  may  go  further  and  say  that  hope  cannot 
abide  constantly  in  our  hearts  unless  fear  be  present 
also.  Hope  and  fear  go  on  hand  in  hand.  "  Dost 
thou  not  fear  God?  "  said  the  penitent  thief  to  his 


238 


FAITH   AND    HOPE. 


blaspheming  companion ;  and  as  he  spoke  the 
words,  hope  leaped  up  in  his  breast,  and  he  turned 
to  Him  Who  is  the  fount  and  source  of  all  hope,  and 
was  forgiven  and  received  the  promise  of  a  Paradise 
near  at  hand.  "  Fear  God,  dear  Abner,  and  thou 
shalt  know  no  other  fear,"  said  the  French  poet ; 
for  then  all  other  fear  is  changed  to  hope. 

3.  The  fear  of  earthly  miseries  and  of  the  punish- 
ment of  our  sins  need  not  interfere  with  our  hope. 
We  may  dread  the  approaching  sufFering,  bodily 
or  mental,  but  at  the  same  time  time  we  may 
have  a  firm  hope  that  God  will  bring  us  safely 
through.  The  fear  is  of  the  passing  present ;  the 
hope  of  the  happy  and  eternal  future,  and  the 
hope  enables  us  to  overcome  the  fear  and  to  say 
I  can  suffer  all  things  through  God's  grace  and 
with  His  help.  Why  then  should  the  shrinking 
of  human  nature  from  the  pain  interfere  with  the 
brightness  of  our  hope  ? 

10. — Hope  and  Charity. 

1.  If  hope  and  fear  go  hand  in  hand,  much  more 
do  hope  and  charity.  Hope  must  always  contain 
at  least  an  initial  charity.  We  cannot  hope  in  the 
mercy  of  God  unless  we  have  at  least  some  sort  of 
love  for  Him.  Hope  reminds  us  of  the  mercy  and 
gc5odness  of  God,  and  of  His  readiness  to  forgive. 
It  turns  our  thoughts  to  heaven,  and  gives  us  a  firm 
confidence  that  if  we  do  our  part.  He  will  not  shut 
the  door  of  heaven  on  us,  or  thrust  us  away  because 
of  our  past  sins.  It  does  more  than  this,  it  sets 
before  us  God's  tender  love  for  us,  and  it  leads  us 
on  to  love  Him  in  return,  and  to  say,  "  We  love 
Him  because  He  first  loved  us." 

2.  But  if  hope  is  to  be  the  stepping-stone  to  pei^ 
feet  charity,  it  must  not  dwell  merely  on  what  bene- 
fits we  may  look  to  obtain  from  God,  it  must  put 
before  us  a  higher  object.  It  must  point  us  to  the 
happiness  of  loving  God  for  His  Own  sake,  apart 
from  any  advantage  to  ourselves,  except  that  which 
is  derived  from  the  mere  happiness  of  loving  so 
good  a  God.  Self  must  gradually  disappear,  and 
hope  must  be  fixed  in  the  thought  of  God  and  of 
His  Divine  perfection,  and  of  the  eternal  joy  of 
being  like  to  Him  when  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is. 
Is  my  hope  of  this  unselfish  nature  which  makes 
it  almost  identical  with  charity  ? 


3.  In  this  vale  of  tears,  hope  and  charity  are 
inseparable.  Our  greatest  happiness  consisted  of 
a  foretaste  of  heaven,  and  what  is  a  foretaste  save  a 
hope  of  still  greater  joys  to  come  ?  The  most 
ecstatic  delights  known  to  the  saints  were  but  a 
form  of  hope.  Their  perfect  charity  carried  with  it 
an  ever-present  hope  of  seeing  God  face  to  face, 
and  of  being  united  to  Him  in  the  supreme  joy  of 
the  Beatific  Vision.  Have  I  a  love  that  ever  keeps 
alive  and  strong  within  me  the  virtue  of  hope  ? 

II. — ^The  Patterns  of  Hope. 

1.  Was  the  virtue  of  hope  possible  to  Jesus 
Christ  ?  Not  in  its  proper  sense,  for  the  primary 
object  of  the  virtue  of  hope  is  the  possession  of  God. 
Nevertheless,  as  Man  He  hoped  in  God  (Psalm 
xxi.  i),  and  with  a  hope  which  is  the  perfect 
example  which  we  should  seek  to  imitate.  No 
one  ever  had  the  perfect  confidence  in  God  that 
He  had,  and  therefore  no  one  ever  possessed  so 
firm  or  so  intense  a  hope  as  He.  Help  me, 
O  Lord,  to  have  a  perfect  confidence  in  Thee, 
a  keen  desire  after  Thee,  for  then  my  hope  can- 
not fail. 

2.  What  was  the  object  of  Jesus'  hope?  It  was 
the  glory  of  His  Sacred  Humanity.  His  Human 
Nature  made  like  to  ours.  He  took  upon  Him  our 
sinful  nature,  sin  only  excepted.  On  earth  His 
Sacred  Humanity  was  in  a  state  of  exile,  in  a  con- 
dition of  servitude,  waiting  to  be  freed  from  the 
bondage  of  corruption  and  to  be  brought  into  the 
full  liberty  of  the  Eternal  Son  of  God.  So  we 
should  long  for  heaven,  and  strengthen  our  hope 
by  the  thought  of  coming  bliss. 

3.  What  was  the  glory  and  happiness  after  which 
His  Sacred  Humanity  longed  ?  It  was  no  personal 
glory  or  splendor  such  as  men  long  for  on  earth. 
It  was  an  unselfish  happiness,  the  happiness  of 
making  others  happy ;  the  glory  of  seeing  around 
Him  those  whom  He  had  redeemed  from  sin  and 
death  by  all  that  He  suifered  in  His  Sacred  Hu- 
manity. It  was  on  this  that  His  hopes  were  fixed  ; 
this  was  the  joy  of  heaven  to  His  Human  Nature. 
Shall  we  in  Heaven  share  His  joy  ?  Have  we 
cause  for  hoping  that  we  shall  be  surrounded  by 
those  whom  our  prayers  or  good  example  or  labors 
have  brought  back  from  sin  ? 


FAITH   AND    HOPE. 


233 


12. — Examples  of  Hope. 

All  tlie  saints  of  God  were  full  of  liope  as  they 
were  of  faith  and  charity,  but  in  some  hope  shines 
with  especial  brilliancy  because  of  their  surround- 
ing difficulties. 

1.  Holy  Job  never  ceased  to  hope  even  when 
everything  seemed  against  him,  and  even  his 
friends  reproached  him,  and  urged  upon  him  that 
his  sufferings  were  the  due  punishment  of  his  sins. 
Amid  all  he  said :  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth."  If  we  are  patient  like  him  we  shall  have 
a  hope  like  his  amid  sorrow  and  trouble,  and  we 
may  look  forward  to  a  recompense  far  greater  than 
any  present  misery.  If  we  are  inclined  to  despond, 
we  shall  do  well  to  repeat  these  words  again  and 
again  :  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth." 

2.  Daniel  and  the  three  young  men  in  Babylon 
were  another  splendid  instance  of  hope.  When 
ordered  to  eat  the  meat  offered  to  idols,  they  chose 
instead  to  live  on  pulse  and  water,  knowing  they 
could  safely  commit  their  welfare  to  God.  When 
commanded  to  fall  down  before  the  golden  statue, 
and  threatened  with  the  fiery  furnace,  their  hope 
failed  them  not.  "  Our  God  Whom  we  worship  is 
able  to  save  us."  Daniel  when  forbidden  to  pray 
to  God  took  no  notice  of  the  command  or  the  threat 
of  exposure  to  the  lions,  knowing  that  God  would 
shut  the  lions'  mouths.  Pray  for  similar  courage 
grounded  on  hope  like  theirs. 

5.  The  Christians  praying  for  the  deliverance  of 
St.  Peter  from  prison  were  a  most  instructive 
instance  of  hope.  He  was  in  prison,  bound  to  four 
soldiers,  to  be  executed  on  the  following  day.  Yet 
they  hoped  on,  even  when  all  seemed  hopeless,  and 
prayed  when  it  appeared  useless  to  pray :  God  did 
not  disappoint  them,  but  set  St.  Peter  free  by  the 
ministry  of  an  angel. 

13. — ^Further  Examples  of  Hope. 

Hope  has  this  peculiar  to  itself,  that  we  find 
instances  of  hope  even  among  those  whose  charity 
was  still  imperfect,  and  in  whom  grace  was  only 
beginning  to  do  her  work. 

I.  St.  Mary  Magdalen  on  her  way  to  the  house 
of  the  Pharisee  where  Christ  was  invited  to  dine, 
was  full  of  hope.  In  spite  of  her  past  sins,  of  her 
habit   of    luxury,    of    her   consciousness   of    long 


estrangement  from  God,  she  hoped  and  believed 
that  at  the  feet  of  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth  she 
would  find  forgiveness  and  peace.  Nor  was  her 
hope  disappointed  ;  she  found  all  she  hoped  for,  and 
much  more  than  all.  If  she  could  thus  hope,  why 
should  I  lose  hope  ?  I  may  have  many  sins  upon 
my  soul,  but  this  is  the  very  reason  why  I  should 
hope  that,  like  hers,  they  may  be  all  forgiven. 

2.  The  good  thief  hanging  on  the  cross,  in  spite 
of  his  own  suffering  and  the  approach  of  an  agon- 
izing death,  hoped.  He  looked  forward  to  the 
future,  and  instead  of  finding  there  cause  for 
despair,  he  hoped  and  felt  certain  that  the  Son  of 
God  would  remember  him.  His  hope  failed  him 
not ;  that  very  day  he  was  received  into  Paradise. 
What  an  encouragement  this  ought  to  be  to  me ! 
Jesus  will  not  forget  even  me  if  I  humbly  beg  Him 
to  remember  me. 

3.  St.  Augustine,  even  before  his  conversion, 
never  lost  hope.  Amid  the  entangling  meshes  of 
sin,  he  looked  forward  to  the  day  of  deliverance. 
He  thirsted  after  God,  and  found  nought  else  would 
satisfy  him,  and  never  lost  sight  of  the  goal  even 
when  his  steps  wandered.  Grace  was  drawing  him 
to  God  as  it  is  drawing  me,  if  only  I  will  do  my 
part.  What  reason  then  I  have  to  hope!  Help 
me,  O  God,  to  hope  always,  and  even  when  all 
seems  dark  and  gloomy  ! 

14. — ^The  Happiness  of  Hope. 

1.  There  are  two  kinds  of  happiness  :  the  happi- 
ness of  present  enjoyment  and  the  happiness  of 
hope.  The  one  reposes  in  the  present ;  makes  the 
most  of  it ;  sucks  out  of  it  all  the  enjoyment  pos- 
sible and  banishes  all  thought  of  the  future.  This 
is  the  happiness  that  is  to  come  entirely  within 
reach  of  all,  even  the  worst.  It  is  a  low  kind  of 
happiness,  essentially  of  the  earth,  earthy,  but  still 
some  seem  to  be  satisfied  with  it.  There  are  many 
men  and  women  selfish,  proud,  impure,  disobedient 
to  conscience,  and  the  enemies  of  God  who  are 
apparently  quite  content  with  the  happiness  of 
present  enjoyment. 

2.  The  happiness  of  hope,  on  the  other  hand, 
does  not  derive  its  consolations  from  the  present, 
but  from  the  future.  It  is  ready  to  forego  the  im- 
mediate satisfaction  of  the  moment,  for  the  sake  of 


240 


FAITH    AND    HOPE. 


a  far  higher  and  nobler  satisfaction  hereafter.  It 
takes  a  sort  of  strange  pleasure  in  present  sorrows, 
if  out  of  them  it  sees  that  joy  will  afterwards 
result.  This  is  the  happiness  that  alone  deserves 
the  name  in  this  present  life.  This  is  the  happi- 
ness of  the  saints  and  of  all  who  fear  God, 

3.  This  latter  happiness  is  only  possible  if  our 
affections  are  set  on  the  things  of  heaven,  not  on 
those  of  earth.  On  this  all  depends.  Without  it 
we  never  can  have  the  happiness  of  hope,  for  it  is 
only  in  heaven  that  we  can  hope  for  happiness 
when  life  is  over.  Where  our  treasure  is,  there 
will  our  heart  be  also,  and  our  happiness  even  here 
will  be  assured  by  our  firm  conviction  that  our 
desires  and  longings  will  be  fulfilled.  Which  is 
the  happiness  at  which  I  am  aiming  ? 

15. — Hope  in  Purgatory. 

1.  St.  Augustine  tells  us  that  the  fire  of  Purga- 
tory is  of  the  same  nature  as  the  fire  of  Hell,  and 
consequently  the  sufferings  of  the  Holy  Souls  in 
Purgatory  do  not  differ  in  kind  to  those  of  the  lost. 
Yet  those  who  are  paying  the  penalty  of  sins, 
repented  of,  but  not  fullj  expiated,  are  supremely 
happy  amid  their  sufierings,  while  those  who  are 
undergoing  the  punishment  of  unrepented  sin  are 
supremely  miserable.  God  grant  that  I  may  not 
depart  with  any  serio  is  sin  still  unrepented  of,  for 
this  will  be  to  die  without  hope  and  with  the  pros- 
pect of  the  flames  of  hell  forever. 

2.  The  chief  agony  of  hell  is  the  absence  of  hope. 
To  all  eternity  their  anguish  will  continue  the  same. 
The  gnawing  worm  of  remorse  will  gnaw  forever ; 
the  torturing  flames  will  never  lose  their  power  to 
torment.  But  in  Purgatory,  instead  of  hopelessness 
and  despair,  there  is  a  hope  and  confidence  in  God, 
surpassing  altogether  the  hope  and  confidence  even 
of  the  saints  on  earth.  There  is  the  absolute 
certainity  of  eternal  happiness  ;  a  bright  light  in 
the  distance  lighting  up  the  gloom  of  their  prison- 
house, 

3.  The  Holy  Souls  in  Purgatory  are  thus  happier 
than   any,  save   the   redeemed   in  heaven.     They 


have  not  the  happiness  of  present  enjoyment,  on 
the  contrary,  they  are  plunged  in  sadness  and  suf- 
fering unspeakable.  But  all  through  those  weary 
years  they  are  consoled  by  the  thought  of  the  future 
joy,  and  the  time  of  waiting  seems  unspeakably 
long  and  tedious.  Yet  they  are  supported  by  the 
happiness  of  hope ;  and  while  they  cry,  "  How 
long,  O  Lord,  how  long  ?  "  they  know  that  they 
are  on  the  border-land  of  heaven,  and  that  nothing 
can  hinder  them  from  entering  in. 

16. — The  Consummation  of  Hope. 

1.  Hope  is  necessarily  something  imperfect.  It 
implies  that  we  lack  something  that  we  desire,  and 
that  we  are  not  able  to  attain  it.  It  only  exists  in 
virtue  of  expected  blessings  which  are  at  present 
out  of  our  reach.  It  is  therefore  the  virtue  of  a 
state  of  transition,  not  of  a  permanent  condition. 
It  is  unsatisfactory  in  itself,  its  value  is  only  on 
account  of  something  beyond  and  outside  of  itself 
to  which  it  points.  It  is  a  virtue  suitable  for  the 
earth  ot  Purgatory,  not  for  heaven. 

2.  But  will  hope  never  be  perfected  ?  It  will  be 
consummated,  not  perfected.  Its  consummation 
will  consist  in  the  step  from  the  anticipation  of  a 
perfect  joy  to  the  full  possession  of  the  joy  to  which 
we  have  looked  forward.  Such  a  fulfilment  of  hope 
falls  to  the  lot  of  the  dying  saint  who  knows  that 
he  will  enter  at  once  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord  ;  and 
the  happy  soul  to  whom  its  Angel  Guardian  has  an- 
nounced that  the  moment  of  its  release  draws  nigh. 

3.  There  will  be  hope  even  in  heaven  until  the 
final  Judgment  shall  arrive,  for  the  souls  of  the 
redeemed  do  not  attain  the  perfection  of  their  reward 
until  their  bodies  share  their  triumph.  Amid  their 
present  joy  in  heaven  they  have  still  fresh  joy  to 
look  forward  to,  when  they  will  be  united  to  their 
glorified  bodies,  and  with  them  will  reign  forever 
in  the  presence  of  God,  After  this  their  happiness 
will  be  complete,  and  they  will  have  nothing  further 
to  desire  or  hope  for.  May  God  grant  to  me  this 
happy  consummation  of  my  hope,  and  my  longing 
after  Him  1 


THS  RESURRECTION 


THB 


Gospel  Story  of  the  Passion  off  Our  Lord/ 


Con^piled  by  t\ie  Rev.  ^rtl^ur  I(yaii. 


I. — The  Last  Supper. 

St.  Matt,  xxvi.,  St.  Mark  xiv.,  St.  Luke  xxii.,  St.  John  xiii. 

The  feast  of  unleavened  bread,  which  is  called 
the  Pasch,  was  at  hand,  and  Jesiis  said  to  His  dis- 
ciples :  You  know  that  after  two  days  shall  be  the 
Pasch,  and  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  delivered  up 
to  be  crucified.  Then  were  gathered  together  the 
chief  priests  and  scribes  and  ancients  of  the  people 
into  the  court  of  the  high  priest,  who  w^as  called 
Caiphas,  and  they  consulted  together  and  sought 
how  by  subtilty  they  might  apprehend  Jesus  and 
put  Him  to  death  ;  but  they  feared  the  people,  and 
they  said :  Not  on  the  festival-day,  lest  perhaps 
there  should  be  a  tumult  among  the  people. 

Now  Satan  entered  into  Judas,  who  was  sur- 
named  Iscariot,  one  of  the  twelve,  and  he  went  and 
discoursed  with  the  chief  priests  and  magistrates 
how  he  might  betray  Him  to  them.  And  he  said 
to  them  :  What  will  you  give  to  me,  and  I  will 
deliver  Him  unto  you  ?  And  they,  hearing  it,  were 
glad,  and  promised  and  covenanted  to  give  him 
mone3^  And  they  appointed  him  thirty  pieces  of 
silver.  And  he  promised ;  and  from  thenceforth 
he  sought  opportunity  to  betray  Him  in  the  absence 
of  the  multitude. 

Now,  the  day  of  the  unleavened  bread  came,  on 
which  it  was  necessary  that  the  Pasch  should  be 
killed.  And  on  the  first  day  when  they  sacrificed 
the  Pasch,  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus  saying  to 
Him  :  Whither  wilt  Thou  that  we  go  and  prepare 
for  Thee  to  eat  the  Pasch  ?  And  He  sendeth  two 
of  His  disciples,  Peter  and  John,  saying :  Go  and 
prepare  for  us  the  Pasch,  that  we  may  eat.  But 
they  said :  What  wilt  Thou  that  we  prepare  ?  And 
Jesus  said  to  them :  Go  ye  into  the  city ;  and  behold, 
as  ye  go  in,  there  shall  meet  you  a  certain  man  car- 

*  Everj  important  word  found  in  the  Gospel  narratives  of  the 
Passion  has  been  used  in  this   "  Story,"  and  no  other  word  has 
been  added.     Hence  on  every  word  in  these  pages  the  devout 
reader  may  rest  as  on  a  word  of  the  Inspired  Text. 
16 


rying  a  pitcher  of  water ;  follow  him  into  the  house 
where  he  entereth  in,  and  you  shall  say  to  the  good 
man  of  the  house  :  The  Master  saith  to  thee  :  My 
time  is  near  at  hand  :  with  thee  I  make  the  Pasch ; 
where  is  My  refectory,  the  guest-chamber  where  1 
may  eat  the  Pasch  with  My  disciples  ?  And  he 
will  show  you  a  large  dining-room,  furnished,  and 
there  prepare  ye  for  us. 

And  His  disciples,  going  their  way,  did  as  Jesus 
appointed  to  them,  and  came  into  the  city  and  found 
as  He  had  told  them ;  and  they  prepared  the 
Pasch.  And  when  evening  was  come  before  the 
festival  day  of  the  Pasch,  Jesus,  knowing  that  His 
hour  was  come  that  He  should  pass  out  of  this 
world  to  the  Father,  having  loved  His  own  who 
were  in  the  world.  He  loved  them  unto  the  end. 
And  He  sat  down  and  His  twelve  Apostles  with 
Him,  and  He  said  to  them :  With  desire  I  have 
desired  to  eat  this  Pasch  with  you  before  I  suffer ; 
for  I  say  to  you,  that  from  this  time  I  will  not  eat 
it,  till  it  be  fulfilled  in  the  Kingdom  of  God.  And 
having  taken  the  chalice  He  gave  thanks  and  said: 
Take  and  divide  it  among  you.  For  I  say  to  you, 
that  I  will  not  drink,  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  till 
the  Kingdom  of  God  come. 

And  when  supper  was  done  (the  devil  having 
now  put  into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of 
Simon,  to  betray  Him),  knowing  that  the  Father 
had  given  Him  all  things  into  His  hands,  and  that 
He  came  from  God  and  goeth  to  God,  He  riseth  up 
from  supper,  and  layeth  aside  His  garments,  and 
having  taken  a  towel,  girded  Himself.  After  that. 
He  putteth  water  into  a  basin,  and  began  to  wash 
the  feet  of  the  disciples,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the 
towel  wherewith  He  was  girded.  He  cometh,  there- 
fore to  Simon  Peter,  and  Peter  saith  to  Him  :  Lord, 
dost  Thou  wash  my  feet  ?  Jesus  answered  and 
said  to  him  :  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but 
thou  shalt  know  hereafter.  Peter  saith  to  Him: 
Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet.    Jesus  answered 

241 


242 


THE   GOSPEL  STORY   OF   THE   PASSION   OF   OUR    LORD. 


him :  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  shalt  have  no  part 
with  Me.  Simon  Peter  saith  to  Him :  Lord,  not 
only  my  feet,  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head. 
Jesus  saith  to  him  :  He  that  is  washed  needeth  not 
but  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  wholly.  And  you 
are  clean,  but  not  all.  For  He  knew  who  he  was 
that  would  betray  Him ;  therefore  He  said  :  You 
are  not  all  clean. 

Then  after  He  had  washed  their  feet  and  taken 
His  garment,  being  sat  down  again.  He  said  to 
them  :  Know  j'^ou  what  I  have  done  to  you  ?  You 
call  Me  Master  and  Lord :  and  you  say  well,  for  so 
I  am.  If  I  then,  being  your  Lord  and  Master,  have 
washed  your  feet,  you  also  ought  to  wash  one 
another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you  an  example, 
that  as  I  have  done  to  you,  so  you  do  also.  Amen, 
amen,  I  say  to  you  :  The  servant  is  not  greater 
than  his  lord ;  neither  is  the  Apostle  greater  than 
He  that  sent  him.  If  you  know  these  things,  you 
shall  be  blessed  if  you  do  them.  I  speak  not  of  you 
all :  I  know  whom  I  have  chosen :  but  that  the 
Scripture  may  be  fulfilled :  "  He  that  eateth  bread 
with  Me,  shall  lift  up  his  heel  against  Me."  At 
present  I  tell  you,  before  it  come  to  pass,  that 
when  it  shall  come  to  pass  you  may  believe  that  I 
am  He.  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you,  he  that 
receiveth  whomsoever  I  send,  receiveth  Me,  and  he 
that  receiveth  Me,  receiveth  Him  that  sent  Me 

When  Jesus  had  said  these  things,  He  was 
troubled  in  spirit,  and  when  they  were  at  table  and 
eating  He  testified  and  said :  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to 
you,  one  of  you,  that  eateth  with  Me,  is  about  to 
betray  Me.  But  the  disciples,  being  very  much 
troubled,  began  to  be  sorrowful,  and  looked  one 
upon  another,  doubting  of  whom  He  spoke.  And 
they  began  to  say  to  Him,  one  by  one :  Is  it  I 
Lord  ?  But  He  answering  saith :  One  of  the 
twelve,  who  dippeth  with  Me  his  hand  in  the  dish, 
he  shall  betray  Me.  And  whilst  they  were  at 
supper  and  eating,  Jesus  took  bread,  and  giving 
thanks,  blessed,  and  broke,  and  gave  to  his  disciples, 
saying :  Take  ye  and  eat :  this  is  My  Body  which 
is  given  for  you :  do  this  for  a  commemoration  of 
Me.  And  taking  in  like  manner  the  chalice  also 
after  He  had  supped.  He  gave  thanks  and  gave  to 
them,  saying  :  Drink  ye  all  of  this.  And  they  all 
drank  of  it.     And  He  said  to  them :  This  is  the 


chalice,  My  Blood  of  the  New  Testament — the 
New  Testament  in  My  Blood — which  shall  be  shed 
for  you  and  for  many  unto  the  remission  of  sins. 
But  yet,  behold,  the  hand  of  him  that  betrayeth 
Me  is  with  Me  on  the  table.  And  the  Son  of  Man 
indeed  goeth,  according  to  that  which  is  determined, 
as  it  is  written  of  Him.  But  yet,  woe  to  that  man 
by  whom  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  betrayed :  it 
were  better  for  him  if  that  man  had  not  been  born. 

And  they  began  to  enquire  among  themselves 
which  of  them  it  was  that  should  do  this  thing. 
And  there  was  also  a  strife  amongst  them  which  of 
them  should  seem  to  be  greater.  And  He  said  to 
them  :  The  kings  of  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over  them, 
and  they  that  have  power  over  them  are  called 
beneficent.  But  you  not  so,  but  he  that  is  the 
greater  among  you,  let  him  become  as  the  younger  ; 
and  he  that  is  the  leader  as  he  that  serveth.  For 
which  is  greater — he  that  sitteth  at  table,  or  he  that 
serveth  ?  Is  not  he  that  sitteth  at  table  ?  But  I 
am  in  the  midst  of  you  as  he  that  serveth.  And 
you  are  they  who  have  continued  with  Me  in  My 
temptations :  and  I  dispose  to  you,  as  My  Father 
hath  disposed  to  Me,  a  kingdom  ;  that  you  may  eat 
and  drink  at  My  table  in  My  kingdom ;  and  may 
sit  upon  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel. 

Now,  there  was  leaning  on  Jesus's  bosom  one  of 
His  disciples,  whom  Jesus  loved.  Simon  Peter  there- 
fore beckoned  to  him,  and  said  to  him  :  Who  is  it  of 
whom  He  speaketh  ?  He  therefore,  leaning  on  the 
breast  of  Jesus,  saith  to  Him  :  Lord,  who  is  it  ? 
Jesus  answered :  He  it  is  to  whom  I  shall  reach 
bread,  dipped.  And  when  He  had  dipped  the 
bread.  He  gave  it  to  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of 
Simon.  And  Judas  said :  Is  it  I,  Rabbi  ?  Jesus 
saith  to  him :  Thou  hast  said  it.  And  after  the 
morsel,  Satan  entered  into  him.  And  Jesus  said  to 
him :  That  which  thou  dost,  do  quickly.  Now  no 
man  at  the  table  knew  to  what  purpose  He  said 
this  unto  him.  For  some  thought,  because  Judas 
had  the  purse,  that  Jesus  had  said  to  him  :  Buy 
those  things  which  we  have  need  of  for  the  festival 
day  ;  or  that  he  should  give  something  to  the  poor. 
He,  therefore,  having  received  the  morsel,  went  out 
immediately.     And  it  was  night. 

When  he,  theiefore,  was  gone  out,  Jesus  said: 


THE   GOSPEL   STORY   OF   THE   PASSION    OF   OUR    LORD. 


243 


Now  is  the  Son  of  Man  glorified,  and  God  is  glori- 
fied in  Him.  If  God  be  glorified  in  Him,  God  also 
will  glorify  Him  in  Himself  :  and  immediately  will 
He  glorify  Him.  Little  children,  yet  a  little  while 
I  am  with  you.  You  shall  seek  Me,  and,  as  I  said 
to  the  Jews :  Whither  I  go  you  cannot  come :  so  I 
say  to  you  now.  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto 
you :  That  you  love  one  another,  as  I  have  loved 
you,  that  you  also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall 
all  men  know  that  you  are  IVIy  disciples,  if  you  have 
love  one  for  another.  Simon  Peter  saith  to  Him  : 
Lord,  whither  goest  Thou  ?  Jesus  answered : 
Whither  I  go  thou  canst  not  follow  Me  now,  but 
thou  shalt  follow  hereafter. 

Peter  saith  to  Him  :  Why  cannot  I  follow  Thee 
now  ?  And  the  Lord  said  :  Simon,  Simon,  behold 
Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift 
you  as  wheat.  But  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that 
thy  faith  fail  not :  and  thou,  being  once  converted, 
confirm  thy  brethren.  Who  said  to  Him  :  Lord  I 
am  ready  to  go  with  Thee  both  into  prison  and  to 
death:  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  Thee.  Jesus 
answered  him :  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for 
Me  ?  Amen,  I  say  to  thee,  Peter,  the  cock  shall 
not  crow  this  day,  till  thou  thrice  deniest  that  thou 
knowest  Me.  And  He  said  to  them  :  When  I  sent 
you  without  purse  and  scrip  and  shoes,  did  you 
want  anything  ?     But  they  said  :  Nothing. 

Then,  said  He  unto  them  :  But  now,  he  that  hath 
a  purse  let  him  take  it,  and  likewise  a  scrip :  and 
he  that  hath  not,  let  him  sell  his  coat  and  buy 
a  sword.  For  I  say  to  you,  that  this  that  is  written 
must  yet  be  fulfilled  in  Me,  "  and  with  the  wicked 
was  He  reckoned."  For  the  things  concerning  Me 
have  an  end.  But  they  said :  Lord,  behold,  here 
are  two  swords.  And  He  said  to  them :  It  is 
enough. 

II. — Gethsemani. 

St.  Matt,  xxvi.,  St.  Mark  xiv.,  St.  Luke  xxii.,  St.  John  xviii. 
And  when  Jesus  had  said  these  things,  and  when 
they  said  a  hymn,  going  out.  He  went,  according 
to  His  custom,  to  the  Mount  of  Olives.  And  His 
disciples  also  followed  Him.  And  Jesus  saith  to 
them  :  You  will  all  be  scandalized  in  Me  this  night : 
for  it  is  written,  "  I  will  strike  the  shepherd,  and 
the  sheep  of  the  flock  shall  be  dispersed."  But 
,  after  I  shall  be  risen  again  I  will  go  before  you  into 


Galilee.  But  Peter  saith  to  Him :  Although  all 
shall  be  scandalized  in  Thee,  I  never  will  be  scan- 
dalized :  not  I.  And  Jesus  saith  to  him  :  Amen,  I 
say  to  thee,  to-day,  even  in  this  night,  before  the 
cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt  deny  Me  thrice.  But 
he  spoke  the  more  vehemently  :  Although  I  should 
die  together  with  Thee,  I  will  not  deny  Thee.  And 
in  like  manner  also  said  they  all. 

Then  Jesus  came  with  them  over  the  brook 
Cedron  into  a  country  place,  to  a  farm  which  is 
called  Gethsemani,  where  there  was  a  garden  into 
which  He  entered  with  His  disciples.  And  when 
He  had  arrived  at  the  place,  He  said  to  them : 
Pray,  lest  ye  enter  into  temptation.  Sit  ye  here, 
till  I  go  yonder  and  pray.  And  He  taketh  with 
Him  Peter,  and  James  and  John,  the  two  sons  of 
Zebedee,  and  He  began  to  grow  sorrowful  and  to  be 
sad,  to  fear  and  to  be  heavy.  Then  He  saith  to 
them :  My  soul  is  sorrowful,  even  unto  death : 
stay  you  here  and  watch  with  He.  And  going  a 
little  further,  He  was  withdrawn  away  from  them  a 
stone's  cast :  and  kneeling  down  He  fell  upon  His 
face  flat  on  the  ground,  and  He  prayed  that,  if  it 
might  be^  the  hour  might  pass  from  Him. 

And  He  said  :  Abba,  Father,  all  things  are  pos- 
sible to  Thee  :  My  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  if  Thou 
wilt,  remove  this  chalice,  let  it  pass  from  Me ;  never- 
theless, not  My  will  but  Thine  be  done.  And  He 
Cometh  to  His  disciples,  and  findeth  them  asleep, 
and  He  saith  :  What  ?  could  ye  not  watch  one  hour 
with  Me  ?  And  He  saith  to  Peter :  Simon,  sleepest 
thou  ?  Couldst  thou  not  watch  one  hour  ?  Watch 
ye  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation. 
The  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak. 
Again,  the  second  time.  He  went  and  prayed, 
saying  the  same  wferds :  My  Father,  if  this  chalice 
may  not  pass  away  but  I  must  drink  it.  Thy  will 
be  done.  And  returning,  He  cometh  again  and 
findeth  them  sleeping,  for  their  eyes  were  heavy  : 
and  they  knew  not  what  to  answer  Him.  And 
leaving  them.  He  went  again  and  prayed  the  third 
time,  saying  the  selfsame  words.  And  there 
appeared  to  Him  an  angel  from  heaven,  strength- 
ening Him.  And  being  in  an  agony.  He  prayed 
the  longer,  and  His  sweat  became  as  drops  of  blood, 
trickling  down  upon  the  ground. 

Then  when  He  rose   up  from  prayer,  and  was 


244 


THE   GOSPEL   STORY   OF   THE    PASSION   OF   OUR    LORD. 


come  for  the  third  time  to  His  disciples,  He  found 
them  sleeping  for  sorrow.  And  He  said  to  them  : 
Why  sleep  you  ?  Sleep  you  now  and  take  your 
rest.  It  is  enough.  Behold,  the  hour  is  at  hand, 
the  hour  has  come,  and  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be 
betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinners.  Rise,  pray  lest 
you  enter  into  temptation.  Let  us  go :  behold  he 
that  will  betray  Me  is  near  at  hand.  Judas  also 
who  betrayed  Him,  knew  the  place  :  because  Jesus 
had  often  resorted  thither  together  with  His  dis- 
ciples. Judas,  therefore,  having  received  a  band  of 
soldiers,  and  servants  from  the  chief  priests  and  the 
Pharisees,  cometh  thither  with  lanterns  and  torches 
and  weapons.  And  while  Jesus  was  yet  speaking, 
behold  Judas  Iscariot,  one  of  the  twelve,  came,  and 
with  him  a  great  multitude  with  swords  and  clubs 
and  staves,  sent  from  the  chief  priests  and  the 
scribes  and  the  ancients  of  the  people,  and  he  that 
was  called  Judas,  one  of  the  twelve,  went  before 
them. 

And  the  traitor  had  given  them  a  sign,  saying  : 
Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  is  He  ;  lay  hold  on 
Him,  and  lead  Him  away  carefully.  And  when  he 
WAS  come,  immediately  going  up  to  Jesus,  he  said  : 
Hail,  Rabbi!  And  he  drew  near  to  Jesus  to  kiss 
Him,  and  he  kissed  Him.  And  Jesus  said  to  him  : 
Friend,  whereto  art  thou  come  ?  Judas,  dost  thou 
betray  the  Son  of  Man  with  a  kiss  ?  Jesus,  there- 
fore, knowing  all  things  that  should  come  upon 
Him,  went  forth,  and  said  to  them  :  Whom  seek 
ye  ?  They  answered  Him :  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 
Jesus  saith  to  them  :  I  am  He.  And  Judas,  also, 
who  betrayed  Him,  stood  with  them.  As .  soon, 
therefore,  as  He  had  said  to  them,  I  am  He,  the). 
went  backwards,  and  fell  to  the  ground.  Again, 
therefore,  He  asked  them  :  Whom  seek  ye  ?  And 
they  said :  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Jesus  answered :  I 
have  told  you  that  I  am  He.  If,  therefore,  you 
seek  Me,  let  these  go  their  way  ;  that  the  word 
might  be  fulfilled  which  He  said  :  Of  them  whom 
Thou  hast  given  Me,  I  have  not  lost  any  one. 

And  they  that  were  about  Him,  seeing  what 
would  follow,  said  to  Him :  Lord,  shall  we  strike 
with  the  sword  ?  And  behold,  one  of  them  that 
were  with  Jesus,  Simon  Peter,  having  a  sword, 
stretching  forth  his  hand,  and  striking  the  servant 
of  the  high  priest,  cut  off  his  right  ear :  and  the 


servant's  name  was  Malchus.  But  Jesus  answer- 
ing, said :  Suffer  ye  thus  far.  And  when  He  had 
touched  his  ear,  He  healed  him.  Then  Jesus  said 
to  Peter :  Put  up  thy  sword  again  into  its  place, 
iuto  the  scabbard ;  for  all  that  take  the  sword  shall 
perish  with  the  sword.  Thinkest  thou  that  I  can- 
not ask  My  Father,  and  He  will  give  Me  presently 
more  than  twelve  legions  of  Angels?  But  how, 
then,  shall  the  Scriptures  be  fulfilled,  that  so  it 
must  be  done  ?  The  chalice  which  My  Father  hath 
given  Me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ? 

Then  they  came  up,  and  laid  hands  on  Jesus,  and 
held  Him.  In  that  same  hour,  Jesus  said  to  the 
multitudes,  to  the  chief  priests,  and  magistrates  of 
the  Temple,  and  the  ancients  that  were  come  unto 
Him  :  Are  you  come  out  as  it  were  to  a  robber,  with 
swords  and  clubs  to  apprehend  Me  ?  When  I  was 
daily  with  you  in  the  Temple,  teaching,  you  did  not 
stretch  forth  your  hands  against  Me,  you  did  not 
lay  hands  on  Me.  All  this  has  been  done,  that  the 
Scriptures  of  the  prophets  may  be  fulfilled  :  this  is 
your  hour,  and  the  power  of  darkness.  Then  the 
band  and  the  tribune  and  the  servants  of  the  Jews 
took  Jesus  and  bound  Him.  Then  all  His  disciples, 
leaving  Him,  fled  away.  And  a  certain  young  man 
followed  Him,  having  a  linen  cloth  cast  about  his 
naked  body  ;  and  they  laid  hold  on  him.  But  he, 
casting  off  the  linen  cloth,  fled  from  them  naked. 
But  they  holding  Jesus,  led  Him  to  the  house  of 
Caiphas,  the  high  priest. 

in. — Jesus  Before  the  Priests. 

St.  Matt,  xxvi.,  St.  Mark  xiv.,  St.  Luke  xxii.,  St.  John  xviii. 

And  they  led  Him  away  to  Annas  first,  for  he 
■vas  father-in-law  to  Caiphas  who  was  the  high 
priest  of  that  year.  Now,  Caiphas  was  he  who  had 
given  the  counsel  to  the  Jews  :  That  it  was  expedi- 
ent that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people.  The 
high  priest,  therefore,  asked  Jesus  of  His  disciples 
and  of  His  doctrine.  Jesus  answered  him  :  I  have 
spoken  openly  to  the  world :  I  have  always  taught 
in  the  synagogue  and  in  the  temple,  whither  all  the 
Jews  resort ,  and  in  secret  I  have  spoken  nothing. 
Why  askest  thou  Me  ?  Ask  them  who  have  heard 
what  I  have  spoken  unto  them  :  behold,  the}'  know 
what  things  I  have  said.  And  when  He  had  said 
these  things,  one  of  the  servants  standing  by  gave 
Jesus  a  blow,   saying :  Answerest  thou   the  high 


THE   GOSPEL   STORY   OF   THE    PASSION    OF   OUR    LORD. 


245 


priest  so  ?  Jesus  answered  him  :  If  I  have  spoken 
evil,  give  testimony  of  the  evil :  but  if  well,  why 
strikest  thou  Me  ? 

Aud  Annas  sent  Him  bound  to  Caiphas,  the 
high  priest :  and  all  the  priests  and  the  scribes  and 
the  ancients  assembled  together.  And  Simon  Peter 
followed  Him  afar  off,  and  another  disciple,  even  to 
the  court  of  the  high  priest.  And  that  disciple 
was  known  to  the  high  priest,  and  went  in  with 
Jesus  into  the  court  of  the  high  priest.  But  Peter 
stood  at  the  door  without.  The  other  disciple, 
therefore,  who  was  known  to  the  high  priest,  went 
out  and  spoke  to  the  portress  and  brought  in  Peter. 
And  he,  going  in,  into  the  court,  sat  with  the  ser- 
vants at  the  fire  that  he  might  see  the  end.  For 
they  had  kindled  a  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  hall, 
and  were  sitting  about  it :  and  Peter  was  in  the 
midst  of  them,  and  was  warming  himself. 

And  the  chief  priests  and  the  whole  council 
sought  false  witness  against  Jesus,  that  they  might 
put  Him  to  death.  And  they  found  none,  whereas 
many  false  witnesses  had  come  in.  For  many  bore 
false  witness  against  Him,  and  their  evidences  were 
not  agreeing.  And  last  of  all  there  came  two  false 
witnesses  ;  and  they  said :  This  Man  said,  for  we 
heard  Him  say,  I  am  able  to  destp^  the  Temple  of 
God,  and  after  three  days  to  rebuild  it :  I  will 
destroy  this  temple  made  with  hands,  and  within 
three  days  I  will  build  another  not  made  with 
hands.  And  their  witness  did  not  agree.  And  the 
high  priest,  rising  up  in  the  midst,  asked  Jesus 
saying :  Answerest  Thou  nothing  to  the  things 
that  are  laid  to  Thy  charge  by  these  men  ?  But 
Jesus  held  His  peace,  and  answered  nothing. 

Again  the  high  priest  asked  Him,  and  he  said  to 
Him  :  I  adjure  Thee  by  the  living  God,  that  Thou 
tell  us  if  Thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  blessed 
God.  And  Jesus  saith  to  him  :  Thou  hast  said  it : 
I  am.  Nevertheless  I  say  to  you,  hereafter  you 
shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  power  of  God,  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven.  Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  garments, 
saying :  He  hath  blasphemed :  what  further  need 
have  we  of  witnesses  ?  Behold,  now  you  have 
heard  the  blasphemy  :  what  think  you  ?  But  they 
all  answering  condemned  Him  and  said :  He  is 
guilty  of  death. 


Then  the  men  that  held  Him,  mocked  Him : 
And  some  began  to  spit  on  Him,  and  to  cover  His 
face,  and  to  buffet  Him.  They  spat  on  His  face, 
and  others  smote  His  face  with  the  palms  of  their 
hands,  saying  :  Prophesy  unto  us,  O  Christ,  who  is 
he  that  struck  Thee.  And  the  servants  struck 
Him  with  the  palms  of  their  hands.  And  blas- 
pheming, many  other  things  they  said  against  Him. 
But  Peter  sat  without  in  the  court :  and  there  came 
to  him  one  of  the  servant-maids  of  the  high  priest, 
the  maid  that  was  portress  ;  and  when  she  had  seen 
Peter  sitting  at  the  light,  warming  himself,  looking 
on  him,  she  said :  Thou  also  wast  with  the  Gali- 
lean, Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Art  not  thou  also  one  of 
this  Man's  disciples  ?  But  he  denied  Him  before 
them  all,  saying :  I  am  not,  woman,  I  know  Him 
not :  I  neither  know  nor  understand  what  thou 
sayest.  And  he  went  forth  before  the  court,  and 
the  cock  crew.  And  again  another  maid-servant, 
seeing  him  as  he  went  out  of  the  gate,  began  to  say 
to  the  standers-by  there :  This  is  one  of  them. 
This  man  also  was  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Now,  after  a  little  while,  the  servants  and  min- 
isters stood  at  a  fire  of  coals,  because  it  was  cold, 
and  warmed  themselves.  And  with  them  was  Peter 
also  standing  and  warming  himself.  They  said, 
therefore,  to  him  :  Art  not  thou  also  one  of  His 
disciples  ?  And  another,  seeing  him,  said  ;  Thou 
also  art  one  of  them.  But  Peter  again  denied,  and 
said,  with  an  oath  :  O  man  I  am  not :  I  know  not 
the  Man.  And  after  a  little  while,  the  space,  as  it 
were,  of  one  hour,  they  that  stood  by  came  and  said 
to  Peter  :  Surely  thou  also  art  one  of  them,  for  thou 
also  art  a  Galilean  ;  even  thy  speech  doth  discover 
thee.  And  another  certain  man  afl&rmed,  saying :  Of 
a  truth,  this  man  was  also  with  Him,  for  he  is  also 
a  Galilean.  And  one  of  the  servants  of  the  high 
priest  (a  kinsman  of  him  whose  ear  Peter  had  cut 
off) ,  saith  to  him  :  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden 
with  Him  ?  But  Peter  again  denied :  he  began  to 
curse  and  to  swear  that  he  knew  not  the  Man  ,  I 
know  not  this  Man  of  Whom  you  speak ;  man,  I 
know  not  what  thou  sayest. 

And  immediately,  while  he  was  yet  speaking,  the 
cock  crew  again.  And  the  Lord,  turning,  looked 
on  Peter.  And  Peter  remembered  the  word  that 
Jesus  had  said  unto  him  :   Before  the  cock  crow 


246 


THE   GOSPEL   STORY   OF   THE   PASSION   OF   OUR    LORD. 


twice,  thou  shalt  thrice  deny  Me.     And  he  began 
to  weep.     And,  going  out,  he  wept  bitterly. 

And  straightway  in  the  morning,  as  soon  as  it 
was  day,  all  the  chief  priests  came  together,  and 
held  a  consultation  with  the  ancients  and  the  scribes, 
and  the  whole  council,  against  Jesus,  that  they 
might  put  Him  to  death.  And  they  brought  Him 
into  their  council  saying  :  If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell 
And  He  saith  to  them :  If  I  shall  tell  you, 


us 


you  will  not  believe  Me ;  and  if  I  shall  also  ask 
you,  you  will  not  answer  Me  nor  let  Me  go.  But 
hereafter  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  sitting  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  power  of  God.  Then  said  they 
all :  Art  thou,  then,  the  Son  of  God?  Who  said: 
You  say  that  I  am.  But  they  said  :  Why  need  we 
any  further  testimony  ?  For  we  ourselves  have 
heard  it  from  His  own  mouth.  And  binding  Jesus, 
the  whole  multitude  of  them  rose  up,  and  led  Him 
from  Caiphas  to  the  governor's  hall,  and  delivered 
Him  to  Pontius  Pilate,  the  governor.  And  it  was 
morning. 

Then  Judas,  who  betrayed  Him,  seeing  that  He 
was  condemned,  repenting  himself,  brought  back 
the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  the  chief  priests  and 
ancients,  saying :  I  have  sinned  in  betraying  inno- 
cent blood.  But  they  said :  What  is  that  to  us  ? 
look  thou  to  it.  And  casting  down  the  pieces  of 
silver  in  the  Temple,  he  departed,  and  went  and 
hanged  himself  with  a  halter.  But  the  chief 
priests,  having  taken  the  pieces  of  silver,  said  :  It 
is  not  lawful  to  put  them  into  the  corbona  (treasury), 
because  it  is  the  price  of  blood.  And  after  they  had 
consulted  together,  they  bought  with  them  the  pot- 
ter's field,  to  be  a  bur^'ing-place  for  strangers.  For 
this  cause  that  field  was  called  Haceldama,  that  is, 
the  field  of.  blood,  even  to  this  day.  Then  was  ful- 
filled that  which  was  spoken  by  Jeremias,  the 
Prophet,  saying :  "And  they  took  the  thirty  pieces 
of  silver,  the  price  of  Him  that  was  prized,  whom 
thty  prized  of  the  children  of  Israel.  And  they 
gave  them  unto  the  potter's  field,  as  the  Lord 
appointed  to  me." 

V. — Jesus    Before  the  Civil  Tribunals. 

St.  Matt,  xxvii.,  St.  Mark  xv.,  St.  I^ukc  xxiii.,  St.  John  xviii. 
The  Jews  went  not  into  the  governor's  hall  that 
they  might  not  be  defiled,  but  that  they  might  eat 
the  Pasch.     Pilate,  therefore,  went  out  to  them,  and 


said  :  What  accusation  bring  you  against  this  Man  ? 
They  answered  and  said  to  him  :  If  He  were  not  a 
malefactor,  we  would  not  have  delivered  Him  up  to 
thee.  Pilate,  therefore,  said  to  them :  Take  Him 
you,  and  judge  Him  according  to  your  law.  The 
Jews,  therefore,  said  to  him  :  It  is  not  lawful  for  us 
to  put  any  man  to  death.  That  the  word  of  Jesus 
might  be  fulfilled  which  He  said,  signifying  what 
death  He  should  die. 

And  they  began  to  accuse  Him,  saying :  We 
have  found  this  Man  perverting  our  nation,  and 
forbidding  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar,  and  saying 
that  He  is  Christ  the  King.  Pilate  therefore  went 
into  the  hall  again,  and  called  Jesus,  and  Jesus 
stood  before  the  governor.  And  Pilate  asked  Him 
saying  :  Art  Thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  Jesus 
answered :  Sayest  thou  this  thing  of  thyself,  or 
have  others  told  it  thee  of  Me  ?  Pilate  answered : 
Am  I  a  Jew?  Thy  own  nation  and  the  chief 
priests  have  delivered  Thee  up  to  me :  what  hast 
Thou  done  ?  Jesus  answered :  My  Kingdom  is  not 
of  this  world.  If  My  Kingdom  were  of  this  world. 
My  servants  would  certainly  strive  that  I  should 
not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews,  but  now  My  Kingdom 
is  not  from  hence.  Pilate,  therefore,  said  to  Him : 
Art  Thou  a  King  then  ?  Jesus  answered :  Thou 
sayest  it,  I  am  a  King.  For  this  was  I  born,  and 
for  this  came  I  into  the  world ;  that  I  should  give 
testimony  to  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the 
truth,  heareth  My  voice. 

Pilate  said  to  Him  :  What  is  truth  ?  And  when 
he  had  said  this  he  went  out  again  to  the  Jews,  and 
said  to  them  :  I  find  no  cause  in  Him.  But  you 
have  a  custom,  that  I  should  release  one  unto  you 
at  the  Pasch ;  Will  you  therefore  that  I  release 
unto  you  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  Then  cried  they 
all  again,  saying:  Not  this  Man,  but  Barabbas. 
Now  Barabbas  was  a  robber.  And  Pilate  said  to 
the  chief  priests  and  to  the  multitudes  :  I  find  no 
cause  in  this  Man.  And  when  He  was  accused  by 
the  chief  priests  and  ancients,  in  many  things,  He 
answered  nothing.  Then  Pilate  again  asked  Him, 
saying :  Answerest  Thou  nothing  ?  Behold  in  how 
many  things  they  accuse  Thee.  Dost  not  thou 
hear  how  great  testimonies  they  allege  against 
Thee  ?  But  Jesus  still  answered  him  nothing  to 
any  word,  so  that  Pilate,  the  governor,  wondered 


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24*1 


exceedingly.  But  they  were  more  earnest,  saying : 
He  stirreth  up  the  people,  teaching  throughout  all 
Judea,  beginning  from  Galilee  to  this  place. 

Pilate  hearing  Galilee,  asked  if  the  Man  were  of 
Galilee  ?  And  when  he  understood  that  He  was  of 
Herod's  jurisdiction,  he  sent  Him  away  to  Herod, 
who  was  also  himself  at  Jerusalem  in  those  days. 
And  Herod,  seeing  Jesus,  was  very  glad ;  for  he 
was  desirous  for  a  long  time  to  see  Him,  because  he 
had  heard  many  things  of  Him ;  and  he  hoped  to 
see  some  sign  wrought  by  Him.  And  he  questioned 
Him  in  many  words.  But  Jesus  answered  him 
nothing.  And  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes 
stood  by,  earnestly  accusing  Him.  And  Herod 
with  his  army  set  Him  at  nought,  and  mocked  Him, 
putting  on  Him  a  white  garment,  and  sent  Him 
back  to  Pilate.  And  Herod  and  Pilate  were  made 
friends,  that  same  day ;  for  before  they  were  ene- 
mies one  to  another. 

And  Pilate,  calling  together  the  chief  priests  and 
magistrates  and  the  people,  said  to  them  :  You  have 
presented  unto  me  this  Man,  as  one  that  perverteth 
the  people ;  and  behold  I,  having  examined  Him 
before  you,  find  no  cause  in  this  Man  touching 
those  things  wherein  you  accuse  Him.  No,  nor 
Herod  either.  For  I  sent  you  to  him  and  behold 
nothing  worthy  of  death  is  done  to  Him.  I  will 
chastise  Him  therefore  and  release  Him, 

Now,  upon  the  solemn  festival-day  ;.he  governor 
was  accustomed,  of  necessity,  to  release  to  the 
people  one  of  the  prisoners,  whomsoever  they 
demanded.  And  he  had  then  a  notorious  prisoner, 
that  was  called  Barabbas,  who  was  put  into  prison 
with  some  seditious  men,  who  in  the  sedition  had 
committed  murder.  And  when  the  multitude  was 
come  up,  they  began  to  desire  that  he  would  do  as 
he  had  ever  done  unto  them.  They  therefore  being 
gathered  together,  Pilate  said :  Whom  will  you  that 
I  release  to  you,  Barabbas,  or  Jesus  that  is  called 
Christ  ?  Will  you  that  I  release  to  you  the  King 
of  the  Jews  ?  For  he  knew  that  the  chief  priests 
had  delivered  Him  up  out  of  envy.  And  as  he  was 
sitting  on  the  judgment-seat  his  wife  sent  to  him, 
saying:  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just 
j\Ian :  for  I  have  suffered  many  things  this  day  in 
a  dream  because  of  Him. 

But  the  chief  priests  and  the  ancients  moved  the 


people,  and  persuaded  them  to  ask  that  he  should 
rather  release  Barabbas  to  them,  and  make  Jesus 
away.  And  the  governor  answering,  said  to  them : 
Whether  will  you  of  the  two  to  be  released  unto 
you  ?  But  the  whole  multitude  together  cried  out, 
saying :  Barabbas :  away  with  this  Man,  and 
release  unto  us  Barabbas.  And  Pilate  again  spoke 
to  him,  desiring  to  release  Jesus.  And  he  saith  to 
them  again  :  What  shall  I  do  then  with  Jesus  that 
is  called  Christ  ?  What  will  you  that  I  do  to  the 
King  of  the  Jews  ?  But  they  all  again  cried  out, 
saying :  Crucify !  Crucify  Him !  Let  Him  be  cru- 
cified !  But  Pilate,  the  governor,  said  to  them  the 
third  time  :  Why,  what  evil  hath  this  Man  done  ? 
I  find  no  cause  of  death  in  Him  !  I  will  chastise 
Him,  and  let  Him  go.  But  they  cried  out  the 
more,  and  were  instant  with  loud  voices  requiring 
that  He  might  be  crucified :  Crucify  Him !  Let 
Him  be  crucified !     And  their  voices  prevailed. 

And  Pilate,  seeing  that  he  prevailed  nothing,  but 
that  rather  a  tumult  was  made,  being  willing  to 
satisfy  the  people,  gave  sentence  that  it  should  be 
as  they  required.  And  taking  water,  he  washed 
his  hands  before  the  people,  saying :  I  am  innocent 
of  the  Blood  of  this  just  Man  ;  look  you  to  it.  And 
the  whole  people  answering,  said :  His  Blood  be 
upon  us,  and  upon  our  children.  Then  he  released 
to  them  Barabbas,  him  who  for  murder  and  sedition 
had  been  cast  into  prison,  whom  they  had  desired ; 
but  Jesus  he  took  and  scourged,  and  delivered  unto 
them  to  be  crucified. 

Then  the  soldiers  of  the  governor,  taking  Jesus 
into  the  court  of  the  palace,  gathered  together  unto 
Him  the  whole  band  ;  and  stripping  Him,  they  put 
a  scarlet  cloak  about  Him.  And  platting  a  crown 
of  thorns,  they  put  it  Upon  His  head,  and  a  reed  in 
His  right  hand.  And  bowing  the  knee  before  Him, 
they  mocked  Him,  and  they  came  to  Him,  and  they 
began  to  salute  Him,  saying :  Hail !  King  of  the 
Jews  !  And  they  did  spit  on  Him.  And  they  took 
the  reed,  and  struck  His  head  with  it,  and  they 
gave  Him  blows,  and  bowing  their  knees,  they 
adored  Him. 

Pilate,  therefore,  went  forth  again  and  said  to 
them :  Behold,  I  bring  Him  forth  unto  you,  that 
you  may  know  that  I  find  no  cause  in  Him.  Jesus, 
therefore,  came  forth,  wearing  the  crown  of  thorns 


248 


THE   GOSPEL   STORY   OF   THE   PASSION   OF   OUR    LORD. 


and  the  purple  garment.  And  he  said  to  them : 
Behold  the  Man !  When  the  chief  priests,  there 
fore,  and  the  servants,  had  seen  Him,  they  cried 
out,  saying :  Crucify  Him  !  Crucify  Him  !  Pilate 
said  to  them  :  Take  Him  you,  and  crucify  Him,  for 
I  find  no  cause  in  Him.  The  Jews  answered  him : 
We  have  a  law ;  and  according  to  the  law  He  ought 
to  die,  because  He  made  Himself  the  Son  of  God. 
When  Pilate,  therefore,  had  heard  this  saying,  he 
feared  the  more.  And  he  entered  into  the  hall 
again,  and  he  said  to  Jesus :  Whence  art  Thou  ? 
But  Jesus  gave  him  no  answer. 

Pilate,  therefore,  said  to  Him :  Speakest  Thou 
not  to  me !  Knowest  Thou  not  that  I  have  power 
to  crucify  Thee,  and  I  have  power  to  release  Thee  ? 
Jesus  answered :  Thou  shouldst  not  have  any 
power  against  Me,  unless  it  were  given  thee  from 
above :  therefore  he  that  hath  delivered  Me  to  thee 
had  the  greater  sin.  And  from  henceforth  Pilate 
sought  to  release  Him.  But  the  Jews  cried  out, 
saying :  If  thou  release  this  Man,  thou  art  not 
Caesar's  friend :  for  whosoever  maketh  himself  a 
king  speaketh  against  Caesar.  Now,  when  Pilate 
had  heard  these  words,  he  brought  Jesus  forth,  and 
sat  down  on  the  judgment-seat  in  the  place  that  is 
called  Lithostrotos  (The  Pavement),  and  in  the 
Hebrew  Gabbatha.  And  it  was  the  Parasceve  of 
the  Pasch,  about  the  sixth  hour,  and  he  said  to  the 
Jews :  Behold  your  King.  But  they  cried  out : 
Away  with  Him  ;  away  with  Him  !  Crucify  Him ! 
Pilate  said  to  them :  Shall  I  crucify  your  King  ? 
The  chief  priests  answered  :  We  have  no  King  but 
Caesar.  Then,  therefore,  he  delivered  up  Jesus  to 
their  will  to  be  crucified. 

V. — Calvary, 

St.  Matt,  xxvii.,  St.  Mark  xv.,  St.  Luke  xxiii.,  St.  John  xix. 
After  they  had  mocked  Jesus,  they  took  off  the 
scarlet  cloak  from  Him,  and  put  on  Him  His  own 
garments,  and  took  and  led  Him  away  to  crucify 
Him.  And  bearing  His  own  Cross  He  went  forth. 
And  as  they  led  Him  away,  going  out,  they  found 
one  Simon  of  Cyrene,  who  passed  by  coming  out  of 
the  country,  the  father  of  Alexander  and  of  Rufus, 
and  they  forced  him  to  take  His  Cross,  and  they 
laid  the  Cross  on  him  to  carry  after  Jesus.  And 
there  followed  Him  a  great  multitude  of  people, 
and  of  women  who  bewailed  and  lamented  Him. 


But  Jesus  turning  to  them  said:  Daughters  of 
Jerusalem,  weep  not  over  Me,  but  weep  for  your- 
selves and  for  your  children.  For  behold  the  days 
shall  come,  wherein  they  shall  say :  Blessed  are  the 
barren  and  the  wombs  that  have  not  borne,  and  the 
paps  that  have  not  g^ven  suck.  Then  shall  they 
begin  to  say  to  the  mountains  :  Fall  upon  us  :  and 
to  the  hills  :  Cover  us.  For  if  in  the  green  wood 
they  do  these  things,  what  shall  be  done  in  the 
dry  ?  And  there  were  also  two  other  malefactors 
led  with  Him  to  be  put  to  death.  And  they  brought 
Him  to  the  place  that  is  called  in  Hebrew  Golgotha, 
which  being  interpreted  is,  the  place  of  Calvary. 
And  when  they  were  come  they  gave  Him  wine 
mingled  with  gall  and  myrrh  ;  and  when  He  had 
tasted  He  took  it  not,  and  would  not  drink. 

And  it  was  the  third  hour,  and  they  crucified 
Him  there.  And  with  Him  they  crucify  two  others, 
thieveSj  one  on  each  side ;  one  on  the  right  hand, 
and  one  on  the  left,  and  Jesus  in  the  midst.  And 
the  Scripture  was  fulfilled  which  saith :  "And  with 
the  wicked  He  was  reputed."  And  Jesus  said : 
Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do.  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title  also ;  and  they  put  it 
over  His  Head  upon  the  Cross — the  inscription  of 
His  cause  written  :  This  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
THE  King  of  the  Jews.  This  title,  therefore, 
many  of  the  Jews  did  read :  because  the  place 
where  Jesus  was  crucified  was  nigh  to  the  city ; 
and  it  was  written  over  Him  in  letters  of  Hebrew, 
Greek,  and  Latin.  Then  the  chief  priests  of  the 
Jews  said  to  Pilate  :  Write  not,  The  King  of  the 
Jews ;  but  that  He  said :  I  am  the  King  of  the 
Jews.  Pilate  answered  :  What  I  have  written,  I 
have  written.  The  soldiers,  therefore,  after  they 
had  crucified  Him,  took  and  divided  His  garments : 
(and  they  made  four  parts,  to  every  soldier  a  part.) 
And  they  cast  lots  upon  them,  what  every  man 
should  take,  and  also  on  His  coat.  Now  the  coat 
was  without  seam,  woven  from  the  top  throughout. 
They  said  then,  one  to  another  :  Let  us  not  cut  it, 
but  let  us  cast  lots  for  it  whose  it  shall  be  ;  that  the 
Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  saying :  "  They  have 
parted  My  garments  among  them ;  and  upon  My 
vesture  they  have  cast  lots."  And  the  soldiers 
indeed  did  these  things. 

And  they  sat,  and  watched  Him.     And  they  that 


THE   GOSPEL   STORY   OF   THE   PASSION   OF   OUR   LORD. 


24'j 


passed  by,  blasphemed  Him,  wagging  their  heads 
and  saying :  Vah !  Thou  that  destroyest  the 
Temple  of  God,  and  in  three  days  dost  rebuild  it, 
save  Thy  own  self :  if  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God, 
come  down  from  the  Cross.  And  the  people  stood 
beholding,  and  in  like  manner  also  the  chief  priests, 
mocking,  derided  Him,  and  said,  with  the  scribes 
and  ancients,  one  to  another :  He  saved  others  ; 
Himself  He  cannot  save :  let  Him  save  Himself,  if 
He  be  Christ,  the  elect  of  God.  If  He  be  Christ, 
the  King  of  Israel,  let  Him  now  come  down  from 
the  Cross,  that  we  may  see  and  believe  in  Him. 
He  trusted  in  God :  let  Him  now  deliver  Him,  if 
He  will  have  Him  ;  for  He  said :  I  am  the  Son  of 
God.  And  the  soldiers  also  mocked  Him,  coming 
to  Him  and  offering  Him  vinegar,  and  saying :  If 
Thou  be  the  King  of  the  Jews,  save  Thyself.  And 
the  selfsame  thing,  the  thieves  also,  that  were  cru- 
cified with  Him,  reproached  Him  with  ;  and  they 
reviled  Him.  And  one  of  these  robbers  who  were 
hanged,  blasphemed  Him,  saying :  If  Thou  be 
Christ,  save  Thyself  and  us.  But  the  other, 
answering,  rebuked  him,  saying:  Neither  dost 
thou  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  under  the  same  con- 
demnation ?  And  we  indeed  justly  ;  for  we  receive 
the  due  reward  of  our  deeds ;  but  this  Man  hath 
done  no  evil.  And  he  said  to  Jesus  :  Lord,  remem- 
ber me  when  Thou  shalt  come  into  Thy  Kingdom. 
And  Jesus  said  to  him :  Amen,  I  say  to  thee,  this 
day  thou  shalt  be  with  Me  in  Paradise. 

Now  there  stood  by  the  Cross  of  Jesus,  His 
Mother  and  His  Mother's  sister,  Mary  of  Cleophas, 
and  Mary  Magdalen.  "When  Jesus,  therefore,  had 
seen  His  Mother  and  the  disciple  standing,  whom 
He  loved.  He  saith  to  His  Mother :  Woman,  behold 
thy  Son !  After  that  He  saith  to  the  disciple : 
Behold  thy  Mother !  And  from  that  hour  the  dis- 
ciple took  her  to  his  own. 

Now  it  was  almost  the  sixth  hour.  And  when 
the  sixth  hour  was  come,  there  was  darkness  over 
the  whole  earth  until  the  ninth  hour.  And  the 
sun  was  darkened.  And  about  the  ninth  hour, 
Jesus  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  saying :  Eloi, 
Eloi,  lamma  sabacthani !  Which  is,  being  inter- 
preted :  My  God,  My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken 
Me  ?  And  some  of  the  standers-by,  hearing,  said  : 
Behold,  this  Man  calleth  Elias.     Afterwards,  Jesus 


knowing  that  all  things  were  now  accomplished, 
that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  said  :  I  thirst. 
Now  there  was  a  vessel  set  there,  full  of  vinegar. 
And  immediately  one  of  them  running,  took  a 
sponge,  and  filled  it  with  vinegar  about  hyssop, 
and  putting  it  on  a  reed  put  it  to  His  mouth  and 
gave  Him  to  drink.  And  the  others  said  :  Let  be, 
let  us  see  whether  Elias  will  come  to  take  Him 
down  and  deliver  Him.  When  Jesus,  therefore, 
had  taken  the  vinegar.  He  said :  It  is  consum- 
mated. And  Jesus  again  crying  out  with  a  loud 
voice,  said :  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend 
My  spirit.  And  saying  this,  and  bowing  his  head. 
He  gave  up  the  ghost. 

And  behold,  the  veil  of  the  Temple  was  rent  in 
two  in  the  midst,  from  the  top  even  to  the  bottom, 
and  the  earth  quaked  and  the  rocks  were  rent. 
And  the  graves  were  opened ;  and  many  bodies  of 
the  saints  that  had  slept,  arose,  and  coming  out  of 
the  tombs  after  His  Resurrection,  came  into  the  Holy 
City,  and  appeared  to  many.  Now  the  centurion, 
and  they  that  were  with  him  watching  Jesus,  seeing 
that  crying  out  in  this  manner  He  had  given  up  the 
ghost,  and  having  seen  the  earthquake  and  the 
things  that  were  done,  were  sore  afraid,  and  glori- 
fied God,  saying :  Indeed  this  was  a  just  Man ! 
Indeed  this  was  the  Son  of  God !  And  all  the  mul- 
titude of  them  that  were  come  together  to  that  sight, 
and  saw  the  things  that  were  done,  returned,  strik- 
ing their  breasts. 

And  all  His  acquaintance,  and  the  women  that 
had  followed  Him  from  Galilee,  ministering  unto 
Him,  were  there,  looking  on  afar  off,  and  beholding 
these  things ;  among  whom  was  Mary  Magdalen, 
and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  Joseph,  and 
Salome  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  who  also, 
when  He  was  in  Galilee,  followed  Him,  and  minis- 
tered to  Him ;  and  many  other  women  that  came 
up  with  Him  in  Jerusalem.  Then  the  Jews, 
because  it  was  the  Parasceve,  that  the  bodies  might 
not  remain  upon  the  cross  on  the  Sabbath  day  (for 
that  was  a  great  Sabbath  day)  besought  Pilate  that 
their  legs  might  be  broken,  and  that  they  might  be 
taken  away.  The  soldiers  therefore  came,  and  they 
broke  the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  that  was 
crucified  with  Him.  But  after  they  were  come  to 
Jesus,  when  they  saw  that  He  was  already  dead, 


250 


THE  gospp:l  story  of  the  passion  of  our  lord. 


they  did  not  break  His  legs.  But  one  of  the  sol- 
diers with  a  spear  opened  His  side,  and  immediately 
there  came  out  Blood  and  Water.  And  he  that 
saw  it  hath  given  testimony  :  and  his  testimony 
is  true.  And  he  knoweth  that  he  saith  true ;  that 
you  also  may  believe.  For  these  things  were  done 
that  the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled  :  "  You  shall 
not  break  a  bone  of  Him."  And  again  another 
Scripture  saith  :  "  They  shall  look  on  Him  Whom 
they  pierced." 

And  after  these  things,  and  when  evening  was 
now  come  (because  it  was  the  Parasceve,  that  is  the 
day  before  the  Sabbath) ,  behold  there  came  a  certain 
rich  man  named  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  a  city  of 
Judea,  who  was  a  noble  counsellor,  a  good  and  just 
man.    The  same  had  not  consented  to  their  counsels 
and  doings,  who  was  also  himself  looking  for  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  because  he   was    a   disciple  of 
Jesus,  but  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews,     He  went 
in  boldly  to  Pilate,  and  begged  him  that  he  might 
take  away  the  Body  of  Jesus.     But  Pilate  wondered 
that  He  should  be  already  dead.     And  sending  for 
the  centurion,  he  asked  him  if  He  were   already 
dead.     And  when  he  had  understood  it  by  the  cen- 
turion Pilate  commanded  that  the  body  should  be 
delivered  to  Joseph.     He,  buying  fine  linen,  took 
down  the    Body    of   Jesus.     And  Nicodemus  also 
came,  he  who  at  the  first  came  to  Jesus  by  night, 
bringing  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  about  a 
hundred  pound  weight.     They  took,  therefore,  the 
Body  of  Jesus,  and  Joseph  wrapped  It  up  in  a  clean 
linen  cloth  ;  they  bound  It  in  linen  cloths  with  the 
spices  as  the  manner  of  the  Jews  is  to  bury.     Now, 
there  was  in  the  place  where  He  was  crucified  a  gar- 
den ;  and  in  the  garden  a  new  sepulchre,  wherein  no 
man  yet  had  been  laid.    There,  therefore,  in  Joseph's 
own  new  monument,  which  he  had  hewed  out  in  a 
rock,  because  of  the  Parasceve  of  the  Jews  they  laid 
Jesus,  for  the  sepulchre  was  nigh.      And  Joseph 
rolled  a  great  stone  to  the  door  of  the  monument  and 

went  his  way. 

APPENDIX. 
Christ's  Prayer  for  His  Disciples. 

St.  John  xvii. 
These  things  Jesus  spoke,  and  lifting   up    His 
eyes  to  heaven,  He  said  :  Father,  the  hour  is  come, 
glorify  Thy  Son,  that  Thy  Son  may  glorify  Thee. 


As  Thou  hast  given  Him  power  over  all  flesh,  that 
He  may  give  eternal  life  to  all  whom  Thou  hast 
given  Him.     Now  this  is  eternal  life :  That  they 
may  know  Thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ,  Whom  Thou  hast   sent.     I  have  glorified 
Thee  on  the  earth  :  I  have  finished  the  work  which 
Thou  gavest  Me  to  do.     And  now  glorify   Thou 
Me,  O  Father,  with  Thyself,  with  the  glory  which 
I  had,  before  the  world  was,  with  Thee.     I  have 
manifested  Thy  Name  to  the  men  whom  Thou  hast 
given  Me  out  of  the  world.     Thine  they  were,  and 
to  Me  Thou  gavest  them :  and  they  have  kept  Thy 
Word.     Now   they   have   known   that   all  .things 
which  Thou  hast  given  Me  are  from  Thee  :  be<;ause 
the  words  which  Thou  gavest  Me,  I  have  given,  to 
them :    and  they  have  received   them,    and   have 
known  in  very  deed  that  I   came  out  from  Thee, 
and  they  have  believed  that  Thou  didst  send  Me. 
I  pray  for  them  :  I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but  for 
them  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me  :    because  they 
are   Thine ;    and   all    My   things    are  Thine,  and 
Thine  are  Mine  ;  and  I  am  glorified  in  them.     And 
now  I  am  not  in  the  world,  and  these  are  in  the 
world,  and  I  come  to  Thee.     Holy  Father,  keep 
them  in  Thy  Name,  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me, 
that  They  may  be  one,  as  We  also  are.     While  I 
was  with  them,  I  kept  them  in  Thy  Name.     Those 
whom  Thou  gavest  Me  have  I  kept,  and  none  of 
them   is   lost,    but   the  son  of  perdition,   that  the 
Scripture  may  be  fulfilled.     And  now  I  come  to 
Thee :  and  these  things  I  speak  in  the  world,  that 
they  may  have  My  joy  filled  in  themselves.     I  have 
given  them  Thy  Word,  and  the  world  hath  hated 
them,  because  they  are  not  of  the  world,  as  I  also 
am  not  of  the  world.     I  pray  not  that  Thou  shouldst 
take  them  out  of  the  world,  but  that  Thou  shouldst 
keep  them  from  evil.     They  are  not  of  the  world : 
as  I  also  am  not  of  the  world.     Sanctify  them  in 
truth.     Thy  Word  is  truth.     As  Thou  hast  sent 
Me  into  the  world,  I  also  have  sent  them  into  the 
world.     And  for  them  do  I  sanctify  Myself:  that 
they  also  may  be  sanctified  in  truth.     And  not  for 
them  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them  also  who  through 
their  word  shall  believe  in  Me.     That  they  all  may 
be  one,  as  Thou,  Father,  in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee: 
that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us  :  that  the  world 
may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me.     And  the 


THE   GOSPEL   STORY   OF   THE   PASSION    OF   OUR    LORD. 


251 


glory  wliich  Thou  hast  given  Me,  I  have  given  to 
them  :  that  they  may  be  one,  as  We  also  are  one. 
I  in  them  and  Thou  in  Me :  that  they  may  be  made 
perfect  in  one ;  and  the  world  may  know  that  Thou 
hast  sent  Me,  and  hast  loved  them,  as  Thou  hast 
also  loved  Me.  Father,  I  will  that  where  I  am, 
'they  also  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me  may  be  with 
Me;  that  they  may  see  My  glory  which  Thou  hast 
given  Me,  because  Thou  hast  loved  Me  before  the 
creation  of  the  world.  Just  Father,  the  world  hath 
not  known  Thee :  but  I  have  known  Thee  :  and 
these  have  known  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me.  And  I 
have  made  known  Thy  name  to  them,  and  will 
make  it  known :  that  the  love,  wherewith  Thou 
hast  loved  Me,  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them. 

Hymn  of  St.  Francis  Xavier. 

My  God,  I  love  Thee,  not  because 

I  hope  for  Heaven  thereby ; 
Nor  because  they  who  love  Thee  not. 

Must  bum  eternally. 


Thou,  O  my  Jesus,  Thou  didst  me 

Upon  the  Cross  embrace  ; 
For  me  didst  bear  the  nails  and  spear, 

Aud  manifold  disgrace  ; 

And  griefs  and  torments  numberless. 

And  sweat  of  agony ; 
E'en  death  itself — and  all  for  one 

Who  was  Thine  enemy. 

Then  why,  O  blessed  Jesu  Christ ! 

Should  I  not  love  Thee  well? 
Not  for  the  sake  of  winning  Heaven", 

Or  of  escaping  Hell : 

Not  with  the  hope  of  gaining  aught, 

Not  seeking  a  reward  ; 
But,  as  Thyself  hast  loved  me, 

O  ever-loving  Ix)rd  ! 

E'en  so  I  love  Thee,  and  will  love. 
And  in  Thy  praise  will  sing  ; 

Solely  because  Thou  art  my  God, 
And  my  eternal  King. 


The  Blessed  Sacrament 

Qtl^^e  Centre^  0^  Jtntnutabrie  Qtx^utl^. 

By  CARDINAL   WLANNINQ. 


"The  Word  was  made  Flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us.'* 


jORPUS  CHRISTI  is  a  second  feast  of 
the  Nativity:  a  Christmas  festival  in 
the  summer-tide,  when  the  snows  are 
gone  and  flowers  cover  the  earth.  And 
whence  comes  all  this  joy  but  from  the 
divine  fact  which  St.  John  declares,  "  The  Word 
was  made  Flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we 
beheld  His  Glory  ?  "  Morning  by  morning,  in  the 
Holy  Mass,  the  Church  recites  this  great  charter 
of  its  incorporation  and  of  its  existence.  Morning 
by  morning  it  bears  witness  to  the  divine,  perma- 
nent, and  immutable  presence  of  Jesus  in  the  glory 
of  grace  and  truth.  The  Blessed  Sacrament  is  the 
Incarnation  perpetually  present,  manifested  to 
faith,  and  I  may  say  to  sense,  and  applied  to  us  by 
the  same  Divine  Power  by  which  it  was  accom- 
plished. 

The  Word — that  is,  the  eternal  Wisdom  or  Intel- 
ligence of  the  Father,  co-equal,  co-eternal,  consub- 
stantial,  personal,  the  only-begotten  Son,  God  of 
God,  Light  of  Light,  true  God  of  true  God  in  all 
the  fulness  of  the  Divine  perfections — was  made 
Flesh ;  assumed,  that  is,  our  manhood  with  body 
and  soul  into  the  unity  of  His  Divine  Person,  and 
the  flesh  and  manhood  became  the  flesh  and  man- 
hood of  God,  the  root  and  productive  principle  of 
the  new  creation  of  God.  From  the  natural  Body 
of  Jesus  springs  forth  the  Eucharistical  or  Sacra- 
mental Body,  by  which  we  are  renewed  in  soul 
and  body ;  and  next,  the  mystical  Body  or  the 
Church,  in  which  the  Head  is  united  by  a  vital  and 
substantial  union  with  His  members,  that  is,  the 
one  holy  and  only  Church  of  Jesus  Christ — the 
tabernacle  in  which  He  dwells,  according  to  the 
word  of  the  Evangelist.  He  made  His  tabernacle 
both  in  our  humanity  and  in  the  midst  of  us  ;  and 
in  this  visible  tabernacle,  ever  expanding  in  all  the 
252 


world,  perpetual  throughout  all  ages,  He  dwells 
under  the  canopy  of  the  heavenly  court,  manifest- 
ing His  glory  in  the  Seven  Sacraments  of  His 
grace,  and  in  the  infallible  doctrines  of  the  Faith. 

Jesus  is  therefore  the  Divine  Teacher,  always 
present,  sustaining  and  declaring  the  whole  revela- 
tion of  Faith.  The  presence  of  the  Incarnate  Word 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is  the  basis  and  the  centre 
of  an  order  of  divine  facts  and  operations  in  the 
world.  They  spring  from  it,  rest  upon  it,  and  are 
united  to  it,  so  that  where  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is, 
they  are — where  it  is  not,  they  cannot  be.  For 
example,  in  the  natural  order,  the  creation  is  the 
basis,  and  its  perpetuity  is  the  centre,  so  to  speak, 
of  the  whole  order  of  natural  facts  and  operations 
springing  from  the  omnipotence  of  God,  whereby 
this  world  was  created  and  is  always  preserved. 
These  facts  and  operations  rest  upon  creation  as 
their  basis,  spring  from  it,  and  observe  its  laws. 
Men  believe  in  them  because  they  are  sensible  and 
palpable.  They  believe  them  to  be  permanent  and 
immutable.  They  believe  in  the  laws,  powers, 
operations,  activities  of  nature — in  the  sixccession 
of  day  and  night,  of  seasons,  tides,  and  growths ; 
but  they  are  so  immersed  in  sense  that  they  cannot 
realize,  and  will  not  believe,  that  there  is  a  higher 
order  of  divine  facts  and  of  supernatural  operations, 
more  permanent,  more  immutable,  more  unerring, 
of  which  Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is  the 
creative  and  sustaining  centre. 

The  Blessed  Sacrament,  then,  is  Jesus  personally 
present  in  the  midst  of  us,  seen  by  faith,  received 
in  substance,  known  by  consciousness  and  adored 
in  His  glory. 

I.  And,  first,  it  is  Jesus  present,  both  God  and 
Man,  in  all  the  fulness  of  His  Incarnate  Person. 
As    God,  He   was    always   present   in   the   world. 


THE   BLESSED   SACRAMENT   THE   CENTRE   OF   IMMUTABLE   TRUTH. 


253 


"'All  things  were  made  by  Him,  and  without  Him 
was  not  anything  made  that  was  made."  (St.  John 
i.  3.)  "  By  Him  all  things  consist,"  (Coloss.  i.  17,) 
that  is,  hold  together,  cohere  in  the  permanence  of 
their  existence.  From  the  beginning  of  the  creation 
the  Word  pervaded  all  things  by  His  essence,  pres- 
ence, and  power.  He  was,  therefore,  personally 
present,  but  not  as  the  Incarnate  Word  is  present 
now.  His  presence  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is 
the  fruit  of  His  Incarnation,  and  His  Incarnation 
is  a  presence  distinct  in  kind  from  His  presence 
before  "  the  Word  was  made  Flesh,  and  dwelt 
among  us."  (St.  John  i.  14.)  It  is  the  perpetuity 
of  the  same  presence  as  that  with  which  His  disciples 
were  familiar  in  the  three  years  when  He  conversed 
with  them,  and  in  the  forty  days  after  He  rose  from 
the  dead. 

When  He  said,  "  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans,  I 
will  come  to  you,"  they  understood  Him  to  promise 
that  He,  the  very  same  Who  spoke  with  them, 
would  return  to  them.  And  on  the  night  of  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  after  He  arose  from  the  dead, 
He  came,  when  the  doors  were  shut,  suspending  the 
laws  of  nature,  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  said 
unto  them,  "  See  My  hands  and  My  feet,  that  it  is 
I  Myself,  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bone  as 
you  see  Me  to  have."  (St.  Luke  xxiv.  39.)  It  is 
I,  the  very  same  Whom  you  have  known,  the  same 
Lord  and  Master  with  Whom  you  have  eaten,  and 
drunk,  and  conversed ;  Whose  words  you  have 
heard.  Whose  miracles  you  have  witnessed  ;  Whom 
you  have  seen  to  multiply  the  bread  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  to  walk  upon  the  water ;  on  Whose  bosom 
John  lay  at  supper,  and  Whom  you  have  loved  as 
your  brother,  kinsman,  and  friend.  It  is  I,  Who 
am  come  to  you  again  in  all  My  personal  identity, 
and  in  all  tenderness  of  My  divine  and  human 
sympathy.  It  was  in  this  sense  the  disciples  under- 
stood His  Words,  when  before  His  Ascension  He 
said,  "  Behold  I  am  with-  you  all  days,  even  unto 
the  consummation  of  the  world."  (St.  Matt,  xxviii. 
20.)  They  understood  Him  to  promise  to  them  a 
true  and  personal  presence,  which  should  restore 
all  they  had  before  possessed  of  nearness  to  them 
both  as  God  and  Man.  Therefore  it  is  that  He 
said,  "  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go ;  "  for  the 
coming  of  the  Paraclete  has  brought  with  it  the 


universal  presence  of  Jesus,  not  in  one  place  alone, 
but  in  all  the  Church,  and  not  transiently  and  for 
a  moment,  but  abiding  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 
It  is  this  which  has  fonned  the  centre  of  the  visible 
Church  on  earth  :  Jesus  manifested,  I  may  say,  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament ;  Jesus  dwelling  in  the 
Tabernacle  over  Whose  Divine  Presence  the  visible 
Church  rises  in  its  majesty  and  beauty  throughout 
the  world,  as  an  earthly  sanctuary  of  God  among 
men,  the  shrine  and  ciborium  of  the  Incarnate 
Word.  In  all  the  world  the  same  Sacramental 
Presence  is  the  centre  of  the  same  ritual  of  divine 
worship.  Before  it,  day  and  night,  hangs  the  light, 
in  witness  of  its  perpetuity.  Before  Him  all  who 
pass  bow  down  ;  about  His  Presence  stand  seven 
orders  of  ministers,  to  serve  in  degrees  of  approach 
to  His  Person.  The  presence  of  Jesus  offering 
Himself  for  us  is  the  Holy  Mass.  The  Holy  Mass 
is  the  worship  of  the  Universal  Church.  All  springs 
from  it,  or  relates  to  it — the  centre  and  the  source 
of  all.     Such  is  His  Personal  Presence. 

2.  I  have  said  He  is  seen  by  faith.  St.  John 
says  :  "  That  which  was  from  the  beginning,  which 
we  have  seen  with  our  eyes."  (i  St.  John  i.  i.) 
They  saw  Jesus — we  see  Him  not ;  but  in  what  did 
they  see  more  than  we  ?  They  saw  Jesus,  and 
Jesus  is  God.  They  saw,  therefore,  God  manifest 
in  the  stature  and  configuration  of  our  manhood. 
They  saw  the  manhood,  but  the  Godhead  they 
could  not  see.  They  saw  His  divine  works ; 
they  saw  His  glory — the  glory  of  His  Trans- 
figuration, of  His  Resurrection,  of  His  Ascen- 
sion. But  the  glory  of  the  Only-Begotten  of 
the  Father  is  the  essential  glory  of  the  Eternal 
Son :  His  co-equality,  His  infinite  perfections — of 
love,  of  wisdom,  of  goodness,  and  of  power ;  but 
these  glories  no  eye  of  flesh  and  blood  could  see. 
What  they  saw  we  see,  with  one  distinction. 
We  see  His  presence,  and  the  glory  of  His  grace 
and  truth ;  we  see  His  works  of  supernatural 
power,  and  the  perpetual  operations  of  His 
love.  Nay,  I  may  go  further.  There  are  three 
faculties  of  sight — sense,  reason,  and  faith ;  each 
has  its  sphere.  Sense,  unless  misdirected,  is  in- 
fallible in  its  reports.  Reason  elevates  and  corrects 
sense,  and  has  a  nobler  sphere  and  range  of  its  own, 
a  higher  realm  and  a  wider  jurisdiction.     But  faith 


254 


THE   BLESSED    SACRAMENT  THE   CENTRE   OF    IMMUTABLE   TRUTH. 


is  above  both,  elevates  both,  corrects  both,  and  is 
supreme  and  infallible  in  a  sphere  which  is  divine 
and  eternal.  The  Jews  who  saw  Jesus  by  sense, 
knew  that  He  was  Man,  and  believed  Him  to  be 
"  the  carpenter,  whose  mother  and  sisters  we 
know."  (St.  Mark,  vi.  3.)  They  wondered  at  His 
words,  saying,  "  Whence  hath  this  man  letters, 
having  never  learned ?  "  (St.  John,  vii.  15.)  Sense 
carried  them  no  further.  Nichodemus,  by  reason, 
knew  Him  to  be  "  a  teacher  sent  from  God,  for  no 
man  could  do  the  miracles  "  He  did,  "  except  God 
were  with  Him."  (St.  John  iii.  2.)  This  was  a 
dictate  of  reason,  and  an  interpretation  of  facts 
subject  to  sense,  by  which  they  were  elevated  to  a 
higher  truth.  Peter  knew  Him  to  be  not  only 
Man  and  a  Teacher  sent  from  God,  but  to  the 
dictates  of  sense  and  reason  he  added  the  illumina- 
tion of  faith,  which  elevated  both.  When  Jesus 
asked  him,  "  Whom  say  ye  that  I,  the  Son  of  Man, 
am  ?  ■'  Peter  answered,  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God."  Jesus  answered,  "  Flesh 
and  blood "  (that  is,  the  knowledge  which  comes 
by  sense  and  reason)  "  hath  not  revealed  this  unto 
thee,  but  My  Father  Who  is  in  heaven."  (St.  Matt, 
xvi.  17.)  The  illumination  of  faith  has  elevated 
thee  to  this  knowledge. 

In  like  manner  we  know  the  presence  of  Jesus  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament.  Sense  reports  to  us  that 
what  we  see  has  the  aspect  of  bread ;  reason  tells 
us  that  everything  has  its  proper  substance.  But 
the  sense  cannot  penetrate  beyond  the  aspect.  It 
has  no  cognizance  of  what  lies  beneath  or  beyond. 
Reason  alone  can  pass  the  boundaries  of  sense. 
Such  is  the  dictate  and  report  of  sense  and  of 
reason  upon  the  unconsecrated  host.  But  the  same 
reason  illuminated  by  faith  knows  the  Incarnate 
Word,  and  His  revelation,  and  His  promises  of 
presence  and  of  power.  It  knows  that  Jesus  has 
ordained  the  perpetuity  of  His  own  Priesthood,  and 
of  His  own  divine  action  whereby  the  bread  and 
wine  pass  by  elevation  from  the  order  of  nature,  in 
which  sense  and  reason  dwell  and  reign,  to  the 
order  of  divine  power,  which  is  above  nature, 
wherein  faith  alone  is  supreme.  It  is  a  dictate  of 
the  reason  illuminated  by  faitV^  to  believe  that  what 
the  sense  still  sees  under  the  same  aspect  is,  after 
the  words  of  Jesus  have  been  spoken,  no  longer 


what  they  seem,  but  what  they  are  divinely  declared 
to  be.  Reason  elevated  and  corrected  by  faith, 
knows  them  to  be  Jesus  personally  present  in  all 
the  fulness  of  His  Godhead  and  His  manhood, 
under  a  veil,  or  aspect,  which  is  visible  to  the  sense, 
as  the  vesture  He  wore.  But  this  was  not  Himself, 
and  yet  it  was  the  pledge  of  His  presence,  and  the 
channel  of  virtue  which  went  out  of  Him  to  heal  all 
who  touched  so  much  as  the  hem  of  His  garment. 
It  is  true,  indeed,  that  we  do  not  see  the  visible 
form  of  Jesus,  His  sacred  countenance.  His  divine 
beauty,  the  glory  of  His  manhood.  In  cruce  latebat 
sola  Deltas^  at  hie  latet  simul  et  humanitas.  While 
He  was  upon  earth  His  Godhead  lay  hid,  but  His 
manhood  was  visible  ;  here  both  lie  hid,  and  only 
His  vesture  is  revealed.  When  our  sense  and 
reason  tell  us  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is  visible, 
then  the  same  reason  by  the  light  of  faith  tells  us 
Jesus  is  present,  and  we  behold  His  glory,  as  the 
Only-Begotten  of  the  Father,  the  Fountain  of  all 
grace,  the  perpetual  and  Divine  Teacher  of  infal- 
lible Truth. 

3.  But  Jesus  not  only  manifests  Himself  to  our 
faith.  He  also  gives  Himself  to  us  as  our  food. 
And  we  receive  Him  by  His  substance. 

There  are  two  intellectual  worlds,  always  in 
presence  of  each  other,  and  always  in  conflict :  two 
schools  of  thought,  two  teachers  contending  and 
irreconcilable,  two  tendencies,  and  two  pathways, 
which  diverge  from  one  another,  and  lead  directly 
to  or  from  the  Truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  These  two 
worlds  or  schools  I  may  call  the  World  of  Sub- 
stances and  the  World  of  Shadows.  The  Revelation 
of  God  teaches  us  that  His  omnipotence  has  called 
into  existence  two  creations,  the  old  and  the 
new,  and  that  He  is  always  in  contact,  so  to 
speak,  with  the  works  which  His  omnipotence  has 
made.  From  this  contact  arise  five  divine  facts : 
the  Creation,  the  Incarnation,  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
the  Mystical  Body,  the  Resurrection  of  the  Flesh. 
These  are  all  of  them  works  and  actions  of  the 
Divine  Omnipotence.  The  first  four  are  perma- 
nent and  present  to  us.*  They  are  as  truths  in  a 
series  related  to  each  other.  The  last  four  are  con- 
nected by  a  special  relation.  The  last  three  pro- 
ceed from  the  second,  and  are  its  product  and  its 
fruit.     Now,   the  Blessed  Sacrament  unites  them 


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255 


together,  presupposes  or  prepares  for  them.  It  is 
the  presence  and  application  of  the  Incarnation : 
and  the  pledge  of  the  Resurrection  of  the  body. 
The  Blessed  Sacrament  is  therefore  the  clasp  upon 
this  chain  of  divine  truths  and  the  mystical  Body 
of  the  Church  is  the  circle  which  encompasses  and 
perpetuates  them  in  the  world.  The  Creation  of  a 
substantial  nature  in  the  beginning,  the  Incarna- 
tion by  the  union  of  two  substances  in  one  person, 
the  substantial  presence  of  Jesus  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  the  participation  of  His  substance  by 
His  members  in  the  mystical  Body,  and  the  sub- 
stantial Resurrection  of  our  bodies  from  the  grave — 
all  these  are  truths  of  the  same  order,  resting  upon 
the  revelation  of  God,  and  taught  by  the  Master  of 
the  school  of  Spirit  and  of  truth,  of  reality  and  of 
substance,  that  is  by  Jesus,  the  Eternal  Truth,  and 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  Who  dwells  in  His  Church, 
and  teaches  through  it  by  His  divine  and  infallible 
voice.  Such,  then,  is  the  one  school,  or  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church. 

The  other  school  has  always  existed  by  its  side, 
sometimes  has  sprung  up  within  it,  but  has  been 
always  cast  out.  In  the  beginning,  the  Docetae 
denied  the  substantial  reality  of  the  manhood  of 
Jesus,  and  taught  that  it  was  a  phantasm,  an 
apparition,  a  heavenly  vision,  not  flesh  and  blood 
taken  of  His  immaculate  Mother.  In  the  so-called 
Reformation  of  the  Church,  there  were  those  who 
denied  the  substantial  presence  of  Jesus  in  the 
Holy  Eucharist,  and  taught  that  it  is  not  a  reality, 
but  a  memorial,  a  sign  or  a  figure.  Having  denied 
the  Sacramental  Body  of  Jesus,  it  was  but  conse- 
quent that  they  should  deny  also  His  mystical 
Body,  that  they  should  deny  the  visible  perpetuity 
and  visible  unity  of  His  Church,  and  teach  that  it 
is  a  body  spiritual,  in  visible,  impalpable,  with- 
drawn from  sense,  hovering  in  a  world  unseen.  It 
is  no  wonder  that  of  their  posterity  should  have 
arisen  those  who  deny  the  Incarnation  by  denying 
the  Godhead  of  Jesus.  What  are  these  but  the 
Docetae  of  these  latter  days,  as  the  Docetae  were  the 
Sacramentarians  of  the  first  century  ? 

In  their  train  has  come  a  more  consequent  and 
hardy  unbelief.  And  men  now  deny  the  first  truth 
and  the  last  in  the  series — the  Resurrection  as  im- 
possible, the  Creaton  as  incredible,  finally  the  exist- 


ence of  God  as  undemonstrable.  And  so  men  are 
led  away  into  bondage,  into  the  world  of  shadows, 
of  unreality,  of  unbelief.  This  school  reigns  inore 
or  less  over  all  who  are  out  of  the  unity  of  the 
Church,  because,  losing  the  unerring  guidance  of 
the  Divine  Teacher,  they  have  none  but  human 
guides  to  lead  them,  and  human  criticism  upon 
Revelation  as  their  basis  and  rule  of  faith. 

When,  then,  the  Son  of  God  in  prophecy  said : 
"A  Body  thou  hast  fitted  "  or  prepared  "  for  Me," 
(Heb.  X.  5,)  He  spoke  of  His  natural  Body,  of  the 
substance  of  our  humanity.  When  in  the  guest- 
chamber  "  He  took  bread  and  blessed  it,  and  said, 
This  is  My  Body,"  He  spoke  likewise  of  the  same 
natural  and  substantial  Body  which  He  took  of  His 
immaculate  Mother.  He  did  not  say,  "  This  is  the 
shadow  of  My  Body,"  and  if  not,  it  is  the  sub- 
stance. He  did  not  say,  "  This  is  the  figure  of  My 
Body,"  though  even  so  He  would  have  declared  it 
to  be  the  substance,  as  when  the  Holy  Ghost 
declared  the  Son  to  be  "  the  Figure  of  the  sub- 
stance "  (Heb.  i.  3)  of  the  Father.  For  in  the 
world  of  divine  realities  all  things  are  true,  not 
illusory — real,  not  phantastic. 

So,  again,  when  He  said,  "He  that  eateth  My 
Flesh  and  drinketh  My  Blood  dwelleth  in  Me 
and  I  in  him  :  "  I,  that  is,  as  you  have  known 
Me,  though  in  a  manner  you  know  not  as  yet. 
"  My  Flesh  is  meat  indeed  and  My  Blood  is  drink 
indeed."  But  it  is  neither  indeed,  unless  it  be  both 
indeed,  in  substance  and  reality.  Again,  "As  the 
living  Father  hath  sent  Me  and  I  live  by  the 
Father,  so  he  that  eateth  Me,  even  he  shall  live 
by  Me."  (St.  John  vi.  56-85.)  That  is,  as  I,  the 
Eternal  Son,  as  God  live  by  consubstantial  unity 
with  the  Godhead  of  the  Father,  so  he  that  eateth 
Me  shall  live  by  consubstantial  union  with  My 
Humanity.  (St.  Hilary,  lib.  viii.  De  Trintiate.) 
To  deny  the  first  part  of  these  words  is  Arianism  ; 
to  deny  the  last  is  to  mutilate  the  sense  and  the 
sequence  of  the  Divine  reasoning.  The  life  of  God 
is  the  substance  of  God,  the  life  of  man  is  in  the 
substance  of  man.  To  explain  it  in  any  other  way 
is  to  deny  its  reality  and  truth.  By  the  substance 
of  Jesus  communicated  to  us  we  become  "of  His 
flesh  and  of  His  bones,"  (Ephes.  v.  30,)  and  have 
thereby  in  us  the  pledge  of  a  resurrection  in  the 


256 


THE   BLESSED   SACRAMENT   THE   CENTRE   OF   IMMUTABLE   TRUTH. 


substance  of  the  body  to  eternal  life.  These  truths, 
as  I  have  said,  are  in  series — they  hang  upon  the 
same  thread  of  the  divine  veracity  :  the  substantial 
presence  of  Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  the 
substantial  regeneration  of  soul  and  body  by  the 
union  of  the  members  with  their  Head,  the  sub- 
stantial resurrection  of  the  flesh.  Break  this  line 
anywhere,  and  all  these  truths,  sooner  or  later, 
disappear  into  the  world  of  shadows  and  unreali- 
ties, of  words  and  figures,  which,  driven  beyond  the 
frontiers  of  the  Church  of  God,  hovers  around  the 
suburbs,  but  can  never  enter  within  its  unity  or 
endure  its  light. 

4.  But  the  presence  which  is  seen  by  faith  is 
known  by  a  supernatural  consciousness,  which 
includes  all  the  powers  of  the  soul.  We  are  con- 
scious of  truths  which  we  cannot  demonstrate, 
which  are  before  all  reasoning,  from  which  all 
reasoning  springs,  and  to  which  all  reasoning  in 
the  end  bears  witness.  We  are  conscious  of  our 
own  existence  and  of  the  existence  of  God ;  I  do 
not  mean  originally,  but  after  these  truths  are 
known  to  us,  by  whatsoever  means  they  are  known. 
We  are  conscious  of  those  truths  which  are  the 
most  intuitive  or  most  immediately  known,  and 
this  consciousness  signifies  a  higher,  deeper,  and 
surer  kind  of  knowledge.  When  I  say,  then,  that 
we  know  the  presence  of  Jesus  by  a  consciousness, 
I  mean  that,  in  addition  to  all  the  knowledge  that 
sense,  and  reason,  and  faith  bestow  upon  us,  we 
have  also  a  knowledge  which  springs  from  hope 
and  from  love,  from  communion  with  Him  and 
experience  of  His  grace  and  power.  It  is  against 
this  that  the  masters  of  false  philosophy  set  them- 
selves with  much  derision,  and  yet  it  is  self- 
evidently  true.  We  may  be  conscious  of  what 
we  know :  we  may  know  what  we  cannot  compre- 
hend. Comprehension  is  not  the  condition  of 
knowledge.  To  comprehend  anything,  I  must  be 
able  to  circumscribe  it  in  a  definition,  and  to  fix  its 
boundaries  in  my  thoughts.  But  the  highest  truths 
refuse  this  treatment,  and  pass  beyond  the  horizon 
of  a  finite  intelligence.  And  yet  they  are  not  only 
true,  but  are  the  most  necessary  truths,  of  which 
not  only  there  can  be  no  doubt,  but  are  themselves 
the  first  principles  and  necessary  conditions  of  a 
whole   order   of    truths.     They    are   transcendent 


because  they  pass  beyond  the  comprehension  of 
our  finite  intelligence  ;  but  they  are  transcendent 
because  they  are  divine,  and  because  divine  are 
true.  For  instance,  who  can  comprehend  eternity, 
immensity,  infinity,  self-existence?  and  yet  God 
is  all  these,  and  the  knowledge  of  God  is  the  foun- 
dation of  a  whole  world  of  subordinate  truths,  both 
in  nature  and  in  grace.  These  truths  pass  beyond 
our  horizon  as  the  path  of  the  planets,  or  the  vaster 
and  incalculable  sweep  of  a  comet ;  yet  we  know 
these,  and  apprehend,  and  contemplate  them  with 
the  fixed  certainty  of  the  highest  knowledge.  But 
we  may  apprehend  what  we  cannot  comprehend,  as 
in  eternity  we  shall  see  God  as  He  is,  but  not 
wholly,  for  the  Beatific  Vision  is  finite,  but  the 
Object  and  Source  of  bliss  is  infinite. 

So  may  it  be  said  of  the  presence  of  Jesus  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament.  The  Council  of  Trent,  with 
the  wonderful  and  unerring  precision  with  which 
the  Church  deals  with  philosophy  when  it  is  in 
contact  with  the  dogmas  of  faith,  declares  "  that 
our  Saviour  sits  always  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father  in  Heaven,  according  to  the  natural  manner 
of  existence,  but  that  He  is  in  many  places  sacra- 
mentally  present  with  us  by  His  substance,  by  that 
mode  of  existence  which,  although  it  can  scarcely 
be  expressed  in  words,  nevertheless,  by  the  intellect 
illuminated  by  faith,  may  be  apprehended  as  pos- 
sible with  God."     (Concil.  Trid.  Sess.  xii.  c.  i.) 

And  what  is  this  but  what  we  read  in  the  Gospel, 
when  Jesus  walked,  in  another  form,  with  Cleophas 
and  his  fellow  to  Emmaus  ?  They  at  first  knew 
Him  not,  and  yet  their  hearts  burned  within  them. 
Thy  knew  Him  afterwards,  and  conscious  of  His 
Presence.  And  so  when  the  disciples  sat  around 
Him  in  the  morning  light,  by  the  Sea  of  Tiberias, 
He  conversed  with  them,  and  distributed  to  them 
the  broiled  fish  and  the  bread  which  He  had 
miraculously  prepared.  They  knew  Him.  John 
had  known  Him  from  the  first,  and  Peter  had  cast 
himself  into  the  sea  to  go  to  Him.  Nevertheless, 
their  sense  was  dazed,  and  their  reason  was  over- 
come by  the  nearness  to  God.  "And  no  man  durst 
ask  Him,  Who  art  Thou  ?  " — why  should  they? — ■ 
"  knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord."  A  consciousness, 
above  all  sense  and  reasoning,  filled  them  with  a 
certaint}'^    too    great   for    words,   surpassing    even 


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257 


I 


the  bounds  of  intelligence ;  and  yet  infallible,  and 
all-sufficing. 

5.  And  lastly,  Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
is  adored  in  the  glory  of  the  Only-Begotten 
of  the  Father  ;  God  of  God,  Light  of  Light,  true 
God  of  the  true  God,  "The  Word  made  Flesh 
dwells  among  us,  and  we  behold  His  glory,"  and, 
beholding,  we  adore  Him  in  the  glory  of  His  King- 
dom. This  is  the  test  by  which  faith  is  discerned 
from  unbelief.  We  worship  Him  here  as  the  dis- 
ciples worshipped  Him  upon  the  mountain  in  Gali- 
lee. But  the  teachers  and  the  disciples  of  the 
world  of  shadows  deny  that  any  adoration  is 
intended  or  to  be  given  to  Jesus  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  Either  they  believe  that  He  is  present, 
or  that  He  is  not ;  if  he  be.  He  is  to  be  worshipped 
— if  He  be  not,  then  where  is  their  faith  ?  But 
error  convicts  itself,  when  it  would  convict  us.  It 
says  Catholics  worship  the  Host,  but  the  Host  is 
bread ;  therefore  Catholics  worship  bread,  which  is 
idolatry.  But  this  proves  that  they  who  would  con- 
vict us  are  convicted  themselves  of  not  believing 
either  in  the  presence  of  Jesus,  or  in  His  Word. 
They  who  believe  in  the  presence  of  Jesus  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  must  adore  Hira  in  it;  they 
who  do  not  adore  Him  in  it,  cannot  believe  that  He 
is  there,  "^he  Catholic  Church,  which  by  Divine 
faith  knows  and  teaches  the  mystery  of  His  pres- 
ence, adores  Him  there  in  all  the  world.  It  has 
adored  Him  from  the  beginning,  it  adores  Him 
now,  it  will  adore  Him  till  He  comes  again,  and 
sacraments  shall  pass  away  into  vision.  In  this 
adoration  is  contained  the  whole  power  of  grace  and 
truth,  whereby  we  are  sanctified,  for  Jesus  on  the 
altar  is  the  centre  of  all  the  sacraments  and  super- 
natural graces  which  flow  from  Him  throughout 
the  Church :  and  the  worship  we  offer  to  Him  is 
the  divine  worship  of  God,  in  prayer,  and  praise, 
and  thanksgiving,  and  oblation  of  ourselves  in 
body,  soul,  and  spirit,  as  to  our  Creator  and  Re- 
deemer, our  Teacher  and  Master,  our  Brother, 
Kinsman,  and  Friend.  This  worship  admits  us 
to  a  singular  intimacy.  We  speak  with  him 
as  a  friend  to  a  friend,  face  to  face,  opening 
our  hearts  to  His  Sacred  Heart,  and  conversing 
with  God  as  with  One  Who  knows  all  we  are 
by   personal    experience    and    human    sympathy, 

17 


and   is    infinitely   pitiful    and   divinely   tender   in 
His  love. 

All  other  sacraments  are  transient,  and  pass  with 
the  action  by  which  they  are  effected ;  but  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Altar  is  permanent,  and  sets 
before  us  the  Incarnate  Word  as  the  object  of  pro- 
longed contemplation.  St.  Paul  says  that  "  God, 
Who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness, 
has  shined  in  our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ."  (2  Cor.  iv.  6.)  These  words  have  a 
special  fulfilment  in  the  Holy  Sacrament.  "  We 
behold  His  glory,"  both  as  God  and  Man — His 
sanctity,  justice,  love,  pity,  and  long-suffering,  as 
God ;  His  humility,  generosity,  patience,  compas- 
sion, as  Man.  He  is  the  pattern  of  all  perfection 
set  before  us,  that  by  contemplation  we  may  learn 
what  the  letter  of  no  law  can  teach  us — the  perfec- 
tions of  the  Sacred  Heart ,  that  from  it  we  may 
draw  our  motives  as  well  as  our  measures  of  love 
to  God  and  man ;  and  that  by  contemplating  it  we 
may  be  conformed  to  it,  and  by  gazing  on  it  we  may 
grow  into  the  same  likeness.  "  For  we,  beholding 
this  glory  of  the  Lord  with  open  face,  are  changed 
into  the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory  as  by 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord."  (2  Cor.  iii.  18.)  This 
has  assimilated  to  itself  the  members  of  His  mystical 
Body,  and  made  them  like  Himself.  The  life  of 
Jesus  is  impressed  upon  His  servants.  His  saints 
reflect  Him,  each  one  in  his  way  and  measure,  and 
their  conformity  arises  from  a  double  power  of 
assimilation,  from  contemplation  and  commu- 
nion : — contemplation,  by  which  He  illuminates 
and  informs  His  servant  with  His  own  mind  and 
example :  communion,  by  which  He  dwells  in 
them,  pervades  them  with  His  substance,  changes 
them  into  the  likeness  of  His  Sacred  Heart  and  of 
His  deified  human  will,  accomplishing  within  them 
that  which  by  faith  they  contemplate  in  Himself. 
All  this  is  contained  in  the  adoration  which  is 
offered  to  Jesus,  ever  present  in  the  fulness  of  His 
Divine  Personality,  the  King,  the  Lawgiver,  the 
Teacher  of  His  Church.  In  ten  thousand  sanctu- 
aries Jesus  offers  Himself  day  by  day  to  His  Eternal 
Father,  and  His  disciples  adore  Him  with  a  service 
which  rests  not,  day  or  night,  with  a  living  conscious- 
ness of  *he  divine  power  and  glory  of  His  presence. 


258 


THE  BLESSED  SACRAMENT  THE  CENTRE  OF  IMMUTABLE  TRUTH. 


Such,  then,  is  the  centre  of  the  supernatural 
order  of  grace  and  truth — the  Church  on  earth.  It 
is  also  the  fountain  of  all  its  jurisdiction  and  all  its 
divine  action  upon  mankind.  It  may  be  therefore 
truly  said  that  where  Jesus  is  present  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  there  is  present  all  that  God  has  ordained 
for  the  salvation  of  man.  The  Blessed  Sacrament, 
then,  binds  together  the  whole  order  of  divine  facts 
by  which  we  are  redeemed.  The  Incarnation  of  the 
Eternal  Son,  His  exaltation  to  be  the  Head  of  His 
Church,  the  constitution  and  organization  of  His 
mystical  Body,  the  coming  and  inhabitation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  united  by  an  indissoluble  and  eternal 
anion  to  that  Body,  the  institution  of  the  Seven 
Sacraments — all  these  are  works  of  omnipotence, 
and,  as  I  have  said,  divine  facts  permanent  in  the 
world,  and  imperishable  because  sustained  by  the 
same  power  from  which  they  flow.  They  consti- 
tute an  order,  because  they  are  related  to  each 
other,  some  proceeding  from  others,  the  lower 
depending  on  the  higher  in  the  disposition  of 
God's  wisdom  and  power.  Being  an  order,  they 
constitute  a  perfect  whole,  as  unity  in  itself  They 
are  sustained  by  resting  upon  their  centre,  the 
presence  of  the  Incarnate  Word,  and  they  are 
incorporated  and  enshrined  in  the  Church,  which 
is  one  visible,  undivided  and  universal,  the  Taber- 
nacle of  God  among  men. 

Wheresoever,  then,  this  divine  order  is,  there  is 
the  whole  dispensation  of  grace  through  Jesus 
Christ,  with  all  His  sacraments,  jurisdiction,  and 
authority. 

There  is  also  His  whole  and  perfect  revelation, 
"  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,"  without  addition, 
diminution,  or  change  of  a  jot,  or  of  a  tittle.  For 
what  is  truth,  or  the  dogma  of  faith,  but  the  outline, 
or  delineation  of  these  divine  facts,  first  each  one 
severally,  next  all  collectively,  in  the  order  and 
unity  by  which  God  has  combined  them  together  ? 
What  are  the  doctrines  of  faith  but  the  delineation 
of  the  presence  of  Jesus,  and  all  that  flows  from  it, 
first  on  the  intelligence  of  the  whole  mystical  Body 
with  the  pencil  of  light  by  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
traced  the  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon 
the  minds  of  the  Apostles  ?  The  divine  facts  are 
the  substance,  doctrine  is  but  the  reflection,  or  the 
conformity  of  the  human  reason  to  the  Divine  by 


the  intervention  of  these  facts  of  almighty  power. 
It  is  not  the  reason  which  creates  dogma,  any  more 
than  the  eye  which  creates  the  image  upon  the 
surface  of  the  water.  It  is  the  creation  of  God 
which  reflects  itself  upon  both  the  water  and  the 
eye.  We  see  what  God  has  created,  and  by  a  power 
which  God  alone  can  bestow.  So  with  the  dogma 
of  faith.  What  is  the  doctrine  of  the  presence  of 
Jesus  in  the  Holy  Eucharist,  of  the  mystical  Body, 
of  the  Church  reigning  in  Heaven,  or  purifying 
beyond  the  grave,  or  suffering  upon  earth,  and 
consequently  of  the  Communion  of  Saints,  their 
intercession  and  invocation,  of  the  Seven  Sacra- 
ments, including  the  jurisdiction  over  souls,  the 
power  of  absolution,  and  the  like — what  are  all 
these  but  the  outlines  and  reflections  of  an  order  of 
divine  facts,  springing  from  the  Incarnation,  per- 
manent and  imperishable,  in  which  are  verified  the 
words  of  the  Evangelist,  "  We  behold  His  glory, 
the  glory  of  the  Only-Begotten  of  the  Father,  full 
of  grace  and  truth  ?  "     (St.  John  i.  14.) 

This  it  is  which  accounts  for  the  immutability  of 
the  dogma  of  faith  in  the  midst  of  an  intellectual 
world  of  flux  and  change,  where  nothing  holds  its 
own  for  half  a  generation,  or  half  the  lifetime  of 
a  man. 

Take  for  example  the  changeless  identity  of  the 
faith  which  St.  Augustine,  St.  Paulinus,  and  St. 
Wilfrid  preached  in  England :  the  supremacy  of 
the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Seven  Sacraments, 
the  Sacrifice  of  the  Altar,  the  communion  and  inter- 
cession of  the  Saints,  the  expiation  of  Purgatory, 
the  honor  due  to  the  Mother  of  God.  St.  Bede,  in 
tha  century  after,  recites  all  these  as  the  faith  of 
the  Anglo-Saxon  people.  Pass  over  nine  hundred 
years ;  these  same  doctrines  lived  on  in  the  hearts 
and  mouths  of  the  Catholics  of  England — for  them 
they  contended  and  were  martyred.  Pass  over  three 
hundred  years  again  :  they  are  the  doctrines  which 
the  successors  of  St.  Augustine,  St.  Paulinus,  and 
St.  Wilfred  preach  at  this  day  to  the  remnant  of 
their  children.  Whence  comes  this  marvellous  and 
supernatural  immutability  of  dogma?  From  the 
perpetual  and  supernatural  immutability  of  the 
order  of  Divine  facts  which  these  doctrines 
only  delineate  and  express.  The  shadow  cannot 
vary  when  the  substance  which  shapes  it  is  change- 


THE   BLESSED   SACRAMENT   THE   CENTRE   OF   IMMUTABLE   TRUTH. 


259 


less,  and  the  light  whicli  casts  it  never  wavers. 
The  Divine  facts  are  immutable,  and  their  outline 
is  cast  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  Church  by 
"  the  Father  of  lights,  in  Whom  is  no  variableness 
nor  shadow  of  vicissitude."     (St.  James  i.  17.) 

Even  in  the  great  Greek  schism,  which  has  rent 
itself  from  obedience  to  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  and 
after  its  schism  labored  to  justify  it  by  errors  which 
border  upon  heresy,  even  there  all  the  conditions 
of  truth  and  grace  remain.  In  a  moment,  as  once 
already  in  the  Council  of  Florence,  if  it  would  but 
renounce  its  national  pride,  its  schism,  and  the 
contentious  if  not  heretical  errors  it  has  elaborated, 
it  might  be  restored  as  a  whole  to  Catholic  unity. 
It  has  valid  Orders,  and  the  presence  of  Jesus, 
and  the  whole  order  of  divine  facts  and  truths,  less 
only  by  its  schisms  and  its  errors.  But  it  is  re- 
coverable, and  one  day  may  rise  again  as  from  the 
dead.  Not  so  those  bodies  which  have  lost  the 
perpetual  presence  of  Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, and  have  mutilated  the  order  of  divine  facts 
and  the  organization  of  the  mystical  Body :  for 
them  corporate  reunion  is  impossible.  They  are 
in  dissolution  and  must  be  recreated  by  the  same 
divine  power.  Their  members  may  be  saved  one 
by  one,  as  men  picked  off  from  a  raft,  or  from  a 
reef,  but  the  ship  is  gone.  Its  whole  structure  is 
dissolved.  There  remains  no  body  or  frame  to  be 
recovered  from  the  wreck. 

For  where  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is  not,  all  dies. 
As  when  the  sun  departs  all  things  sicken  and 
decay,  and  when  life  is  gone  the  body  returns  to 
its  dust ;  so  with  any  province  or  member  of  the 
Church.  There  was  a  time  when  the  truth  and 
grace  which  went  out  from  Canterbury  and  York 
spread  throughout  the  whole  of  England,  and 
bound  it  together  in  a  perfect  unity  of  faith  and 
communion,  of  Christian  intelligence  and  Christian 
charity.  There  was  but  one  jurisdiction  reigning 
over  all  the  people  of  England,  guiding  them  by  a 
divine  voice  of  changeless  faith,  and  sanctifying 
them  by  the  Seven  Sacraments  of  grace.  But  then 
the  grand  old  churches  were  the  majestic  tabernacles 
of  the  Word  made  Flesh.  Jesus  dwelt  there  in  the 
Divine  Mystery  of  the  Holy  Eucharist.  His 
presence  radiated  on  every  side,  quickening,  sus- 
taining,   upholding   the   perpetual    unity   of    His 


mystical  body.  Then  came  a  change,  slight  indeed, 
to  sense,  but,  in  the  sight  of  God,  fraught  with 
inexhaustible  consequences  of  supernatural  loss. 
Does  any  one  know  the  name  of  the  man  who 
removed  the  Blessed  Sacrament  from  the  cathedral 
of  Canterbury,  or  from  York  Minster?  Is  it 
written  in  history?  or  is  it  blotted  out  from  the 
knowledge  of  men,  and  known  only  to  God  and 
His  holy  angels  ?  Who  did  it,  and  when  it  was 
done,  I  cannot  say.  Was  it  in  the  morning,  or  in 
the  evening  ?  Can  we  hope  that  some  holy  priest, 
in  sorrow,  yielding  to  the  violence  of  the  storm 
then  falling  upon  the  Church,  out  of  love  to  his 
Divine  Master  removed  His  Eucharistical  Presence 
to  save  it  from  profanation  ?  or  was  it  some  sacri- 
legious hand  that  dragged  Him  from  His  throne, 
as  of  old  He  was  dragged  from  Gethsemane  to 
Calvary  ?  We  cannot  know.  It  was  a  terrible 
deed ;  and  that  name,  if  it  be  recorded,  has  a  ter- 
rible brand  upon  it.  But  a  change  which  held 
both  on  earth  and  in  heaven  had  been  accom- 
plished. Canterbury  and  York  went  on  the  day 
after  as  the  day  before.  But  the  Light  of  Life 
had  gone  out  of  them.  Men  were  busy  as  not 
knowing  or  not  believing  what  was  done,  and  what 
would  follow  from  the  deed.  There  was  no  Holy 
Sacrifice  offered  morning  by  morning.  The  Scrip- 
tures were  read  there,  but  there  was  no  Divine 
Teacher  to  interpret  them.  The  Magnificat  was 
chanted  still,  but  it  rolled  along  the  empty  roofs, 
for  Jesus  was  no  longer  on  the  altar.  So  it  is  to 
this  day.  There  is  no  light,  no  tabernacle,  no 
altar,  nor  can  be  till  Jesus  shall  return  thither. 
They  stand  like  the  open  sepulchre,  and  we  may 
believe  that  angels  are  there,  ever  saying,  "  He  is 
not  here.  Come  and  see  the  place  where  the  Lord 
was  laid."     (St.  Matt,  xxviii.  6.) 

But  this  is  not  all.  The  change,  so  impercep- 
tible to  sense,  in  the  supernatural  order  is  potent 
and  irresistible.  The  centre  of  the  order  of  grace 
had  been  taken  away,  and  the  whole  had  lost  its 
unity  and  its  coherence.  Separation  from  the  visi- 
ble Body  of  Christ  is  separation  from  the  presence 
and  assistance  of  the  Holy  Ghost  Who  inhabits  it. 
There  is  no  influx  of  His  divine  and  infallible  light 
into  the  intelligence  of  a  body  which  breaks  from 
the  unity  of  the  Church.     There  is  no  divine  voice 


260 


THE   BLESSED   SACRAMENT   THE   CENTRE   OF   IMMUTABLE   TRUTH. 


speaking  through  it  as  His  organ  of  immutable 
truth.  Straightway  all  began  to  dissolve  and  go  to 
pieces.  The  sinews  relaxed  and  lost  their  tenacity, 
the  joints  and  bands  of  what  had  been  the  mystical 
Body  parted  asunder.  For  three  hundred  years  it 
has  been  returning  into  its  dust.  In  the  day  when 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  was  carried  out  of  the 
churches  of  England,  the  whole  population  was 
contained  within  the  unity  of  the  one  Body.  Now 
hardly  one-half  remains  to  the  Church  which  taught 
the  fatal  lesson  of  separation.  From  generation  to 
generation,  by  a  succession  of  crumbling  seces- 
sions, divisions,  and  subdivisions,  the  flock  it  could 
not  retain  when  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is  no  longer 
upon  the  altar,  has  wandered  from  it  and  dis- 
persed. 

And  what  has  happened  visibly  in  its  external 
divisions  of  communion,  has  wrought  invisibly  in 
the  internal  aberrations  of  its  doctrines :  the  order 
of  divine  facts  being  broken  through,  and  the  sub- 
stance shattered,  the  shadow  betrayed  its  ruin. 
What  reflection  does  the  Anglican  Church  leave 
upon  the  intelligence  of  the  people  ?  If  dogma  be 
the  intellectual  conception  of  divine  realities,  what 
dogma  is  to  be  found  where  the  divine  realities  of 
the  Sacramental  Body  and  mystical  Body  of  Jesus, 
His  Presence,  His  Sacrifice,  His  Seven  Sacraments, 
His  infallible  and  perpetual  Voice,  are  denied  ? 

But  into  this  I  will  not  enter.  I  have  no  will, 
on  such  a  subject  as  this,  to  speak  controversially. 
One  word  is  all  I  will  say.  The  Reformers  of  the 
Church  of  England  took  for  the  basis  of  their  relig- 
ion, not  the  perpetual  and  infallible  teaching  of  the 
Spirit  of  Jesus  in  His  Church,  but  the  Bible.  A 
written  Book  was  erected  in  the  place  of  the  Living 
Teacher,  so  as  to  exclude  His  supreme  living  voice. 
Anglican  Christianity  was  to  be  based  upon  the 
Bible.  But  it  is  precisely  this  basis  that  Anglicans 
have  been  ruining  under  their  own  feet — so  sure  is 
it  the  Incarnate  Word  in  the  Tabernacle  and  the 
Written  Word  in  the  Scriptures  cannot  be  put 
asunder.     They  come  and  they  go  together. 

Let  it  be,  then,  our  chief  work  to  propagate  the 
knowledge  and  love  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  not 
only  for  the  sanctification  of  the  faithful,  but  for  the 
conversion  of  those  who  have  been  robbed  of  the 
presence  of  Jesus.     The  people,  that  is  the  poor,  of 


England,  were  innocent  of  the  great  offence.  They 
did  not  remove  Jesus  from  the  altar.  They  were 
disinherited  of  their  true  birthright  in  His  presence. 
They  did  not  pull  down  His  Throne.  They  rose 
in  arms,  and  especially  in  Northern  and  Western 
England,  for  the  faith  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament.* 
I  believe  there  is  no  surer  instrument  of  their 
return  to  the  unity  of  grace  and  truth  than  the 
manifestation  of  the  love  of  Jesus  in  the  Holy  Eu- 
charist. It  is  a  way  of  controversy  altogether 
uncontroversial.  It  has  no  sharp  accents,  or  con- 
tentious tones,  or  wrangling  arguments.  It  bears 
witness  by  its  own  light,  and  preaches  by  its  divine 
silence. 

Moreover  it  is  a  witness  for  truth  which  contains 
all  truth.  It  preaches  the  Incarnation,  the  unity, 
perpetuity,  imperishableness,  and  divine  immuta- 
bility of  the  Church  and  of  the  Faith  ;  communion, 
with  Jesus,  communion  with  the  living  and  the 
dead,  with  the  whole  Church  on  earth,  with  the 
saints  in  heaven. 

And  besides  this,  it  draws  with  its  own  sweet- 
ness, and  holds  by  its  own  attraction.  It  convinces 
the  intellect  by  its  own  light,  and  persuades  the 
will  by  its  own  power  of  love ;  thereby  winning  the 
soul  in  all  its  faculties,  the  whole  man  to  the 
obedience  of  faith.  He  who  believes  in  the  presence 
of  Jesus  in  the  Tabernacle  cannot  long  doubt  that 
His  mystical  Body  is  one,  visible,  indivisible,  and 
infallible ;  that  its  voice  is  the  voice  of  Jesus,  divine 
and  changeless  in  every  age  ;  and  believing  this, 
he  cannot  linger  long  upon  the  threshold  of  the 
only  Church  of  God  among  men.  Thus  the  unity 
of  the  true  Fold  and  of  the  Truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
would  spread  once  more  in  England  evenly  and 
irresistibly  as  a  circle  on  the  waters. 

But  if  we  would  make  other  men  to  know  and 
love  Jesus  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  we  must  first 
be  disciples  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  ourselves. 
We  must  know  and  love  Jesus,  then,  with  an 
especial  fidelity.  Make  it  the  support  of  our  super- 
natural life  iu  Sacramental  Communion  as  often  as 

*  In  the  Pilgrimage  of  Grace,  the  people  from  the  borders  of 
Scotland  to  the  Humber  bound  themselres  by  oath  to  maintain 
their  religion.  Their  standards  were  Christ  Crucified  and  the 
Chalice  with  the  Host.  (^Lingaid' s  Ifis/ory  of  England,  vol.  vi. 
pp.  254,  255.) 


THE   BLESSED   SACRAMENT   THE   CENTRE   OF   IMMUTABLE   TRUTH. 


261 


we  may  :  in  spiritual  communion  as  often  as  we 
can — in  daily  visits  to  the  presence  of  Jesus,  kneel- 
ing in  prayer,  or  sitting  in  silence  at  His  feet,  as 
often  and  as  long  as  tlie  works  and  hindrances  of 
life  will  permit.  Such  was  the  source  of  the  power 
and  sanctity  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene  of  Pazzi. 
When  she  was  a  child,  before  she  was  admitted  to 
Holy  Communion,  she  used  to  follow  her  mother 
to  the  steps  of  the  altar,  and  creep  close  to  her  side 
as  she  received  the  Bread  of  Life,  because,  as  she 
said,  she  was  thereby  nearer  to  the  Presence  of 
Jesus.  And  through  her  life  of  supernatural 
sanctity  in  the  cloister,  she  used  to  venerate  her 
sisters  as  they  returned  from  Communion,  calling 
them  the  living  Tabernacles  of  Jesus.  This  habit 
of  faith  would  make  us  to  be  disciples  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  and  would  make  it  to  be  the  support  of 
our  life.  And  then  our  relation  to  Him  would  be 
the  measure  and  the  motive  of  our  actions.  We 
should  begin  every  day  with  Him,  in  the  morning. 


and  go  out  from  His  presence  to  our  daily  work ; 
and  in  the  evening  return  to  His  side  again  before 
we  lie  down  to  rest.  And  so  His  words  would  be 
fulfilled  in  us,  "A  little  time  and  ye  shall  not  see 
Me ;  and  again  a  little  time  and  ye  shall  see  Me,, 
because  I  go  to  the  Father."  (St.  John  xvi.  i6.) 
He  is  gone  to  the  Father,  and  yet  He  is  here^ 
and  we  see  Him  and  behold  His  glory;  but  in 
a  little  while  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is.  Here 
He  is  veiled,  but  the  veil  grows  finer  year  by 
year;  a  sense  of  nearness,  a  consciousness  of 
relation  to  Him,  grows  so  lively  and  so  sensible, 
that  it  turns  all  the  balance  of  the  heart  away 
from  the  world  and  from  self  to  Him,  our  only 
Lord,  "  Whom  not  having  seen  you  love,  in 
Whom  also  now,  though  you  see  Him  not,  you 
believe,  and  believing  shall  rejoice  with  joy  un- 
speakable," (i  St.  Peter  i.  8,)  waiting  for  the  time 
when  the  veil  shall  melt  away  and  you  shall  see 
Him  face  to  face. 


The  Holy  Rosary. 

By  tl^e  Yery  l^ev.  ^rt^ur  l^ai^. 


■  OU  have  heard  that  our  Holy  Father,  the 
Pope,  has  preached  a  crusade.  It  was 
time.  In  the  Eternal  City  of  Rome,  he, 
the  Vicar  of  Christ  on  earth,  has  been 
subjected  to  injustice  and  indignity. 
The  Church  of  God  there,  at  its  centre, 
has  been  put  aside  by  the  powers  of  the  State,  has 
been  robbed  of  possessions  which  it  held  by  titles 
the  strongest  and  most  ancient  in  Christendom,  and 
has  been  thus,  as  far  as  it  could  be,  crippled  in  its 
executive,  as  it  has  been  dishonored  in  its  Head. 
It  was  time,  I  say,  for  the  millions  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  to  rouse  themselves  and  do  battle  for  their 
sacred  rights  ;  and  the  voice  of  Leo  has  proclaimed 
the  meaning  and  manner  of  the  struggle.  We 
are  to  fight.  We  are  to  prove  ourselves  loyal 
Christian  warriors.  And  we  arm  ourselves,  as  our 
leader  has  armed  himself,  with  the  weapon  of  a 
thousand  battles,  the  weapon  that  has  never  known 
defeat — the  beads  of  the  Holy  Rosary. 

We  may  have  heard  of  an  instructive  fact  con- 
nected with  a  great  and  protracted  war  that  horri- 
fied the  world  some  years  ago.  The  fact  was  this  : 
that  the  beaten  army  had,  as  was  afterwards  fully 
proved,  the  better  weapon.  Why  then  were  they 
defeated — for  they  certainly  did  not  lack  courage  ? 
Because  they  did  not  know  how  to  tise  their  terrible 
rifles.  They  fired  into  the  air,  and  ten  thousand 
rounds  of  ammunition  would  be  spent  with  little 
or  no  result.  Now  let  us  learn  from  that  a  lesson. 
Our  weapon  is  good.  There  can  be  no  mistake 
about  that.  It  is  better  than  any  that  can  be 
brought  against  us.  But  we  must  use  it  aright  if 
we  would  win  with  it.  Let  us  now  have,  as  it  were, 
a  practice-drill  with  it,  that  we  may  learn  its  full 
power,  and  wield  it  in  defence  of  the  Church,  and 
in  our  own  behalf,  with  full  success. 

You  have  been  often  told  that  the  Rosary  occu- 
pies among  the  devotions  of  the  Church  a  remark- 
able  position  in   uniting   the  two  great  forms  of 
prayer,  mental  and  vocal.     The  Fifteen  Mysteries 
5!62 


of  the  Life  of  Jesus  and  of  His  Blessed  Mother  are 
so  many  short  meditations  proposed  to  us ;  and  in 
dwelling  on  these  great  incidents  of  our  Redemp- 
tion, in  drawing  from  them  pious  aflFections  and 
resolutions,  consists  the  mental  prayer  of  the 
Rosary.  The  vocal  prayer,  which  is  the  second 
essential  part,  is  made  up,  as  you  know,  of  the  fam- 
iliar Our  Father,  Hail  Mary,  and  Glory  be  to  the 
Father.  Now  the  Rosary  proper,  as  commended 
by  our  Lady  to  St.  Dominic,  and  as  indulgenced  by 
the  Church,  unites  these  two  forms  of  prayer 
together,  weaving,  if  I  may  so  speak,  one  in 
through  the  other.  To  the  poor  and  utterly  illiter- 
ate the  mental  part  is  not  required  for  the  Indul- 
gence— they  have  had  a  special  grant  from  Pope 
Benedict  XIV.  But  to  almost  all  of  us,  who  are 
instructed  in  the  method  of  prayer  and  in  the  sev- 
eral Mysteries  of  our  Redemption,  this  union  of  the 
Paters  and  Aves  with  the  consideration  of  the  Mys- 
teries is  essential,  and  without  such  union  we  do 
not  gain  the  Rosary  Indulgence. 

But  how  shall  we  unite  our  meditation  on  the 
Mysteries  with  our  devout  recital  of  the  prayers  ? 
How  shall  we  with  any  success  say  one  thing  while 
we  think  another?  (I  am  putting,  you  see,  the 
objection  as  no  doubt  it  is  often  put  by  most  earn- 
est souls.)  Well,  there  is  nothing  easier.  In  fact, 
the  diflBcult  task  would  be  to  say  this  Psalter  of 
Mary,  these  hundred  and  fifty  Aves,  without  the 
interest  and  constant  change  added  by  the  fast-suc- 
ceeding mysteries.  Such  a  form  of  prayer,  St. 
Liguori  says,  might  well  be  called  most  difficult — 
to  many  almost  impossible.  But  once  throw  upon 
the  Paters  and  Aves  the  light  of  the  Mysteries,  and 
monotony  and  dulness  vanish,  and  the  Rosary 
appears  in  its  true  beauty  and  attractive  simplicity. 

I  said  that  this  should  be  a  sort  of  drill :  so  let 
us  take  to-day  the  first  division  of  the  Holy  Rosary, 
and  see  how  we  can  unite  to  the  contemplation  of 
its  Five  Joyful  Mysteries,  the  devout  recital  of  the 
prayers  upon  the  beads. 


THE   HOLY    ROSARY. 


263 


You  are  familiar  with  Rosary  cards,  or  tickets, 
as  they  are  sometimes  called.  Did  you  ever  see 
such  a  card  without  a  picture  ?  Very  seldom,  I 
think.  That  picture  is  most  important ;  for  in  our 
minds  we  must  have  before  us,  that  we  may  con- 
template it,  a  picture,  vivid  and  life-like  and  actually 
present  to  us,  of  the  scene  commemorated  in  the 
Mystery.  With  that  scene  before  us,  with  the 
holy  personages  whom  we  address  taking  part  in  it, 
or,  with  us,  contemplating  it,  we  recite  our  decade. 

I.— THE  JOYFUL  MYSTERIES. 

First  Joyful  Mystery. 

THE  ANNUNCIATION. 

It  is  the  First  Joyful  Mystery,  the  Annunciation. 
See  Mary,  the  holy  maiden  of  Nazareth,  saluted  by 
Gabriel  the  messenger  from  God.  Contemplate 
her  humility,  chastity,  resignation  to  God's  will : 
his  reverence  before  the  Queen  of  Angels,  the 
Mother  of  his  God. "  And  then  adore  the  Word 
made  flesh,  the  fruit  of  Mary's  womb,  Jesus,  God 
with  us.  O  how  easily  do  we,  in  presence  of  such 
a  scene,  and  with  hearts  moved  to  their  depths  by 
such  a  mystery  of  love,  how  easily  do  we  begin  our 
decade !  "  Our  Father,  Who  art  in  Heaven,  hal- 
lowed be  Thy  name,"  hallowed  for  sending  that 
Angel  to  that  Virgin,  hallowed  for  not  sparing  Thy 
only-begotten  Son,  sending  Him  down  to  be  made 
flesh !  "  Thy  Kingdom  come,"  it  has  come  to  us 
with  Jesus  Incarnate ;  "  Thy  will  be  done,"  it  is  as 
perfectly  done  "  on  earth,"  by  Mary,  "  as  it  is  in 
heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  canst 
Thou  refuse  us  anything  after  giving  us  Thy  Son  ? 
"And  forgive  us  our  trespasses,"  ah,  our  sins  of 
pride  so  unlike  this  humility  of  the  Word  Incar- 
nate, of  Mary,  of  Gabriel :  our  sins  of  selfishness, 
so  unlike  this  Maiden's  chaste  confusion  :  Forgive 
us  these  trespasses  "  as  we  forgive  them  that  tres- 
pass against  us ;  and  lead  us  not  into  temptation 
but  deliver  us  from  evil,"  the  temptation,  the  evil 
of  such  sins  "Amen." 

And  then  we  begin  our  Aves.  Using  the  very 
words  of  that  Angel  of  God,  we  salute  our  Blessed 
Lady :  "  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,"  of  humility, 
resignation,  chastity,  "  the  Lord  is  with  thee,"  by 
His  grace  before,  by  His  Incarnate  presence  after 
ihy  fiat ;  "blessed  art  thou  among  women,"  how 


blessed,  when  angels  and  men,  and  all  generations 
call  thee  blessed !  "and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy 
womb,  Jesus,"  now  made  flesh  of  thy  pure  sub- 
stance. "  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,"  (Ah,  see 
her  there,  in  the  first  moment  of  her  maternity !) 
"  pray  for  us  sinners "  by  pride,  by  self-will,  by 
impurity,  pray  for  us  and  shield  us  against  these 
sins,  "now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death.  Amen." 
"  Glory  be  to  rhe  Father,"  Who  has  sent  His  Son 
on  earth  to  be  the  Son  of  Mary.  "And  to  the  Son," 
"  Who  has  said :  A  body  hast  Thou  prepared  for 
Me,  behold  I  come  :  "  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,"  by 
Whose  ineffable  operation  of  love,  this  mystery 
was  wrought. 

Glory  be  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  for 
this  joyful  mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  "  as  it  was 
in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be,  world 
without  end.     Amen." 

I  would  ask  you,  is  that  dry  or  difficult  ?  Of 
course  it  takes  more  time  to  say  these  things  than 
to  think  them.  And  I  need  not  add  that,  since  the 
depth  of  each  Mystery  is  infinite,  so  may  be  the 
application  to  it  of  the  prayers — so  that  no  two  of 
our  Rosaries  need  be  alike,  but  may  be  even  going 
further  and  further  into  the  sweetness  of  these 
sacred  scenes,  adding  fruit  upon  fruit  of  pious 
affection  and  resolve,  building  up  our  lives  in  the 
spirit  and  practice  of  Christianity,  and  unfolding 
to  us  more  and  more  the  beauties  of  Christian 
doctrine. 

Second  Joyful  Mystery. 

THE  VISITATION   OF  ST.   ELIZABETH, 

But  let  us  pass  on  to  consider  the  Second  Joyful 
Mystery  of  th^  Holy  Rosary,  the  Visitation  of 
Mary  to  Elizabeth.  The  scene  embraces  the  home 
at  Nazareth,  whence  the  Virgin  Mother  "  set  out 
with  haste;"  the  long  journey  of  close  on  one 
hundred  miles  to  the  mountain  country  of  Hebron ; 
the  salutation  of  Elizabeth  to  the  Mother  of  her 
Lord ;  the  joyous  recognition  by  the  yet  unborn 
Precursor  of  the  hidden  presence  of  the  Savioul 
Whom  he  was  to  herald.  It  is  a  visit  of  charity. 
Ah,  how  unlike  some  oiour  visits,  when  with  bitter- 
ness in  our  hearts  and  ill-natured  gossip  on  our 
tongues,  we  carry  sin  and  detraction  into  the  homes 
of  our  friends ;  where  our  salutations  are  hollow, 
our  motives    ^elfish,  our   sympathy   feigned,   our 


264 


THE   HOLY    ROSARY. 


visits  a  curse  and  not  a  blessing !  Let  us  watcli 
that  visit  of  Mary,  praying  as  we  watcli :  "  Our 
Father,  Who  art  in  Heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy 
name,"  for  Thy  love  has  come  on  earth,  and  is 
hastening  this  Maiden  Mother's  steps.  "Thy 
Kingdom  come,"  the  kingdom  of  charity  in  deed 
and  word.  "  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,"  in  such 
oflEces  of  unselfish  kindness,  "as  it  is  in  Heaven," 
the  realm  of  love.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread,"  and  may  we  in  our  charity  break  it  with 
those  that  need  it.  "And  forgive  us  our  trespasses  " 
against  Thy  law  of  brotherly  love,  "  as  we  forgive 
them  that  trespass  against  us,"  giving  us  by  their 
offence  a  chance  of  Christian  forgiveness  ;  "  and 
lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  froru 
evil,"  the  temptation  of  saying  hard  things  and 
doing  evil  things  to  our  brethren.     "Amen." 

"  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,"  and  bearing  in  thy 
chaste  womb,  along  that  weary  journey,  the  Author 
and  Giver  of  all  grace,  "  the  Lord  is  with  thee,"  as 
He  is  with  me  when  I  rise  from  the  altar  rails  after 
Communion ;  as  He  is  with  the  priest  who  bears 
Him  in  His  loving  visitation  to  the  sick  and 
dying ;  "  blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and 
blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus,"  blessed 
and  welcome  His  visit  to  our  hearts  and  to  our 
homes.  "  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us 
sinners,"  who  have  so  often  been  uncharitable  vis- 
itors, bearing  with  us  curses  and  not  blessings, 
"  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death,"  that  hour  in 
which  we  hope  for  this  visit  to  our  death-beds,  to  be 
our  Viaticum  in  our  long  journey.     "Amen." 

Glory  be  to  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 
the  spring  and  fountain-head  in  heaven  of  all  true 
charity  on  earth.     Amen. 

Third  Joyful  Mystery. 

THE  NATIVITY   OF  OUR  BLESSED   LORD. 

In  the  Third  Joyful  Mystery  the  scene  is  so  fam- 
iliar that  I  need  not  describe  it  in  detail.  Which 
cf  you  cannot  place  himself  within  the  stable  of 
Bethlehem,  before  Mary  and  her  new-born  Child  ? 
Look  at  the  contradiction  there  of  all  worldiness  ; 
see  how  Jesus  chose,  instead  of  riches,  the  most 
utter  poverty  ;  instead  of  honor,  the  humiliation  of 
an  outcast ;  instead  of  comfort,  the  rigors  of  a 
manger.     For  si^ch  mercies  how  easy  to  hallow  the 


name  of  our  Father  in  heaven  Whose  Kingdom 
has  come  to  break  down  the  pride  of  the  kingdom 
of  earth.  Whose  will  has  been  done  when  it  was  so 
hard  to  do.  In  Bethlehem,  the  House  of  Bread,  we 
may  well  beg  for  our  daily  bread,  ask  for  forgive- 
ness for  our  trespasses  against  the  poverty,  humil- 
ity, and  self-sacrifice  of  this  little  Babe,  and  for 
grace  to  withstand  the  temptation  of  a  world  offer- 
ing us  evil  under  the  guise  of  good.  And  how 
often  have  we  addressed  to  the  Mother  there,  as  she 
bends  over  her  precious  Babe,  the  words  of  the  Hail 
Mary.  How  full  she  is  of  grace  ;  how  near  her  Lord 
lies  to  her ;  how  blessed  among  women  despite  her 
poverty  and  houselessness,  as  she  adores  with 
Joseph  and  the  Shepherds  the  fruit  of  her  womb. 
■'  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  sinners," 
who  lay  such  store  by  riches,  honors,  and  pleasures, 
but  who  see  their  true  value  measured  in  this 
stable,  pray  for  us  poor  wordlings  "  now  and  at  the 
hour  of  our  death,"  when  the  hollow  world  will 
burst  and  vanish,  "Amen."  And  with  the  choiring 
angels  we  join  our  Gloria  to  God  in  the  highest,  to 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ;  for  the  peace  and 
joy  of  the  mystery  of  Bethlehem. 

Fourth  Joyful  Mystery. 

THE    PRESENTATION    OF   THE   CHILD   JESUS  IN  THE 

TEMPLE. 

In  the  next  mystery,  the  Presentation  of  the  Child 
Jesus  in  the  Temple,  we  have  much  sorrow  mingled 
with  our  joy.  For  look  at  that  aged  Simeon,  as  he 
receives  the  Infant  reverently  into  his  arms.  His 
aged  face  is  radiant ;  for  his  eyes  have  seen  Salvation, 
the  light  of  Gentiles,  the  glory  of  Israel.  Yet  is 
he  sad  the  while;  and  when  he  speaks  it  is  to 
prophesy  the  sign  of  contradiction  and  the  sword 
of  sorrow.  Forthwith,  through  Mary's  heart,  that 
sword  has  pierced ;  her  first  of  Seven  Dolours  has 
come  upon  her ;  she  is  even  now  the  Mater  Dol- 
orosa. She  sees  in  the  little  One  the  Victim  for 
Sacrifice,  and  knows  that  she  must  nourish  Him 
and  care  for  Him,  only  that  in  time  she  may  give 
Him  into  ruthless  hands,  which  will  nail  Him  to  a 
Cross.  That  Presentation  is  for  her  no  mere  form  ; 
she  goes  in  obedience  to  a  law  which  she  might 
claim  to  be  exempted  from  ;  but  her  obedience  is 
I  generous.     In  the  presence  of  that  solemn  act  we 


THE    HOLY    ROSARY. 


265 


recite  our  Paters  and  Aves.  "  Our  Father,  Who 
art  in  Heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  name,"  for  accept- 
ing this  little  Victim  here  presented  as  our  Saviour. 
"  Thy  Kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  Heaven ;"  may  our  generous  obedience 
prove  thee  to  be  King  of  our  hearts  ;  "  Give  us  this 
day  our  daily  bread,"  for  day  by  day  Thy  Son  is 
presented  to  Thee  in  Thy  Temples  under  the  form 
of  bread,  "  and  forgive  us  our  trespasses,"  our  want 
of  obedience,  of  generosity,  "  as  we  forgive  them 
that  trespass  against  us,"  ah  how  little  are  their 
offences  against  us  when  compared  with  ours 
against  Thee !  "  and  lead  us  not  into  temptation, 
but  deliver  us  from  evil,"  especially  from  ungener- 
ous disobedience. 

"  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,"  and  now  it  is  the 
grace  of  the  first  sorrow,  "  the  Lord  is  with  Thee," 
thy  Victim  presented  to  the  God  of  Justice,  "  blessed 
art  thou  among  women,"  most  sorrowful  woman  of 
all,  "  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus," 
set  for  the  rise  and  fall  of  many,  and  for*  a  sign  to 
be  contradicted.  "Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God, 
pray  for  us  sinners  " — ungenerous,  disobedient  sin- 
ners, "now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death,"  when 
we  shall,  like  Simeon,  sing  our  Nunc  dimittis. 
"Amen." 

Glory  be  to  the  Blessed  Trinity,  to  the  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost — the  glory  of  the  generosity 
and  obedience  of  Jesus  and  Mary  in  the  presenta- 
tion in  the  Temple. 

Fifth  Joyful  Mystery. 

FINDING  OF  THE  CHILD  JESUS   IN  THE  TEMPLE, 

The  last  Joyful  Mystery  is  again  one  of  Mary's 
Dolours.  For,  before  finding  the  child  Jesus  in  the 
Temple,  she  has  for  three  days  sought  Him,  sor- 
rowing. Again,  it  is  a  scene  we  are  familiar  with. 
The  noble  Boy,  seated  in  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem, 
surrounded  by  the  Doctors  of  the  Law,  whom  He 
is  teaching  by  His  questions.  We  love  to  think  of 
the  joy  of  Mary  and  Joseph,  when  at  last,  through 
their  tears,  they  see  their  lost  Jesus.  And  we  have 
laid  many  a  time  to  heart  His  answer  to  His 
Mother's  loving  remonstrance :  "  Didst  thou  not 
know  that  I  must  be  about  My  Father's  business  ?" 
"  Our  Father, "  we  say  for  His  Father  is  also  ours, 
"'Who  art  in  Heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  Name," 


may  we  be  faithful  in  honoring  that  name  in  our 
temples  !  "  Thy  Kingdom  come,  Thy  Will  be  done," 
Thy  business  which  we  must  be  about,  "  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread  " — may  we  be  taught  by  Thy  Son,  and  our 
souls  nourished  with  the  bread  of  this  heavenly 
teaching ;  forgive  us  our  carelessness  in  doing  Thy 
business,  in  listening  to  the  teaching  and  question- 
ing of  Thy  Son  ;  "  and  lead  us  not  into  temptation  " 
— of  sloth,  of  wilful  ignorance,  "  but  deliver  us 
from  evil  " — from  ever  losing  Thee  through  our 
own  fault,  or,  having  lost  Thee,  from  failing  to 
seek  Thee  sorrowing.     "Amen." 

"  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee  " 
once  again  to  comfort  thee  and  reward  thee  for  thy 
loving  and  sorrowing  search  ;  "  blessed  art  thou 
among  women "  —  how  the  doctors  must  have 
thought  thee  blessed !  "  and  blessed  the  fruit  of 
thy  womb,  Jesus  :"  "  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God  " 
and  made  by  Him  Mother  of  sorrows,  "  pray  for  us 
sinners,"  that  we  may  seek  and  find  Jesus,  "  now 
and  at  the  hour  of  our  death,  Amen."  Ah,  may 
we  then  have  faithfully  done  our  Father's  business  !" 
Glory  be  to  that  Father,  Who  will  so  amply  re- 
ward our  faithful  service :  Glory  be  to  that  Son, 
our  model,  our  teacher,  in  the  one  business  neces- 
sary :  Glory  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  Whose  grace 
and  guidance  we  shall  find  Jesus  when  we  return 
to  Him  from  our  ways  of  sin,  by  Whose  strength 
we  shall  come  to  give  to  the  Adorable  Trinity  the 
glory  that  "  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever 
shall  be,  world  without  end.     Amen  !" 

I  know  many  of  you  say  the  Rosary  thus.  To 
you  it  is  the  light  and  comfort  of  your  lives.  It  is 
easy  to  see  that  you  will  live  and  die  faithful  to 
your  beads.  To  some  of  you  this  may  be,  what  at 
one  time  or  other  it  has  been  to  all,  a  revelation  of 
the  real  nature  of  this  glorious  prayer.  You  now 
know  the  true  way  to  use  this  weapon  put  into  your 
hands  by  the  Holy  Father.  Some  of  you  see,  per- 
haps, that  through  years  past  you  have  but  half 
known  and  half  used  the  Rosary  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  Others,  perhaps,  see  now,  for  the  first 
time,  how  easy  and  sweet  is  meditation  on  these 
saving  mysteries  ;  how  naturally  the  prayers  lend 
themselves  to  the  contemplation  of  the  scenes  ;  and 
what  a  harmonious  union  is  here  effected  between 


266 


THE   HOLY   ROSARY. 


the  highest  form  of  mental  and  of  vocal  prayer. 
Say  your  Rosaries  through  life,  mindful  of  this 
lesson,  and  you  will  win  your  own  victory,  the 
victory  whose  prize  is  heaven.  Say  your  Rosaries 
thus  during  this  month  (the  month  of  October) 
especially,  that  you  may  successfully  defend  the 
Church  of  God,  and  win  for  Christendom  her  protec- 
tion who  is  "  terrible  as  an  army  set  in  battle  array." 
Queen  of  the  Most  Holy  Rosary,  pray  for  us. 

II.— THE  SORROWFUL  MYSTERIES. 

Even  into  the  Joyful  Mysteries  of  the  Rosary  we 
have  found  that  sorrow  has  entered  in,  and  so  far 
that  the  last  two  of  those  Joyful  Mysteries  contained 
two  out  of  the  Seven  Dolours  of  Mary.  We  now 
come  to  the  mysteries  of  sorrow  unmixed  with  aught 
of  joy — the  sorrow  whose  gloomy  depths  shrouded 
both  Son  and  Mother,  and  the  contemplation  of 
which  should  be  the  chastening  sorrow  of  our  lives. 
In  our  preparation  of  heart  for  the  reflection  and 
recitation  of  this  part  of  the  Holy  Rosary,  we  should 
pray  that  God  would  fill  our  hearts  with  sympathy 
for  the  two  great  Sufferers  whom  we  shall  watch 
from  Gethsemani  to  Calvary,  and  with  lively  con- 
trition for  the  sins  that  have  caused  the  Son  and 
Mother  such  exceeding  sorrow.  In  such  a  disposi- 
tion of  mind  and  heart  let  us  enter  the  First  Sor- 
rowful Mystery  of  the  Rosary,  the  Prayer  and 
Bloody  Sweat  of  our  Lord  in  the  Garden. 

First  Sorrowful  Mystery. 

THE  AGONY   IN  THE  GARDEN. 

The  gloom  of  night  is  over  Jesus,  as  with  Peter, 
James  and  John,  the  chosen  witnesses  of  His  glory 
on  Thabor,  He  enters  the  Garden  of  His  Agony. 
Over  against  Him  is  the  City,  where  the  traitor  and 
the  other  plotters  are  already  busied  over  the  prepa- 
ration of  His  arrest.  See  Him  as,  a  stone's  cast 
from  the  weary  Apostles,  He  falls  on  His  knees, 
and  then  forward  and  flat  upon  His  face  on  the 
ground.  His  Father  in  heaven  is  laying  on  Him 
the  iniquities  of  us  all.  Listen  to  His  prayer: 
•'  My  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  chalice  pass 
from  Me — not  My  will  but  Thine  be  done,"  See 
how  He  is  abandoned  by  His  Apostles  in  this 
supreme  hour,  by  His  sleeping  Apostles :  hear 
Him  again  and  again  praying  the  self-same  word. 


See  how  the  force  of  His  agony,  and  the  weight  of 
our  sins  are  forcing  the  Blood  from  every  pore,  till 
His  garments  are  crimsoned,  and  It  runs  in  drops 
down  to  the  ground,  "  My  Father,  .  .  ,  Thy  will 
be  done !"  "  Our  Father  Who  art  in  heaven,  hal- 
lowed be  Thy  Name "  for  accepting  this  awful 
sorrow  for  sin  as  an  atonement  for  our  hardness  of 
heart :  "  Thy  Kingdom  come."  Ah,  may  some- 
thing of  this  sorrow  come  to  us  !  "  Thy  will  be 
done  " — the  prayer,  oft  repeated,  of  Thy  Son  pros- 
trate there  in  agony.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread  " — the  daily  bread  of  sorrow  for  sin — abiding 
sorrow  for  our  trespasses  :  forgive  us.  Lord,  "  as  we 
forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us,  and  lead  us 
not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil " — 
from  the  sin  that  crushes  Thy  Son  to  the  earth 
there  in  the  Garden.     "Amen," 

And  knowing  how  every  pang  of  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  found  a  response  in  the  breaKing  heart  of 
Mary,  from  whom  no  part  of  her  Son's  Passion  was 
concealed,  we  address  our  Sorrowful  Mother  with 
deepest  compassion  and  contrition ;  "  Hail  Mary, 
full  of  grace,"  and  filled  as  with  a  sea  of  sorrow, 
"  the  Lord  is  with  thee,"  crushing  thy  pure  heart 
that  ours  may  be  moved  to  grief  for  our  sins ; 
"  blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and  blessed  is  the 
fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus." — Ah,  there  lies  that 
fruit  upon  the  crimsoned  earth,  the  blessed  fruit  of 
thy  womb  !  "  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for 
us  sinners  " — whose  sins  are  doing  this  to  Him 
and  to  thee.  "  Now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death  :  " 
may  the  thoughts  of  this  Agnoy  of  Jesus  stay  us 
up  in  our  agony  when  the  vision  of  our  sins  shall 
force  the  death-sweat  out  upon  our  brow,  and  crush 
our  failing  hearts — pray  for  us  sinners,  then. 

"  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  to  the  Son,  and  to  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  for  the  mercy  here  shown  to  poor 
sinners,  for  the  acceptance  of  this  agony  of  sorrow 
from  the  Sinless  One  of  expiation  of  the  callous- 
ness of  sinners. 

Second  Sorrowful  Mystery. 

THE  SCOURGING   OF   OUR   LORD   AT  THE  PILLAR. 

Our  Lord  is  scourged.  It  is  the  Second  Sor- 
rowful Mystery,  and  the  awful  scene  is  one  that 
has,  I  trust,  often  moved  us  to  sorrow  for  our  sins, 
so   terribly   avenged   upon  the   innocent   flesh   of 


THE   HOLY    ROSAP,V 


267 


Jesus,  Look  at  the  scourges,  with  their  horrible 
knots,  their  knots  of  lead,  their  tough,  lithe  lashes. 
See  the  merciless  soldiers,  devil-possessed  now. 
And  listen.  .  .  .  And  this  is  for  my  sin  :  He 
is  innocent.  It  is  I  that  ought  to  be  there  bearing 
the  anger  of  my  outraged  God.  "  Our  Father,  Who 
art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  Name "  in  this 
awful  Mystery  of  Justice  wreaked  on  my  sin,  and 
of  mercy  shown  to  me ;  "  Thy  Kingdom  come, 
Thy  will  be  done,"  ah,  may  I  bear  the  chastise- 
ments it  is  Thy  will  to  send  me : — so  light  com- 
pared to  t/it's  /  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread," 
and  with  it  the  grace  of  daily  mortification,  "  and 
forgive  us  our  trespasses  " — our  deliberate  venial 
sins,  when  with  Pilate  we  have  said  :  I  will  scourge 
Him  and  let  Him  go — forgive  us  as  we  forgive  all 
who  have  ever  by  Thy  permission  scourged  us ; 
"  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation "  of  thinking 
lightly  of  venial  sin,  "  but  deliver  us  from  evil," 
from  pampering  this  sinful  flesh  of  ours,  "Amen." 

"  Hail  Mary,"  ah,  Mary,  to  think  of  saluting 
tAee  here,  in  presence  of  thy  Jesus,  torn  from  head 
to  foot  by  those  demons — "  the  Lord  is  with  thee," 
loving  thee  beyond  all,  yet  letting  every  one  of 
these  lashes  fall  upon  thy  heart.  "  Blessed  art 
thou  amongst  women,"  in  the  fulness  of  thy  resig- 
nation most  like  the  blessed  fruit  of  thy  womb, 
Jesus. — See  that  fruit  now  /  "  Holy  Mary,  Mother 
of  God,  pray  for  us  sinners,"  whose  sinful  hands 
have  again  and  again  raised  high  the  scourge,  pray 
that  we  may  have  a  horror  of  all  venial  sin,  of  all 
un-Christian  and  luxurious  self-indulgence,  "  now 
and  at  the  hour  of  our  death.     Amen." 

Glory  be  to  the  Adorable  Trinity  in  presence  of 
this  scourging  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  may  we 
daily  give  that  glory  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost  by  our  lives  of  contrite  penance. 

Third  Sorrowful  Mystery. 

JESUS  CROWNED  WITH  THORNS. 
In  the  next  Sorrowful  Mystery  we  contemplate 
Jesus  crowned  with  thorns,  throned  in  mockery  and 
saluted  as  King  of  the  Jews.  See  His  meek  form 
there,  clothed  with  the  purple  cloak  through  which 
the  Blood  from  those  mangled  shoulders  is  fast 
soaking.  See  that  crown  of  torment,  from  which 
the  crimson  gouts  are  pouring  down  the  weary  Face 


into  which  those  frantic  men  are  casting  their  de- 
filement. Ah,  let  us  who  love  honor,  and  are  sen- 
sitive about  our  dignity,  look  /zere,  as  we  tell  our 
beads.  "  Our  Father  Who  art  in  heaven,  hallowed 
be  Thy  Name,"  may  we  honor  Thee  in  atonement 
for  this  hideous  dishonor  done  to  Thy  eternal  Son  ! 
"  Thy  Kingdom  come,"  for  King  of  Kings  Thou 
art,  and  He  too  Who  bears  the  mock  honor  of  a 
King ;  "  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven,"  in  dishonor  and  humiliation  here,  in 
exaltation  there.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread,"  for  humility  is  indeed  the  daily  bread  of  a 
Christian  soul.  "And  forgive  us  our  trespasses  " 
— our  hasty  resentment  of  insults,  our  proud  asser- 
tion of  our  rights — "  as  we  forgive  them  that  tres- 
pass against  us  ;  and  lead  us  not  into  temptation  " 
of  such  angry  self-defence,  "  but  deliver  us  from 
evil.     Amen." 

And  as  we  think  of  this  heartrending  scene  re- 
vealed to  the  gentle  Mother  who  has  honored  that 
Son  from  the  moment  she  knelt  to  worship  Him  in 
Bethlehem,  can  we  withhold  our  deep  compassion 
while  we  say,  "  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord 
is  with  thee  " — and  thou  art  with  Him,  thy  Lord 
and  Son  in  the  bitter  humiliation  of  this  hour — 
"  blessed  art  thou  amongst  women  and  blessed  is 
the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus  " — blessed  shall  we 
be  if,  for  His  sake  and  thine,  we  welceme  humilia- 
tions and  lovingly  bear  insults  and  derision.  "  Holy 
Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  sinners,"  who  by 
our  pride  have  joined  these  mockers  of  our  Saviour, 
"  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death  "  our  last  great 
humiliation.     "Amen." 

And,  as  we  look  for  the  last  time  at  that  mock 
glorification  of  our  Lord,  do  we  find  no  reason  for 
special  fervor  in  our  cry  :  "  Glory  be  to  the  Father, 
and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  it  was 
in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be,  world 
without  end.     Amen !" 

Fourth  Sorrowful  Mystery. 

JESUS  CARRYING   HIS  CROSS. 

As  we  pass  to  the  next  decade  we  find  ourselves 
in  presence  of  Jesus,  carrying  His  Cross.  We 
have  often  accompanied  Him  on  that  way  of  the 
Cross.  In  the  scenes,  or  stations,  found  depicted 
in  even  our  humblest  chapels,  we  have  been  made 


268 


THE  HOLY   ROSARY. 


acquainted  with  all  that  Scripture  and  tradition 
have  preserved  of  the  manifold  aflfiictions  of  that 
last  journey  of  our  Blessed  Saviour — of  the  Cross 
that  three  times  crushed  Him  to  the  ground  by  its 
weight ;  of  the  lamentation  of  the  women ;  of 
Simon  and  Veronica ;  and  most  touching  of  all,  of 
His  meeting,  on  the  way,  Mary,  His  Mother.  We, 
who  have  all  of  us  to  bear  our  cross  along  our  own 
Via  Dolorosa,  we  should  love  the  comfort  of  this 
decade  of  the  Rosary,  while  we  walk  for  a  time 
with  our  burthen  on  us,  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus 
carrying  His  Cross.  "  Our  Father,  Who  art  in 
heaven,"  Whose  mercy  to  us  is  often  measured  by 
the  weight  of  the  cross  we  bear,  "  Hallowed  be  Thy 
Name,  Thy  Kingdom  come,"  to  us  in  patience  be- 
neath our  cross,  "  Thy  will  be  done,"  whatever  the 
load  it  lays  upon  us  to  bear :  "  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread,"  for  patience  we  shall  want  now  and 
always  ;  "  and  forgive  us  our  trespasses  " — our  want 
of  resignation,  of  courage  beneath  our  crosses,  our 
refusal  to  bear  them  in  Thy  Son's  steps — forgive 
us  "  as  we  forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us," 
when  they  lay,  by  Thy  permission,  the  cross  of 
their  injustice  or  unkindness  or  severity  upon  us  ; 
"  and  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us 
from  evil " — from  having  to  bear  a  cross  while 
losing  by  impatience  all  its  merit  and  the  company 
of  Jesus. 

Then,  watching  the  Sorrowful  Mother  as  she 
meets  her  Son  cross-laden  on  His  way  to  Calvary, 
we  say  our  compassionate  Aves.  "  Hail  Mary,  full 
of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee  " — how  sad  that  He, 
thy  Son,  should  be  with  thee  /lere  and  in  this 
plight!  "blessed  art  thou  amongst  women" — thy 
sorrow  the  measure  of  thy  blessedness,  "  and 
blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus.  Holy 
Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  sinners  " — that 
we  may  be  patient — "  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our 
death,"  when  the  heaviest  cross  shall  be  at  last  laid 
down,  and  the  longest  road  shall  end. 

Glory  be  to  the  Father,  Who  laid  this  Cross  upon 
His  Son  ;  Glory  be  to  the  Son,  Who  bore  it  giving 
us  an  example  that  we  should  follow  in  His  steps  : 
Glory  be  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  Whose  grace  and 
comfort  we  shall  bear  our  crosses  bravely  until  this 
world  of  patient  suffering  shall  pass  into  the  joys 
of  the  world  without  end.     Amen. 


Fifth  Sorrowful  Mystery. 

THE  CRUCIFIXION  AND   DEATH  OE  OUR   LORD. 

We  have  come  here  to  Calvary.  It  is  there  we 
contemplate  the  last  and  crowning  mystery  of  sor- 
row :  the  Crucifixion  and  Death  of  our  Lord.  If  we 
want  to  be  moved  to  contrition  for  our  sin,  let  us  say 
this  decade  well.  If  we  want  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice 
in  God's  service,  let  us  look  at  this  awful  self-sacrifice 
of  Jesus  for  us.  If  we  want  to  know  what  unrepent- 
ant sinners  shall  suffer — what  shall  be  done  in  the 
dry  wood,  fit  for  the  fire,  let  us  consider  what  fiery- 
torments  the  innocent  Son  of  God  suffers — let  us 
see,  as  He  has  bid  us  see,  what  has  been  done  in 
the  green  wood.  If,  in  fine,  we  want  to  see  how  far 
the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  has  loved  us,  and  how 
fully  the  Immaculate  heart  of  Mary  has  shared 
that  love,  let  us  see  that  heart  opened  for  us  upon, 
the  Cross,  and  the  mother's  heart  broken  for  us 
beneath,  "  Our  Father,  Who  art  in  heaven,  hal- 
lowed be  Thy  Name,"  for  this  is  the  only  Sacrifice, 
the  only  Victim  worthy  of  Thee,  and  able  to  repair 
the  dishonor  done  to  Thy  Name  by  sin.  "  Thy 
Kingdom  come,"  Whose  standard  is  the  Cross, 
whose  loyal  subjects  are  those  who  crucify  the 
flesh  with  its  vices  and  lusts.  "  Thy  will  be  done 
on  earth  "  by  the  lovers  of  the  Cross  of  Christ,  "  as 
it  is  in  heaven  "  by  all  who  in  that  sign  have  con- 
quered. "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread ;"  may 
we  love  that  unbloody  Sacrifice  daily  offered  in  our 
midst,  in  which  the  Sacrifice  here  consummated  on 
Calvary  is  renewed  to  the  end  of  time.  "And  for- 
give us  our  trespasses,"  forgive  us  as  we  kneel  at 
the  pierced  feet  of  Jesus,  Thy  dying  Son,  "as  we 
forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us,"  as  Jesus 
forgave  those  that  nailed  Him  to  that  Cross  ;  "  and 
lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from 
evil,"  from  ever  crucifying  Thy  Son  afresh  by 
mortal  sin.     "Amen." 

And  to  her  that  stands  there  by  that  Cross,  given 
us  to  be  our  Mother  by  Him  Who  hangs  upon  it : 
"  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee," 
giving  thee  not  only  this  unspeakable  affliction, 
but  also  strength  to  bear  it,  and  to  stand  there,  the 
Valiant  Woman  as  well  as  the  Sorrowful  Mother. 
"  Blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and  blessed  is 
the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus,"  hanging  now  above 
thee,   the   fruit   of   that   shameful    tree.      "  Holy 


THE   HOLY    ROSARY. 


269 


Mary,"  most  sorrowful,  "  Mother  of  God,"  and 
hencefortii  our  Mother  also,  "  pray  for  us  sinners," 
who  lament  our  sins  with  Magdalen  beneath  this 
Cross :  "  now,  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death."  O 
Mary,  stand  by  us  when  we  are  dying,  as  thou 
didst  stand  by  thy  dying  Jesus !  Show  us  then 
this  mystery  of  sorrow,  that  it  may  bring  us  com- 
fort in  our  hour  of  dereliction,  and  that  with  the 
crucifix  in  our  hands  and  the  love  of  the  Crucified 
in  our  hearts,  we  may,  in  perfect  hope  and  peace, 
commend  our  souls  into  the  outstretched  arms  of 
our  Saviour.     "Amen." 

Glory  be  to  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  for 
this  work  of  our  Redemption,  for  the  sorrow  that 
has  brought  us  joy,  and  the  death  that  has  brought 
us  life ;  as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  before  sin  brought 
death  ;  as  it  is  now,  that  one  Death  has  conquered 
sin :  as  it  ever  shall  be,  when  sin  and  sorrow  and 
death  shall  be  no  more,  world  without  end.     Amen. 

Think  of  the  effect  upon  a  Christian's  life  of  these 
Five  Sorrowful  Mysteries  of  the  Rosary,  reflected 
upon  thus  week  by  week  and  year  by  year.  Of 
course  no  one  will,  as  a  rule,  unite  in  one  Pater  or 
Ave  all  that  I  have  said  of  each  mystery.  But  even 
if  one  such  thought  were  allowed  to  throw  its  light 
upon  each  decade,  one  virtue  tc  be  asked  for,  one 
sin  to  be  deplored,  would  not  the  Rosary  be  the 
treasure  of  our  lives  ?  If  we  have  sorrow,  our  cross 
to  bear,  our  passion  to  overcome,  where  shall  we 
more  readily  find  sympathy  and  help  and  strength, 
than  in  these  Sorrowful  Mysteries  of  the  Rosary  ? 
One  decade,  devoutly  said,  would  often  bring  peace 
to  our  troubled  minds,  contrition  to  our  hard  hearts, 
and  the  help  of  Jesus  and  Mary  to  our  failing  steps. 
Let  us  pray  with  our  Holy  Mother,  the  Church, 
''  that  by  meditating  on  these  Mysteries  of  the  Most 
Holy  Rosary  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  we  may 
imitate  what  they  contain,  and  obtain  what  they 
promise,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen." 

III.— THE  GLORIOUS  MYSTERIES. 

Glory  is  the  end  of  the  just.  Through  much 
tribulation  they  enter  it.  So  it  is  with  Jesus,  so  it 
was  with  Mary.  Their  lives  were  mysteries  of 
sorrow.  Even  in  the  joyful  scenes  with  which  our 
Rosary  opened,  we  found  there  was  much  sadness ; 
and  the  gloom  grew  to  utter  darkness  as  it  gathered 


round  the  Man  of  Sorrows  and  the  Mother  of  Sor- 
rows in  the  mysteries  from  Gethsemani  to  Calvary. 

First  Glorious  Mystery. 

THE   RESURRECTION. 

But  not  for  ever  does  the  shadow  rest  on  the  Son 
of  God  and  on  His  blessed  Mother.  The  morning 
breaks  after  the  dark  night,  and  it  is  Easter  morn- 
ing. See  the  tomb,  where  on  Good  Friday  evening 
the  Body  of  Jesus  was  laid,  dead  and  cold  :  see  that 
tomb  now,  radiant  with  light,  the  resting-place  of 
white-robed  angels,  and  that  Body,  risen  glorious 
and  immortal,  victorious  over  death,  dispelling  for 
ever  the  darkness  of  the  grave.  Let  us  feast  our 
souls  upon  the  glory  of  that  scene,  for  here  is  the 
foundation  of  our  faith.  "  Our  Father  Who  art  in 
heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  Name,"  hallowed  in  the 
Resurrection  of  Thy  Son.  "  Thy  Kingdom  come," 
Thy  bright  reward  for  sorrow  borne  for  Thee ; 
"  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven." 
May  we  too  rise  from  sin  and  walk  in  newness  of 
life.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  a  lively 
faith  in  our  risen  Saviour,  "  and  forgive  us  our 
trespasses,"  our  cold,  unfruitful  faith,  our  un- 
christian fear  of  death,  "  as  we  forgive  them  that 
trespass  against  us  ;  and  lead  us  not  into  tempta- 
tion," especially  against  our  faith,  "  but  deliver  ns 
from  evil,"  from  our  sinning  against  the  light  of 
this  Easter  morning.     "Amen." 

Our  last  Hail  Marys  were  most  sorrowful  Aves 
to  the  Mother  standing  by  her  crucified  Son ;  but 
now  they  are  joyous  congratulations  to  the  happy 
and  ever-glorious  Alother  whose  Son  returns  to  her 
more  beautiful  than  ever.  His  face  glowing  with 
love.  His  wounds  all  turned  to  brightness — her  joy 
and  glory  to  all  eternity.  As  we  see  that  meeting, 
how  gladly  our  Ave  comes  !  "  Hail  Mary,  full  of 
grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee,  blessed  art  thou 
amongst  women  ;  "  how  blessed,  this  bright  Easter 
day  !  "And  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus," 
the  first-fruit  of  them  that  sleep  come  to  show  poor 
shuddering  souls  the  blessing  of  the  grave.  "  Holy 
Mary,  Mother  of  God" — at  last  thy  Motherhood 
brings  thee  joy  untouched  by  sorrow  ;  "  pray  for  us 
sinners,  now,  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death,"  when 
the  thought  of  this  glorious  mystery  will  rob  death 
and  the  grave  of  their  terrors.     "Amen." 


270 


THE   HOLY   ROSARY. 


"  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  the  glory  of  the  risen  Son  of 
God,  "  as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever 
shall  be,  world  without  end.     Amen." 

Second  Glorious  Mystery. 

THE  ASCENSION. 

When  next  we  see  Jesus  and  Mary,  in  the  Second 
Glorious  Mystery,  they  are  the  centre  of  a  group 
upon  the  summit  of  Mount  Olivet.  The  Apostles 
are  there  listening  to  the  last  words  of  their  Master. 
His  time  for  going  in  and  out  among  men  is  ended 
— His  days  of  weariness  and  sorrow  are  past. 
From  this  high  mount  he  looks  upon  the  garden 
of  His  Agony  on  the  slopes  beneath  Him,  on  the 
city  that  cast  Him  out  lying  across  the  valley,  and 
without  its  walls  the  place  of  Calvary.  The  time 
has  come  for  Him  to  leave  the  vale  of  tears  and  to 
go  to  His  Heavenly  Father's  Kingdom,  and  as  He 
is  yet  speaking  to  His  Mother  and  His  disciples. 
He  slowly  rises  from  their  midst.  With  straining 
eyes  and  hearts  stilled  with  awe,  they  watch  His 
ascending  form,  till  a  cloud  receives  Him  out  of 
their  sight.  Let  us  too  watch  Jesus  ascending 
from  earth  to  heaven,  from  toil  to  rest,  entering  in 
at  the  gates  that  He  has  opened  by  His  death,  and, 
amid  the  jubilee  of  expectant  angels,  taking  His 
seat  at  the  right  hand  of  His  Father — the  human 
body,  the  fruit  of  Mary's  womb,  for  ever  the  joyous 
vision  of  the  saints — our  joy  too  when  our  happy 
ascension  day  shall  come.  With  hearts  full  of  that 
blessed  hope  we  tell  our  beads  :  "  Our  Father  Who 
art  in  heaven,"  where  Jesus  now  has  joined  Thee, 
"  hallowed  be  Thy  Name ;  Thy  Kingdom  come." 
May  we  come  to  Thy  bright  Kingdom  whose  gates 
receive  the  Master  in  Whose  steps  we  tread.  "  Thy 
will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven,"  and  may 
our  hope  of  heaven  encourage  us  to  do  Thy  will. 
"  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  in  the  strength 
of  which  we  shall  walk  to  the  mount  of  God,  "  and 
forgive  us  our  trespasses  " — our  hopeless  forgetful- 
ness  of  heaven,  our  contentment  with  pleasures  of 
earth — "  as  we  forgive  them  that  trespass  against 
us  ;  and  lead  us  not  into  temptation."  Father,  keep 
us  from  temptations  to  despair !  "  but  deliver  us 
from  evil,"  from  the  only  true  evil  that  will  stop 
our  entry  into  heaven.     "Amen." 


And  looking  from  Jesus  ascending,  to  Mary  re- 
maining on  Mount  Olivet,  happy  in  the  fulness  of 
her  hope,  we  say :  "  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,"  of 
hope  and  peace  after  all  thy  sorrow,  "  the  Lord  is 
with  thee,  blessed  art  thou  among  women,"  now 
that  Jesus  has  gone  up  to  heaven  the  most  blessed 
being  on  earth,  "  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy 
womb,  Jesus,"  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father.  "  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,"  Mother  on 
earth  of  thy  God  in  heaven,  "  pray  for  us  sinners," 
that  like  thee  we  may  live  and  die  in  hope ;  pray 
for  us,  remain  with  us  "  now,  and  at  the  hour  of 
our  death.     Amen." 

The  gates  of  heaven  are  open,  and  we  join  in  the 
angelic  song :  "  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the 
Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  it  was  in  the  begin- 
ning, is  now,  and  ever  shall  be,  world  without  end. 
Amen."  O  bright  mystery  of  hope,  may  our  lov- 
ing meditation  on  you  be  a  light  upon  the  sad 
days  of  our  sojourning  here  ! 

Third  Glorious  Mystery. 

THE   DESCENT  OF  THE   HOLY  GHOST. 

In  the  Third  Glorious  Mystery  of  the  Rosary, 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  expectant 
disciples,  we  miss  from  the  scene,  for  the  first  time, 
Jesus  Incarnate.  His  Comforter  here  takes  His 
place.  As  the  life  of  Jesus  in  the  flesh  was  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  is  the  life  of  Jesus  in 
His  mystic  body,  the  Church,  His  new  birth  in  the 
upper  room  of  Jerusalem,  the  work  of  the  same 
Holy  Spirit.  How  gratefully  we  should  watch 
this  scene.  See  the  Apostles  and  disciples,  with 
the  Holy  Mother  in  their  midst ;  the  body  of  the 
Church  of  God  waiting,  as  it  were,  for  the  breath 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  it  life.  Hear  the  rush- 
ing of  that  mighty  wind,  the  breath  of  God,  filling 
the  whole  house  as  His  presence  is  to  fill  the 
universal  Church.  See  the  tongues  of  flame — 
symbols  of  Christian  zeal  and  truth  and  courage ; 
see  the  wondrous  change  already  wrought,  as  the 
doors  of  that  upper  chamber  open,  and  strong  with 
the  strength  of  God,  that  little  band  goes  forth  to 
conquer  the  world.  "  Our  Father  who  art  in 
heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  Name,  Thy  Kingdom 
come ;"  may  it  extend  to  every  comer  of  the  earth 
to  which  has  gone  forth  the  sound  of  that  day  of 


THE    HOLY    ROSARY. 


271 


Pentecost.  "  Thy  will  be  done,"  by  tbe  grace  of 
Thy  comforting  Spirit,  "  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. 
Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  give  peace  to 
the  Church,  zeal  to  its  ministers,  loyalty  to  its 
people  ;  "  and  forgive  us  our  trespasses,"  our  sloth, 
in  bringing  souls  to  Thee,  our  cold,  half-hearted 
devotion  to  Thy  cause,  "as  we  forgive  them  that 
trespass  against  us."  Ah,  what  loyal  support  we 
expect  when  our  own  interests  are  at  stake  !  "And 
lead  us  not  into  temptation,"  may  we  never  grieve 
the  Holy  Spirit  by  our  lukewarm  Catholicity ; 
"  but  deliver  us  from  evil.     Amen." 

"  Hail  Mary,"  the  central  figure  in  that  upper 
chamber,  the  joy  and  powerful  protector  of  the 
nascent  Church.  Hail  "  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is 
with  thee,"  to  make  thy  fulness  yet  more  full ; 
"  blessed  art  thou  among  women  and  blessed  is 
the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus,"  Who  has  kept 
His  promise  and  sent  His  Comforter  on  earth. 
"Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,"  and  Mother  of 
His  holy  Church,  "  pray  for  us  sinners,"  thy 
children  longing  to  see  thee  and  to  feel  thee 
near,  "  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death  " — when 
we  shall  want  that  Comforter,  and  thy  presence  by 
us,  Mary. 

"  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  the  glory  rendered  by  the  never- 
failing  Church,  "as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is 
now,  and  ever  shall  be,  world  without  end.  Amen." 
Should  we  not  love  thus  to  recall  the  presence  of 
tbe  Comforter  on  earth :  His  presence  in  the  Church, 
teaching  her  all  truth  :  His  presence  in  our  souls, 
by  the  double  grace  of  Baptism  and  Confirmation  ? 
We  are  too  apt  to  forget  the  Holy  Ghost,  Whose 
temples  we  are.  Let  us  then  ask  Him  that  He 
would  warm  our  hearts  and  enlighten  our  minds 
and  recall  our  wandering  thoughts  whenever  we 
recite  the  third  Glorious  Mystery  of  the  Rosary. 

Fourth  Glorious  Mystery. 

THE  ASSUMPTION  OF  OUR  BLESSED  LADY. 
Twelve  3'^ears — or,  as  some  think,  more — divide  the 
mystery  of  Pentecost  from  the  mystery  of  Mary's 
Assumption  into  heaven.  For  those  years  has  she 
been  the  precious  treasure  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
on  earth.  He  can  spare  her  no  longer  ;  she  must 
come  to  Him  to  take  her  place  at  His  side  as  Queen 


of  Heaven.  And  so  she  lies  down  to  die.  It  is  not 
that  her  sixty  years  have  worn  her,  but  her  love 
for  the  Son  that  died  for  her  makes  her  die  for  the 
love  of  Him.  And  since  the  grave  could  not  hold 
the  fruit  of  Mary's  womb,  so  neither  can  the  grave, 
into  which  she  is  reverently  laid,  remain  long  closed 
above  her  pure  body.  Behold  her  on  the  bright  day 
of  her  Assumption  from  earth  to  heaven.  See  the 
choirs  of  angels  as  they  meet  her,  bailing  her  Queen 
of  Angels,  and  conducting  her  to  the  gates  of  pearl. 
How  full  of  gratitude  for  this  glory  of  our  Mother 
should  our  filial  hearts  be  as  we  pray  :  "  Our  Father, 
Who  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  Name,"  for 
this  triumph  of  our  sweet  Mother.  "  Thy  Kingdom 
come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  Heaven ;" 
she  did  Thy  will  most  perfectly  on  earth,  she  is  now 
nearest  to  Thee  in  heaven.  "  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread  " — that  Bread  of  Life  which  is,  even  to 
the  poor  bodies  that  receive  It,  the  seed  of  immor- 
tality, the  title  to  an  assumption  some  day  into 
heaven.  "And  forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we 
forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us  ;  and  lead  us 
not  into  temptation,"  to  carelessness  in  our  Com- 
munions, to  a  want  of  reverence  towards  these 
bodies  that  so  often  bear  the  Body  of  Jesus,  the 
pledge  of  their  future  glory ;  "  but  deliver  us  from 
evil.     Amen." 

And  watching  that  loved  form,  as  Christian  art 
has  often  pictured  it,  rising  amid  choiring  angels 
from  this  world  of  sorrow  and  death  to  the  realm  of 
joy  unending,  we  join  our  salutations  with  those  of 
the  heavenly  spirits,  saying,  with  hearts  of  glad- 
ness: "  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,"  of  grace  increas- 
ing for  all  those  sixty  years,  "  the  Lord  is  with 
thee,  blessed  art  thou  among  women."  Who  can 
see  thee  now^  and  not  call  thee  blessed ;  welcomed 
into  thy  eternal  rest  by  the  blessed  fruit  of  thy 
womb,  Jesus !  "  Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God," 
happy  Mother,  met  by  thy  Son,  not  on  the  way 
of  the  Cross,  as  once,  but  in  the  gates  of  heaven  I 
"  pray  for  us  sinners,"  who  loved  thee  and  long 
to  see  thy  sweet  face  up  there  beside  thy  Son; 
pray  for  us,  "  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death. 
Amen." 

Glory  be  to  the  Blessed  Trinity,  for  the  glory  of 
Mary  entering  into  the  joy  of  that  world  without 
end.     Amen. 


272 


THE   HOLY    ROSARY. 


Fifth  Glorious  Mystery. 

THE  CORONATION. 

While  the  mystery  of  the  Assumption  brought 
us  up  to  the  heavenly  gates,  open  to  receive  the 
soul  and  body  of  the  Glorious  Virgin  Mary,  the 
next  and  last  mystery  brings  us  past  the  shining 
threshold,  and  places  us  in  the  presence  of  the 
Eternal  Throne  itself,  where  Jesus  is  crowning  His 
Mother  Queen  of  Heaven.  Who  can  tell  the  glories 
of  that  pageant !  If  on  earth  the  coronation  of  a 
sovereign  is  so  splendid,  what  shall  we  say  of  the 
coronation  of  the  Queen  of  Angels,  crowned  by  her 
Son,  the  King  of  kings,  with  the  brightest  diadem 
of  glory  I  Let  our  decade  in  presence  of  that  mys- 
tery of  gladness  be  one  of  praise  to  the  Bternal  God 
for  the  wonderful  things  He  has  done  for  her,  and 
for  those  who,  even  at  a  distance,  have  followed  her 
in  patiently  suffering  and  in  faithfully  doing  His 
adorable  will.  "  Our  Father,  Who  art  in  heaven," 
where  Mary  now  is  Queen,  "  hallowed  be  Thy 
Name,  Thy  Kingdom  come,"  reign,  O  Lord,  in  our 
hearts  now,  that,  like  Mary,  we  may  reign  at  last 
with  Thee.  "  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven,"  where  every  one  that  doth  that  will,  shall 
one  day  be  crowned.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread,"  the  grace  to  persevere  from  day  to  day  till 
the  glorious  day  of  final  perseverence  ;  "  and  forgive 
us  our  trespasses,"  for  nothing  of  our  soul's  defile- 
ment can  enter  heaven  ;  "  as  we  forgive  all  who 
trespass  against  us,"  and  have  given  us  this  chance 
of  forgiving  and  being  forgiven  ;  "And  lead  us  not 
into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil,"  the  evil 
of  forgetting,  or  endangering  our  everlasting  crown. 
"Amen." 

Our  beads  are  nearly  told.  Look  at  this  final 
vision  of  Mary.  For  a  moment  remember  Nazareth 
and  Bethlehem,  Egypt,  Jerusalem,  Calvary.  Re- 
member the  Seven  Dolours,  from  the  prophecy 
of  Simeon  to  the  grave  of  Jesus.  Remember  what 
waSy  and  see  what  is.  Look  up,  for  even  as  we 
tell  our  beads  to-day  in  the  valley  of  tears,  the 
crown  that  Jesus  set  upon  Mary's  brow  is  filling 
heaven  with  joy  and  brightness,  and  cheering  the 
very  gloom  of  the  valley.  "  Hail  Mary,  full  of 
grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee,"  thy  joy,  thy  crown,  for 
ever  and  forever ;  "  blessed  art  thou  among  women," 
most  blessed  and  most  glorious  of  all  the  works  of 


God,  "  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus." 
Thou  hast  shared  His  crown  of  shame,  Mary,  and 
thou  sharest  His  crown  of  glory.  "  Holy  Mary, 
Mother  of  God,"  O  the  thought  of  that  Mother- 
hood in  Heaven !  "  pray  for  us  sinners  "  that  our 
penance  may  be  rewarded,  and  our  tears  wiped 
away  at  last ;  pray  for  us  now  that  we  may  per- 
severe, and  at  the  hour  of  our  death  that  our  per- 
severance may  in  that  hour  be  crowned. 

"  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  glory  to  each  Divine  Person  of 
the  Blessed  Trinity  for  the  relation  borne  by  each. 
Father,  Son,  and  Spouse,  to  that  Queen  of  Glory. 
"As  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever  shall 
be,  world  without  end.     Amen." 

Our  Rosary  is  ended,  To  the  Queen,  Mother  of 
Mercy,  our  life,  our  sweetness,  and  our  hope,  we, 
poor  banished  children  of  Eve,  have  sent  up  our 
cry,  our  mourning  and  weeping,  from  this  valley  of 
tears.  Three  hundred  times  have  we,  in  the  course 
of  our  fifteen  decades,  called  on  her  sweet  name, 
Mary.  One  hundred  and  fifty  times  have  we 
blessed  the  fruit  of  her  womb,  Jesus :  as  many 
times  have  we  implored  her  aid  now  and  at  the 
hour  of  our  death.  Surely  in  these  Hail  Marys 
alone  we  have  done  much — enough  to  make  us 
love  and  bless  the  Rosary. 

But  we  have  done  more  than  devoutly  recite  our 
Paters  and  Aves  and  Glorias.  We  have  meditaled 
on  the  mysteries  of  our  redemption,  from  the  day 
God  sent  His  Angel  to  begin  the  work  in  the  an- 
nunciation of  His  will  to  Mary,  down  to  the  day 
when  He  set  upon  her  brow  the  crown  that  was 
the  choicest  fruit  of  that  redemption.  Through 
joy,  through  sorrow,  through  glory,  we  have  lov- 
ingly and  watchfully  followed  the  steps  of  Jesus 
and  Mary  ;  and  now  we  pray  "  that  having  medi- 
tated thus  on  these  mysteries  of  the  most  holy 
Rosary,  we  may  imitate  what  they  contain  and 
obtain  what  they  promise,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord." 

Is  it  possible,  think  you,  that  Rosaries  thus  said 
should  be  fruitless  ?  that  lives  in  which  each  day 
has  its  five  mysteries — yes,  or  even  its  one  mystery 
devoutly  and  reverently  meditated  on  and  woven 
into  the  eloquence  of  the  beads — that  lives  thus 
sanctified  ^ould  be  given  over  to  worldliness,  or 


THE    HOLY    ROSARY. 


273 


that  homes  in  which  such  daily  prayer,  mental  and 
vocal,  has  grown  to  be  a  hallowed  custom,  should 
be  other  than  truly  Christian  and  loyally  Catholic  ? 
Impossible !  The  Rosary  alone,  said  as  Mary 
taught  St.  Dominic  to  say  it,  is  a  pledge  of  salva- 
tion, and  the  sure  sign  now,  as  it  was  of  old,  that 
the  belief  in  the  truths  of  Christianity,  and  the 
faithful  adherence  to  those  truths  in  practice,  is 
quick  and  energetic  as  ever.  Now  we  can  under- 
stand to  the  full  what  an  overwhelming  and  invin- 
cible power  is  in  our  hands  when,  in  union  with  all 
the  Christian  Church,  and  kneeling  before  Jesus, 
the  fruit  of  Mary's  womb,  we  unite  our  minds  in 
contemplation  of   these   mysteries  and  our  voices 


in  sending  up  these  prayers.  O  the  blessed  Cath- 
olic Church,  where  victory  is  assured,  not  only  by 
the  promises  of  God,  but  also  by  the  might  of  this 
unconquerable  prayer!  Truly  is  she,  like  her 
glorious  Queen,  "  terrible  as  an  army  set  in  battle 
array !  "  Let  us  only  move  in  her  ranks,  use  her 
weapons,  obey  her  leaders,  and  spend  ourselves  in 
her  service,  and  we  shall  share  in  her  victory 
against  the  gates  of  hell,  and  pass  from  her  chil- 
dren militant  in  joy  and  sorrow  to  her  choirs  tri- 
umphant and  in  glory. 

Queen  of  the  Most  Holy  Rosary,  Help  of  Chris- 
tians, Refuge  of  Sinners,  pray  for  us  sinners,  now 
and  at  the  hour  of  our  death.     Amen. 


18 


The  Holy  Angels. 

BY  REV.  R.  F.  CLARKE,  S.  J. 


'  He  hath  given  His  Angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways." — Fsa/m  xc.  ii. 


HQ.  following  pages  contain  a  brief  out- 
line of  Catholic  teaching  on  the 
Angels.  An  acquaintance  with  the 
doctrine  of  the  Church,  on  this  point, 
cannot  fail  to  prove  useful  at  a  time 
when  many  are  proclaiming,  far  and 
wide,  their  disbelief  in  everything  that 
lies  beyond  the  region,  of  sense ;  while  others  are 
coveting  and  striving  to  enter  into  undue,  unlawful, 
and  unholy  communion  with  the  spirit-world.  It 
is  true  that  we  cannot  with  human  eyes  see  the 
Angels  as  they  really  are,  for  they  are  spirits,  but 
they  have,  at  times,  assumed  bodies,  and  appeared 
to  men,  when  the  beauty  of  this  their  outward  seem- 
ing, bringing  to  the  mind  all  that  is  pure,  bright 
and  holy,  has  testified  to  their  innate  glory,  dignity, 
power  and  splendor. 

Thus,  the  prophet  Daniel  describes  the  Angel 
that  stood  before  him :  "And  I  lifted  up  my  eyes, 
and  I  saw  :  and  behold  a  man  clothed  in  linen,  and 
his  loins  were  girded  with  the  finest  gold  :  and  his 
body  was  like  the  chrysolite,  and  his  face  as  the 
appearance  of  lightning,  and  his  eyes  as  a  burning 
lamp :  and  his  arms,  and  all  downward,  even  to  the 
feet,  like  in  appearance  to  glittering  brass  :  and  the 
voice  of  his  word  like  the  voice  of  a  multitude." 
Meditation  and  reflection  on  the  presence  of  the 
holy  Angels  will  counteract  that  tendency  which 
there  is  in  the  heart  of  man  to  fix  his  thoughts 
and  desires  on  what  is  of  the  earth  earthly,  ever 
to  cling  to  the  fleeting  and  changeable,  and  lead 
him  to  contemplate  love,  and  hope  for  what 
belongs  to  his  spiritual  nature,  that  "  life  that 
knows  no  death."  When  we  think  of  these 
heavenly  spirits,  we  are  reminded  too  of  our 
Father's  love,  Who  has  sent  His  Angels  to  guide 
and  guard  us  in  our  battle  with  the  enemies  of  our 
salvation. 
274 


I.— The  Name  "Angel." 

The  name  "Angel,"  in  its  widest  meaning,  is 
applied  to  all  those  spirits  whom  God  has  created 
without  destining  them,  as  our  souls,  to  union  with 
a  body.  The  complete  spirtual  substances — to  use 
the  language  of  scholastics — had  their  virtue  tried, 
and  some  of  them  revolted  against  their  Creator,  and 
were  cast  into  hell.  These  are  the  demons  or  fallen 
Angels.  Others  remained  faithful  to  God,  who 
confirmed  them  in  grace,  and  bestowed  upon  them 
the  glory  and  happiness  of  heaven.  These  are  the 
good  Angels,  these  bright  and  holy  spirits  who 
stand  round  about  the  throne  of  God,  off"ering  praise, 
honor  and  benediction  for  ever  and  ever  to  the  Lamb 
that  was  slain. 

The  name  most  frequently  given  to  the  Angels 
is  "  messenger " :  in  Hebrew,  mal'ak,  in  Greek 
Angelas^  which  is  rendered  in  the  Vulgate  by 
Angebis,  and  sometimes  by  minims,  legatiis.  Like 
"Apostle,"  it  is  a  name  denoting  an  office,  not  a 
nature.  Thus  St.  Augustine  says  :  "  You  ask  tlie 
name  of  this  nature  :  it  is  spirit ;  you  seek  to  know 
its  office  :  it  is  an  Angel."  The  name  Angel  is 
applied  to  men ;  to  priests,  (Malach.  ii.  7,)  to 
prophets,  (2  Paralip.  xxxvi.  15 ;  Agg.  i.  13,)  to 
bishops,  (Apoc.  i.  20,)  to  St.  John  the  Baptist,  (St. 
Matt.  xi.  10,)  even  to  Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
in  as  far  as  they  are  sent  of  God.  The  good 
Angels  are  also  called  the  Sons  of  God,  saints, 
dwellers  in  heaven,  the  army  of  heaven.  Only 
three  Angels  have  proper  names  assigned  them  in 
the  sacred  writings,  Gabriel,  ("  God  is  strength,") 
Michael,  ("who  is  as  God?")  Raphael,  ("God 
healeth.")  (Dan.  viii.  16,  x.  13,  21 ;  Tob.  iii. 
25.)  Other  names  are  uncertain,  and  were  re- 
jected by  Pope  Zachary  at  the  Roman  Synod, 
in  745,  and  later  on  again  at  the  Synod  of  Aix-la- 
Chapelle. 


THE    HOLY   ANGELS. 


275 


2. — The  Existence  of  the  Angels. 

The  belief  in  the  existence  of  Angels  flourished 
among  the  Jews  before  and  after  the  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation, consequently  it  could  not  haVe  been 
derived  from  the  Chaldees  or  Persians,  for  the 
Pentateuch  was  written  before  the  Babylonian 
Captivity.  Therefore,  among  the  Jews,  the  error  of 
the  Sadducees,  who  denied  that  there  were  Angels, 
was  remarkable.  Among  Christians  up  to  the  time 
of  the  Anabaptists  and  certain  Socinians,  the  exist- 
ence of  Angels  was  scarcely  even  called  in  question. 
Protestants,  however,  through  their  denial  of  the  in- 
vocation of  the  saints,  frequently  forget  the  presence 
of  the  Angels,  so  that  not  without  reason,  perhaps, 
wrote  he  Anglican  bishop  Hall :  "  The  good  Lord 
forgive  me,  for  that  among  my  other  offences  I  have 
suffered  myself  so  much  to  forget  as  His  divine 
presence,  so  this  presence  of  His  holy  Angels." 
Many  rationalists,  in  accordance  with  their  tenets, 
interpret  angelic  actions  as  purely  natural  events. 

The  Catholic  doctrine  upon  the  existence  and 
nature  of  the  Angels  has  been  formulated  for  us 
by  the  Fourth  Council  of  Lateran,  12 15,  and  the 
Council  of  the  Vatican,  1870,  which  affirm  the  ex- 
istence and  complete  spirituality  of  these  creatures 
of  God.  This  doctrine  is  fully  confirmed  by  holy 
Scripture.  In  the  early  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, Angels  frequently  appear.  When  God  drove 
Adam  from  Paradise,  he  placed  before  its  gates  the 
Cherubim.  An  Angel  stands  before  Agar  in  the 
desert,  and  addressed  her ;  two  Angels  come  to 
Sodom  and  deliver  Lot ;  Jacob,  in  his  dream,  sees 
the  Angels,  ascending  and  descending  by  a  ladder 
that  rose  from  earth  to  heaven.  .  An  angel  appears 
to  Balaam ;  an  Angel,  sword  in  hand,  promises  to 
help  Josue ;  an  Angel  gives  Gideon  his  mission. 

Again,  in  the  New  Testament,  we  have  appari- 
tions of  Angels  to  Zachary,  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
to  St.  Joseph,  to  the  Shepherds,  to  our  Lord  after 
His  fast  and  after  His  agony  in  the  garden,  to  the 
holy  women  after  the  resurrection.  Our  Saviour 
Himself  speaks  of  the  Angels  as  ever  seeing  the 
face  of  His  Father,  as  separating  the  good  from 
the  wicked  at  the  last  judgment.  In  all  these 
instances  —  very  many  more  might  be  cited  — 
Holy  Scripture  represents  the  Angels  as  personal 
beings  endowed  with  understanding  and  will,  that 


is,  as  gifted  with  a  real,  true  personality,  not  as 
divine  emanations,  mere  powers  or  ideas.  Where- 
fore St.  Augustine  says :  "Although  we  do  not 
see  Angels  .  .  .  still  we  know  from  faith  that 
there  are  Angels,  and  we  read  and  possess  in 
writing  that  they  have  appeared  to  many,  hence 
we  cannot  lawfully  doubt  thereon." 

This  belief  in  the  existence  of  Angels  was  com- 
mon to  almost  all  the  nations  of  the  world.  The 
Greek,  the  Roman,  the  Indian,  the  dweller  in  the 
woods  of  America,  believed  in  Angels,  or  genii,  or 
demons  {daimonas),  as  they  were  termed  by  the 
heathen.  Tertullian  writes :  *'  We  affirm  that 
there  are  certain  spiritual  substances,  and  the  name 
is  not  new.  Philosophers  know  of  demons,  for 
Socrates  himself  used  to  await  the  award  of  his 
divine  mentor.  The  poets  know  of  demons.  Angels 
even  Plato  did  not  deny."  Whether  we  consult  the 
Bible  narrative,  or  the  teaching  of  the  Fathers,  or 
the  constant  and  universal  tradition  of  almost  all 
peoples,  we  must  believe  in  the  existence  of 
Angels. 

3. — The  Angel  of  Jehovah. 

Among  the  apparitions  recorded  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, there  are  many  in  which  he  who  appears  is 
called  the  Angel  of  Jehovah.  Often  too  the  same 
person  who  has  just  been  called  an  Angel  is  after- 
wards named  God.  The  question,  therefore,  arises 
as  to  whether  the  Angel  of  these  apparitions  is  God 
taken  as  the  Trinity  or  God  taken  as  the  Son,  Who 
is  elsewhere  called  the  Angel  of  the  Testament. 
Very  many  of  the  Fathers  have  thought  that  in 
these  apparitions  it  was  not  an  Angel  but  God 
Who  manifested  Himself,  for,  they  say,  the  person 
is  called  God  and  acts  as  God.  Moreover,  these 
apparitions  served  as  foreshadowings  of  the  Incar- 
nation. St.  Jerome,  St.  Augustine,  St.  Gregory 
have  favored  a  different  interpretation,  which  at- 
tributes these  apparitions  to  the  Angels.  This 
opinion  is  followed  by  Saint  Thomas  and  most 
theologians  and  scholastic  exegetical  writers.  A 
third  explanation  of  these  apparitions  under  dis- 
cussion is  that  Angels  appeared,  but  that  it  was 
God  Who  spoke  in  them.  This  explanation,  how- 
ever, is  not  in  harmony  with  the  text  of  Scripture, 
according  to  which  the  words  are  spoken  by  the 
persons  who  appear. 


276 


THE   HOLY   ANGELS. 


4. — The  Creation  of  the  Angels. 

Who  brought  these  spirits  into  existence  ?  St. 
Paul  tells  us:  "In  Him  were  all  things  created  in 
heaven  and  on  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether 
thrones  ...  or  powers  :  all  things  were  created  by 
Him  and  in  Him."  ("Coloss.  i.  16.)  We  know  too 
from  Holy  Writ,  that  God  is  the  author  of  all 
things,  for  "  in  the  beginning  God  created  the 
heaven  and  the  earth,"  "  He  spoke  and  they  were 
made.  He  commanded  and  they  were  created,"  "  He 
that  liveth  for  ever  created  all  things  together,"  and 
it  expressly  places  the  Angels  among  the  works  of 
God :  "All  ye  works  of  the  Lord,  bless  the  Lord : 
O  3'e  Angels  of  the  Lord,  bless  the  Lord."  The 
fourth  Council  of  Lateran  has  defined  that  "  God 
created  together,  in  the  beginning  of  time,  out  of 
nothing,  both  classes  of  creatures,  spiritual  and 
corporeal,  the  angelic  to  wit  and  the  material,  and 
then  the  human,  as  a  composite  of  both  spirit  and 
body."  The  Vatican  Council  has  defined  the  same 
truth. 

Origen  seems  to  have  thought  that  the  Angels 
were  created  from  eternity,  a  belief  that  does  not 
tally  with  the  sacred  writings,  which  are  convincing 
on  this  point.  They  represent  eternity  as  belong- 
ing to  God  alone,  and  affirm  that  he  existed  before 
aught  else  was  made.  (Ps.  xcix.  3  ;  Prov.  viii.  22  ; 
St.  John  xvii.  5,  24 ;  Eph.  i.  4.)  The  common 
teaching  of  theologians  is  that  the  Angels  were 
created  at  the  same  time  as  the  material  world. 
He  who  should  deny  this,  would  incur  the  note  of 
temerity.  As  to  where  they  were  created,  Suarez 
says  :  "  Nothing  has  been  plainly  revealed  to  us  in 
Scripture,  or  defined  in  the  councils,  or  handed 
down  to  us  with  common  consent  by  the  Fathers." 

5. — The  Number  of  Angels. 

These  Angels  have  been  created,  according  to 
Holy  Scriptures,  in  vast  numbers.  In  Job  xxv.  3, 
we  read,  "  Is  there  any  numbering  of  His  soldiers  ?" 
In  Daniel  vii.  10,  "  Thousands  on  thousands  minis- 
tered to  Him,  and  ten  hundred  times  a  hundred 
thousand  assisted  before  His  throne."  In  the 
Apocalypse  v.  2,  "And  the  number  of  them  was 
thousands  of  thousands."  Thus  the  Creator  shows 
forth  more  abundantly  His  greatness,  magnificence, 
and  goodness,  for  "  in  the  multitude  of  people  is  the 


dignity  of  the  King."  (Prov.  xiv.  28.)  "We  cannot," 
saj's  Father  Faber,  "  meditate  on  the  countless  mul- 
titude of  the  Angels,  without  astonishment.  So 
vast  a  populace,  of  such  surpassing  beauty,  of  such 
gigantic  intelligence,  of  such  diversified  nature, 
is  simply  overwhelming  to  our  most  ambiguous 
thoughts.  A  locust-swarm,  and  each  locust  an 
Archangel ;  the  myriads  of  points  of  life  disclosed 
to  us  by  the  microscope,  and  each  point  a  grand 
spirit.  The  sands  of  the  seas  and  the  waters  of 
the  ocean,  and  each  grain  and  each  drop  a  beautiful 
being,  the  brightness  of  whose  substance  we  could 
not  see  and  live :  this  is  but  an  approximation  to 
the  reality.     So  theologians  teach  us." 

6 — The  Angelic  Choirs, 

Holy  Writ  teaches  us  that  the  good  Angels  are 
divided  into  different  orders,  with  definite  names, 
but  is  silent  on  what  constitutes  the  nature  of  each 
of  these  orders,  what  their  rank  in  the  heavenly 
hierarchy.  The  Fathers  also  are  not  in  agreement 
upon  this  matter.  The  common  opinion  among 
theologians  is,  that  the  Angels  are  divided  into 
three  hierarchies,  each  of  which  is  sub-divided  into 
three  orders  or  choirs.  The  first  hierarchy  consists 
of  Seraphim,  Cherubim,  Thrones ;  the  second  of 
Dominations,  Virtues,  Powers ;  the  third  of  Prin- 
cipalities, Archangels,  Angels.  (Isaias  vi.  3  ;  Eze- 
chiel  X.  3  ;  I  Thessalonians  iv.  15  ;  Romans  viii.  38  ; 
Colossians  i.  16.)  According  to  St.  Thomas  of 
Aquin,  each  Angel  in  these  orders  is  of  a  distinct 
species.  St.  Gregory  the  Great  writes :  "We  say 
that  there  are  nine  orders  of  Angels,  because — the 
Sacred  Scripture  is  our  witness — we  know  that 
there  are  Angels,  Archangels,  Virtues,  Powers, 
Principalities,  Dominations,  Thrones,  Cherubim, 
and  Seraphim." 

The  distinction  between  assisting  Angels  (at  the 
throne  of  God),  and  ministering  Angels  (to  other 
creatures),  appears  to  be  one  of  offices  and  not  of 
Angels,  for  it  is  probable  that  all  the  Angels  at 
times  perform  either  office.  Raphael,  the  Arch- 
angel who  was  ministering  to  the  son  of  Tobias, 
speaks  of  himself  as  one  of  the  seven  who  stand 
before  the  throne  of  God.  However,  certain  the- 
ologians think  that  the  three  highest  choirs  fulfil 
the  duties  of  ministering  Angels  only  mediately 


THE    HOLY   ANGELS. 


277 


through  the  other  choirs.  Yet  these  names  are 
not  taken  from  their  natures,  for  of  the  assisting 
Angels,  even  the  prophet  Daniel  says  :  "  Thousands 
on  thousands  ministered  to  Him." 

7. — Order  Among  the  Fallen  Angels. 

There  is  rank  or  order  among  the  fallen  spirits. 
We  read  of  archai  and  exousiai  in  the  epistle  of  St. 
Paul  to  the  Bphesians,  and  Lucifer  still  seems  to 
remain  the  chief  of  the  demons.  "  If  Satan  be 
divided  against  himself,  how  shall  his  kingdom 
stand  ? "  But  the  Pharisees  hearing  it,  said : 
"  This  man  casts  out  devils  but  by  Beelzebub  the 
prince  of  the  devils."  "And  the  great  dragon  was 
cast  out,  the  old  serpent,  who  is  called  the  devil  and 
Satan,  who  seduceth  the  whole  world :  and  he  was 
cast  unto  the  earth,  and  his  Angels  were  thrown 
down  with  him."  Our  Lord  speaks  of  the  fire 
"  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  Angels?''  Thus  in 
Paradise  Lost  the  apostate  Angel,  racked  with  deep 
despair  and  vaunting  loud,  cries  : 

Here  we  may  reign  secure,  and,  in  my  choice, 
To  reign  is  worth  ambition,  though  in  hell : 
Better  to  reign  in  hell,  than  serve  in  heaven. 

8. — The  Superiority  of  the  Angels  to  Man. 

The  Angels,  considered  in  their  natural  state, 
apart  from  their  elevation  by  grace,  are  superior  to 
man  in  his  natural  state.  For  the  Angels  are  pure 
spirits,  whereas  man  is  a  composite  of  spirit  and 
matter.  This  superiority  is  declared  in  Scripture : 
"  Thou  hast  made  him  a  little  less  than  the  Angels." 
Though  this  text  is  applied  to  Christ,  still  it  is 
understood  of  man,  for  if  the  human  nature  of 
Christ  is  made  a  little  less  than  the  Angels,  much 
more  so  is  that  of  man  which  is  not  hypostatically 
united  to  the  divinity.  We  read  in  the  book  of 
Job :  "  There  is  no  power  on  earth  that  can  be 
compared  with  him,"  which  text  is  generally  under- 
stood of  Satan.  The  Apostle,  writing  to  the 
Ephesians  tells  them  that  their  "  wrestling  is  not 
against  flesh  and  blood  :  but  against  principalities 
and  powers,  against  the  spirits  of  wickedness  in 
the  high  places."  St.  Augustine  says  that  "  the 
angelic  world  surpasses  in  its  natural  dignity 
all  that  the  Lord  has  made."  We  are  speaking 
of  man   and    the  Angels    in    their   natural    state. 


for   by  grace  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  raised  above 
all  creatures. 

9, — The  Spirituality  of  the  Angels. 

It  is  certain,  though  not  defined,  that  the  Angels 
are  pure  spirits,  i.  e.,  pure  intelligences  devoid  of 
any  kind  of  body,  and  without  an  aptitude  for  a 
natural  union  with  a  body.  To  deny  this,  would 
be  a  mark  of  great  presumption.  Before  the  Fourth 
Council  of  Lateran,  the  doctrine  of  the  spirituality 
of  the  Angels  was  not  clear  to  all,  and  some  of  the 
Fathers  have  spoken  of  the  Angels  as  having 
bodies,  while  others  have  doubted.  Others,  how- 
ever, have  clearly  professed  this  doctrine  now  gen- 
eral in  the  Church.  St.  Cyril  argues  that  the 
Angels  cannot  be  the  fathers  of  the  giants,  "  since 
they  are  without  bodies."  St.  Ignatius  of  Antioch 
calls  <"he  Angels  "  bodiless  natures "  {asoeatous 
phcuseis)^  and  St.  Gregory  Nazianzen  says  the 
angelic  nature  is  intelligible  and  incorporeal 
{noeten  kai  asomaton).  St.  Gregory  the  Great 
asks  if  any  one  that  is  wise  and  right-minded 
"will  say  that  the  spirits  are  corporeal." 

However,  many  of  the  Fathers  are  to  be  under- 
stood as  speaking  of  a  body  improperly  so  termed, 
for  some  of  them  call  every  created  substance  a 
body,  others  call  the  Angels  corporeal  and  com- 
posite in  comparison  with  God,  Who  alone  is  abso- 
lutely simple.  Upon  this  point  the  witness  of 
Scripture  is  evident  and  unmistakable,  at  least  to 
the  mind  of  the  modern  Church.  For  though  it 
recounts  the  appearance  of  Angels  under  human 
forms,  it  never  assigns  as  natural  to  them  union 
with  a  body,  but  always  calls  them  spirits  ;  "  are 
they  not  all  ministering  spirits  ?  "  "  Who  makest 
Thy  Angels  spirits."  The  Bible  speaks  of  the 
spirit  and  of  the  soul  of  man,  never  of  the  spirit  of 
the  Angels ;  it  distinguishes  them  from  corporeal 
beings.  They  only  appear  to  take  food.  (See  Ps. 
ciii.  4;  St.  Matt.  viii.  16;  St.  Luke  x.  20,  xi.  26; 
Acts  xxiii.  8  ;  Heb.  i.  14 ;  Apos.  i.  4 ;  Judges  xiii. 
19,  20 ;  St.  Matt.  xxii.  30 ;  St.  Luke  x.  19,  20 ; 
Tob.  xii.  19.)  The  sons  of  God  whose  union  with 
the  daughters  of  men  Gen.  vi.  2  speaks,  and  of,  not 
Angels,  but  the  descendants  of  Seth.  The  Angels 
are  incorruptible  and  immortal,  for  death  consists 
in  the  separation  of  soul  and  body.     They  could 


278 


THE    HOLY   ANGELS. 


cease  to  be  only  by  the  direct  omnipotence  of  God 
annihilating  them.  Angels  can  pass  with  lightning 
speed  from  one  spot  to  another. 

10. — The  Knowledge  and  Free- Will  of  the 
Angels. 

The  Angels  are  endowed  with  a  knowledge  that 
far  surpasses  human  intelligence,  for  Christ  at 
times,  in  His  discourses,  introduces  angelic  knowl- 
edge as  a  climax  to  human  knowledge.  (St.  Matt. 
xxiv.  36.)  By  their  natural  powers  they  cannot 
penetrate  the  mysteries  of  grace,  nor  can  they  read 
the  secrets  of  the  heart,  unless  it  please  God  to 
reveal  them,  for  God  alone  is  the  searcher  of  the 
reins  and  heart.  "  Thou  alone  (O  God)  knowest 
the  hearts  of  all  the  sons  of  men."  (iii.  Kings 
39.)  God,  Whose  "  word  is  living,  more  piercing 
than  a  two-edged  sword,  and  a  discemer  of  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart,"  has  not  willed 
that  man's  secret  thoughts  should  lie  open  to  be 
scanned  by  every  passer-by.  "  Wicked  and  inscrut- 
able is  the  heart  of  all,"  says  the  Prophet  Jeremias  ; 
"who  shall  understand  it?  I  the  Lord,  searching 
the  reins  and  hearts." 

Future  free  acts  also  are  hidden  from  the  Angelic 
intellect,  unless  God  has  made  them  known,  for 
such  knowledge  is  a  special  mark  of  the  divinity. 
"  Shew  the  things  that  are  to  come  hereafter,  and 
we  shall  know  that  ye  are  gods."  'Fs.  cii.  20,  21  ; 
Apoc  vii.  3.)  When  Daniel,  by  divine  revelation, 
declared  the  dream  of  King  Nabuchodonoser,  the 
King  cried  out :  "  Verily,  your  God  is  the  God  of 
gods,  and  Lord  of  Kings  and  revealer  of  hidden 
things :  seeing  thou  couldst  discover  this  secret." 
"  The  truth  of  divination  I  hold  to  be  the  distinct 
testimony  of  the  divinity,"  says  Tertullian. 

The  Angels  are  endowed  with  free-will,  for  they 
are  represented  in  Scripture  as  obeying  the  com- 
mands of  God,  (Is.  xli.  23,)  as  capable  of  joys  and 
desires,  and  as  worthy  of  rewards  and  punishments. 
Moreover,  some  of  them  fell,  which  necessarily 
proves  that  they  are  free  agents. 

II. — Speech  Among  the  Angels. 

The  Angels  can  speak  to  one  another  as  Scripture 
testifies.  "And  they  [the  Seraphim]  cried  one  to 
another  and  said :  Holy,  holy,  holy,  the  Lord  God 


of  Hosts,  all  the  earth  is  full  of  His  glory." 
(Is.  vi.  3.)  "  If  I  should  speak  with  the  tongues  of 
men  and  Angels.'"  (i  Cor.  xiii.  i.)  "And  I  saw 
another  Angel  ascending  from  the  rising  of  the 
sun,  and  he  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice  to  the  four 
Angels,  (Apoc.  vii.  2,)  "  When  Michael  the  Arch- 
angel, disputing  with  the  devil,  contended."  (St. 
Jude  9.)  They  can  speak  therefore  to  God.  They 
sing  His  glory,  extol  His  power,  consult  His 
wisdom,  praise  His  mercy.  They  can  speak  to 
man  as  the  Archangel  Gabriel  did  to  Zachary  and 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  the  multitude  of  the 
heavenly  army  to  the  shepherds  on  the  first 
Christmas.  According  to  St.  Thomas,  one  Angel 
converses  with  another  by  directing  his  thought  to 
the  other  by  an  act  of  the  will. 

12. — The  Trial  of  the  Angels. 

The  majority  of  theologians  teach  that  the 
Angels  were  created  in  grace.  But  Hugo  and 
Richard  of  Saint  Victor,  Peter  Lombard,  St.  Bona- 
venture  think  that  for  some  time  the  Angels  were 
left  to  their  natural  resources  before  they  were 
elevated  to  a  supernatural  state.  The  trial  of  the 
Angels  is  not  expressly  recounted  in  Scripture,  but 
that  there  was  a  trial  cannot  be  doubted,  for  it  is 
affirmed  unanimously  by  tradition. 

Moreover,  it  is  certain  that  the  demons  were 
created  in  the  beginning  good,  and  like  the  holy 
Angels.  St.  Peter  tells  us  that  the  demons  have 
been  cast  into  hell  because  of  their  sin.  (2  St.  Pet. 
ii.  4.  See  also  St.  Matt.  xxv.  41  ;  St.  Jude  6.) 
Whence  it  is  manifest  that  the  good  Angels  could 
have  sinned  and  have  been  submitted  to  a  trial. 

From  the  sin  of  the  bad  Angels,  which,  according 
to  the  common  opinion,  was  a  sin  of  pride, — "  for 
pride  is  the  beginning  of  sin,"  (Eccl.  x.  15,)  and  in 
the  book  of  Tobias  we  read,  "  Never  suffer  pride  to 
reign  in  thy  mind,  or  in  thy  words  :  for  from  it  all 
perdition  took  its  beginning;  "  and  St.  Paul  writes 
to  Timothy  "  lest  being  puffed  up  with  pride,  he 
fall  into  the  judgment  of  the  Devil," — we  cannot 
ascertain  what  was  the  nature  of  the  trial.  Proba- 
bly it  was  not  of  long  duration,  for  Scripture  does 
not  allow  us  to  understand  that  any  of  the  good 
Angels  fell,  yet  supposes  that  the  devils  were  con- 
signed to  hell  for  their  first  sin.     (2  St.  Pet.  ii.  4.) 


THE    HOLY   ANGELS. 


279 


We  do  not  know  what  was  the  number  of  those 
that  fell  and  those  that  remained  faithful ;  probably 
far  the  greater  number  persevered. 

The  good  Angels,  according  to  their  diverse 
merits,  have  received  heavenly  rewards,  and  now 
enjoy  the  beatific  vision  through  the  good  use  they 
have  made  of  grace.  For  in  Scripture  they  are 
called  the'  "  elect  Angels  ;  "  they  are  said  "  to  see 
the  face  of  the  Father  Who  is  in  heaven ; "  to 
stand  "  round  the  throne  of  God,"  to  dwell  in 
thousands  in  the  heavenly  Jerusalem ;  and  we 
know  that  to  merit  such  a  supernatural  reward, 
grace  is  requisite,  for  "  grace,"  says  St.  Paul,  "  is 
life  everlasting." 

13. — The  Assaults  of  the  Evil  Angels. 

■  It  is  of  faith  that  there  are  demons,  and  that  they 
tempt  man — only,  however,  by  the  permission  of 
God.  We  learn  from  Holy  Writ  that  our  first 
parents  were  tempted  in  the  garden,  that  Christ 
Himself  was  tempted  in  the  desert,  that  Satan 
entered  the  heart  of  Judas,  that  Ananias  and 
Saphira  were  tempted  to  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Moreover,  the  devil  covered  Job  from  the  sole  of  his 
foot  to  the  top  of  his  head  with  a  foul  ulcer,  nay, 
besides  inflicting  physical  evils,  he  and  his  Angels 
possess  the  very  bodies  of  men.  (St.  Matt.  iv.  24, 
viii.  16,  xii.  24 ;  Mace.  i.  32,  34 ;  St.  Lukc  vii.  21, 
viii.  2  ;  Acts  xvi.  16-18,  xix.  12.) 

Christ  our  lyord  in  His  parables  points  out  the 
machinations  of  the  devil ;  the  Apostles,  in  their 
epistles,  warn  men  against  the  wiles  of  this  father 
of  lies.  We  have  too  in  the  Church,  among  her 
ministers,  the  order  of  exorcist  and  rules  and 
prayers  for  exercising  are  prescribed  by  the  Ritual. 
Tertullian,  in  his  apology,  thus  publicly  chal- 
lenges the  heathens  :  "  Bring  out  someone  before 
your  tribunals  who  is  clearly  harrassed  by  a 
demon  :  if  that  spirit  is  hidden  by  any  Christian 
to  speak,  so  truly  will  he  confess  himself  a 
demon,  as  elsewhere  he  falsely  will  give  himself 

Lout  to  be  a  god." 
Many  theologians  hold  that  to  each  man  a  demon 
is  deputed.  However,  it  is  the  more  common 
opinion  that  all  temptations  do  not  come  directly 
from  the  devil,  but  also  from  man  himself,  who,  in 
his  trial-state,  has 


A  traitor  nestling  close  at  home, 
Connatural,  who  with  the  powers  of  hell 
Was  leagued,  and  of  his  senses  kept  the  keys. 
And  to  that  deadliest  foe  unlock' d  his  heart. 

Suggestions  of  the  good  and  bad  Angels  cannot 
always  be  easily  distinguished,  for  the  demons  often 
transform   themselves   into   Angels  of    light,  and 

when 

They  will  the  blackest  sins  put  on 

Tliey  do  suggest  at  first  with  heavenly  shows. 

Hence,  rules  are  necessary,  and  are  given  by  St. 
Ignatius  of  Loyola,  in  the  book  of  the  Spiritual 
Exercises.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
devils  ever  try  to  trouble  and  sadden  ;  they  notice, 
like  a  general  attacking  a  citadel,  the  weakest 
point,  and  there  direct  their  attack,  but 

When  some  child  of  grace,  Angel  or  Saint, 

Pure  and  upright  in  his  integrity 

Of  Nature,  meets  the  demons  on  their  raid 

They  scud  away  as  cowards  from  the  fight ; 

Thus  oft  hath  holy  hermit  in  his  cell. 

Not  yet  disburden'd  of  mortality. 

Mocked  at  their  threats  and  warlike  overtures. 

Or,  dying,  when  they  swarm'd  like  flies,  around. 

Defied  them,  and  departed  to  his  Judge.* 

14 — The  Offices  of  the  Angels  to  God,  and  the 
Son  of  God. 

The  offices  of  the  Holy  Angels  to  God  are  to 
praise  Him,  for  "  the  morning  stars  praised  Him 
together,  and  the  Sons  of  God  made  a  joyful 
melody,"  to  bless  and  adore  Him,  to  carry  out  His 
orders  and  execute  His  judgments;  "Bless  the 
Lord,  all  ye  His  Angels :  you  that  are  mighty  in 
strength,  and  execute  His  word,  hearkening  to  the 
voice  of  His  orders.  Bless  the  Lord,  all  ye  His 
hosts  ;  you  ministers  of  His  that  do  His  will. 

They  have  special  duties  to  perform  to  the  Word 
made  Flesh  :  "  When  he  brought  His  first-begotten 
into  the  world.  He  saith :  'And  let  the  Angels  of 
God  adore  Him.' "  A  multitude  of  these  blessed 
spirits  sang  songs  of  joy  and  thanksgiving  on  the 
night  that  Mary  brought  forth  the  Infant  Saviour 
and  laid  him  in  the  manger.  After  his  fast  and 
temptation,  after  his  agony  in  the  garden,  the  Man 
of  Sorrows  deigned  to  receive  consolation  from  an 
Angel.  Now  continually  do  they  cry  before  the 
*  Paradise  Lost. 


280 


THE    HOLY   ANGELS. 


great  white  throne :  "  The  Lamb  that  was  slain  is 
worthy  to  receive  power  and  divinity,  and  wisdom, 
and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  benedic- 
tion." 

15. — Guardian  Angels. 

It  seems  to  be  of  faith  that  the  Angels  are  deputed 
to  guard  men  in  general.  {Cf.  Petavius,  Bk.  ii.  c. 
6;  Suarez,  Bk.  iv.  c.  17.)  The  numerous  appari- 
tions of  Angels  to  the  Patriarchs,  Moses,  the  Judges, 
the  Kings,  the  Prophets,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  Zach- 
ary,  St.  Joseph,  the  Apostles,  recounted  in  Scrip- 
ture, testify  clearly  to  the  general  guardianship. 
"Are  they  (the  Angels)  not,"  says  St.  Paul,  "  all 
ministering  spirits  sent  to  minister  for  them  who 
shall  receive  the  inheritance  of  salvation."  It  is 
commonly  held  in  the  Church  that  each  man  indi- 
vidually— with  the  exception  of  Christ  our  Saviour 
— has  a  special  Guardian  Angel,  for  our  Lord  says  : 
"  Their  Angels  always  see  the  face  of  My  Father 
Who  is  in  heaven,"  where  we  should  note  that  He 
says  not  Angel  but  Angels  and  their.  This  was  the 
belief  among  the  early  Christians,  for  we  read  in 
the  Acts  that  when  the  girl  Rhode  asserted  that  St. 
Peier  was  at  the  door  knocking,  the  faithful  who 
had  met  for  prayers  in  the  house  answered,  "  It  is 
his  Angel."  The  words  of  the  patriarch  Jacob,  and 
of  Judith  affirming  that  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  had 
guarded  them,  confirm  this  belief.  "  I  hold,"  says 
Suarez,  "  that  not  only  the  just  but  even  sinners, 
not  only  the  faithful  but  even  the  unfaithful,  not 
only  the  baptized  but  the  unbaptized  have  Guar- 
dian Angels."  This  is  the  common  opinion  of 
theologians  and  the  Fathers. 

In  every  resting-place,  in  every  cornea,"  says  St. 
Bernard,  "  reverence  your  Guardian  angel  ...  if 
you  consult  faith,  it  proves  to  you  that  the  Angelic 
presence  fails  not."  St.  Jerome  exclaims  :  "  Great 
is  the  dignity  of  the  soul,  since  each  has  an  Angel 
assigned  to  watch  over  it." 

It  is  the  common  opinion  that  nations,  kingdoms, 
and  provinces,  have  special  Angels  assigned  by  God 
to  watch  over  them.  Special  passages  of  Holy 
Scripture  support  this  opinion ;  the  book  of  Daniel 
mentions  the  Angels  of  the  Greeks  and  the  of  Per- 
sians, and  in  Exodus  we  read  of  the  Angel  that 
went  before  the  camp  of  Israel.  According  to  the 
Septuagint  translation,  (Deut.  xxxii.  8,)  God  has 


divided  the  earth  into  nations  corresponding  to  the 
number  of  His  Angels.  The  Angel  of  the  Jewish 
people  was  Michael,  who  is  now  the  special  pro- 
tector of  the  Universal  Church,  for  which  he  fights. 
(Dan.  x.  13,  21;  Exodus  xiv.  19;  Jude,  9;  Apoc. 
xii.  7.  This  belief  in  Guardian  Angels  flourished 
among  the  Persians,  Greeks,  and  other  peoples.) 

The  ministry  of  these  blessed  spirits  to  their 
charge,  man,  is  plainly  written  on  the  pages  of 
Holy  Scripture.  They  are  to  protect  the  just,  to 
inspire  holy  thoughts,  to  restrain  and  ward  off  the 
attacks  of  the  demons,  to  avert  dangers,  to  offer 
the  prayers  of  the  faithful  to  God,  at  times  to  inflict 
healing  and  salutary  chastisements,  to  pray  for 
those  committed  to  their  charge,  to  console  the  souls 
detained  in  Purgatory,  and  at  last  to  escort  them  to 
heaven.  (Ps.  xcii.  13;  Hebrews  i.  14;  Gen.  xviii; 
Judges  xiii ;  Acts  v.  19  ;  Tobias  vi.,  viii.  3  ;  Judith 
xiii.  20 ;  Tobias  xii.  12  ;  Apocalypse  viii ;  St.  Luke 
xvi.  22.) 

These  last  services  of  the  Angel  Guardian  are 
beautifully  described  by  Cardinal  Newman  in  the 
Dream  of  Gerontius. 

The  Angel  speaks  : 

Softly  and  gently,  dearly-ransomed  soul, 
In  my  most  loving  arms  I  now  enfold  thee, 

And  o'er  the  penal  waters,  as  they  roll, 

I  poise  thee,  and  I  lower  thee,  and  hold  thee. 

And  carefully  I  dip  thee  in  the  lake, 
And  thou,  without  a  sob  or  a  resistance, 

Dost  through  the  flood  thy  rapid  passage  take. 
Sinking  deep,  deeper,  into  the  dim  distance. 

Angels,  to  whom  the  willing  task  is  given, 

Shall  tend,  and  nurse,  and  lull  thee  as  thou  liest; 

And  Masses  on  the  earth,  and  prayers  in  heaven. 
Shall  aid  thee  at  the  throne  of  the  Most  Highest. 

Farewell,  but  not  for  ever,  brother,  dear ! 

Be  brave  and  patient  on  thy  bed  of  sorrow ; 
Swiftly  shall  pass  thy  night  of  trial  here. 

And  I  will  come  and  wake  thee  on  the  morrow. 

16. — The  Old  Law  Given  through  Ministry  of 

Angels. 
St.  Stephen,  in  the  Acts,  and  St.  Paul  to  the 
Hebrews,  declare  that  the  Mosaic  dispensation  was 
given  to  the  Jews  through  the  ministry  of  Angels 
— "  who  have  received  the  law  by  the  disposition  of 
Angels  and  have  not  kept  it."    Thus  the  superiority 


THE    HOLY   ANGELS. 


281 


of  the  Christian  revelation  is  shown,  for  it  was 
brought  into  the  world  by  the  Eternal  Son,  for  "  in 
these  days,"  God  "  hath  spoken  to  us  by  His  Son, 
the  brightness  of  His  glory  and  the  figure  of  His 
substance."  Though  the  Angels  participate  largely 
in  the  works  of  God,  there  are  certain  works  that 
He  reserves  to  Himself,  for  example,  the  creation 
of  the  world  and  the  redemption  of  mankind. 

17. — Ministry  of  Angels  in  the  Visible  Creation. 

Certain  Fathers  and  theologians  have  held  that 
the  Angels  under  God  preside  over  the  visible  world. 
St.Thomas  says :  "All  corporeal  substances  are  ruled 
by  Angels."  We  certainly  have  many  instances  of 
angelic  ministry  in  the  visible  creation.  The  Scrip- 
tures tell  us,  that  two  Angels  struck  with  blindness 
the  wicked  inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrha, 
that  an  Angel  destroyed  the  first-born  of  the  Egyp- 
tians, that  an  Angel  descended  from  heaven  to  move 
the  waters  of  the  Probatic  Pool,  that  an  Angel  rolled 
away  the  huge  stone  from  the  mouth  of  the  sepulchre. 

Again,  in  the  Apocalypse  we  read  of  "  the  four 
Angels  standing  on  the  four  corners  of  the  earth, 
holding  the  four  winds,"  of  "  the  four  Angels  to 
whom  it  was  given  to  hurt  the  earth  and  sea,"  of 
"  the  Angel  who  had  power  over  fire,"  and  of  "  the 
Angel  of  the  waters."  Wherefore  "  every  breath 
of  air  and  ray  of  light  and  heat,  every  beautiful 
prospect,"  writes  Cardinal  Newman  of  the  Angels, 
"  is,  as  it  were,  the  skirts  of  their  garments,  the 
waving  of  the  robes  of  those  whose  faces  see  God  in 
heaven ;"  and  again,  "Above  and  below  the  clouds  of 
air,  the  trees  of  the  field,  the  waters  of  the  great  deep, 
will  be  found  impregnated  with  forms  of  everlasting 
spirits,  the  servants  of  God  who  do  His  pleasure." 


18.— The    Honor    and    Devotion    Paid    to  the 

Angels. 

Those  who  erroneously  believed  that  the  Angels 
created  the  world,  and  wrought  the  redemption  of 
mankind,  naturally  rendered  them  a  worship  due 
to  God  alone.  Probably  for  this  reason  St.  Paul 
warns  the  Colossians  against  a  false  religion  of  the 
Angels,  and  the  spirit  in  the  Apocalypse,  before 
whom  St.  John  would  have  fallen  prostrate,  bids 
him  desist  and  adore  God.  Scripture,  however, 
is  far  from  condemning  that  devotion  which  is 
paid  to  the  Angels  as  the  beloved  ministers  of 
God — nay,  on  the  contrary,  it  encourages  us 
to  offer  prayers  to  them,  that  they  may  present 
them  upon  the  golden  altar,  which  is  before  the 
throne  of  the  Lord.  Again  we  know  that  Josue 
took  off  his  shoes  from  his  feet  out  of  rever- 
ence for  the  spot  where  these  heavenly  spirits 
had  appeared. 

The  Catholic  Church  has  ever  honored  the  An- 
gels, not  with  that  supreme  worship  called  latria^ 
which  belongs  only  to  God,  but  with  an  inferior  and 
relative  honor,  as  the  servants  and  chosen  friends 
of  God,  known  as  dulia.  She  assigns  them  an 
office  and  a  Mass  in  her  liturgy,  and  exhorts  her 
children  to  revere,  love  and  pray  to  them,  that 
they  may  ever  experience  the  help  and  inter- 
cession of  these  holy  spirits,  to  whose  untiring 
care  they  have  been  entrusted  by  the  divine 
mercy  to  be  sweetly  enlightened,  lovingly  tended, 
and  faithfully  shielded.  "  Despise  not  one  of 
these  little  ones,  for  I  say  unto  you,  that  their 
Angels  in  heaven  see  the  face  of  My  Father  Who 
is  in  heaven."  "  He  hath  given  His  Angels  charge 
over  thee,  to  guide  thee  in  all  thy  ways." 


THK 


Ceremonies  of  Holy  Week  Explained. 


PALM  SUNDAY. 

[  Where  there  is  only  one  priest,  he  says  or  sings  the  parts  of 
ike  service  which  in  High  Mass  are  sung  by  the  deacon  and  sub- 
deacon.'\ 

The  ceremony  of  Palm  Sunday  consists  of  three 
parts.  First,  the  Celebrant  blesses  and  distributes 
palm-leaves  (for  which,  on  account  of  the  difficulty 
and  expense  of  obtaining  them  in  sufficient  quan- 
tity, branches  of  box,  willow,  or  yew  are  often 
substituted)  to  all  present.  Then  comes  the  pro- 
cession of  palms ;  and,  thirdly,  the  Holy  Mass  is 
offered,  during  which  the  "  Passion "  according 
to  St.  Matthew  (being  that  Evangelist's  narra- 
tive of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  our  Saviour)  is 
sung. 

Now,  during  this  service,  the  Church  sets  herself 
to  picture  to  us  two  very  opposite  feelings  :  joy  and 
gladness  at  her  Master's  triumphal  entry  into  Jeru- 
salem ;  bitter  sorrow  at  His  approaching  death.  On 
this  day,  the  first  day  of  the  week  of  the  Passover, 
the  week  in  which  Jesus  died.  He  entered  the  Holy 
City  in  triumph.  We  are  tol:?  that  His  disciples 
were  with  him,  that  the  multitudes  cut  down 
branches  of  palm-trees  and  cried  aloud  with  one 
voice  :  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  !  Blessed 
is  He  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  At 
the  same  time  the  cloud  of  approaching  tribulation 
was  gathering  dark  and  thick  over  the  Church,  for 
in  five  days  her  Master  was  to  be  crucified.  To 
express  to  us,  her  children,  these  opposite  emo- 
tions, she  gives  us,  first,  the  blessing  of  palms,  and, 
in  the  joyous  procession,  depicts  the  triumphal 
entry  of  Jesus  into  Jerusalem  ,  while,  in  the  Mass 
that  follows,  the  mournful  chant  of  the  Passion 
shadows  forth  the  coming  desolation. 

We  shall  now  take  each  part  separately,  so  that 
you  may  understand  what  the  priest  is  doing,  while 
you  follow  him  in  your  Holy  Week  book.  After 
the  Asperges,  which  is  the  same  as  on  other  Sun- 
days, except  that  the  Gloria  Patri  is  omitted  as  is 
usual  in  Passiontide,  the  priest  begins — 
282 


I. — ^The  Blessing  of  the  Palms. 

It  is  a  rule  in  the  Church's  Liturgy  to  bless  and 
sanctify  everything  that  is  used  in  the  service  oi 
God  or  given  to  the  people.  The  palms  are  blessed 
with  great  solemnity ;  and,  indeed,  we  might  easily 
suppose  that  the  Mass  had  already  begun,  and  was 
to  be  offered  up  in  honor  of  our  Lord's  entry  into 
Jerusalem.  After  a  Collect,  the  subdeacon  sings 
the  Lesson  you  will  find  in  your  book,  which 
relates  how  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel 
encamped  in  the  wilderness  under  the  seventy 
palm  trees  at  Elim ;  the  deacon  chants  the  Gospel, 
giving  St.  Matthew's  account  of  this  day  ;  a  Preface 
is  sung  and  even  a  Sandus.  After  this  preparation 
comes  the  prayers  of  blessing,  in  which  we  are  re- 
minded of  God's  gracious  mercies  in  the  past,  how 
the  dove  brought  the  olive  branch  to  Noe  in  the 
ark,  and  how  God  protected  the  Jews  under  the 
palm  trees  of  EHm. 

Then  comes  the  distribution  of  the  palms.  Re- 
ceive the  palm  kneeling ;  kiss  it,  as  a  mark  of 
reverence  to  the  blessing  of  the  Church,  and  also 
kiss  the  priest's  hand  as  an  act  of  respect  to  the 
Church's  ministers.  During  the  procession,  and 
while  the  Passion  is  sung,  hold  your  palm  in  your 
hand. 

2. — The  Procession. 

As  soon  as  the  palms  are  distributed,  the  clergy 
and  choir  leave  the  sanctuary,  following  the  cross- 
bearer  and  acolytes.  The  music  is  bright  and  joy- 
ous, in  memory  of  the  shouts  of  triumph  which 
hailed  our  King  ,  while  all  carry  palms  to  help  us 
to  realize  the  procession  on  this  day  in  the  Holy 
City.  The  procession  leaves  the  church  still  sing- 
ing, but  on  its  return  it  finds  the  doors  shut  against 
it.  Its  progress  is  arrested,  but  its  song  of  joy 
continues  ;  until  at  length  the  subdeacon  strikes 
the  closed  doors  with  the  cross  he  is  carrying.  The 
doors  are  then  thrown  open,  and  all  enter  singing 
the  praises  of  our  Saviour-God.  By  this  symbolical 
act  is  signified  that  the  gates  of  heaven  were  shut 


■  <  ^■H.iiS^SJaB&f^T.oSiiif^.vi^'s-  '-^ 


\i.:-::'i>yKx:ytj/:.i£.-:t5 


v.T.  j-w>^^i^  j-iBiifrniiili 


THE  CEREMONIES  OF  HOLY  WEEK  EXPLAINED. 


283 


against  all  men  in  punishment  for  the  siu  cf  our 
first  parents,  but  that  Jesus  has  opened  these 
gates  once  more  to  us  by  His  Cross,  which  has 
triumphed  over  sin  and  death. 

3. — The  Mass. 

The  third  part  of  to-day's  service  is  the  offering 
of  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  The  parts  sung 
by  the  choir  are  expressive  of  the  deepest  grief; 
and,  indeed,  the  Church  retains  no  trace  of  the 
short-lived  joy  and  triumph  of  the  procession  of  the 
Palms.  St.  Matthew's  narrative  of  the  Passion, 
which  is  sung  to-day  before  the  Gospel,  imparts  to 
this  Sunday  that  character  of  sacred  gloom  which 
is  known  to  us  all.  For  the  last  five  or  six  hun- 
dred years  the  Church  has  adopted  a  special  chant 
for  this  narrative  of  the  Holy  Gospel.  It  is  sung 
by  three  deacons  (or  priests  vested  as  deacons)  and 
the  choir.  One  deacon  takes  the  part  of  Chroni- 
cler, and  sings  all  the  narrative  of  the  Evangelist. 
Another  deacon,  called  the  Christus,  sings  in  a  low 
and  plaintive  voice  the  words  spoken  by  our  dear 
Lord  Himself ;  the  third  takes  at  a  high  pitch  the 
words  of  Pilate,  Judas  and  Caiphas,  while  the  choir 
sings  the  words  and  exclamations  of  the  crowd. 
When  the  Chronicler  relates  the  death  of  our 
Saviour,  all  kneel  for  a  few  moments,  in  silent  awe 
and  contemplation  of  the  Sacrifice  that  is  consum- 
mated. After  this  the  Gospel  is  sung ;  but  to 
express  our  sorrow,  lights  are  not  carried  ;  at  the 
same  time,  to  express  the  living  hope  of  our 
Master's  triumph,  we  hold  in  our  hands  the  palms 
of  victory.  After  the  Gospel,  the  Mass  continues  as 
usual  to  the  end. 

TENEBR/E. 

As  we  enter  the  Church  we  are  struck  by  many 
signs  of  mourning  at  this  sacred  time.  The  Sanc- 
tuary looks  deserted  and  unfurnished.  The  Taber- 
nacle stands  open,  for  the  Blessed  Sacrament  has 
been  removed.  The  veil  of  the  Tabernacle,  flowers, 
and  other  ornaments  are  gone.  Nothing  remains 
on  the  Altar  except  the  veiled  Crucifix  and  the 
six  candles.  In  the  centre  of  the  sanctuary  stands 
the  book  for  the  Psalms  and  Lessons.  At  the 
Epistle  side  stands  a  large  triangular  candlestick, 
holding  fifteen  candles  of  common  or  unbleached 
wax. 


The  Ofl&ce  at  which  we  are  now  to  assist  is  called 
TenebrcB  (meaning  darkness)^  because  it  pictures  to 
us,  by  the  gradual  darkening  of  the  Church,  the 
more  than  natural  darkness  that  overshadowed  the 
world  at  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  the  prepa- 
ration which  the  Church  gives  us  that  we  may 
assist  in  proper  dispositions  at  the  sacred  function 
which  is  to  take  place  next  morning.  On  Wednes- 
day evening  we  sing  the  TenebrcB  of  Thursday  in 
preparation  for  the  Mass  and  Of&ce  of  Thursday ; 
on  Thursday  evening  we  sing  by  anticipation  the 
Ofiice  of  Good  Friday ;  on  Friday  evening  we  sing 
the  preparation  for  the  Office  and  Mass  of  Easter 
Eve.  In  early  times  these  Offices  were  begun  at 
midnight,  but  we  are  allowed  to  have  them  at  an 
earlier  hour  in  order  to  enable  more  of  us  to  be 
present. 

The  service  consists  of  Matins  and  Lauds,  and  is 
a  portion  of  the  Divine  Office  which  every  priest  of 
the  Church  is  bound  to  say  each  day.  We  have 
remarked  that  no  adornment  and  ornament,  noth- 
ing but  what  is  essential,  is  allowed  to  remain  in 
the  Sanctuary  during  these  days  of  mourning.  The 
Church  carries  this  same  spirit  into  her  service  of 
prayer,  and  leaves  nothing  in  the  Office  save  what 
is  essential  to  it — the  Psalms  and  Lessons.  The 
versicles  and  hymns,  the  invitations  and  responses 
which  are  used  at  other  times,  and  form,  so  to 
speak,  the  drapery  and  adornment  in  which  the 
Psalms  and  Lessons  are  clothed,  are  omitted  on 
these  days.  The  Matins  consists  of  three  parts, 
called  Nocturns  (night  offices).  Each  noctum  is 
made  up  of  three  Psalms  and  three  Lessons.  The 
Lauds  consists  of  five  Psalms,  followed  by  the  Can- 
ticle of  Zachary  {Benedidus),  and  the  whole  Office 
is  closed  with  the  50th  Psalm  {Miserere)  and  a 
Collect.  The  Tenebrcs  service  for  Maunday  Thurs- 
day in  the  Psalms  and  Lessons  brings  before  us 
the  Passion  of  our  Saviour,  and  in  an  especial  way 
the  treachery  of  Judas.  In  the  third  nocturn,  how- 
ever, the  Lessons  appropriately  relate  St.  Paul's 
account  of  the  institution  of  the  Holy  Eucharist. 

The  ceremonies  of  this  service  are  rich  in  mean- 
ing. At  the  end  of  each  Psalm  one  of  the  candles 
in  the  triangular  candlestick  is  extinguished  until, 
as  the  Office  proceeds,  one  only  is  left  alight.  By 
this  is  shown  forth  how  one  by  one  the  disciples 


284 


THE   CEREMONIES   OF   HOLY   WEEK   EXPLAINED. 


forsook  their  Master  aud  slunk  away.  The  one 
candle  that  remains  alight  represents  Jesus  Christ 
forsaken  and  left  to  "  tread  the  winepress  alone." 
During  the  Canticle  of  Zachary  {Benedictus),  the 
six  candles  on  the  Altar  are  put  out,  and  the  lights 
in  the  Church  are  gradually  lowered,  to  symbolize 
the  noonday  darkness  that  covered  the  earth  at  the 
death  of  its  Creator. 

At  the  end  of  the  Benedictus^  the  single  candle 
that  still  bums  is  hidden  behind  the  Altar,  while 
the  Miserere  is  sung  amid  the  gloom.  A  Collect 
is  then  said  in  a  low  voice  by  the  senior  priest 
present,  and  a  confused  noise  is  made,  to  express 
the  convulsions  of  nature  when  the  earth  quaked, 
and  the  rocks  were  split,  and  the  graves  gave  up 
their  dead.  The  candle  is  then  brought  from  behind 
the  Altar,  still  alight,  to  represent  that,  after  His 
Death  and  Burial,  our  dear  Lord  came  forth  im- 
mortal from  the  tomb.  The  OfiEce  ended,  all  de- 
part in  silence. 

MAUNDY  THURSDAY. 

In  spite  of  the  mourning  of  Holy  Week,  the 
Church  cannot  allow  this  great  day  to  pass  without 
some  signs  of  joy.  It  is  the  day  of  the  Last  Sup- 
per of  our  dear  Lord — the  day  on  which  He  insti- 
tuted the  most  holy  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist ; 
and  in  honor  of  that  great  Mystery  the  Church 
lays  aside  her  mourning,  at  least  during  the  cele- 
bration of  Holy  Mass,  and  bids  us  deck  the  Altar 
with  our  richest  ornaments,  and  wear  vestments  of 
white,  the  color  denoting  joy  and  gladness.  We 
would  remind  our  readers  that  the  Last  Supper 
took  place  on  the  first  day  of  the  Azymes,  or  the 
Feast  of  the  Unleavened  Bread,  and  it  is  for  that 
reason  that  we  always  use  unleavened  bread  for 
consecration  in  Holy  Mass.  Again,  to  show  forth 
the  unity  and  greatness  of  this  Supper,  the  Church 
allows  on  this  day  only  one  Mass  to  be  offered  in 
each  church,  at  which  the  clergy  and  congregation 
assist  and  receive  Holy  Communion,  the  priests 
wearing  stoles,  the  token  of  their  priesthood.  This 
brings  before  us  in  a  forcible  way  the  scene  in  the 
Upper  Chamber  in  Jerusalem,  where  our  Lord 
alone  consecrated  and  then  gave  Holy  Communion 
to  tb  se  present.  We  shall  divide  our  explanations 
of  t^    service  into  three  sections. 


I. — The  Mass. 

Amid  the  triumph  of  this  great  feast  a  web  of 
sorrow  is  interwoven,  to  show  that  our  joy  is  not 
lasting,  for  we  have  not  forgotten  the  Passion  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  Celebrant  intones  the  Gloria 
i?t  excelsis,  and'  the  bells  ring  out  joyously  in  an- 
swer to  the  organ's  peals  ;  but  after  that,  both  bells 
and  organ  are  silent  until  Holy  Saturday,  to  show 
the  sorrow  of  the  whole  world  at  our  Saviour's 
death.  The  Collects  recall  to  us  Judas  and  the 
good  thief;  both  are  guilty,  but  one  is  pardoned. 
The  kiss  of  peace  is  omitted,  to  show  our  horror 
of  the  treacherous  kiss  of  Judas  in  the  Garden 
on  this  night. 

2. — The  Procession  to  the  Altar  of  Repose. 

On  Good  Friday,  as  we  shall  see,  the  Church 
suspends  the  offering  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass,  to  commemorate  in  this  solemn  way  the 
Sacrifice  that  was  offered  on  that  day  on  Calvary. 
The  priest  consecrates  two  hosts  on  Holy  Thursday 
during  the  Mass.  One  of  these  he  receives  in  Holy 
Communion ;  the  other  he  reverently  places  in  a 
chalice,  and  reserves  to  be  consumed  on  Good 
Friday.  The  Blessed  Sacrament  could  not  be  re- 
served with  fitting  respect  at  the  High  Altar,  on 
account  of  the  mournful  ceremonies  of  this  holy 
time  ;  and  consequently  a  chapel  or  altar,  apart 
from  the  High  Altar,  is  prepared  and  adorned  with 
rich  hangings,  light,  and  flowers  :  here  our  Blessed 
Lord  remains  until  Good  Friday.  When  the  Mass 
to-day  is  finished,  the  choir  and  clergy  go  in  pro- 
cession to  this  Chapel  of  Repose.  After  the  cross- 
bearer  and  acolytes  come  the  choir  and  clergy, 
singing  the  Pange  Lingua,  followed  by  the  Cele- 
brant and  sacred  ministers  under  the  canopy.  The 
priest  does  not  carry  the  Monstrance,  as  in  other 
processions,  but  the  Chalice,  containing  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  covered  with  a  veil.  When  he  arrives 
at  the  Altar  of  Repose,  he  places  It  in  the  Taber- 
nacle or  urn,  where  It  will  remain  until  to-morrow's 
service.  Until  then  Jesus  will  not  be  left  alone ; 
by  day  and  night  loving  souls  will  keep  watch 
there  in  humble  adoration,  making  amends  for  the 
scorn  and  insults  which  Jesus  has  suffered  for  our 
sins.  More  especially  will  they  be  present  during 
the  silent  watches  of  the  night ;    for  this  is  the 


THE    CEREMONIES    OF    HOLY   WEEK    EXPLAINED. 


285 


niglit  when  He  suffered  the  Agony  in  the  Garden, 
and  was  betrayed  by  Judas,  and  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  His  enemies. 

3. — Stripping  the  Altars. 

The  procession  then  leaves  the  Altar  of  Repose, 
the  sacred  ministers  go  to  the  sacristy,  and  the 
other  clergy  and  choir  go  to  the  Sanctuary  to  recite 
Vespers,  which  are  said,  not  sung.  At  the  end  of 
Vespers  the  priests  enter  the  Sanctuary  to  strip  the 
Altar,  as  Jesus  was  stripped  of  His  garments  before 
the  Crucifixion.  The  ornaments  and  flowers  that 
were  there  to  denote  our  joyful  commemoration  of 
the  Institution  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  are  taken 
away,  the  very  altar-cloths  are  stripped  off,  because 
the  Daily  Sacrifice  is  suspended,  in  token  of  our 
grief:  T/zej/  have  parted  My  garments  among 
them,  and  upon  My  vesture  they  have  cast  lots. 
The  holy  water  is  removed  from  the  porch,  and 
none  is  put  there  until  after  the  Mass  on  Holy 
Saturday. 

GOOD  FRIDAY. 

We  have  come  now  to  the  day  of  the  Church's 
widowhood,  and  she  would  have  it  to  be  a  day  of 
desolation,  as  her  true  children  feel  it  to  be.  The 
Sanctuary  is  altogether  bare  and  unadorned.  The 
Altar  was  stripped  of  its  ornaments  yesterday  morn- 
ing, and  nothing  remains  except  the  Crucifix,  now 
veiled  in  black,  and  the  six  candlesticks.  The 
Sanctuary  carpet  has  been  taken  away,  and  even 
the  candles  are  not  lighted  until  the  latter  part  of 
the  function.  To  enable  us  to  enter  into  the  spirit 
of  this  service,  and  to  appreciate  fully  the  meaning 
of  its  various  parts,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  to- 
day the  priest  does  not  offer  sacrifice — that  he  does 
not,  so  to  say,  stand  in  the  place  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  speak  in  His  name  and  with  His  power ;  but 
rather  as  the  spokesman  and  representative  of  the 
congregation  present :  as  a  consequence  of  this,  they 
follow  and  take  part  in  the  various  acts  of  repara- 
tion he  performs.  This  is  the  key-note  to  the  right 
understanding  of  the  whole  function. 

The  service  of  to-day  consists  of  a  series  of  dis- 
tinct actions.  We  shall  divide  our  explanation  into 
four  parts:  i.  History,  containing  the  Prophecies 
and  the  Passion  according  to  St.  John,  2.  Suppli- 
cation, containing  public  prayer  for  all  sorts  and 


conditions  of  men.  3.  Reparation,  containing  the 
unveiling  and  adoration  of  the  Cross.  4.  The 
Mass  of  the  Presandified. 

I. — The  Passion. 

The  choir  and  sacred  ministers  approach  the 
Sanctuary  in  silence.  Neither  incense  nor  lights 
are  carried  before  them,  and  the  vestments  are 
black,  "  as  when  one  mourneth."  On  the  Altar 
there  is  neither  Missal  nor  Altar-cloth.  When  the 
sacred  ministers  reach  the  Sanctuary,  instead  of 
beginning  by  public  prayer,  they  prostrate  them- 
selves on  the  ground  in  silence,  while  a  cloth  and 
the  book  are  laid  on  the  Altar.  They  then  rise, 
and  at  once  proceed  to  read  the  Lessons  and  Col- 
lects, which  bring  before  us  the  Paschal  Lamb,  the 
type  of  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  is  to-day  sacrificed 
for  our  sins.  These  Lessons  prepare  us  for  the 
"  Passion,"  which  gives  us  St.  John's  account  of 
the  terrible  events  of  this  great  day.  The  Passion 
is  sung,  as  on  Palm  Sunday,  by  three  deacons  (or 
priests),  who  each  take  a  part,  the  choir  sustaining, 
as  before,  the  part  of  the  multitude. 

2. — The  Prayers. 

The  second  part  of  the  service  consists  of  suppli- 
cation 2:^1^  petition.  The  idea  of  the  Church  in  this 
action  is  to  make  intercession  with  God  on  this  day 
for  all  classes  and  conditions  of  men.  While  the 
Church  bids  us  pray  at  all  times  for  the  conversion 
of  sinners  and  evil-doers,  on  this  day  she  makes 
public  and  ojficial  prayer  for  those  who  are  "  ene- 
mies of  the  Cross  of  Christ."  For  mercy  knows 
no  bounds ;  and  our  dying  Saviour  has  given  utter- 
ance to  the  words.  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do. 

The  Celebrant  sings  eight  prayers,  each  of  which 
is  prefaced  by  a  few  words  to  show  its  object.  Be- 
fore each  prayer  the  deacon  bids  us  all  kneel  for  a 
moment,  and  the  subdeacon  bids  us  rise,  to  show  by 
this  bodily  action  our  union  in  the  petition  made 
by  the  priest  in  our  name.  First  comes  the  prayer 
for  the  Spouse  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Church  of  God  ; 
then  the  prayer  for  the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Pope  happily  reigning ;  then  the  prayer  for  bishops, 
priests  and  other  servants  of  the  Church  ;  then  th:; 
prayer  for  the  catechumens ;  then  the  prayer  for 


2S6 


THE   CEREMONIES   OF   HOLY   WEEK   EXPLAINED. 


ail  in  tribulation  or  danger ;  then  tlie  prayer  for 
heretics  and  schismatics ;  then  the  prayer  for  the 
Jews ;  and,  lastly,  that  our  charity  may  embrace  all 
human  creatures  for  whom  Jesus  shed  His  Blood, 
comes  the  prayer  for  pagans.  Before  the  prayer 
for  the  Jews,  the  deacon  refrains  from  bidding  us  to 
genuflect,  because  they  turned  this  mark  of  adora- 
tion into  an  insult  against  our  Lord  in  His  Passion. 

3. — The  Unveiling  of  the  Cross. 

The  third  action  in  to-day's  service  is  reparation. 
The  Church  will  have  us  make  what  reparation  we 
can  to  Jesus  Christ  for  the  ignominy  of  His  passion 
by  showing  honor  and  veneration  to  the  cross  in 
memory  of  His  Crucifixion  to-day.  Accordingly, 
the  Celebrant  takes  oflF'his  chasuble,  the  symbol  of 
his  priest]}'  dignity,  in  order  to  be  first  to  humble 
himself  on  this  day  of  mourning.  He  receives  the 
veiled  cross,  and,  standing  at  the  side  of  the  Altar, 
he  uncovers  a  small  part,  raising  it  slightly  for 
people  to  see,  and  sings  in  a  low  voice :  Behold  the 
wood  of  the  Cross,  on  which  hung  the  salvation  of 
the  zvorld ;  and  all  kneel  to  pay  their  homage  to 
the  sign  of  our  redemption.  Mounting  nearer  the 
Altar,  he  goes  through  the  same  ceremony  a  second 
time  ;  and  then,  coming  to  the  centre  of  the  Altar, 
he  removes  the  veil  entirely,  and  lifting  the  cross 
aloft  sings  on  a  high  note  the  same  words  a  third 
time,  in  memory  of  our  Saviour's  words  :  "  When 
I  shall  have  been  lifted  up,  I  will  draw  all  things  to 
Myself."  By  this  uncovering  of  the  Cross  is  repre- 
sented the  gradual  preaching  to  the  Jews  and  after- 
wards to  the  Gentiles  the  great  mystery  of  the 
Crucifixion,  "  to  the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  to 
the  Gentiles  foolishness." 

The  Celebrant  then  places  the  Crucifix  on  the 
ground,  and,  in  token  of  his  humiliation  and  abase- 
ment, takes  off  his  shoes,  for  the  place  whereon  he 
stands  is  holy  ground,  and  goes  to  kiss  the  feet  of 
the  figure  that  represents  his  dying  Saviour.  As 
he  approaches,  he  kneels  three  times  and  finally 
kisses  devoutly  the  symbol  of  our  redemption.  All 
who  are  present  follow  his  example,  either  at  this 
Crucifix  or  at  one  of  the  crosses  in  the  side  chapels 
(according  to  convenience),  taking  care  to  make 
three  genuflections  (not  more),  and  making  the 
third  close  to  the  Cross  itself,  so  that  as  they  kneel 


they  can  kiss  the  figure.  During  this  touching 
ceremony,  the  choir  sings  in  plaintive  chants  the 
Reproaches,  which  bring  before  us  in  a  dramatic 
wa}'  the  rebukes,  loving  and  gentle,  addressed  by 
our  Saviour  to  the  Jews.  It  will  help  us  much  to 
realize  to-day's  events  if  we  read  these  Reproaches,, 
which  our  dear  Lord  addresses  now  to  us. 

4. — ^The  Mass  of  the  Presanctified. 

We  need  not  delay  long  over  our  explanation  of 
the  fourth  action  in  to-day's  service — the  Mass  of 
the  Presanctified.  The  candles  on  the  Altar  are 
now  lighted  in  reverence  for  the  coming  Presence 
of  Jesus  Christ.  The  clergy  go  in  procession  to 
the  Chapel  of  Repose,  and  bring  back  to  the  High 
Altar  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  which  has  been  re- 
served in  a  chalice  since  the  Mass  of  yesterday. 
During  the  procession  the  choir  sings  the  Rexilla 
Regis.  On  this  day  alone  throughout  the  Christian 
year  the  Church  suspends  the  offering  of  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  that  our  thoughts  may  be 
wholly  taken  up  with  the  contemplation  of  the  one 
Sacrifice  that  was  consummated  to-day  on  Calvary. 
The  Blessed  Sacrament,  which  the  Celebrant  re- 
ceives to-day,  was  consecrated  (or  presanctified^ 
yesterday.  Consequently,  since  there  is  no  actual 
Sacrifice  to-day,  this  part  of  the  service  is  called  the 
Mass  of  the  Presanctified.  tVhen  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment is  brought  to  the  Altar,  the  priest  incenses  It. 
He  then  turns  to  the  people  and  bids  them  pray 
{prate,  f rates),  and  himself  prays  aloud,  singing  the 
Pater  noster.  He  holds  up  for  their  adoration  the 
Sacred  Body  of  our  Lord,  and  then  reverently  re- 
ceives It.  To  mark  our  mourning  and  confusion 
to-day,  the  priest  does  not  remain  at  the  Altar  to 
say  any  public  prayers  of  thanksgiving  or  to  give 
a  blessing,  as  in  other  Masses  ;  but  straightway 
leaves  the  Sanctuary.  As  soon  as  he  departs,  the 
Vespers  are  recited  as  yesterday,  and  the  altars  are 
stripped.  The  Sanctuary  is  empty,  its  light  is 
gone,  no  lamp  bums  in  any  part  of  the  Church,  the 
pictures  are  veiled  ;  the  naked  Cross  stands  alone 
to  proclaim  the  mourning  of  the  Spouse  for  the 
Crucifixion  of  her  Lord.  They '  shall  mourn  for 
Him  as  one  mourneth  for  an  only  son,  and  they  shall 
grieve  over  Him  as  is  the  manner  to  grieve  for  the 
death  of  the  first-born. 


THE   CEREMONIES   OF    HOLY   WEEK   EXPLAINED. 


287 


HOLY  SATURDAY. 

It  was  tlie  practice  of  the  Church  from  the 
earliest  ages  that  no  Mass  was  said  on  Holy  Satur- 
day. For  a  thousand  years  after  the  foundation 
of  the  Church  it  was  the  custom  to  spend  this  day 
in  prayer  and  fasting,  in  watching  in  spirit  with 
the  Holy  Women  at  the  Sepulchre  until  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Resurrection.  At  midnight,  on  Friday, 
the  Divine  Office  for  Easter  Eve  was  sung ;  but 
the  service  and  Mass  that  we  have  now  on  Holy 
Saturday  really  took  place  on  Saturday  night,  and, 
extending  till  dawn  on  the  Sunday  morning,  was 
the  immediate  herald  of  the  Resurrection.  As  the 
sun  went  down  on.  Easter  Eve,  the  Bishop  and 
clergy  and  faithful  used  to  repair  to  the  Church  for 
this  Office,  and  its  magnificent  functions  occupied 
the  whole  night,  until  sunrise  on  Easter  Day.  We 
should  bear  this  in  mind  if  we  wish  to  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  this  service,  and  if  we  would  under- 
stand the  many  allusions  we  find  in  it  to  the  night. 
Another  point  to  remember  is,  that  the  service  of 
this  night  was  specially  ordained  and  fitted  for  the 
baptism  of  those  converts,  or  catechumens,  who  had 
been  previously  found  worthy  of  admissiou  into  the 
Christian  Church.  This  will  throw  light  upon 
the  meaning  of  many  of  its  ceremonies  and  prayers. 
We  shall  divide  the  service  into  two  sections  :  the 
Blessings  and  the  Mass. 

i.^The  Blessings. 

The  Church,  as  we  remarked  on  Palm  Sunday, 
blesses  and  sanctifies  everything  she  uses  in  her 
sacred  functions.  Holy  Saturday  is  in  a  special 
manner  a  day  of  blessings,  for  it  is  in  a  sense  the 
birthday  of  the  Church.  The  service  begins,  not 
in  the  Sanctuary,  but  at  the  very  entrance  to  the 
Church,  where  new  fire,  kindled  from  a  flint,  is 
blessed.  From  this  the  light  is  taken  for  the  can- 
dles and  lamps  throughout  the  church  which  were 
extinguished  on  Good  Friday.  This  was  of  first 
importance  in  the  Early  Church,  that  the  faithful 
might  have  light  for  the  long  night  ceremony.  Five 
grains  of  incense  are  then  blessed,  and  the  deacon 
lights  a  triple  candle  (in  honor  of  the  Three  Persons 
of  the  Adorable  Trinity),  and  leads  the  way  through 
the  darkness  to  the  Sanctuary,  thrice  announcing 
as  he  goes  Lumen  Christi,  the  Light  of  Christ. 


When  the  procession  reaches  the  Sanctuary,  the 
deacon  chants  his  song  of  triumph  {Exultet),  and 
solemnly  blesses  the  great  Paschal  Candle.  This 
candle  is  of  unusual  size,  standing  alone,  of  a  pillar- 
like form ;  and  in  the  ages  when  the  service  was 
held  at  night,  shed  a  "  dim  religious  light "  over 
the  Sanctuary  during  the  long  vigil.  When 
lighted,  it  is  the  representatioti  both  of  the  pillar  of 
fire  which  went  before  the  people  of  God  in  their 
wanderings  through  the  desert,  and  of  the  new- 
born glory  of  Jesus  risen  from  the  grave.  During 
this  grand  song  of  joy  the  deacon  pauses  three 
times :  once  to  fix  in  the  candle  the  five  grains  of 
incense  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  which,  by  their 
number,  represent  the  Five  Wounds,  and,  by  their 
substance  the  precious  spices  which  the  holy 
women  brought  to  the  Sepulchre  this  night  to  em- 
balm the  Body  of  their  dead  Lord  ;  a  second  time, 
he  pauses  to  light  the  newly  blest  candle ;  and  a 
third  time,  while  the  lamps  in  the  Church  are  once 
more  lighted.  After  this  Exultet  come  the  Twelve 
Prophecies,  which  were  primarily  intended  for  the 
instruction  of  the  catechumens  who  were  to  be 
baptized  this  night. 

Then  comes  the  blessing  of  the  Baptismal  Font. 
In  front  of  the  procession  is  carried  the  Paschal 
Candle,  which  leads  these  neophytes  to  the  waters 
of  salvation,  even  as  the  pillar  of  fire  led  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  to  the  saving  waters  of  the  Red  Sea. 
When  the  Celebrant  reaches  the  Baptistery,  he 
sings  the  blessing  of  the  Font.  He  divides  the 
water  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  scatters  some 
towards  the  four  quarters  of  the  world  ;  he  breathes 
upon  it,  and  invokes  the  grace  and  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  upon  it.  He  dips  the  Paschal  Candle 
three  times  into  the  water.  The  people  are  then 
sprinkled  with  this  Easter  water,  and  after  this  the 
holy  Chrism  and  Oil  of  Catechumens  is  poured  into 
the  Font  to  mingle  with  the  baptismal  water.  This 
completes  the  solemn  blessing  of  the  Font,  and 
after  this  the  catechumens  were  formerly  baptized 
and  then  confirmed.  After  the  blessing  of  the  Font 
the  procession  returns  to  the  Sanctuary,  and  the 
Litanies  of  the  Saints  are  sung,  during  which  the 
Celebrant  and  sacred  ministers  lie  prostrate  before 
the  Altar.  Towards  the  end  of  the  Litanies  the 
priests  rise  and  go  to  the  Sacristy  to  vest  for  Mass. 


288 


THE   CEREMONIES   OF    HOLY    WEEK    EXPLAINED. 


2. — The  Mass. 

As  we  have  pointed  out,  the  foregoing  ceremonies 
formerly  took  place  during  the  night  of  Easter  Eve, 
and  the  Mass  at  which  we  are  now  going  to  assist 
is  really  the  Mass  that  used  to  be  offered  at  day- 
break on  Easter  morn,  after  the  long  vigil.  This 
will  explain  why  it  is  of  such  a  joyous  character. 
The  vestments  are  white,  the  Gloria  is  sung,  the 
bells  ring  out  cheerfully,  the  organ  is  heard  once 
more.  Pictures  and  images  are  uncovered  ;  flowers 
again  adorn  the  Altar,  which  is  decked  in  white. 
The  Collect  of  the  Mass  makes  intercession  for 
the  newly-baptized,  "  the  new  offspring  of  Thy 
family." 

After  the  Epistle,  the  Celebrant  intones  solemnly 
three  times  the  Alleluia,  which  is  taken  up  by  the 
choir;  the  Gospel  relates  to  us  the  visit  to  the 
Sepulchre    of    Mary    Magdalene    and    the    other 


Mary  at  the  dawn  of  day.  The  Creed  is  not  sung, 
as  it  used  to  be  reserved  for  the  second  Mass  which 
was  sung  later  on  Easter  Day.  The  Kiss  of  Peace 
is  still  omitted,  for  it  was  not  until  evening  on  the 
day  of  the  Resurrection  that  Jesus  stood  in  the 
midst  of  His  Apostles  in  the  Upper  Chamber  in 
the  Holy  City  and  gave  them  His  peace.  For  the 
same  reason  the  Agnus  Dei  is  left  out.  When  this 
Mass  was  appointed  to  be  sung  on  the  Saturday 
morning  (instead  of  at  the  dawn  of  Easter  Day),  it 
was  necessary  that  it  should  be  followed  by  Vespers. 
As  the  Service  is  already  so  long,  the  Church  bids 
us  sing,  immediately  after  the  Communion,  Vespers 
containing  one  Psalm  and  the  Magnificat.  This 
now  takes  the  place  of  the  Post-Communion  in 
other  Masses,  and  when  these  have  been  sung, 
the  Mass  concludes  with  the  blessing  and  the  last 
Gospel  according  to  St.  John. 


The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve. 


By   B.    K.   C.   COSXELIvOE,   M.A. 


T  is  already  a  common-place  to  say  that 
more  fresh  testimony  to  the  Christian 
evidences  has  been  unearthed  in  this 
generation  than  for  centuries  before. 
Some  of  these  texts,  such  as  the  "  Dia- 
tessaron "  and  the  "Gospel  of  Peter," 
have  been  amply  discussed.  There  is,  however, 
one  document  so  unique  in  its  place  and  character, 
and  at  the  same  time  so  liable  to  inferences  as  mis- 
leading as  they  are  unhistorical,  that  it  demands 
from  Catholics  more  study  than  it  has  received. 

It  is  the  short  text  entitled  "  The  Teaching  ci  the 
Lord  to  the  Gentiles  through  the  Twelve  Apos- 
tles," which  was  discovered  by  Archbishop  Bryen- 
nios  in  1875,  in  a  Greek  monastery  at  Constanti- 
nople, and  published  by  him  in  1883.  Its  high 
antiquity  has  since  been  generally  accepted,  and  it 
is  agreed  by  most  scholars  that  in  it  we  have  recov- 
ered the  work  which  Eusebius  mentioned  last 
among  the  "  spurious  "  Scriptures  in  the  famous 
account  of  the  Canon  which  appears  in  the  third 
book  of  his  history.  The  name  there  is  "  The 
Teachings,  so-called,  of  the  Apostles."  Clement  of 
Alexandria,  who  died  about  217  A.  D.,  quotes  as 
being  taken  from  "  The  Scriptures "  a  passage 
which  is  found  in  the  recovered  text. 

There  is  a  parallel  fragment  of  an  ancient  Latin 
tract  called  the  "  Doctrina  Apostolorum,"  which 
seems  to  represent  a  slightly  different  version, 
either  of  the  whole  or  of  the  first  part  of  the  Bry- 
ennios  document.  There  is  also,  as  Bickell  saga- 
ciously perceived  before  the  discovery  of  the  present 
text,  another  recension  of  the  first  part  of  our  tract 
served  in  a  fanciful  setting  of  glosses  and  imagina- 
tive additions  in  an  ancient  text  which  is  still 
regarded  as  part  of  the  Canon  Law  of  the  Egyptian 
Christians,  under  the  title  of  "  The  Ecclesiastical 
Canons  of  the  Holy  Apostles."  Much  of  the  same 
first  part  is  also  to  be  found  imbedded,  word  for 
word,  in  the  text  of  the  so-called  "  Epistle  of  Bar- 
nabas." which  may  be  ascribed  to  the  end  of  the  first 

19 


century.  The  "Shepherd  of  Hennas "  seems  to 
borrow  also  textually  from  the  first  part,  and  he 
seems  to  paraphrase  something  of  the  second  part 
also.  The  whole  work  is  again  imbedded,  with 
many  curious  adaptations  of  a  later  date,  in  the 
seventh  book  of  the  great  compilation  known  as  the 
"  Apostolical  Constitutions." 

From  the  internal  evidence  alone,  one  would 
suppose  the  first  part  to  be  a  separate  work.  It 
consists  solely  of  moral  precepts ;  it  is  described  as 
"  The  Way  of  Life  and  Death,"  and  it  seems  to 
have  a  separate  ending,  after  which  a  fresh  start  is 
made  on  other  matters  of  discipline.  Some  color 
is  given  to  this  view  by  the  fact  that  neither  the 
Coptic  text  nor  Barnabas  refer  to  the  second  section 
at  all ;  and  by  the  further  fact  that  a  writing  known 
as  "  The  Two  Ways,  or  the  Judgment  of  Peter," 
is  spoken  of  by  Rufinus,  and  also  (under  the  second 
title)  by  St.  Jerome.  We  may,  perhaps,  go  so  far 
as  to  say  it  is  probable  that  the  two  sections  were 
somehow  different  in  origin  and  date ;  but  is  quite 
certain,  for  the  reasons  to  be  hereafter  stated,  that 
the  second  cannot  be  very  long  subsequent  to  the 
first.  For  the  present  purpose,  we  must  take  the 
document  as  a  whole ;  and  in  the  absence  of  any 
simpler  title,  it  will  be  convenient  sometimes  to 
refer  to  it  by  its  Greek  name,  as  the  didache. 

The  Bryennios  text,  as  a  whole,  carries  a  cer- 
tain convincingness  in  its  curious  simplicity.  It 
does  not  lay  claim  to  be  written  or  issued  by  the 
Twelve,  nor  by  any  of  our  Lord's  apostles.  It  pre- 
supposes the  existence  of  a  larger  order  of  "  Apos- 
tles," some  of  whom,  might  prove  to  be  "  false 
prophets," — of  a  distinct  order  of  "  prophets,"  not 
being  Apostles,  of  whom  some  are  assumed  to  be 
pretenders — and  of  a  class  of  persons  called  "teach" 
ers."  A  strict  interpretation  of  the  text  would 
suggest  that  the  order  of  "teachers"  included  the 
"Apostles"  and  other  teachers  of  recognized  and 
regular  authority  but  lesser  rank,  and  that  the 
"prophets"  were  a  recognized  but  irregular  set  of 

289 


290 


THE   TEACHING   OF  THE   TWELVE. 


persons  whose  claim  was  primarily  rather  to  per- 
sonal and  private  inspiration  than  to  any  commis- 
.•  ion,  selection,  or  appointment  of  human  agency ; 
though  they  also  might  and  sometimes  did  become 
resident  ministers  in  a  local  community. 

Finally,  there  are  recognized  other  orders  of 
"  ministers  "  known  as  "  bishops  "  and  "  deacons," 
whom  each  of  these  local  churches  is  empowered 
and  advised  to  select,  and  to  whom,  when  duly 
selected,  belongs  an  honor  similar  to  that  accorded 
to  the  prophets  and  teachers,  though  the  language 
of  the  text  might  lead  one  to  suspect  that  such 
oflSces  were  as  yet  new  among  the  communities 
addressed.  Nothing  is  expressly  said  of  their 
"  ordination,"  but  as  the  persons  to  be  selected 
are  to  be  "  worthy  of  the  Lord,"  and  as  in  these 
verses  they  are  not  placed  in  comparison  with 
the  "  Apostles,"  it  is  probable  that  the  writer 
meant  and  that  the  congregations  would  under- 
stand that  the  "  bishops  and  deacons "  first  ap- 
pointed would  be  ordained  by  an  Apostle  as  soon 
as  might  be,  on  the  analogy  of  the  well-known 
method  by  which  new  Apostles  had  themselves 
been  added  to  the  Eleven.  Fairly  considered,  all 
the  indications,  whether  of  internal  or  external  evi- 
dence, point  to  the  first  century. 

The  writer's  personality  is  nowhere  suggested ; 
but  he  speaks  with  confident  and  calm  authority 
and  addresses  the  readers  as  his  "  children."  He 
does  not  speak  as  an  eye-and-ear  witness  of  the 
teaching  of  the  Lord.  On  the  contrary,  he  un- 
mistakably refers  in  several  places  to  a  "  Gospel  " 
as  if  it  were  already  written,  or  at  least  crystallized 
into  the  form  of  logia.  He  prefers  more  than  once 
to  abbreviate  what  he  has  to  say,  by  telling  them 
to  act  "  as  ye  have  it  in  the  Gospel  of  the  Lord." 
The  Lord's  Prayer  is  introduced  by  such  a  formula, 
though  it  is  added  in  extenso  in  our  text,  almost 
exactly  as  it  is  in  St.  Matthew,  except  for  the 
omission  of  the  words  "  the  kindgom,"  in  the 
doxology.*  The  Gospel  references,  direct  and 
indirect,  are  wholly  satisfied  by  reference  to  St. 
Matthew's  Gospel.  They  would  be  equally  sat- 
isfied if  we  supposed  that  the  writer  and  the 
readers  had   possessed  only  the  so-called  "  origi- 

*  It  will  be  seen  that  the  same  form  of  doxology  recurs  several 
times  in  the  prayers  embodied  in  the  text. 


nal  Matthew "  or  the  "  Urevangelion "  f  of  the 
critics. 

There  is  no  trace  of  the  other  synoptics,  and 
there  are  traces  that  the  writer  knew  nothing  of 
them.  As  is  natural  in  addressing  Gentiles,  there 
is  little  explicit  reference  to  the  Old  Testament, 
though  reminiscences  of  it  are  so  often  to  be  traced 
that  it  is  commonly  held  that  the  first  portion  is 
an  adaptation  of  a  Jewish  catechism  or  book  of  in- 
struction. All  the  more  notable  is  the  fact  that 
the  famous  text  in  Malachi  is  cited  in  full,  and 
referred  directly  to  the  Eucharist,  in  its  relation  on 
the  one  hand  to  the  glory  of  God  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  on  the  other  to  the  need  of  sinlessness 
and  "  the  peace,"  It  is,  however,  curious  to  note 
that  in  the  prayers  which  are  given  for  the  Eucha- 
rist, the  references  and  the  whole  tone  are  very 
Jewish.  "  The  cup  "  is  "  the  holy  Vine  of  David 
Thy  servant,  which  Thou  hast  made  known  to  us 
by  Jesus  Thy  Child." 

The  prayer  is  twice  repeated  that  the  Gentile 
Church  may  be  "gathered  together  from  the  four 
winds — from  the  ends  of  the  earth  into  Thy  king- 
dom." And  at  the  close  of  the  formulae  "  Hosanna 
to  the  God  of  David  "  .  .  .  "  Maranatha,  Amen." 
The  obligation  of  giving  first  fruits  to  "  the  pro- 
phets "  is  based  on  the  argument,  "  for  they  are 
your  high  priests."  There  is,  in  other  words,  no 
doubt  that  the  writer  is  a  Jew,  and  thinks  of  wor- 
ship and  devotion  in  Jewish  modes,  but  that  he 
assumes  a  right  to  issue  absolute  disciplinary  com- 
mands to  certain  congregations  mainly  of  Gentile 
converts,  as  the  name  suggests. 

Where  they  lived,  it  is  not  possible  to  say  with 
certainty ;  but  there  is  much  to  indicate  that  the 
Tract  was  addressed  to  the  little  Churches  existing 
in  the  towns  of  some  region  in  or  near  Judea,  and 
under  the  Jurisdiction  of  Jerusalem  or  Antioch. 

f  There  is  one  phrase,  "  if  a  man  take  from  thee  what  is  thine, 
ask  it  not  again  ;  for  thou  canst  not,"  which  has  been  supposed 
to  be  a  reference  to  St.  Luke  vi.  30.  But  the  words  are  em- 
bodied in  a  series  of  precepts  which  is  rigidly  and  verbally  built 
up  out  of  the  text  of  St.  Matthew,  and  as  there  is  not  another 
word  which  indicates  a  knowledge  of  St.  Luke,  it  is  impossible 
to  infer  anything  from  the  phrase  quoted.  The  coincidence  is 
easily  explained  by  supposing  that  the  writer  of  the  didache  and 
St.  Luke  both  got  this  saying  from  the  same  sources  of  oral 
Apostolic  tradition. 


THE   TEACHING   OF  THE   TWELVE. 


291 


From  the  absence  of  any  reference  to  present 
danger,  especially  in  the  closing  chapter  concern- 
ing the  judgment  foretold  by  our  Lord,  it  seems 
clear  that  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  had  not  yet 
come,  and  was  not  even  seen  to  be  imminent. 

The  prophesied  "multiplication  of  false  prophets  " 
in  "the  last  days  "  is  referred  to  calmly,  as  if  the 
false  prophets  of  the  faction  of  the  Zealots  had  not 
yet  arisen.  "  The  hour  when  the  Lord  cometh  "  is 
to  be  watched  for,  and  we  are  to  be  ever  ready,  "  for 
we  know  not  the  hour."  But  the  promised  signs 
are  not  suspected  to  be  already  at  hand.  The 
times  are  apparently  peaceful  and  not  unprosperous. 
No  actual  risk  or  persecution  is  hinted  at. 

This,  if  the  author  is  a  Jew  and  is  writing,  as 
most  critics  agree,  in  or  about  Palestine — say  any- 
where from  Samaria  to  Antioch* — is  an  obviously 
strong  indication  of  a  very  early  date.  It  would 
carry  us  back  not  only  beyond  the  destruction,  in 
A.  D.  70,  but  equally  beyond  the  commencement  of 
the  final  war  and  terrors  and  troubles  which 
attended  and  preceded  it.  Those  began  not  merely 
when  open  war  arose  in  66  and  led  to  the  arrival  of 
so  great  a  general  as  Vespasian  in  67,  but  at  least 
as  early  as  the  guerilla  warfare  and  risings  of  the 
Sicarii.  These  Jewish  furies,  whose  brigandage  is 
vividly  described  by  Josephus,  were  in  full  work, 
and  were  a  grave  public  danger  to  the  government, 
when  Festus  came  as  procurator  in  A.  D.  60. 

There  was  civil  war  in  Caesarea  itself  in  59  on  a 
point  of  Jewish  pride.  The  robbers  had  created  a 
seric  us  rising  under  the  false  prophet,  known  as 
"  the  Egyptian,"  iu  55,  when  the  cry  had  been  that 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem  would  fall  down  of  them- 
selves, and  then  the  Messianic  Kingdom  would 
arise.  The  seizure  of  Paul  at  Jerusalem  in  58, 
after  which  he  was  in  prison  at  Caesarea  for  two 
years  before  he  left  for  Rome,  was  directly  asso- 

*  Harnack  suggested  Egypt,  but  the  grounds  which  led  him 
to  that  theory  have  relation  not  so  much  to  the  origin  as  to  the 
later  history  of  the  text,  which  was  plainly  held  (for  some  reason 
now  unknown)  in  high  honor  in  that  country  in  and  after  the 
third  century.  If  it  had  been  written  in  Egypt,  that  would 
hardly  alter  the  argument ;  but  the  theory  seems  to  be  made 
more  than  doubtful  by  the  phrase  as  to  "  this  bread  which  was 
scattered  upon  the  mountains."  Corn  in  Egypt  would  never 
be  thought  of  as  a  thing  sown  "  on  the  mountains,"  though  that 
phrase  is  apt  enough  in  the  north  of  Palestine. 


ciated  with  these  troubles  (see  Acts  xxi.  38),  was 
itself  the  outbreak  of  a  persecution  of  the  Judsean 
Christians  by  the  inflamed  zeal  of  the  Jewish 
Hagiocracy,  and  was  intimately  connected  with  the 
ferment  which  by  and  before  A.  D.  69  became  a 
national  madness.  It  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that 
it  would  be  unlikely  that  any  of  the  chiefs  of  the 
Judasan  Church  could  have  written  the  calm  con- 
clusion of  the  didache  at  any  date  between  58  and 
70,  or  of  course  in  the  period  following  that  unfor- 
getable  catastrophe. 

The  earlier  limits  might  have  to  be  put  still 
further  back,  but  we  hardly  know  how  serious  a 
contemporary  may  have  thought  the  rising  of  "  the 
Egyptian,"  in  55,  or  the  small  war  in  Galilee  and 
Samaria,  and  the  other  troubles  of  the  procurator- 
ship  of  Ventidius  Cumanus  (47-52)  and  his  in- 
triguing subordinate  and  successor  Felix  (52-60). 
Even  before  Ventidius  came,  about  45  A.  D.,  there 
had  been  the  rising  of  the  false  prophet  Theudas. 
We  are  not,  however,  left  wholly  to  such  general 
historic  criticism  for  our  date,  inasmuch  as  the 
didache  betrays  a  very  early  origin  in  other  ways. 

The  knowledge  of  only  one  Gospel  may  not  neces- 
sitate an  earlier  period  than  60-70  A.  D.,  though 
it  will  allow  a  much  earlier  date,  since  no  one  pre- 
tends to  say  how  soon  the  "  Urevangelion " — if 
one  there  was — assumed  a  definite  shape.  It  is 
commonly  supposed  that  it  represents  the  common 
witness  of  "  the  Twelve  "  before  they  scattered  from 
Jerusalem ;  and  their  dispersion  began  in  the  per- 
secution of  A.  D.  44  .f  The  writer  of  the  didache^ 
however,  according  to  the  assent  of  all  critics,  ob- 
viously takes  no  account  of  the  writings  of  St.  Paul. 
There  are  portions  of  the  two  early  epistles  to  the 
Thessalonians,  which  remotely  resemble  portions 
of  the  didache.  The  single  trite  phrase,  "  flee  from 
evil,"  occurs  in  both ;  but  the  correspondences  are 
best  accounted  for  by  saying  that  both  writers  are 
paraphrasing  the  text  of  St.  Matthew  himself. 

f  The  words  of  the  heading  cannot  be  pressed,  for  it  may  have 
been  added  at  any  time.  If  it  is  authentic  and  original,  it  accords 
with  the  view  indicated  of  the  authorship  and  date.  The  dis- 
persion of  "the  Twelve"  was  a  thing  not  far  off  in  place  or 
time  ;  and  it  was  plainly  "  through  "  their  common  witness  and 
authority  that  the  added  Apostles  had  the  right  and  power  to 
teach. 


292 


THE  TEACHING   OF  THE   TWELVE. 


The  coincidence  may  meajx  that  the  two  documents 
were  related ;  but  either  may  be  the  earlier.  Other 
critics  have  said  that  if  the  writer  of  this  Teaching 
knows  anything  except  the  "  Urevangelion,"  it  is 
the  Epistle  of  St.  James.  That  was  written  some 
time  between  44  and  62 ;  and,  according  to  the 
plausible  view  of  Ewald,  that  it  had  immediate  ref- 
erence to  the  Petro-Pauline  question,  the  Epistle 
would  probably  lie  between  50  (the  Council  of  Jeru- 
salem) and  56-7  (the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians).  If, 
therefore,  it  were  proved  that  the  author  of  the 
didache  had  in  mind  the  Epistle  of  James,  his 
earliest  probable  date  would  be  about  50-55.  But 
as  he  does  not  take  account  of  the  Pauline  Epistles, 
he  can  hardly  have  been  later  than  56-58,  when 
four  of  the  greatest  of  them  were  written,  the  first 
and  second  to  the  Thessalonians  having  preceded 
already  in  52-3. 

The  rule  of  the  didache  as  to  the  matter  of  the 
famous  controversy  is  simply,  "  In  the  matter  of 
meat,  bear  what  thou  canst ;  but  abstain  strictly 
from  meat  offered  to  idols,  for  it  is  the  service  of 
dead  gods."  This  is  a  tone  which  seems  to  be  very 
appropriate  to  the  period  50-55  A.  D.  The  phrase 
"  fleshly  and  bodily  lusts,"  or  (by  another  text) 
"  fleshly  and  worldly  lusts,"  occurs  once,  in  a  passage 
which  may  not  belong  to  the  original  tract.  This 
has  been  thought  to  refer  to  i  St.  Peter  ii.  11,  but 
the  term  was  common  to  all  the  Apostles.  (Cf  i. 
John  ii.  16,  Gal.  v.  16,  Tit.  ii.  12,  also  Jude  16,  and 
James  i.  14.)  The  whole  of  the  diction  of  the  tract 
is  closely  akin  to  the  New  Testament :  in  fact,  out 
of  554  words,  it  is  said  that  504  are  to  be  found  in 
the  Canon,  and  almost  all  in  the  earliest  books  of  it. 

It  should  be  added  that  the  author  uses  the  name 
"  Christianos,"  which  was  invented  at  Antioch  about 
45  ;  and  that  the  increase  in  the  number  of  "  Apos- 
tles "  with  which  he  is  familiar  was  begun  about  that 
year  for  the  case  of  Paul.  If  we  may  suppose  that 
Barnabas  and  others  *'  set  apart "  for  missionary 
sendings  were  then  styled  "  Apostles,"  the  state  of 
things  supposed  in  the  "  Teaching"  would  be  sat- 
isfied at  once.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  im- 
portance of  "  the  prophets,"  who  were  evidently 
those  who  "  spake  with  tongues  "  or  otherwise  "  in 
the  spirit,"  indicates  a  very  early  date,  as  does  indeed 
the  whole  frame  and  tenor  of  the  document. 


Provisionally,  then,  it  may  be  referred  to  the  years 
before  the  rising  of  the  Egyptian  and  the  writing 
of  the  great  Pauline  Epistles,  and  after  the  starting 
of  the  missionary  apostolates  at  Antioch — i.  e.^  be- 
fore 55  or  56-7,  and  after  48  or  50.  This  is,  of 
course,  merely  a  personal  opinion  of  the  present 
writer,  and  is  in  no  way  necessary  to  the  Catholic 
view.  Other  much  later  dates  have  been  ascribed 
to  the  tract ;  but  there  is  really  nothing  to  indicate 
any  but  a  very  early  origin.  The  manifest  fact  that 
the  writer  cannot  be  shown  to  have  had  in  his  mind 
a  single  written  text  other  than  the  Old  Testament 
and  St.  Matthew,  is  worth  volumes  of  destructive 
criticism. 

If  we  accept  this  conclusion  as  at  all  near  the 
mark,  it  is  manifest  that  the  testimony  of  so  early 
a  document  as  to  the  faith  and  practice  of  the  Apos- 
tolic Church  is  of  the  very  highest  interest  and  im- 
portance, since  it  concerns  a  time  separated  only 
by  twenty  years  or  so  from  the  actual  teaching  of 
Christ. 

The  writer,  as  has  been  already  said,  does  not 
speak  as  an  eyewitness :  but  he  is  apparently  in 
the  larger  sense  "  an  Apostle,"  and  he  affects  to 
speak  with  a  Divine  commission.  "  Let  every 
Apostle  who  comes  to  you  be  received  as  the  Lord." 
"  Him  that  speaketh  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  thee 
— honor  him  as  the  Lord."  We  may  suppose  him 
to  be  one  of  those  sent  out  by  the  Twelve,  as  were 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  to  found  and  settle  churches 
among  the  Gentiles. 

The  organization  of  the  Church  is  evidently  by 
local  churches,  with  a  large  autonomy  but  a  strict 
common  doctrine.  "  See  that  no  man  cause  thee 
to  wander  from  this  way  of  doctrine,  for  such  a  one 
teacheth  thee  away  from  God."  There  is  a  cate- 
chism,— mainly  of  moral  logia  from  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount — which  is  taught  both  as  a  preliminary 
to  the  baptism  of  the  persons  under  instruction, 
who  were  afterwards  known  by  the  name  of  "  the 
catechumens,"  and  as  an  examination  of  conscience 
as  to  which  "  thou  shalt  confess  thy  trangressions 
in  the  church,  and  shalt  not  come  to  thy  prayer 
with  an  evil  conscience."  Fasting  and  prayer  are 
regular  ordinances,  in  which  the  need  of  distinction 
from  the  Pharisees  is  provided  for  deliberately  by 
commandments  of  the  Church.     They  fast  on  Mon- 


J 


THE   TEACHING   OF   THE   TWELVE. 


293 


day  and  Thursday ;  the  Christian  has  to  fast  on 
Wednesday  and  Friday.  Their  "  Sabbath  "  is  con- 
trasted with  "  the  Lord's  day  of  the  Lord."  The 
prayer  of  the  Christians  is  to  be  "  not  as  the  hypo- 
crites, but  as  the  Lord  commanded  in  His  Gospel  " 
— and  this  Lord's  prayer  is  ordered  to  be  used  three 
times  a  day. 

The  local  church  is  to  "  receive  "  the  travelling 
missioners,  whether  Apostles  or  prophets,  and  the 
ordinary  "  wayfarer  "  also,  with  a  simple  but  pru- 
dent hospitality.  But  they  shall  have  no  money, 
not  even  if  they  "  say  in  the  spirit,  give  me 
money  or  other  things."  They  shall  not  even 
stay  more  days  than  one,  or  "at  need  "  two.  As 
for  the  wayfarer,  he  shall  have  work :  but  if  he 
wants  to  live  as  "  an  idle  Christian,  he  is  a  traf- 
ficker in  Christ — beware  of  such."  A  prophet  or 
a  teacher,  however,  may  be  moved  to  settle  in  a 
local  church  and  minister  to  it.  If  so,  the  laborer 
is  worthy  of  his  keep.  They  shall  have  according 
to  the  commandment  "  the  first  fruits  of  the  wine- 
press and  the  thrashing  floor,  of  the  oxen  and  the 
sheep ;  and  so  of  a  feast,  or  of  opening  a  cask  of 
wine  or  oil,  and  of  money  also  and  raiment  and 
every  possession — and  as  it  shall  seem  good  to 
thee,  give  according  to  the  commandment."  But — 
"  if  ye  have  no  prophet,  give  to  the  poor." 

The  notable  direction  to  select  local  bishops  and 
deacons  has  already  been  referred  to.  Reproof  in 
wrath,  disputes  or  misbehavior  against  another  are 
direct  and  ipso  facto  excommunication — "  until  he 
repent."  There  are  degrees  of  vocation  :  "  if  thou 
canst  bear  the  whole  yoke  of  the  Lord," — perhaps 
by  "  selling  all  thou  hast," — "  thou  shalt  be  perfect : 
but  if  not,  do  what  thou  canst :  "  and  again,  with  a 
curious  analogy  to  the  well-known  Catholic  the- 
ology, "  if  thou  hast  thou  shalt  give  it  out  of  thy 
hands,  as  a  ransom  for  thy  sins.''''  *  Teach  thy  chil- 
dren "  from  their  youth  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord." 
Treat  without  bitterness  thy  slave  and  handmaiden, 
"  who  hope  in  the  same  God  ,  .  for  He  cometh  not 

*As  Mr.  Rendel  Harris  has  pointed  out  in  his  edition,  the 
doctrine  of  ' '  Satisfaction ' '  as  applied  to  alms  was  Jewish  as 
well  as  Christian.  It  grew  after  the  fall  of  the  Temple,  and 
probably  also  existed  before.  When  it  originated  is  not  known, 
but  it  seems  evident  that  in  any  case  it  was  part  of  the  teaching 
which  the  Twelve  received  from  our  Lord. 


to  call  you  by  respect  of  persons."  Ye,  slaves,  on 
the  other  hand,  obey  your  masters  in  reverence  as 
a  type  of  God.  Be  ye  not  joined  with  the  lofty. 
Make  no  divisions,  but  make  peace.  Avoid  sooth- 
saying and  charms,  and  astrology  and  lustration ; 
for  they  lead  to  idolatry. 

All  the  paradoxes  of  the  sermon  are  enforced 
with  excellent  sense  and  shrewdness ;  and  the 
Christian  communism  is  admirably  put  in  one 
telling  phrase :  "  Thou  shalt  not  withdraw  thy 
hand  from  him  who  is  in  need,  but  shalt  share 
all  things  with  thy  brother,  and  shalt  not  say 
that  they  are  thine  onm.  For  if  ye  are  sharers 
in  the  Immortal  One,  how  much  more  in  the 
things  that  die  ?"  The  religion  of  sorrow  is  quietly 
aflSrmed :  "  the  troubles  that  befall  thee  receive  as 
good  gifts,  knowing  that  nothing  happens  without 
God."  The  ideas  of  the  Creation,  and  of  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  God  (as  in  Matthew)  as  the  Judge  of 
the  world,  "  on  the  clouds  of  heaven,"  together  with 
the  warnings  of  the  sign  of  the  Cross  in  heaven 
and  the  last  trumpet,  and  the  general  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,  are  all  stated  in  a  perfectly  plain 
and  simple  fashion,  as  to  humble  and  unlearned 
believers. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  made  sufficiently 
clear.  But  the  most  startling,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  rightly  read,  the  most  instructive  part  of  the: 
whole  short  and  lucid  text,  is  that  which  gi\es 
simple  and  practical  rules  of  practice  as  to  the 
ordinances  of  Baptism  and  the  Eucharist.  Both 
these  paragraphs  have  been  supposed  on  a  super- 
ficial view  to  make  in  some  indefinite  way  against 
the  orthodox  tradition.  In  fact,  as  will  be  seen 
presently,  they  curiously  confirm  it. 

So  far,  it  will  be  evident,  the  tenor  of  the  "  Teach- 
ing of  the  Gentiles  through  the  Twelve "  is  as 
Catholic  as  anyone  could  desire.  Unless  it  be  in  a 
hasty  parenthesis  at  the  close,  where  the  writer 
might  be  supposed  to  say  that  the  final  "  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  "  will  not  be  of  all  the  dead,  but  of 
the  Saints  only,*  there  is  not  a  phrase  in  the  whole 

*  The  whole  concluding  passage  is  notable.  After  referring 
to  the  prophecy  in  St.  Matt,  xxiv.,  as  to  the  false  prophets  "in 
the  last  days,"  he  says,  "and  then  shall  appear  the  deceiver  of 
the  world  as  the  Son  of  God  and  shall  do  signs  and  wonders 
....  and  many  shall  be  scandalized  and  perish  ....  but 


294 


THE   TEACHING   OF   THE   TWELVE. 


statement  of  morals  or  faith  which  a  Catholic 
might  not  use  to-day.  Several  incidental  points, 
such  as  the  recognition  of  non-obligatory  "  counsels 
of  perfection,"  the  "  commandment  of  the  Church  " 
as  to  fasting  on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  the  re- 
lation of  almsgiving  to  "  satisfaction  "  for  sin,  and 
the  duty  of  confession  before  coming  to  the  public 
prayer  (which  then  involved  Communion),  are 
startling  testimonies  to  the  apostolic  character  of 
even  details  of  Catholic  teaching. 

The  passage  as  to  Baptism  is  as  follows  :  "  Con- 
cerning Baptism,  baptize  thus  :  Having  said  all 
those  things  beforesaid "  [z.  e.,  having  taught  the 
catechumens  the  catechism  of  the  "  Way  of  Life 
and  Death,"  which  the  writer  has  just  finished), 
"  baptize  into  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  living  water ;  but 
if  thou  hast  no  running  water,  baptize  into  other 
water  ;  and  if  thou  canst  not  use  cold,  use  warm  ; 
but  if  thou  hast  neither,  pour  water  three  times 
upon  the  head  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost. 

"  Before  bapticm,  let  the  baptizer  and  the  bap- 
tized fast,  with  such  others  as  they  can  :  and  thou 
shalt  require  the  baptized  to  fast  one  or  two  days 
beforehand." 

Beyond  a  note,  in  another  place,  that  no  unbap- 
tized  person  is  to  be  admitted  to  the  Eucharist,  this 
is  absolutely  all.  Now  it  has  been  said  that  this 
supports  adult  baptism  and  immersion  :  but  this  is 
a  mere  misconception.  The  rules  evidently  refer  to 
the  case  of  the  reception  of  the  new  converts,  who 
in  such  a  church  and  at  that  date  were  always 
obtained  and  always  hoped  for.  The  writer  simply 
they  that  persevere  in  their  faith  shall  be  saved.  And  then  shall 
appear  the  signs  of  the  truth  :  first  the  sign  of  the  ojiening  of 
heaven  ;  then  the  sign  of  the  voice  of  the  trumpet,  and  the  third, 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead — not  of  all,  indeed,  but  as  was  said 
(by  Zechariah),  '  The  Lord  shall  come,  and  all  the  saints  with 
Him.'  Then  shall  the  world  see  the  Lord  coming  upon  the 
clouds  of  heaven."  It  has  been  thought  that  the  i^eculiar  phrase 
was  a  misunderstanding  of  2  Thess.  i.  8,  9,  10.  But  the  writer 
does  not  apjjear  to  have  St.  Paul's  teaching,  either  in  the  Thessa- 
lonians  or  in  i  Cor.  xv.  before  his  mind  at  all.  Probably  he 
is  merely  thinking  of  St.  Matt.  xxiv.  31 — the  gathering  of  "  the 
elect  "  to  come  wM  the  Lord — and  assuming  that  the  Last 
Judgment  (St.  Matt.  xxv.  31-46)  would  follow  afterwards.  If 
so.  this  passage  is  merely  another  indit&tion  of  his  close  and 
exclusive  relation  to  the  first  Gospel. 


provides  a  safe  guide  for  the  fa/i'd  administration 
of  what  to  him,  as  to  us,  is  //ze  fudamental  and 
essential  sacrament — doubtless  because  in  such 
churches  lax  and  formerly  insuificient  baptisms 
were  a  well-known  danger.  It  is  clear  that  no  spe- 
cial order  of  persons  is  necessary.  The  writer 
supposes  that  any  Christian  may  have  a  friend 
under  instruction,  and  that,  even  if  he  be  a  layman, 
he  may  perfectly  well  baptize  the  man  when  he  is 
prepared. 

The  solemn  preparation  by  fasting,  in  company 
if  possible  with  others  of  the  little  church,  is  a 
beautiful  and  simple  note,  and  an  obvious  precedent 
for  the  rule  of  fasting  Communion.  That  immer- 
sion was  common,  we  all  know.  But  this  text  is 
perfectly  explicit  in  asserting  that  it  was  not  neces- 
sary. So  running  water  was  preferred,  as  a  symbol 
of  the  water  of  life  which,  in  the  Catacombs,  is 
always  "  flowing  from  the  Rock."  But  this  was 
only  a  preference,  and  any  water,  as  the  theologians 
have  always  said,  will  do.  The  one  thing  essential 
is  the  water,  the  pouring  on,  and  the  Trinitarian 
formula.  There  is  not  a  word  which  entitles  any- 
one to  say  that  the  children  of  Christian  parents 
went  unbaptized. 

As  to  the  Eucharist,  the  problem  seems  at  first 
somewhat  complicated.  Immediately  after  the  Bap- 
tismal rules  follows  the  passage  containing  "  com- 
mands of  the  Church  "  already  referred  to,  the  full 
text  of  which  is  as  follows  : 

"  And  for  your  fasts,  let  them  not  be  with  the 
hypocrites  :  for  they  fast  on  Mondays  and  Thurs- 
days :  but  ye  shall  fast  on  Wednesdays  and  Fri- 
days. 

"  And  do  not  pray  as  the  hypocrites,  but  as  the 
Lord  commands  in  his  Gospel,  thus  shall  ye  pray: 
'  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy 
name,  Thy  Kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven  :  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread,  and  forgive  us  our  debt  as  we  forgive  our 
debtors,  and  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver 
us  from  evil.  For  Thine  is  the  power  and  the 
glory,  for  ever.' 

"  Say  this  prayer  thrice  a  day." 

After  this,  without  further  prelude,  the  text  goes 


on  :- 


"  Concerning  the  Eucharist,  g^ve  thanks  thus  : 


THE   TEACHING   OF   THE   TWELVE. 


295 


"  First,  as  to  the  chalice :  '  We  give  thanks  to 
Thee,  our  Father,  for  the  holy  Vine  of  David  Thy 
servant,  which  Thou  hast  made  known  to  us 
through  Jesus  Thy  Child.     Glory  be  to  Thee  for 


ever. 


"  And  as  to  the  bread  that  is  broken  :  '  We  give 
thanks  to  Thee,  our  Father,  for  the  life  and  knowl- 
edge which  Thou  hast  made  known  to  us  through 
Jesus  Thy  Child.     Glory  be  to  Thee  for  ever.' 

"As  this  bread  that  is  broken  was  scattered  upon 
the  mountains,  and  being  gathered  together  became 
one,  so  let  Thy  Church  be  gathered  together  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth  into  Thy  kingdom.  For 
Thine  is  the  glory  and  the  power,  through  Jesus 
Christ,  for  ever." 

"Let  no  one  eat  or  drink  of  your  Eucharist,  ex- 
cept those  who  have  been  baptized  into  the  name  of 
the  Lord.  For  it  is  concerning  this  the  Lord  hath 
said,  '  Give  not  that  which  is  holy  unto  dogs.' 

"After  ye  have  been  filled,  give  thanks  thus  : 

"  We  give  Thee  thanks,  Holy  Father,  for  Thy 
holy  Name,  which  Thou  hast  caused  to  dwell  in  our 
hearts,  and  for  the  knowledge  and  faith  and  immor- 
tality which  Thou  hast  made  known  to  us  through 
Jesus  Thy  Child.     Glory  be  to  Thee  for  ever. 

"  Almighty  Lord,  Thou  hast  created  all  things 
for  the  sake  of  Thy  Name.  Thou  hast  given  food 
and  drink  to  men  for  enjoyment,  that  they  may 
give  Thee  thanks  ;  but  to  us  Thou  hast  graciously 
given  spiritual  food  and  drink  and  eternal  life, 
through  Thy  Child. 

"  Before  all  things  we  give  thanks  to  Thee,  be- 
cause Thou  art  mighty.    Glory  be  to  Thee  for  ever. 

"  Lord,  remember  Thy  Church,  to  deliver  it  from 
all  evil,  and  to  perfect  it  in  Thy  love,  and  gather 
it  together,  the  sanctified  one,  from  the  four  winds 
(St.  Matt.  xxiv.  31)  into  Thy  Kingdom,  which 
Thou  hast  prepared  for  it.  For  Thine  is  the  power 
and  the  glory  for  ever. 

"Let  grace  come  and  let  this  world  pass  away. 
Hosanna  to  the  God  of  David.  If  any  is  holy,  let 
him  come :  if  any  is  not  holy,  let  him  repent. 

"  Maranatha  !   [Our  Lord,  come  !]     Amen." 

"But  suffer  the  prophets  to  give  thanks  as  much 
as  they  will." 

Before  considering  the  meaning  of  this  unique 
formula,  which  has,  it  is  needless  to  sa}^,  no  relation 


whatever  to  any  known  liturgical  form,  however 
primitive,  it  is  necessary  to  collect  the  remaining 
Eucharistic  references  in  the  Tract. 

Nothing  as  to  Communion  is  said  in  the  "Way 
of  Life  and  Death."  It  is  evidently  assumed  that 
the  catechumen  will  be  instructed  separately  on 
the  doctrinal  matters  touching  Baptism  and  the 
Eucharist,  as  also  on  the  life  and  nature  of  Christ. 
In  the  chapter  concerning  the  rights  of  the  "  min- 
istry," there  is  a  singular  and  important  passage 
which  speaks  of  a  prophet  who  "  sacrifices  at  the 
earthly  mystery  of  the  Church."  The  writer  has 
just  said  that  a  prophet  who  teaches  the  truth  "  if 
he  do  not  what  he  teacheth,  is  a  false  prophet." 
But  he  corrects  this  by  saying  that  they  must  not 
so  condemn  "  an  approved  true  prophet  who  sacri- 
fices at  the  earthly  mystery  of  the  Church  " — which 
can  only  mean  a  prophet  accepted  by  the  churches 
generally,  who  is  appointed  or  accustomed  to  pre- 
side at  and  offer  the  Eucharistic  sacrifice — i.  e.^  who 
is  ordained.  Even  if  his  preaching  and  his  practice 
may  seem  to  them  to  differ,  they  are  not  his  judges. 
He,  like  the  prophets  of  Israel,  who  were  often 
accredited  but  yet  false,  must  be  left  to  the  judg- 
ment of  God. 

Just  before,  the  writer  has  laid  down  another  rule 
that  "  £t  prophet  that  ordaineth  a  table  in  the  Spirit, 
doth  not  eat  thereof,  or  otherwise  he  is  a  false 
prophet."  This  is  obscure,  but  it  appears  to  mean 
that  a  prophet,  speaking  apparently  "  in  the 
Spirit,"  might  call  for  the  offerings  in  kind  which 
would  furnish  forth  "  a  table  "  for  the  celebration  of 
the  Agape.  As  such  offerings  if  they  were  called 
for  by  "the  Spirit  "  would  be  not  voluntary  but  of 
obligation,  the  prophet  must  have  no  personal  bene- 
fit from  them.  Probably  the  "  prophets  "  did 
sometimes  call  for  such  an  Agape  at  unaccustomed 
times,  when  apparently  they  themselves  presided, 
"  sacrificing  at  the  earthly  mystery  of  the  Church." 
If  we  suppose  the  writer  to  mean  that  when  a 
prophet  so  called  for  a  celebration  he  might  only 
receive  the  priet's  communion,  but  must  not  par- 
take of  the  accompanying  Agape,  which  (as  we 
know  by  i  Cor.  xi.)  might  be  a  considerable  ban- 
quet, the  passage  will  be  consistent. 

Further  there  is,  in  a  separate  short  section  neai 
the  close,  the  following  explicit  order : 


296 


THE   TEACHING   OF   THE   TWELVE. 


"  On  the  Lord's  day  of  the  Lord  gather  together 
and  break  breads  and  offer  the  Eucharist^  having 
first  confessed  your  trangressions,  that  our  sacrifice 
may  be  pure. 

"  Let  every  one  that  hath  a  dispute  with  his  friend 
not  come  together  with  you  until  they  be  recon- 
ciled, that  your  sacrifice  be  not  profaned. 

"  For  this  is  the  word  that  was  spoken  by  the 
Lord :  '  In  every  place  and  time  to  offer  to  Me  a 
pure  sacrifice :  for  I  am  a  great  King,  saith  the 
Lord,  and  My  Name  is  wonderful  among  the  Gen- 
tiles.' " 

After  this  quotation  follows  at  once  the  direction 
to  secure  Bishops  and  Deacons — "  for  they  also 
minister  to  {leitourgid)  you  the  ministry  of  the 
prophets  and  teachers."  Except  a  final  exhortation 
to  *'  gather  yourselves  together  frequently,"  and  the 
earlier  direction  "  Thou  shalt  confess  thy  trans- 
gressions in  the  church,  and  shall  not  come  to  thy 
prayer  with  a  bad  conscience,"  there  is  no  other 
word  on  the  subject.  The  section  on  the  Lord's 
Prayer  appears  to  be  so  worded  as  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  Eucharistic  prayers  above  cited ;  at  least 
it  seems  certainly  to  form  no  part  of  them. 

From  the  data  now  given,  it  will  appear  that  the 
celebration  of  the  Eucharist  on  the  Lord's  Day  was 
already  styled — as  it  continued  to  be  long  ^fter  in 
the  Sub-Apostolic  Fathers — on  the  one  hand  "  the 
gathering  "  {sunaxis) ;  on  the  other,  "  the  offering 
of  the  pure  sacrifice  (thusid)  ;  "  and  finally,  the 
"  mystery  "  of  the  Church  on  earth.  We  have  the 
germ,  if  not  the  practice,  of  the  exclusion  of  cate- 
chumens and  sinners.  To  have  at  so  early  a  date 
an  explicit  mention  of  confession  as  a  means  and 
condition  of  forgiveness  of  sin  is  startling  even  to 
the  Catholic  apologist.  That  "  confession,  con- 
trition and  satisfaction  "  are  all  connected  together 
within  a  few  sentences  of  a  Tract  of  perhaps  50-55 
A.  D.,  should  be  at  least  an  interesting  discovery  to 
those  who  think  that  the  distinctive  Catholic  doc- 
trines were  invented  in  "  the  Dark  Ages." 

But  there  is  more  than  this.  The  words  "  come 
to  thy  prayer  "  are  evidently  also  meant  to  refer  to 
the  Sunday  "  gatherings  "  for  public  and  common 
worship,  so  that  the  need  of  confession  before  Com- 
munion is  twice  insisted  on,  and  for  the  reason 
always  given  by   the  Church,    namely,    that    the 


Communion  of  any  one  in  sin  would  be  a  profana- 
tion of  that  which  must  be  one  common  "  action," 
and  which  is  to  be  above  all  things  "  pure." 

If  it  should  be  objected  that  there  is  no  express 
statement  of  the  Real  Presence,  the  answer  is  that 
that  is  implied  in  the  idea  of  the  Sacrifice  and  of 
the  Mystery,  as  well  as  in  the  use  of  the  text  about 
giving  "  that  which  is  holy  "  to  dogs.  Even  if  this 
were  denied,  it  remains  true,  as  we  have  clearly 
seen,  that  dogma,  as  such,  is  not  expounded  in  the 
Tract  at  all.  The  Divinity  of  Christ  is  not  laid 
down.  His  death  and  resurrection  are  not  even 
mentioned  or  hinted  at.  Neither  the  existence  of 
the  Apostolate  nor  the  order  of  Baptism  is  referred 
to  His  commission.  But  for  the  occurrence  of  the 
baptismal  formula,  in  fact,  it  would  have  been  easy 
to  argue  that  the  writer  did  not  hold  that  "  the 
Lord,"  was  God  at  all.* 

As  to  the  reason  of  such  dogmatic  silence  it  is 
needless  to  speculate.  The  "  Mystery  "  may  have 
even  then  been  a  thing  it  was  not  considered  well 
to  commit  needlessly  to  writing  ;  and  these  main 
points  may  have  been  so  obviou,"?  to  every  Christian 
that  there  was  no  need  to  tell  him.  It  may  be  an- 
swered that  the  maxims  of  "  the  Way  of  Life  and 
Death  "  are  also  elementary.  But  in  the  first  place 
they  appear  to  be  only  an  adaptation  of  a  pre- 
existing text,  which  was  wholly  moral  and  not  doc- 
trinal ;  and  in  the  next  place,  they  are  in  fact  not 
so  simple,  for  thy  work  out  the  broad  precepts  into 
a  most  admirable  system  of  practical  "  casuistry." 

If  it  be  granted  that  there  is  no  anti-Catholic 
inference  to  be  drawn  from  the  silence  as  to  any 
precise  Eucharistic  doctrine,  we  may  go  on  to  ask 
ourselves  how  we  are  to  explain  the  singularly 
short  and  unliturgical  formula  prescribed  ? 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  clear  that  it  is  not  a  lit- 
urgy. If  there  is  one  thing  certain  in  Liturgica, 
it  is  that  the  words  of  institution  were  always  the 
central  and  essential  item.  It  is  also  reasonably 
certain  that  the    Lord's    prayer   was   part   of  the 

*  The  formula  used  in  the  Eucharistic  prayers,  dia  Jesou  tou 
paidos  sou,  probably  means  "  through  Jesus  thy  Child,"  as  in 
the  thanksgiving  of  the  Apostles  preserved  to  us  in  Acts  iv.  27, 
(cf.  33).  But  in  the  line  before,  the  very  same  phrase  is  used 
of  David — where  it  should  no  doubt  be  translated,  "  David  thy 
servant  "  (as  in  Acts  iv.  25),  for  the  Greek  word  is  ambiguous. 


THE   TEACHING   OF   THE   TWELVE. 


297 


Eucharistic  service,  and  that  readings  from  the 
Scriptures  preceded  it.  Whatever  the  liturgy  was 
in  the  churches  to  which  this  Tract  was  sent,  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  it  contained  much  that  is  not  here. 
Following  this  clue,  it  seems  at  least  probable  that 
the  formula  set  down  is  not  for  the  officiating  priest 
who  "  offers  the  sacrifice  "  at  all,  but  for  the  lay 
people  who  "  gather  together  "  to  give  thanks  and 
receive.  Let  it  remembered  that,  as  yet,  they  have 
not  had  regular  ministrations  by  bishops  or  deacons 
at  all. 

If  an  Apostle  or  teacher  come,  or  if  a  prophet 
appears  with  "  the  mark  of  God  "  upon  him,  such 
a  one  will  take  charge  and  will  "  sacrifice  at  the 
mystery."  If  not — and  this  case  is  expressly  sup- 
posed in  the  Tract — what  will  happen  ?  The  writer 
evidently  regards  it  as  a  misfortune.  He  wishes 
them  to  have  resident  "  bishops,"  in  order  that  they 
tnay  always  minister  the  same  *'  leitourgia^''  which 
the  itinerant  apostles  and  teachers  alone  could  reg- 
ularly administer  now,  A  prophet  might  do  it, 
though  that  case  was  surrounded  with  dangers 
clearly  seen.  Even  so,  if  a  true  prophet  was  will- 
ing to  settle  among  them,  as  a  resident  minister, 
let  them  keep  him  gladly. 

A  resident  minister  then,  and  in  ordinary  a 
bishop  with  a  deacon,  is  in  the  writer's  view  proper 
for  the  full  services  of  the  Church.  They  can 
exist  without  this,  but  imperfectly.  Does  not  this  at 
once  suggest  that  when  no  Apostles  or  teachers 
happened  to  be  with  these  churches,  the  liturgy 
was  not  celebrated  at  all  ?  A  prophet,  who  was 
bound  by  no  rules,  might  use  it,  but  he  would  ex- 
temporize upon  it  or  pass  away  from  it,  "  in  the 
spirit,"  and  he  must  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  God. 
Such  special  inspirations  apart,  if  there  was  no 
"  minister,"  there  would  be  no  liturgy. 

But  there  might  be  and  there  was  a  Eucharist. 
Arguing  back  from  the  later  use,  we  may  suggest 
a  probable  hypothesis.  Even  after  priests  and 
churches  were  multiplied,  as  in  the  Rome  of  the 
fourth  century,  we  know  that  it  was  common  to 
send  the  Eucharist — Hosts  and  Chalice  together — 
from  one  church  to  dependent  churches,  in  such  a 
basket  as  is  figured  vividly  in  the  Catacombs,  and 
described  in  St.  Jerome's  famous  panegyric  on 
Exuperius. 


The  custom  seems  even  to  have  lingered  on  in 
curious  forms,  the  meaning  of  which  had  been  lost 
in  antiquity,  but  which  were  observed  because  they 
were  so  well  known  to  be  of  the  primitive  use. 
What  is  more  probable  than  that  this  sending  of 
the  Eucharist  was  the  method  of  which  small  and 
pastorless  churches,  such  as  those  to  which  the 
didache  is  addressed,  were  enabled  in  this  apostolic 
age  to  communicate  with  their  brethren,  and  with 
the  heads  of  the  Church. 

If  so,  we  can  at  once  interpret  the  text.  The 
local  church  would  hold  its  sunaxis  regularly  on 
every  Lord's  Day.  If  a  person  who  could  officiate 
was  there,  the  Liturgy — whatever  it  then  was — 
would  be  said.  If  not,  the  reserved  Eucharist 
would  be  brought  out,  and  all  who  were  worthy 
would  receive  without  any  "  Mass."  For  that  occa- 
sion, the  writer  seems  to  suggest  two  simple  col- 
lects of  the  Chalice  and  the  Host,  and  a  concluding 
prayer  for  the  unity  of  the  Church,  with  a  doxology. 
The  reminder  that  the  unbaptized  were  not  to  be 
admitted  is  the  more  in  point,  because  as  there  was 
no  Liturgy,  the  "  dismissal "  (which  no  doubt  even 
then  formed  part  of  it)  might  be  supposed  not  to 
apply  to  the  altered  case. 

The  prayers  themselves  are  so  simple  that  it  is 
rash  *2  argue  from  them  at  all :  otherwise  it  might 
be  suspected  that  "  the  holy  Vine  of  David  which 
Thou  hast  made  known  to  us  through  Jesus  "  was 
itself  a  hint  of  the  Presence,  and  meant  that  Jesus 
the  son  of  David,  the  branch  of  the  root  of  Jesse, 
was,  as  St.  John  afterwards  explained,  "  the  true 
Vine,"  wherein  we  are  the  fruitful  branches.  How 
primitive  and  how  impressive  this  image  was,  no 
one  who  knows  the  Catacombs  will  fail  to  see. 

The  second  set  of  formulae  is  remarkable,  first  of 
all,  because  it  is  not  at  once  apparent  wherin  it 
differs  from  the  first.  Perhaps  the  most  natural  ex- 
planation is  that  at  such  times,  although  they  had 
no  proper  "  Mass,"  yet  they  might  and  did  have  an 
Agape.  This,  as  is  now  well  known,  was  a  thing 
distinct  from,  though  connected  with,  the  Eucharist 
Sacrifice  or  Sacrament.  "After  ye  are  filled,"  would 
then  mean,  "  after  ye  have  finished  the  Agrape," 
which  apparently  followed  the  Communion,  with  or 
without  an  interval.  In  this  way  the  second  collect — 
"  Thou  hast  given  food  and  drink  to  men  for  enjoy 


298 


THE   TEACHING   OF   THE   TWELVE. 


ment,  that  they  may  give  Thee  thanks ;  but  to  us 
Thou  has  graciously  given  spiritual  food  and  drink 
and  eternal  life,  through  Thy  Child  " — becomss  ex- 
ceedingly apt  and  beautiful ;  and  so,  in  another  way, 
is  the  joyous  enthusiasm  of  the  concluding  verse.* 
Although  the  formula  itself  is  not  liturgical,  it  is 
worth  while  to  remember  that  the  "  Bread  that  is 
broken  "  reminds  any  student  of  the  Liturgies  of 
the  constant  and  most  ancient  rite  of  the  "  Fraction 
of  the  Host." 

But  surely  the  most  important  point  of  the  whole 
Tract  is  the  insistance,  repeated  once  and  again  as 
a  common  idea,  on  the  notion  that  this  Eucharist 
was  a  Sacrifice — a  Sacrifice  made  in  common  and 
pre-eminently  holy — ike  Sacrifice,  indeed,  ordained 
to  replace  for  the  new  dispensation  all  the  Temple 
offerings,  and  to  be  the  true  worship  of  the  Lord  in 
every  place  and  time,  and  among  all  the  nations 
that  were  to  be  gathered  into  the  one  fold  of  the 
Church  which  Christ  had  come  to  found. 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  be  able  to  appre- 
ciate for  himself  the  life  of  these  early  first  century 
churches,  it  may  be  well  to  print  textually  those 
parts  of  the  disciplinary  Tract  which  have  not  been 
already  cited. 

The  so-called  "  Way  of  Life  and  Death  "  occupies 
the  five  first  chapters,  and  considerations  of  space 
make  it  impossible  to  print  it  here,  important  as  it 
is  from  many  points  of  view.  After  it  follows  this 
short  chapter : — 

"  Take  heed  that  no  one  make  thee  to  err  out  of 
this  way  of  the  Teaching,  for  he  that  doth  is  teach- 
ing thee  away  from  God. 

"  For  if  thou  art  able  to  bear  the  whole  yoke  of 
the  Lord,  thou  shalt  be  perfect ;  but  if  thou  art  not 
able,  do  what  thou  canst. 

"And  concerning  food,  bear  what  thou  canst : 
only  beware  especially  of  that  which  has  been 
offered  to  idols :  for  it  is  a  service  of  dead  gods." 

Then  follows  at  once  the  chapter  on  Baptism, 
which  is  usually  numbered  VII.,  and  that  as  to 
Fasting  and  Prayer  above  cited,  which  is  VIII. , 

*  One  thing  remarkable  is  the  repetition  of  the  doxology — ap- 
parently because  to  the  writer,  as  a  Jew,  all  "  giving  of  thanks  " 
implied  a  constant  reference  to  the  praise  of  the  greatness  of  the 
God  of  Israel,  and  because  such  praises  were  a  frequently  recur- 
ring refrain  in  all  Jewish  services. 


and  Ch.  IX.  and  X.  on  the  Eucharist,  as  above. 
Then  the  text  runs  on  : — 

(Ch.  XL)  "Whoso,  therefore,  cometh  and 
teacheth  you  all  these  things  aforesaid,  receive  him. 

"  But  if  the  teacher,  being  himself  perverted, 
teach  you  another  teaching  unto  undoing,  hear  him 
not :  but  if  [a  teacher  teach]  unto  the  setting  forth 
of  righteousness  and  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord, 
receive  him  as  the  Lord. 

"  Now  with  respect  to  the  Apostles  and  the 
prophets,  according  to  the  teaching  of  the  Gospel, 
so  do  ye. 

"  Let  every  Apostle  that  cometh  to  you  be  received 
as  the  Lord. 

"  But  he  shall  not  remain  [over]  one  day,  and  if 
there  be  need,  the  next ;  but  if  he  remain  three 
days,  he  is  a  false  prophet. 

"  And  when  the  Apostle  leaveth  you,  let  him 
take  nothing  but  bread,  until  his  next  sleeping- 
place  :  and  if  he  asks  for  money,  he  is  a  false 
prophet. 

"  And  every  prophet  who  speaketh  in  the  spirit, 
ye  shall  by  no  means  put  to  trial  or  judge :  for 
every  sin  shall  be  forgiven,  but  this  sin  [against 
the  spirit]  shall  not  be  forgiven. 

"  But  not  every  one  that  speaketh  in  the  spirit  is 
a  prophet,  but  only  if  have  the  ways  of  the  Lord : 
so  by  their  ways  shall  be  known  both  the  false 
prophet  and  the  [real]  prophet. 

"  And  every  prophet  that  ordereth  a  table  in  the 
spirit  doth  not  eat  of  it,  otherwise  he  is  a  false 
prophet. 

"And  every  prophet,  even  if  he  teach  the  truth, 
if  he  doth  not  do  what  he  teacheth,  he  is  a  false 
prophet. 

"  But  every  prophet  who  is  appointed  a  true 
prophet  sacrificing  at  the  earthly  mystery  of  the 
Church,  and  who  nevertheless  teacheth  to  act  other- 
wise than  as  hehimselfs  acts,  shall  not  be  judged 
of  you,  for  he  hath  his  judgment  with  God:  for  so 
also  was  it  with  the  ancient  prophets. 

"  And  whoever  saith  in  the  spirit :  '  Give  me 
money  or  other  things,'  ye  shall  not  hearken  to 
him :  only  if  he  bid  you  to  give  for  others  that  are 
in  want,  let  no  man  judge  him." 

(Ch.  XII.)  "  And  let  everyone  who  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  be  received :  and  afterwards, 


THE   TEACHING   OF   THE   TWELVE. 


299 


having  proved  him,   ye  shall  know,  for  ye   shall 
have  discrimination,  the  right  and  the  false. 

"  If  he  who  Cometh  be  a  wayfarer,  help  him  as 

far  as  ye  are  able ;  but  he  shall  not  stay  with  you 

more  than  two  days,  or  three,  if  there  be  necessity. 

"  But  if  he  be  willing  to  settle  with  you,  being  a 

craftsman,  let  him  work  and  eat. 

"  But  if  he  have  not  a  craft,  in  your  best  wisdom 
make  provisions  so  that  he  may  live  with  you  and 
not  be  idle,  as  a  Christian. 

"  But  if  he  will  not  so  act,  he  is  a  Christ-monger ; 
beware  of  such." 

(Ch.  XIII.)  "  But  every  true  prophet,  if  he  be 
willing  to  settle  with  you,  is  worthy  of  his  meat. 

"  In  like  manner  the  true  teacher  also  is  like  the 
workman,  worthy  of  his  meat. 

"  Therefore  shalt  thou  take  all  first-fruits  of  the 
produce  of  the  press  and  of  the  floor,  and  of  the 
produce  of  oxen  and  of  sheep,  and  give  them  to  the 
prophets  :  for  they  are  your  high-priests. 

"  And  if  ye  have  not  a  prophet  [among  you], 
give  them  to  the  poor. 

"  If  thou  preparest  a  batch  of  bread,  take  the 
first-fruits  and  give  it,  according  to  the  command- 
ments. 

"  And  in  like  manner,  when  thou  openest  a  jar 
of  wine  or  of  oil,  take  the  first-fruits  and  give  them 
to  the  prophets. 

"  And  of  silver  and  of  raiment  and  of  every  pos- 
session, take  first-fruits,  and  give,  as  it  seems  good 
to  thee,  according  to  the  commandment." 

(Ch.  XIV.)  "  On  the  Lord's  day  of  the  Lord 
gather  togther  and  break  bread  and  give  thanks, 
having  first  confessed  your  sins,  that  our  sacrifice 
may  be  pure. 

"And  everyone  that  hath  a  dispute  with  his 
neighbor,  let  him  not  come  to  your  gathering 
until  they  be  reconciled,  so  that  your  sacrifice 
may  not  be  defiled. 

"  For  this  is  the  word  that  was  spoken  by  the 
Lord :  '  In  every  place  and  time,  offer  to  Me  a 
pure  sacrifice :  for  I  am  a  great  King,  saith  the 
Lord,  and  my  name  is  wonderful  among  the  Gen- 
tiles.' " 

(Ch.  XV.)  "  Therefore  select  for  yourselves 
bishops  and  deacons,  worthy  of  the  Lord,  men  who 
are  meek  and  not  lovers  of  money,  true  and  ap- 


proved: for  they  also  will  minister  unto  you  the 
ministry  of  the  prophets  and  teachers. 

"  Therefore  undervalue  them  not :  for  they  are 
for  you  those  that  have  honor  in  common  with  the 
prophets  and  teachers. 

"  When  ye  reprove  one  another,  do  it  not  in 
wrath,  but  in  peace,  as  ye  have  it  in  the  Gospel : 
and  if  anyone  transgresseth  against  his  neighbor, 
let  no  one  speak  and  let  him  hear  nothing  from 
you,  until  he  repent. 

"And  your  prayers  and  your  alms  and  all  your 
actions,  so  do,  as  ye  have  it  in  the  Gospel  of  our 
Lord." 

(Ch.  XVI.)  "Keep  watch  over  your  life.  Let 
not  your  lamps  be  quenched,  and  let  not  your  loins 
be  ungirded,  but  be  ye  ready :  for  ye  know  not  the 
hour  in  which  our  Lord  cometh. 

"  Gather  ye  together  frequently,  seeking  the 
things  that  are  for  the  salvation  of  your  souls :  for 
all  the  time  of  your  belief  will  not  profit  you,  un- 
less ye  be  perfect  in  the  last  time. 

"  For  in  the  last  days  shall  be  multiplied  the  false 
prophets  and  the  destroyers,  and  the  sheep  shall  be 
turned  to  wolves,  and  love  shall  be  turned  to  hate : 
"  For  when  lawlessness  hath  waxed  strong,  they 
shall  hate  one  another  and  persecute  and  betray 
one  another ;  and  then  the  Deceiver  of  the  World 
shall  appear  as  the  Son  of  God,  and  shall  do  signs 
and  wonders,  and  the  earth  shall  be  given  over  into 
his  hands,  and  he  shall  do  iniquity,  such  as  hath 
not  been  since  time  was  : 

"And  then  shall  the  race  of  men  be  thrown  into 
the  fire  of  trial,  and  many  shall  be  scandalized  and 
perish  ;  but  they  that  endure  in  their  faith  shall  be 
saved,  even  by  that  which  was  itself  the  cause  of 
offence  [the  cross]. 

"And  then  shall  appear  the  signs  of  the  truth : 
first,  the  sign  of  the  opening  in  heaven,  next,  the 
sign  of  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and  third,  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead  : 

"  Not  all  indeed,  but  even  as  it  was  said,  '  The 
Lord  shall  come  and  all  the  saints  with  Him  : ' 

"  Then  shall  the  world  see  the  Lord  coming  upon 
the  clouds  of  heaven." 

So  ends  the  text.  It  is  plainly  complete,  for  the 
seeming  abruptness  of  the  close  means  only  thai 
having   in   his  rapid   sketch  of  "  the  last  time " 


300 


THE   TEACHING   OF   THE   TWELVE. 


brought  us  to  the  threshold  of  the  Great  Judg- 
ment, he  leaves  us  to  picture  it  and  its  conse- 
quences for  ourselves. 

The  interest  of  such  a  document  is  great. 
Whether  such  inferences  and  conjectures  as  it  has 
seemed  possible  to  make  are  safe  or  no  depends  on 
many  curious  questions.  The  suggestions  here 
made  are  offered  as  a  fair  and  frank  contribution 
to  modem  criticism.  If  they  are  right,  they  are 
very  important ;  if  they  are  in  error,  they  may  help 


towards  the  truth.  But  at  the  least,  so  long  as  we 
avoid  rash  dogmatism  on  matters  necessarily  so  ob- 
scure, Catholics  may  be  glad  to  find  in  these  long- 
lost  pages  some  hints  and  glimpses  of  the  earliest 
Church,  for  no  one  denies  that  the  document  is  of 
extreme  antiquity ;  and  we  may  fairly  rejoice  that 
this,  like  every  other  piece  of  recent  evidence,  tends 
not  to  confirm  the  idle  criticisms  of  twenty  years 
ago,  but  to  establish  the  Christian  and  the  Catholic 
belief. 


SAINT  CECILIA 


The  Invocation  of  the  Saints. 

By  RKV.    SYDNEY    F.   SMITH,   S.  J. 


CCORDING  to  the  twenty-second  of  the 
Thirty-nine  Anglican  Articles,  "  the 
Romish  doctrine  concerning  .  .  .  In- 
vocation of  Saints,  is  a  fond  thing, 
vainly  invented,  and  grounded  upon 
no  warranty  of  Scripture,  but  rather 
repugnant  to  the  plain  word  of  God."  Even  this 
severe  condemnation  of  a  doctrine  on  which  the 
Catholic  Church  sets  special  store,  and  in  which 
her  children  find  special  consolation,  treats  us  far 
more  mildly  than  the  popular  verdict.  To  the 
mass  of  our  countrymen  who  still  cling  to  the 
Christian  religion,  we  are  people  who  commit  the 
awful  blasphemy  of  giving  to  others  the  worship 
due  to  God  alone,  and  who  imagine  we  can  obtain 
our  salvation  through  other  channels  than  the  sole 
mediatorship  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Living  as  Catholics  do  in  the  midst  of  neighbors, 
even  well-intentioned  neighbors,  who  entertain  so 
bad  an  opinion  of  our  cherished  practice,  we  do  well 
to  understand  on  what  grounds  the  lawfulness  and 
usefulness  of  Prayers  to  the  Saints  is  asserted,  and 
how  they  are  guiltless  of  the  two  blasphemies  just 
mentioned. 

The  doctrine  involves  four  points,  (i)  that  the 
Saints  reigning  with  Christ  in  heaven  make  assidu- 
ous intercessions  for  us  their  brethren  still  strug- 
gling below  on  earth  ;  (2)  that  they  are  not  without 
a  particular  knowledge  of  our  wants  and  necessi- 
ties ;  (3)  that  we  may,  therefore,  lawfully  and  profit- 
ably invoke  them ;  (4)  and  that  we  ought  also  to 
pay  them  a  becoming  religious  honor  and  venera- 
tion. We  will  take  each  point  separately,  and  so 
build  up  our  defence. 

I . —  The  Saints  reigning  with  Christ  make  assidu- 

Lous  intercessions  for  us. 
Holy  Scripture  tells  us  plainly  that  we  ought  to 
pray  for  our  neighbors  as  well  as  for  ourselves,  and 
assures  us  that  the  earnest  prayer  of  a  good  man, 
when  offered  up  for  some  necessity  of  his  fellow- 
men,  has  great  weight  with  God.    (St.  James  v.  16- 


18.)  The  Bible  also  gives  us  striking  illustrations 
of  the  value  and  effect  of  intercessory  prayers. 
The  Children  of  Israel  (Exodus  xxxii.  7)  during 
their  wanderings,  whilst  Moses  was  with  God  on 
the  Mount,  relapsed  into  grievous  idolatry  and  in- 
curred the  Divine  wrath. 

God  was  then  kept  from  destroying  them,  accord- 
ing to  His  own  word,  by  the  prayers  of  Moses. 
"  And  He  said  He  would  destroy  them,  had  not 
Moses  His  elect  stood  before  Him  in  the  breach,  in 
order  that  he  might  avert  His  anger  lest  it  should 
destroy  them."  (Psalm  xv.  23.)  This  one  instance, 
to  which  others  could  easily  be  added,  is  enough  to 
prove  that  at  least  whilst  on  earth  we  ought  to  pray 
for  each  other,  and  should  attach  special  value  to 
the  prayer  of  those  whose  lives  are  marked  by  evi- 
dent sanctity.  Indeed,  this  is  so  clear  that  no  one 
would  contest  it.  If  we  are  members  one  of 
another,  and  as  members  should  abound  in  charity 
towards  our  fellow-members,  manifestly  our  charity 
should  include  intercessory  prayer  among  its  pri- 
mary works. 

Now,  if  on  earth  intercessory  prayer  is  so  natural 
an  outcome  of  Christian  charity,  and  is,  therefore, 
so  acceptable  to  God,  are  we  to  think  that  it  per- 
ishes in  the  tomb  ?  Surely  not.  The  soul  itself 
of  the  Saint  sui^vives  the  tomb  and  passes  to  the 
throne  of  God.  We  cannot  imagine  that  with  its 
mortal  coil  it  casts  off  all  interest  in  those  whom  it 
has  known  and  loved  on  earth.  We  cannot  sup- 
pose that  if  it  retains  its  interest,  it  will  fail  to 
assert  that  interest  in  prayers,  just  as  it  was  wont 
to  do  on  earth.  Rather,  we  cannot  but  think  that 
with  the  deeper  realization  of  what  it  is  to  save  the 
soul,  and  of  God's  readiness  to  hear  prayer,  the  in- 
terest in  those  still  fighting  for  their  crown  will 
grow  in  the  heart  of  the  glorified  Saint,  and  along 
with  it  the  earnestness  of  his  prayers. 

"  If,"  says  St.  Jerome  in  the  fourth  century, 
"Apostles  and  martyrs,  whilst  still  in  the  flesh  and 
still  needing  to  care  for  themselves,  can  pray  for 

301 


502 


THE   INVOCATION   OF   THE   SAINTS. 


others,  how  much  more  [will  they  pray  for  others] 
after  they  have  won  their  crowns,  their  victories, 
their  triumphs !  Moses,  a  single  man,  obtains 
God's  pardon  for  600,000  armed  men,  and  Stephen 
pra3^s  for  his  persecutors.  When  they  are  with 
Christ  will  they  be  less  powerful  ?  Paul  says  that 
two  hundred  and  seventy-six  souls  were  granted  to 
his  prayers  when  they  were  in  the  ship  with  him, 
and  when  he  is  dead,  shall  he  close  his  lips  and 
not  mutter  a  syllable  for  those  who  throughout  the 
world  have  believed  in  his  Gospel?" 

We  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  besides  Saints 
there  are  angels  in  heaven :  beings,  that  is  to  say, 
who,  although  different  in  nature  from  men,  are 
bound  to  them  by  fraternal  ties  and  share  with  the 
Saints  their  interest  in  our  lot.  These  angels  have 
unquestionably  the  right  to  plead  for  the  earthly 
objects  of  their  solicitude,  for  our  Lord  said,  "  See 
that  ye  scandalize  not  one  of  these  little  ones :  for 
their  angels  see  the  face  of  My  Father  Who  is  in 
heaven  "  (Matt,  xviii.  10) ;  in  other  words,  "  remem- 
ber that,  though  weak  in  themselves,  these  chil- 
dren have  powerful  angels  to  intercede  for  them  in 
heaven."  The  text  talks  of  intercession  for  chil- 
dren, as  our  Lord  was  inculcating  the  sacred  duty 
of  respect  for  the  consciences  of  children.  But  we 
cannot  suppose  that,  if  angels  intercede  at  all,  they 
are  restricted  to  intercession  for  children  only. 

If,  then,  God  can  desire  the  angels  to  pray  for 
men  on  earth  and  can  be  much  moved  by  their 
'  prayers,  what  possible  ground  could  he  have  for 
m>  denying  a  like  privilege  to  the  Saints  ?  Indeed,  if 
there  were  ground  for  making  a  difference  between 
them,  would  it  not  be  more  natural  to  deny  the 
right  to  the  angels  and  allow  it  to  the  Saints,  seeing 
that  the  latter  are  bound  to  us  by  the  ties  of  a  na- 
ture common  in  every  respect  ? 

2. —  T/ie  Saints  are  not  ivithout  a  particular  knowl- 
edge of  our  wants  and  necessities. 

A  Protestant  is  wont  to  lay  great  stress  upon  this 
point.  He  usually  cannot  well  help  granting  that 
the  Saints  in  heaven  intercede  for  us  in  a  general 
way,  and  that  they  even  pray  more  particularly  for 
the  friends  and  the  companions  of  their  previous 
life.  Nevertheless,  he  is  confident  that  from  the 
moment  of  death  further  knowledge  of  what  hap- 
pens on  earth  must  stop. 


Now  is  this  at  all  likely?  Even  if  we  could 
form  no  conception  of  the  manner  in  which,  in 
their  new  mode  of  existence,  further  knowledge 
could  be  conveyed  to  their  minds,  do  we  not  per- 
ceive the  truth  of  certain  facts  from  which  the  in- 
ference seems  at  once  to  follow  that  some  means  of 
communication  is  provided?  These  facts  are:  (i) 
that  the  Saints  must  have  a  very  strong  and  rea- 
sonable desire  to  know  further  about  us,  just  be- 
cause of  their  earnest  desire  to  assist  us  with  their 
prayers  ;  (2)  that  God  has  the  power  to  grant  their 
desire.  That  the  Saints  have  this  desire  has  been 
sufficiently  established,  and  if  they  have  it,  and 
God,  the  God  of  love,  has  the  power  to  grant  it,  the 
certain  inference  would  seem  to  be  that  He  does 
grant  it. 

Why  should  he  refuse  so  reasonable  a  desire? 
This  question  was  asked  just  now,  when  the  point 
was  whether  the  Saints  could  be  permitted  to  inter- 
cede at  all.  If  there  seemed  no  conceivable  ground 
for  refusal  on  the  part  of  God  then,  still  less  can 
we  divine  any  possible  ground  of  refusal  now.  If 
it  is  right  for  the  Saints  to  interceded  for  us  at  all, 
it  would  certainly  seem  right  that  their  interces- 
sions should  not  be  of  a  vague  kind,  but  should  be 
directed  to  our  actual  and  known  wants. 

But  has  God  the  power  to  grant  to  the  Saints 
this  their  desire  of  knowing  our  particular  wants  ? 
Yes,  certainly.  To  begin  with,  what  is  to  prevent 
God  from  Himself  revealing  to  them  our  wants  ? 
No  one  will  be  so  absurd  as  to  deny  God  the  power 
of  communicating  knowledge  to  the  spirits  of  the 
departed ;  but  perhaps  it  might  be  thought  an 
absurdity  that  God  should  tell  the  Saints  of  our 
wants  that  they  may  ask  Him  to  relieve  them 
instead  of  at  once  granting  or  denying  the  favor. 

There  would,  however,  be  nothing  incongruous 
in  this.  We  do  not  imagine  the  intercession  of  the 
Saints  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  inform  God  of 
what  He  would  otherwise  be  ignorant  of,  but  as 
offering  to  God  a  further  motive  for  showing  mercy 
to  us,  in  addition  to  that  arising  out  of  our  own 
direct  prayer  to  Him,  and  thus  supplying  for  our 
unworthiness.  The  principle  on  which  we  rely  is 
exactly  that  recognized  in  the  Book  of  Job,  (xlii.  8,) 
where  God  says,  "  Go  to  My  servant  Job,  and  offer 
up  a  holocaust  for  yourselves  :  and  My  servant  Job 


THE   INVOCATION   OF   THE   SAINTS. 


303 


shall  pray  for  you  :  for  him  I  will  accept,  lest  I 
deal  with  you  according  to  your  folly." 

And  if  it  is  unreasonable  to  deny  that  God  can 
at  least  make  known  to  the  Saints  what  we  need, 
it  is  hardly  less  unreasonable  to  deny  that  He  can 
and  does  communicate  to  them  some  inherent 
faculty  of  perception.  The  angels,  since  they  are 
intelligent  beings,  have  presumably  some  faculty 
of  acquiring  knowledge  for  themselves,  just  as  we 
have  on  earth.  Is  it  conceivable  that  the  soul  in 
its  separate  state  should  be  without  a  similar 
power  ?  Many  Catholic  theologians  have  thought 
they  could  perceive  the  nature  of  this  faculty.  The 
blessed  enjoy  the  Beatific  Vision.  They  see  God 
"  as  he  is  "  (I.  John  iii.  2)  in  Himself;  no  longer 
"  in  a  glass  and  darkly,"  but  "  face  to  face." 
(I.  Cor.  iii.  12.)  May  it  not  be  that  in  seeing  God, 
they  see  in  God,  the  pattern  of  all  being,  as  in  a 
mirror  what  goes  on  below  ? 

This,  however,  is  an  abstruse  doctrine,  which  is 
only  mentioned  as  it  may  interest  some  readers. 
It  is  in  no  sense  necessary  to  make  good  the  de- 
fence of  our  doctrine  about  the  Saints.  We  have 
given  ample  reason  for  holding  that  the  Saints  do 
in  fact  attain  to  a  knowledge  of  our  prayers,  and 
are  bound  to  demonstrate  the  exact  mode  of  their 
knowledge. 

We  may  also  press  again  at  this  point  the  paral- 
lelism between  the  Saints  and  the  angels.  In  the 
text  quoted  above,  (Matt,  xviii.  10,)  our  Lord's 
argument  with  the  disciples,  is  "  Do  not  scandalize 
these  little  ones,  for  if  you  do  their  angels  are  sure 
to  perceive  your  evil  deed,  and  will  ask  God  to  pun- 
ish it,"  This  proves  that  at  all  events  the  prayers 
of  the  angels  are  glided  by  particular  knowledge  of 
what  is  happening  to  their  earthly  charges.  Un- 
less then  some  positive  Divine  statement  to  the 
contrary  can  be  produced,  or  some  manifest  reason 
to  the  same  effect,  we  ought  to  conclude  that  a  like 
knowledge  of  earthly  events  to  stimulate  their 
prayers  is  granted  to  the  Saints. 

3. —  We  may  lawfully  and  profitably  lay  our 
necessities  before  the  Saints  in  heaven  and  solicit 
their  prayers. 

We  have  now  obtained  good  grounds  for  be- 
lieving that  the  Saints  are  ready  to  pray  for  us, 
that  their  prayers  are  acceptable  and  powerful  with 


God,  and  that  they  can  hear  us  when  we  ask. 
After  this  it  seems  superfluous  to  prove  by  any  spe- 
cial argument  that  we  are  justified  in  invoking 
them.  On  earth  the  practice  of  offering  interces- 
sory prayer  has  its  correlative  in  the  practice  of 
asking  it. 

Even  Apostles  do  not  hesitate  to  ask  the  interces- 
sion of  their  flock  :  "  I  beseech  you,  brethren,"  says 
St.  Paul,  (Romans  xv.  30,)  "  for  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ's  sake  and  for  the  love  of  the  Spirit,  that 
you  strive  together  with  me  in  prayers  to  God  on 
my  behalf,  that  I  may  be  delivered  from  the  un- 
believers in  Judea."  Why  may  we  not  with  a  like 
or  even  a  greater  confidence  address  these  self-same 
words  to  St.  Paul  in  heaven,  and  ask  him,  for  the 
sake  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
to  add  his  powerful  prayers  to  ours,  that  we  may 
be  delivered  from  our  dangers  on  earth  ? 

4. —  The  Invocation  of  the  Saints  is  sanctioned  by 
the  authority  of  the  Church  and  by  primitive  practice. 

We  have  set  down  a  fourth  point  as  included  in 
the  Catholic  doctrine  we  are  considering.  But  it 
will  be  more  convenient  to  take  it  presently.  Hith- 
erto we  have  confined  ourselves  to  expounding  the 
doctrine  and  showing  its  reasonableness.  Even  on 
this  basis  we  should  be  entitled  to  pray  to  the 
Saints,  for  it  suf&ces  to  show  that  there  is  no  impro- 
priety in  the  practice,  but  on  the  contrary  a  reason- 
able expectation  of  spiritual  profit.  Nevertheless  it 
is  fair  to  demand  of  us  that  we  should  show  authori- 
zation on  the  part  of  God  for  what  we  do. 

There  is  not  much,  if  anything,  in  Holy  Scripture 
which  amounts  to  a  direct  authorization,  although 
we  have  seen  that  Holy  Scripture  lays  down  the 
principles  from  which  it  is  legitimately  inferred. 
If  the  Protestant  doctrine  of  the  all-sufl5.ciency  of 
Scripture  were  true,  the  absence  of  direct  scriptural 
injunction  to  invoke  the  Saints  would  tell  against 
us.  But  the  all-suflSciency  of  Scripture  is  itself  "  a 
fond  thing  vainly  invented,  and  grounded  upon  no 
warranty  of  Scripture,  but  rather  repugnant  to  the 
plain  word  of  God." 

The  authority  of  the  Catholic  Church,  ever  studi- 
ous of  God's  honor  and  of  sound  doctrine,  is  ample 
warrant  for  a  Catholic  devotion,  and  this  voice  of 
the  Church  reveals  itself  alike  in  her  solemn  defi- 
nitions, in  the  practice  of  her  Saints,  and  in  the  tes- 


304 


THE   INVOCATION    OF  THE   SAINTS. 


timony  of  her  Fathers.  It  would  be  impossible  in 
so  short  a  Tract  to  give  many  passages  in  support 
of  this  statement.  It  must  suffice  to  cite  one  or 
two.  Thus,  St.  Chrysostom  has  a  sermon  on  SS. 
Berenice  and  Prosdoce,  two  martyrs,  in  which  he 
5ays,  "  Not  only  on  this  their  festival,  but  also  at 
other  times,  let  us  approach  them,  pray  to  them, 
invite  them  to  be  our  patrons.  They  appeal  to 
God  with  great  confidence,  not  only  whilst  alive, 
but  even  after  death,  nay  much  more  after  death. 
For  now  they  bear  the  marks  {stigmata)  of  Christ, 
and  whilst  they  display  these  marks  there  is  noth- 
ing they  cannot  persuade  our  (heavenly)  King." 

St.  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  in  his  Homily  on  St.  The- 
odore, prays  to  this  martyr,  and  says  to  him,  "If 
there  be  need  of  greater  importunity,  assemble  the 
choir  of  thy  brother  martyrs  and  implore  with  all. 
Remind  Peter :  arouse  Paul :  John,  too,  the  theo- 
log.van  and  beloved  disciple  ;  that  they  have  a  care 
ibr  the  churches  they  established."  St.  Ambrose 
in  his  treatise  De  Viduis^  says,  "Angels  are  to  be 
besought  for  us,  who  were  given  to  us  as  guar- 
dians :  martyrs  are  to  be  besought,  whose  patronage 
we  seem  to  claim  for  ourselves  by  the  pledge  of  the 
body  .  .  .  Let  us  not  be  ashamed  to  employ  them 
as  intercessors  for  our  infirmity,  who  knew  the 
infirmity  of  the  body  even  when  they  overcame." 
St.  Jerome  in  his  hundred  and  eighth  letter  to 
Eustochium,  prays  to  St.  Paula,  saying,  "  Farewell, 
Paula,  help  with  thy  prayers  the  extreme  old  age 
of  thy  worshipper  (cultoris).  Faith  and  good  works 
join  thee  with  Christ.  Being  in  His  presence  thou 
wilt  more  easily  obtain  what  thou  askest." 

St.  Augustine  writing  On  the  Love  of  the  Dead^ 
says  that  he  can  see  no  purpose  in  burying  others 
near  the  shrines  of  the  Saints,  save  that  while  the 
living  "  remember  where  the  remains  of  their  friends 
are  laid,  they  may  recommend  them  to  the  same 
Saints  as  to  their  patrons."  These  five  Fathers 
will  be  recognized  as  among  the  very  foremost  of 
the  Fathers  of  the  fourth  century  ;  that  is,  the  age 
when,  the  persecution  over,  the  Church  first  began 
to  develop  a  copious  literature.  And  their  Ian. 
^uage  is  distinct  and  free  from  hesitation,  the 
language  of  those  who  are  not  hazarding  a  novel 
opinion  of  their  own,  but  are  expressing  the 
inherited  and  unquestioned  faith  of  all. 


5. — Objections  taken  by  Protestants  to  the  Invoca- 
tion of  Saints. 

We  have  not  as  yet  noticed  the  usual  Protestant 
objections  to  the  Invocation  of  Saints,  as  it  seemed 
better  first  to  consider  the  doctrine  on  its  own 
merits.  These  objections,  though  variously  stated, 
are  reducible  to  the  three  following  heads : 

{a.)  The  doctrine  is  against  our  Lord's  special 
prerogative.  He  is  the  one  Mediator  according  to 
St.  Paul,  (I.  Tim.  ii.  5,)  "  for  there  is  one  God,  and 
mediator  between  God  and  man,  the  man  Christ 
Jesus." 

This  we  know  is  considered  to  be  a  singularly 
conclusively  condemnation  of  prayer  to  the  Saints, 
For  when  we  ask  a  Saint  to  be  our  intercessor,  do 
we  not  make  him  into  a  mediator  between  God  and 
ourselves  ? 

Unquestionably  we  do  in  some  sense.  But  in 
what  sense?  There  is  a  famous  phrase  of  Lord 
Bacon's,  that  "  words  are  the  fool's  coins  and  the 
wise  man's  counters."  He  means  to  say,  that  fool- 
ish people  are  led  by  words  just  as  they  stand, 
whereas  wise  people  always  ask  carefully  what 
precise  meaning  is  attached  to  words  by  the  parti- 
cular speaker  who  uses  them  at  the  time.  Thus 
we  are  told  that  there  is  but  "  On&  Lord,  one  Faith, 
one  Baptism,  One  God  and  Father  of  us  all " 
(Eph.  iv.  5)  ;  and  (Matt,  xxiii.  8,  9)  we  have  even 
a  command  forbidding  us  to  be  called  Rabbi  (/.  e., 
Master),  "  for  one  is  your  master,  even  Christ :  and 
(to)  call  no  man  your  father  upon  the  earth ;  for 
one  is  your  Father,  which  is  in  heaven." 

And  yet  we  do — that  is,  all  sensible  people  do — 
apply  these  names  of  "  Lord,"  "  Master,"  "  Father," 
to  others  beside  God  ;  for  we  understand  well  that 
the  prohibition  is  directed  not  against  the  bare 
words,  but  against  a  certain  meaning  of  them. 
None  can  be  to  us  Lord,  Master,  or  Father  in  the 
full  sense  in  which  God  is  our  Lord,  our  Master,  and 
our  Father.  And  so  in  like  manner  no  one  can  be 
our  mediator  in  the  full  sense  in  which  our  Lord  is 
such ;  and  yet  others  may  be  our  mediators  in  a  lesser 
sense,  as,  indeed,  Moses  is  so  called  in  Holy  Scripture 
itself.  (Gal.  iii.  19.)  Our  Lord  is  our  Mediator, 
inasmuch  as  He  redeemed  us  by  His  Precious  Blood, 
as  St.  Paul  says  in  the  very  place  quoted  against  us, 
"  Who  gave  Himself  to  be  a  ransom  for  all." 


THE   INVOCATION   OF   THE   SAINTS. 


305 


Except  in  virtue  of  this  ransom  we  could  have 
no  hope  of  reconciliation  with  God.  And  now 
that  our  risen  Lord  stands  before  His  Father's 
throne,  ever  living  to  make  intercession  for  us, 
the  nature  of  His  intercession  corresponds  with 
the  nature  of  His  redemption.  He  does  not  plead 
in  our  behalf  the  merits  of  another :  He  claims  as 
of  His  own  right,  in  virtue  of  His  own  merits,  that 
God  should  hear  Him  on  our  behalf.  The  Saints, 
on  the  other  hand,  though  they  add  their  prayers 
to  ours,  and  though  their  prayers  are  specially 
acceptable  to  God  in  view  of  their  holiness,  plead 
for  us  ever  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ.  Our 
doctrine,  therefore,  in  no  sense  conflicts  with  the 
sole  mediatorship  of  our  Lord. 

It  is  further  observable  that  if  it  did,  it  would 
■conflict,  not  because  it  encourages  us  to  ask  the 
intercession  of  the  Saints  and  angels,  but  because 
it  presupposes  that  Saints  and  angels  do  intercede 
for  us  in  heaven,  and  similarly  that  Christians  may 
intercede  for  one  another  on  earth.  Protestants, 
therefore,  who  take  scandal  at  our  prayers  to  Saints, 
on  the  ground  that  they  set  up  other  mediators  by 
the  side  of  our  Lord,  should  in  consistency  take 
■similar  scandal  at  their  own  prayers  for  each  other. 

(b.)  Our  doctrine  is  said  to  presuppose  in  the 
Saints  omniscience  and  omnipotence,  two  attributes 
which  cannot  without  blasphemy  be  ascribed  to  any 
creature  whatever.  The  idea  is  that  the  Saints 
could  not  know  of  so  many  prayers  arising  from 
the  lips  of  so  many  suppliants  without  possessing 
a  practical  omniscience  ;  whilst  to  be  able  to  grant 
all  their  prayers  would  involve  a  practical  omnipo- 
tence. But  this  objection  is  easily  set  aside,  when 
we  remember,  first,  that  the  power  we  ascribe  to  the 
Saints  is  that  of  intercession  only,  not  of  direct 
help,  of  asking  God  to  use  His  power  on  our  behalf, 
not  of  exerting  power  inherent  in  the  Saint  himself; 
and,  secondly,  the  ability  to  know  of  our  prayers 
falls  a  long  way  short  of  omniscience,  and  even  a 
long  way  short  of  the  intuitive  knowledge  of  God, 
which  the  Saints  certainly  possess,  since  they  enjoy 
the  Beatific  Vision. 

(t.)  The  Catholic  doctrine  is  said  to  imply  that 
the  sinner,  in  view  of  his  sins,  has  not  the  right  of 
direct  approach  to  our  Lord  in  prayer  ;  whereas  the 
Bible  would  have  us  feel  that,  however  sinful  we 

20 


may  be,  we  can  at  all  times  with  boldness  approach 
God  through  Christ.  But  we  are  far  from  denying 
this  universal  right  of  free  approach  to  God  through 
Christ.  On  the  contrary,  the  Catholic  Church  i? 
ever  insisting  on  it.  What  we  do  say  is  that, 
whilst  we  approach  God  through  Christ  directly  in 
our  prayers,  we  do  well  to  take  with  us  and  add  tc 
our  own  the  intercessions  of  others. 

A  parent  might  justly  be  angry  with  an  erring 
son  for  not  approaching  him  directly  with  a  prayer 
for  reconciliation,  but  sending  another  brother  to 
take  his  place  whilst  he  remained  absent.  Does  it 
follow  that  the  parent  would  be  angry  if  the  erring 
son  did  come  and  ask  himself,  but  brought  along 
with  him  the  brother  to  ask  in  addition,  and  this 
even  if  the  guilty  one  came  to  say,  "  I  know  my 
behavior  has  been  too  outrageous  ;  still,  have  regard 
to  the  fidelity  of  my  brother,  and  for  his  sake  for- 
give me  ?  "  In  any  case,  here  again,  the  charge 
against  our  invocation  of  the  Saints  in  heaven,  tells 
as  much  and  as  little  against  seeking  the  prayers 
of  our  brethren  on  earth. 

6. —  We  ought  to  show  the  Saints  a  becoming  honor 
and  veneration. 

A  fourth  objection  usually  taken  to  the  practice 
of  invoking  the  Saints,  leads  us  to  the  fourth  point 
set  down  at  the  commencement  of  this  tract  as  in- 
volved in  the  Catholic  doctrine.  Your  defence,  say 
Protestants,  might  pass  if  all  you  did  was  to  ask 
the  prayers  of  the  Saints  in  the  same  way  in  which 
you  ask  the  prayers  of  others  on  earth.  But  who 
could  think  of  going  down  on  his  knees  to  a  brother 
on  earth,  singing  hymns  to  him  and  burning  in- 
cense before  him,  when  wishing  to  obtain  from  his 
charity  a  promise  of  prayers  ? 

It  is  quite  true  that  as  soon  as  the  question  be- 
comes one  not  of  merely  invoking  but  of  also  ven- 
erating the  Saints,  there  is  a  difi'erence  between  our 
treatment  of  them  and  our  brethren  on  earth. 

The  veneration  of  Saints  is,  however,  also  rational. 
In  another  tract,  On  the  Use  of  Holy  Images^  it  has 
been  shown  that  it  is  in  accordance  with  nature  to 
venerate  the  crucifix  on  account  of  its  relation  to 
Him  whom  it  represents.  In  the  same  manner  the 
Saints  are  intimately  connected  with  our  Lord. 
They  are  Saints  through  their  participation  of  His 
gifts.  His  gifts  of  grace  and  glory.     And  we  feel, 


406 


THE   INVOCATION   OF   THE   SAINTS. 


thereiore,  it  is  only  becoming  that  we  should  revere 
them  as  the  holders  of  these  gifts,  and  revere  them 
with  a  veneration  which  is  religious  in  its  char- 
acter ;  though,  of  course,  widely  differing  from  the 
religious  veneration,  the  supreme  worship,  which 
we  pray  to  God  Himself. 

Catholics  have  among  themselves  the  custom  of 
showing  veneration  for  their  priests,  particularly 
for  bishops  and  popes ;  and  in  the  sanctuary  this 
veneration  takes  the  form  of  religious  ceremony. 
Yet  no  rational  persons  would  suppose,  when  they 
see  us  incense  the  celebrating  priests  and  others  in 
the  mass  or  genuflect  before  a  bishop,  that  we  are 
offering  them  divine  honors.  The  veneration  takes 
a  religious  form  because  these  priests  and  bishops 
are  set  in  authority  over  us  by  God — in  other 
words,  are  clothed  with  some  participation  of  His 
authority  in  the  religious  sphere.  For  similar 
reasons  when  a  Saint  appears  amongst  men,  al- 
though out  of  respect  for  his  humility  we  might 


try  to  repress  external  manifestations  of  our  feel- 
ings, we  should  instinctively  feel  a  reverence  for 
him,  religious  in  its  nature,  and  struggling  to  find 
religious  expression.  Many  non-Catholic  readers 
will  have  similar  feelings  in  regard  to  these  two 
cases.  If  others  do  not,  they  may  come  to  realize 
our  state  of  mind  by  pondering  over  the  following 
thought. 

If  an  angel  were  to  appear  to  one  of  them,  as 
Gabriel  did  to  our  Blesse<  Lady,  would  they  treat 
him  and  address  him  as  an  equal,  or  would  they 
not  rather  feel  constrained  to  show  him  reverence 
and  bow  their  heads  before  him  ;  feel  too,  that  the 
veneration  they  were  showing  was  religious,  not 
secular ;  of  the  kind  proper  to  the  sanctuary,  not 
to  the  palace  ?  And  if  to  an  angel  why  not  also 
to  a  Saint ;  and  if  to  a  Saint  or  angel  descending 
on  earth  and  made  visible  to  human  eyes,  why  not 
also  to  one  remaining  in  heaven  and  visible  only  to 
the  eyes  of  faith  ? 


1 


SAINT  ANN 


Practical  Advice  ^  Confession 


Y  dear  little  child,  do  you  know  what 
it  is  to  go  to  confession  ?  Pay  great 
attention  to  what  I  shall  say  to  you, 
and,  when  you  understand  me,  try 
to  do  what  I  tell  you.  Some  chil- 
dren are  very  much  afraid  of  con- 
fession. One  would  think  the  Con- 
fessional was  to  them  a  kind  of  mousetrap,  into 
which  the  poor  little  mouse  goes  only  to  be  eaten 
up  by  the  cat.  I  knew  a  little  girl  in  Paris  who, 
when  her  mother  first  took  her  to  confession,  cried 
so  bitterly  that  the  poor  lady  felt  ashamed,  and  was 
obliged  to  take  her  home  again.  Another  child,  a 
little  boy,  nearly  fainted  when  he  heard  the  priest 
draw  back  the  grating,  and  then  started  up  and  ran 
ofF,  as  if  the  devil  were  at  his  heels.  Others  shake 
and  tremble,  and  their  hearts  are  all  in  a  flutter  as 
the  moment  draws  near. 

These  are  very  foolish  little  children,  for  to  go  to 
confession  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world.  You 
must  not  be  so  silly  as  they  are.  You  must  first 
learn  what  they  do  not .  seem  to  know :  what  it 
really  is  to  make  a  simple  confession,  and  how  very 
good  for  you  such  a  confession  must  be. 

To  confess  is  to  go  to  a  priest  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  tell  him,  simply  and  frankly,  all  the  sins  we 
can  remember  having  committed.  We  do  not  go  to 
tell  our  sins  as  an  amusement,  or  to  make  time 
pass  quickly,  but  to  ask  God's  pardon  for  anything 
we  may  have  done  to  offend  Him.  Sometimes  it 
costs  us  a  good  deal  to  do  this  ;  but  it  must  be  done 
all  the  same,  because  we  are  on  earth  to  do  God's 
will,  and  not  our  own.  If  you  hope  for  forgiveness, 
you  must  confess  your  sins  to  a  priest,  and  to  a 
priest  only.  Do  you  know  the  reason  why  ? 
Because  when  our  Lord  was  on  earth  He  gave  the 
power  of  forgiving  sins  to  His  priests,  and  to  no  one 
else.  It  was  to  His  priests  alone  that  He  said  : 
"  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost,  whose  sins  you  shall 
forgive  they  are  forgiven,  and  whose  sins  you  shall 
retain  they  are  retained."  At  another  time  He  said 
to  them :   "  Whatsoever  you  shall  loose  on  earth 


shall  be  loosed  in  heaven."  Therefore  it  is  plain 
that  if  we  wish  for  forgiveness  from  God  for  our 
our  sins,  we  must  confess  them  to  a  priest  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

It  is  not  enough  to  be  sorry  for  our  sins,  and 
confess  them  in  secret  to  God.  No  ;  for  Jesus  Him- 
self tells  us  to  confess  our  sins  to  His  priests,  who 
represent  Him  on  earth.  When  you  feel  ill  you 
send  at  once  for  the  doctor,  because  you  know  that 
he  alone  can  cure  you  ;  it  is  the  same  when  your 
poor  little  soul  is  ill ;  you  must  not  delay  going  to 
the  priest,  who  is  the  doctor  of  souls,  and  cures 
them  in  the  name  of  God.  Those  who  do  not  wish 
to  confess  their  sins,  cannot  and  will  not  be  cured. 
Sin  is  a  dangerous  illness,  which  often  ends  in 
eternal  death. 

If  you  are  blessed  with  a  good,  pious  mother,  you 
cannot  do  better  than  ask  her  to  help  you  when 
you  prepare  for  confession ;  you  may,  if  you  like, 
even  tell  her  your  faults ;  but  it  is  not  necessary, 
it  only  helps  a  little  child  in  his  preparation.  If 
you  have  done  something  which  you  feel  ashamed 
to  tell  your  mother,  you  are  not  obliged  to  do  so ; 
but  you  must  confess  all  to  the  priest.  We  must 
tell  the  priest  every  sin  that  we  remember.  God 
wishes  this.  If  through  false  shame  you  concealed 
even  one  sin,  you  would  commit  a  great  crime,  and 
make  a  bad  confession.  Your  sins  would  not  be 
forgiven,  and  you  would  be  guilty  of  a  very  griev- 
ous act.  My  dear  little  child,  it  is  better  never  to 
go  to  confession  than  to  make  a  bad  one.  I  have 
known  some  poor  little  children  who,  during  several 
years,  went  on  hiding  sins  in  this  way.  They  were 
very,  very  unhappy;  and  if  they  had  died  in  this 
state,  they  would  most  certainly  have  gone  to  hell. 

But  you  may  say,  "  I  have  committed  a  great 
many  sins."  Well,  my  child,  God's  mercy  is 
surely  greater  than  your  sins.  Do  not  be  afraid, 
but  confess  everything. 

It  is  very  silly  to  hide  a  sin  from  the  priest,  no 
matter  how  great  it  may  be.  First,  we  ofEend  God ; 
then,  sooner  or  later,  it  must  be  confessed,  unless 

307 


308 


PRACTICAL   ADVICE   ON    CONFESSION, 


you  wish  to  go  to  hell  with  the  devil.  Why  not  do 
at  once  what  you  certainly  must  do  some  day  ? 
Then,  if  you  hide  a  sin,  you  must  make  all  your 
confessions  over  again ;  and  this  is  very  painful 
and  very  disagreeable.  It  shows  that  you  do  not 
understand  the  priest  of  God,  who  loves  his  peni- 
tents, feels  great  compassion  for  their  weakness, 
and  consoles  them  when  they  are  unhappy.  Un- 
fortunately, he  has  often  been  accustomed  to  hear 
all  kinds  of  wicked,  bad  sins ;  therefore  nothing 
anyone  confesses  to  him  will  ever  shock  him.  Do 
not  be  afraid,  dear  little  child,  to  tell  him  all  your 
sins,  without  trying  to  hide  so  much  as  one.  It 
may  cost  you  a  little  pain,  but  you  will  be  rewarded 
by  a  sweet  peace  and  happiness  when  you  receive 
the  holy  absolution,  and  feel  that  all  your  sins 
have  been  washed  away  by  the  precious  blood  of 
Jesus,  your  divine  Saviour. 

You  may  say,  "  I  should  be  very  gic^d  to  tell  all, 
but  I  do  not  know  how,  I  have  been  so  naughty." 
Very  well,  say  that  to  your  confessor  ;  say,  simply, 
"  Father,  I  have  done  a  great  many  wicked  things, 
but  I  do  not  know  how  to  tell  them."  He  will  help 
you  then ;  he  will  question  you,  and  you  must 
answer  honestly  and  simply ;  and  after  this  you 
may  feel  content. 

Do  not  forget,  dear  child,  what  I  mean  is — you 
must  not  willfully  hide  a  sin  in  confession.  If  you 
forget  one,  or  even  several  sins  in  confession,  you 
need  not  be  frightened.  Your  sins  are  forgiven, 
just  as  if  you  had  confessed  them  all.  You  must 
not  think  about  them  again.  Only,  as  our  Lord 
has  commanded  us  to  confess  all  mortal  sins,  it 
will  be  well  to  say  the  next  time  you  go  to  con- 
fession, "  Father,  the  last  time  I  forgot  to  tell  you 
that  I  had  done  such  or  such  a  sin."  If  you  did 
not  wish  to  do  this,  you  would  offend  God  and 
make  a  bad  confession. 

There  is  one  thing  which  should  give  us  great 
courage  when  we  have  great  sins  to  confess  ;  that  is, 
that  the  priest  can  never,  on  any  account,  tell  what 
has  been  said  to  him  in  confession.  That  is  what 
is  called  "  the  seal  of  confession."  A  priest  is 
obliged  to  suffer  persecutions,  imprisonment,  and 
even  death  itself,  rather  than  make  known  the 
smallest  sin  told  him  in  confession.  A  great  bishop 
of   the  early   ages,   St.  Augustine,   said :    "  That 


which  I  know  through  confession  I  know  less  than 
that  which  I  do  not  know."  No  priest  was  ever 
known  to  reveal  the  sins  told  to  him  in  confession. 
Such  a  thing  has  never  happened,  and  never  will 
happen.  Is  not  this  a  great  comfort  to  a  little 
sinner  like  you  ? 

And  this  confession,  made  in  secret,  and  for- 
gotten a  minute  afterwards  by  the  priest,  is  it  not 
a  thousand  times  better  than  the  terrible  shame 
which  proud  sinners  will  feel  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment ?  God  will  make  known  all  their  sins  to  the 
whole  world,  to  both  angels  and  men,  before  He 
condemns  these  wicked  ones  to  hell  for  all  eternity. 
That  which  you  blush  to  confess  to  a  holy  man, 
under  the  seal  of  confusion,  will  be  known  one 
day  by  your  father  and  mother,  your  brothers, 
sisters,  masters  and  companions.  Was  I  not  right 
when  I  said  that  it  is  foolish,  very  foolish,  to  conceal 
one  single  sin  in  confession  ? 

Thus,  my  dear  little  one,  you  see  what  a  simple 
thing  it  is  to  go  to  confession  ;  and  yet  it  is  quite 
right  that  we  should  go,  and  not  only  tell  some 
of  our  sins,  but  each  and  every  one  of  them. 

Contrition. 

In  order  to  obtain  forgiveness  for  our  sins,  it  is 
not  enough  to  confess  to  a  priest;  we  must  repent 
of  them  from  the  bottom  of  our  hearts.  This 
hearty  sorrow  for  sin  is  called  Contrition.  It  is  not 
very  hard  for  good  little  children  to  feel  sorry  for 
their  sins,  when  they  think  of  the  infinite  goodness 
of  God,  their  Father. 

"  God  is  so  good  ;  He  loves  me  so  well ;  and  I 
have  offended  Him  !  He  wishes  me  to  go  to  heaven; 
He  opens  His  Sacred  Heart  and  Arms  to  receive 
me  ;  and  yet  I  am  ungrateful  and  disobedient. 

"Jesus,  my  good  Saviour,  wept  because  of  the 
sins  I  have  committed.  He  wept  for  me  in  the 
stable  at  Bethlehem,  in  the  house  at  Nazareth,  and 
in  His  great  agony  in  the  Garden  of  Olives.  My 
sins  were  the  cause  of  His  bitter  sufferings  and 
great  humiliations.  Because  of  my  sins  He  was 
crowned  with  thorns,  torn  with  scourges,  and  cruci- 
fied between  two  thieves.  It  was  for  me,  a  misera- 
ble little  sinner,  that  Jesus  hung  bleeding  upon 
the  cross ;  that  He  died  and  was  pierced  with  a 
lance.     It  was  for  me  that  He  rose  again  from  the 


PRACTICAL   ADVICE   ON    CONFESSION. 


309 


dead,  and  ascended  into  heaven.  And  how  have  I 
acted  towards  Him  ?  how  have  I  repaid  all  His 
love? 

"  By  one  mortal  sin  I  have  deserved  to  go  to  hell, 
and  my  sweet  Jesus  says  to  me, '  Dear  child,  repent, 
and  I  will  forgive  you  ! '  " 

If  we  thought  seriously  of  these  things,  we 
should  find  it  very  easy  to  be  sorry  for  our  sins. 
But  little  children  are  so  thoughtless ;  they  live 
like  flies,  like  sparrows  ;  they  think  only  of  foolish 
things,  of  their  play,  their  walks,  what  they  have 
done  and  what  they  are  going  to  do  to  amuse  them- 
selves ;  and  so  they  forget  the  love  of  God,  and 
that  they  have  a  conscience  to  keep  pure  and  free 
from  sin,  a  soul  to  save,  and  a  heart  to  make  holy 
and  pious.  They  think  of  all  kinds  of  things,  but 
never  or  very  seldom  of  Jesus.  Our  Lord,  my  dear 
child,  loves  you,  and  wishes  to  dwell  in  your  little 
heart ;  but  He  hates  sin,  and  sheds  tears  of  love 
and  sorrow  over  every  little  one  who,  without 
thinking  of  His  goodness,  offends  Him  by  the 
many  sins  he  commits. 

Do  not,  then,  my  child,  act  like  these  children. 
Think  of  what  your  Saviour  has  done  for  you,  and 
try  and  show  that  you  are  grateful.  Keep  your 
little  heart  free  and  pure  from  all  sin  ;  if  you  are  so 
unhappy  as  to  have  fallen  into  a  sin,  and  above  all 
a  mortal  sin,  turn  at  once  to  Jesus,  and  say  to  Him, 
with  great  sorrow  ;  "  My  good  Jesus,  I  am  heartily 
sorry  for  having  offended  Thee ;  because  Thou  hast 
loved  me,  I  will  love  Thee,  mj'  Saviour.  .  .  I  am 
sorry  that  I  have  sinned,  because  Thou  art 
infinitely  good  and  holy !  .  .  .  Forgive  me.  Lord ; 
I  will  never  do  so  again !  "  This  prayer  is  called 
an  act  of  contrition. 

You  must  remember,  dear  child,  that  the  first  and 
greatest  reason  to  be  sorry  for  our  sins  is,  that  God 
loves  us  and  we  love  Him.  Fear  of  God,  fear  of 
hell-fire,  these  are  very  good  motives  for  sorrow; 
but  the  most  perfect  and  Christian  reason  is,  love 
of  God.  Love  has  such  great  power  over  the  Heart 
of  Jesus,  that  it  makes  Him  grant  us  at  once  all 
that  we  ask  of  Him.  If,  then,  we  say  to  our  Lord, 
with  all  the  fervor  of  our  hearts,  with  great  humil- 
ity and  confidence,  the  following  prayer,  we  are 
sure  to  obtain  a  full  forgiveness  of  our  sins. 

"  Jesus,  my  God,  forgive  me  ;  I  love  You  with  all 


my  soul;  I  repen_  bitterly  having  offended  Thy 
love !  I  hope  I  shall  never  sin  again,  because  I 
love  Thee !  " 

Besides  this,  we  must  be  resolved  to  go  to  confes- 
sion as  soon  as  ever  we  can  ;  in  this  way,  if  we  were 
to  die  suddenly,  without  having  time  to  go  to  con- 
fession, we  are  sure  of  our  eternal  salvation. 

Your  mother's  heart  is,  in  a  small  way,  an  image 
of  the  Heart  of  Jesus.  When  you  have  done  some- 
thing very  naughty,  which  you  know  displeases 
your  mother,  what  gives  you  most  pain  ?  Is  it  not 
the  sorrow  which  you  have  caused  to  one  who  loves 
you  more  than  anyone  else  in  the  world  ?  Then, 
my  child,  do  not  forget  that  our  Lord  loves  you 
more  dearly  than  your  mother  could  ever  love  you. 

When  we  are  truly  sorry  for  our  sins,  we  must 
be  resolved  never  to  commit  them  again.  This  is 
called  a  ''''  firm  purpose  of  amendment.''''  If  you  fall, 
you  rise  up  again  as  soon  as  you  can.  And  you 
think,  "  well,  I  must  not  fall  again."  Is  not  this 
true?  This  is  what  you  must  do,  then,  when  you 
fall  into  sin :  you  must  arise  at  once,  and  take  care 
not  to  fall  again  willingly  in  the  same  manner. 

But  this  does  not  say  that  you  will  never  sin 
again.  No ;  because  no  matter  how  sincere  may  be 
our  sorrow,  it  does  not  make  us  incapable  of  sin- 
ning ;  it  only  means  that  you  hate  sin  with  all  your 
heart  and  soul,  and  that  you  will  do  all  you  can  for 
the  future  to  avoid  sin  and  everything  that  may 
tempt  you  to  sin.  When  you  are  going  down- 
stairs, you  are  quite  resolved  not  to  slip  ;  and  yet, 
in  spite  of  this,  you  may  even  fall  and  hurt  your- 
self severely.  But  still,  a  resolution  against  sin,  if 
really  strong,  will  help  you  to  resist  a  great  many 
temptations.  One  of  the  best  signs  of  a  truly  firm 
purpose  of  amendment  is  the  care  which  you  take 
to  avoid  what  you  think  was  the  cause  of  your  sin. 
For  instance,  a  little  companion  has  given  you  bad 
example,  or  said  some  bad  words,  and  in  this  way 
made  you  offend  God.  If  you  are  really  sorry,  you 
will  keep  away  from  this  naughty  boy  ;  and  if  you 
are  obliged  to  be  with  him,  watch  yourself  well, 
and  be  sure  to  tell  him  that  he  must  not  repeat 
these  bad  words. 

But  do  not  forget,  dear  child,  that  all  your  good 
resolutions  are  useless  if  they  are  not  strengthened 
by  the  grace  of  God.     Ask  this  grace  every  time 


310 


PRACTICAL   ADVICE   ON   CONFESSION. 


you  feel  yourself  tempted  to  do  what  you  know  is 
wrong.  Grace  is  the  union  of  your  soul  with 
Jesus  ;  the  instant  you  feel  yourself  tempted,  turn 
to  Jesus  and  say :  "  My  God,  come  to  my  aid ! 
Jesus,  have  pity  on  me  !  I  love  Thee ;  I  never  wish 
to  sin  again  !  " 

As  God  loves  you,  and  wishes  you  to  be  saved. 
He  will  never  refuse  you  His  Holy  Grace.  Jesus 
is  always  with  you ;  He  follows  you  everywhere, 
watching  you,  living  night  and  day  in  j'our  dear 
little  soul.  He  took  possession  of  it  at  your  bap- 
tism, and  He  wishes  to  keep  it  pure  and  free  from 
the  slightest  stain  of  sin.  Do  not  be  afraid ;  He  is 
with  you,  and  He  is  stronger,  a  hundred  times 
stronger,  than  the  wicked  devil  who  wishes  you  to 
lose  your  soul  by  sin,  and  tries  to  drag  you  down 
with  him  to  hell.  Without  Jesus  you  can  do 
nothing;  but  with  Him  you  need  have  no  fear. 
When  we  are  so  unhappy  as  to  commit  sin,  it  is 
our  own  fault  only,  and  we  must  humiliate  our- 
selves and  repent  bitterly  having  offended  our  dear 
Lord,  and  having  shown  ourselves  so  ungrateful  to 
Him. 

The  Blessed  Virgin  is  called  by  the  Church, 
"  Mother  of  divine  grace  ;  "  she  must  be  our  refuge 
in  all  our  temptations.  She  it  was  who  first  gave 
the  infant  Saviour  to  the  world,  when  she  presented 
Him  to  the  shepherds  and  the  wise  men  in  the 
stable  at  Bethlehem.  She  it  is  who  gives  Jesus  to 
our  souls,  and  leads  us  to  the  feet  of  Jesus. 

Pray  to  her,  then,  dear  little  one ;  love  her  fer- 
vently as  your  dearest  Mother,  who  loves  you  for 
the  sake  of  her  dear  Jesus.  When  you  are  tempted, 
or  when  you  have  sinned,  go  to  Mary,  recite  piously 
the  Hail  Mary,  and  ask  this  good  Mother  to  obtain 
for  you  purity  of  heart  and  forgiveness  of  your  sins. 
The  Blessed  Virgin  is  the  Mother  of  true  peni- 
tents ;  protectress  of  the  weak  ;  refuge  of  sinners  ; 
often,  by  her  help,  the  salvation  of  Christians. 

The  Absolution. 

Absolution  is  the  pardon  given  by  the  priest  to 
the  penitent,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
When  it  is  possible  to  go  to  confession,  there  is  no 
other  way  for  a  sinner  to  become  a  child  of  God 
again. 

If,  by  an  act  of  perfect  contrition,  and  a  great 


desire  to  go  to  confession,  you  had  received  pardon 
of  your  sins,  and  if  you  changed  and  did  not  go  to 
confession,  your  sin,  once  forgiven,  would  remain 
forgiven  ;  but  you  would  commit  a  mortal  sin  more 
grievous  than  the  first,  because  you  would  offend 
more  directly  the  love  and  mercy  of  your  Saviour, 
Jesus  Christ.  And,  then,  as  we  are  never  sure  that 
our  contrition  has  been  perfect  enough  to  purify 
our  souls,  confession  and  absolution  are  always 
necessary. 

Absolution  is,  then,  the  sentence  of  pardon  that 
the  priest  pronounces  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 
When  the  confession  is  finished,  the  priest  tells  the 
penitent  to  excite  himself  to  a  hearty  sorrow,  whilst 
he  pronounces  the  words  of  absolution.  Sometimes, 
when  the  priest  thinks  that  the  penitent  is  not 
properly  disposed,  or  that  his  faults  are  small,  he 
only  gives  him  his  blessing,  and  puts  off  the  abso- 
lution to  another  time.  This  blessing  does  not  for- 
give sin ;  it  is  the  absolution  alone  that  has  this 
power. 

Whilst  the  priest  pronounces  the  holy  words  of 
absolution,  Jesus  Christ  pours  down  a  great  many 
graces  upon  the  soul  of  the  penitent,  bathing  him 
in  the  torrents  of  His  Precious  Blood,  purifying 
him  from  all  stain  of  sin  :  so  that  after  the  absolu- 
tion the  penitent  is  pure  and  holy  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  His  angels.  What  a  great  grace,  and 
what  a  happy  moment !  .  .  .  . 

During  this  time  the  happy  penitent  should 
humble  himself  deeply  before  Jesus,  hidden  in  the 
priest ;  he  must  say,  from  the  depths  of  his  heart 
and  with  great  love,  the  Act  of  Contrition  :  "  My 
God,  I  am  heartily  sorry  for  having  offended  Thee, 
because  Thou  art  infinitely  good,  and  that  sin  dis- 
pleases Thee  ;  I  ask  Thy  pardon  through  the  merits 
of  Jesus  Christ,  my  Saviour ;  and  I  make  a  firm 
resolution,  by  Thy  Holy  Grace,  never  to  sin 
again !  " 

We  must  try  not  to  be  distracted  whilst  the 
priest  pronounces  the  holy  words  ;  but  if,  uncon- 
sciously, other  things  pass  through  our  mind,  we 
must  not  trouble  ourselves,  but  make  an  act  of 
humility.  In  general,  it  is  better  not  to  pay  too 
much  attention  to  distractions  which  are  not  wilful. 

We  may  receive  absolution  at  every  age ;  from 
the  time  we  come  to  the  use  of  reason,  which  is 


PRACTICAL   ADVICE   ON    CONFESSION. 


311 


about  the  age  of  seven  years,  and  sometimes  even 
sooner.  As  soon  as  we  are  capable  of  displeasing 
God  we  must  confess  our  sins,  and  can  then  re- 
ceive absolution.  A  little  sinner  of  six  and  a  half 
or  seven  years  old,  if  he  has  committed  a  mortal 
sin,  has  as  much  need  to  receive  absolution  as  if 
he  were  thirty  or  forty. 

Some  children,  who  have  not  been  well  in- 
structed, believe  that  they  do  not  receive  absolution 
until  the  evening  before  their  first  communion. 
This  is  a  great  mistake,  and  quite  contrary  to  the 
teaching  of  the  Church.  These  children,  if  they 
think  they  cannot  receive  absolution,  may  make 
their  confession  carelessly  and  without  a  real  sor- 
row, and  so  remain  in  a  state  of  mortal  sin  until 
the  time  of  their  communion.  What  a  preparation 
to  receive  our  Lord  for  the  first  time  !  Do  not  act 
thus,  my  dear  child.  Every  time  you  go  to  con- 
fession, prepare  yourself  as  well  as  you  can  to  re- 
ceive absolution,  and  with  great  humility  ask  your 
confessor  to  give  it  to  you.  He  will  do  so  very 
gladly,  feeling  happy  to  see  you  so  piously  disposed. 
Sometimes,  however,  when  a  child  is  very  young, 
the  priest  may  think  it  right  to  give  only  his  bless- 
ing, without  the  absolution,  though  the  little  peni- 
tent may  have  the  best  dispositions  in  the  world : 
firstly,  because  he  fears  the  child  might  not  under- 
stand the  absolution  ;  and  secondly,  because  it  is 
not  really  required,  as  the  little  soul  is  quite  pure, 
never  having  been  stained  by  mortal  sin. 

The  absolution  is  like  a  second  baptism.  When 
you  receive  it  fervently,  and  with  your  whole  heart, 
you  are  as  pure  as  on  the  day  of  your  baptism. 

Penance  and  Satisfaction. 

When  we  have  made  a  good  confession  and 
received  absolution, — when  we  have  thanked  God 
for  His  great  graces  and  mercies,  we  have  not  yet 
finished.  Our  sins  are  forgiven,  it  is  true  ;  but  we 
must  still  do  penance  ;  that  is  to  say,  we  must  make 
amends  for  the  sins  we  have  committed,  and  ofier 
to  God,  with  this  idea,  all  the  good  works,  prayers 
and  actions  of  the  saints.  Children  are  as  much 
obliged  to  do  this  as  persons  who  are  grown  up. 
The  first  work  of  penance  for  our  sins  is  that  which 
the  priest  gives  us,  and  which,  for  this  reason,  is 
called  "  the  penance!'''     This  sacramental  penance 


is  sometimes  one  or  several  prayers  ;  sometimes  an 
alms,  or  the  giving  up  of  a  little  pleasure ;  and 
often  the  doing  of  an  act  of  piety  and  charity. 

The  penance  must  be  done  carefully,  and  as 
soon  as  we  can.  It  is  best,  if  possible,  to  do  it 
before  leaving  the  church,  so  that  it  may  not  be 
forgotten.  If  our  penance  is  left  undone  through 
negligence  or  carelessness,  we  commit  a  sin.  Be- 
sides, this  would  be  great  ingratitude  :  the  sign  of 
a  very  dry  heart  and  an  unchristian  spirit.  Lastly, 
it  would  be  very  silly :  because  we  shall  have  to 
suffer  in  purgatory  for  the  sins  we  have  not  made 
amends  for  on  earth.  The  penance  given  us  by 
the  priest  does  more  to  expiate  our  sins  (because  of 
the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  of  which  it  is  a  part) 
than  any  other  penances  we  may  do  of  ourselves. 
But  it  does  not  always  pay  the  whole  of  the  debt 
which  we  owe  to  God ;  and  therefore  it  is  well  to 
join  to  it  many  acts  of  piety  and  mortification. 
The  more  we  pray,  the  more  charitable,  obedient, 
patient,  and  humble  we  become :  kind  to  others 
and  hard  upon  ourselves.  We  thus  purify  our 
souls,  and  are  more  likely  to  escape  purgatory. 

Do  penance,  then,  dear  child,  for  your  sins,  so  as 
to  become  more  and  more  like  the  infant  Jesus,  who 
at  Bethlehem,  at  Nazareth,  and  elsewhere,  never 
ceased  to  weep  and  expiate  your  sins.  He  lives  in 
you  to  aid  you  to  do  penance.  He  will  bless  you, 
and  give  you  great  happiness  as  a  reward  for  the 
little  sacrifices  that  you  make  for  love  for  Hini. 

Dear  child,  when  you  go  to  confession,  you  must 
prepare  yourself  a  little  beforehand ;  first,  you 
should  avoid  as  much  as  possible  offending  God, 
and  try  to  serve  him  in  every  act  and  thought. 
The  evening  before  be  careful  to.  examine  your 
conscience  ;  ask  our  Lord,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and 
your  angel  guardian,  to  help  you  know  the  sins 
that  you  have  had  the  misfortune  to  commit  since 
your  last  confession.  You  must  also  beg  light 
to  see  what  was  the  cause  of  your  sin,  and  ask  your 
confessor  to  advise  you  as  to  the  best  way  of  avoid- 
ing it  for  the  future.  Children's  confessions  very 
often  lose  a  great  deal,  because  these  little  giddy 
pates  do  not  give  enough  time  to  their  examination 
of  conscience. 

In  a  great  many  prayer-books,  my  child,  you 
will    find   examinations  of  conscience  which  will 


312 


PRACTICAL   ADVICE   ON   CONFESSION. 


only  bewilder  you  and  not  help  you.  If  you 
read  carefully  the  little  one  which  I  give  at  the  end 
of  this  book,  it  will  be  quite  enough,  even  for  a 
general  confession.  When  you  are  in  the  habit  of 
going  to  confession  every  fortnight  or  three  weeks, 
it  will  be  quite  enough  to  think  for  a  few  minutes 
over  the  faults  which  you  are  most  likely  to  have 
committed. 

1.  In  doing  your  duty  towards  God :  morning 
and  evening  prayers  ;  respect  in  holy  places  ;  cate- 
chism and  religious  instruction  ;  mass  and  services 
on  Sunday ;  sign  of  the  cross  ;  a  pious  life  devoted 
to  God. 

2.  Duty  towards  parents  and  superiors :  obedi- 
ence, respect,  and  willing  submission  ;  towards  your 
companions,  brothers,  and  sisters,  kindness,  good 
example,  forgiving  injuries  ;  towards  the  poor,  alms- 
giving and  true  charity. 

3-  In  doing  the  duties  of  your  state  of  life  :  work- 
ing earnestly  and  with  great  application  at  your 
studies,  etc. 

4.  In  practicing  those  virtues  without  which  even 
a  child  cannot  be  a  true  Christian  :  humility^  great 
modesty  in  speaking ;  modesty  when  you  succeed 
in  anything,  giving  to  God  all  the  honor  due  to 
whatever  of  good  you  may  have  in  you  ;  forgetful- 
ness  of  self,  and  thoughtfulness  for  others. 

Purity :  great  care  in  resisting  all  temptations ; 
not  consenting  to  bad  thoughts ;  avoiding  books, 
conversations,  reading,  or  actions  contrary  to  this 
holy  virtue ;  flying  from  bad  companions  and  dan- 
gerous occasions. 

Penance :  patience  during  little  sufferings,  sick- 
ness, privations,  and  troubles  which  may  come  to 
you  from  time  to  time. 

Think  well  and  carefully  over  these  virtues,  and 
examine  yourself  upon  the  sins  opposed  to  them, 
and  upon  a  few  other  temptations  which  a  child  may 
have,  such  as  telling  lies,  talking  of  one  another's 
faults,  telling  tales,  greediness,  jealousy,  saying 
naughty  words,  etc.  Never  acquire  the  habit  of 
writing  your  confession ;  it  is  much  easier  to  be 
sorry  for  our  sins  and  tell  them  with  humility  when 
we  say  them  simply,  instead  of  reading  them  like  a 
lesson.  What  matter  if  you  forget  a  few  of  them  : 
we  know  very  well  that  big  fish  never  escape  by  the 
holes  of  the  net — the  tiny  ones  alone  get  off;  and 


this  does  not  matter  in  confession.  Then  you  must 
excite  a  great  sorrow  in  your  dear  little  heart,  in 
thinking  over  the  three  considerations  which  I  told 
you  of  just  now : — The  gratitude  which  we  owe  to 
God  for  His  infinite  goodness  towards  us :  the  tears 
and  sufferings  of  our  Saviour :  the  terrible  fires  of 
hell  and  of  purgatory.  Then  make  some  good 
resolutions,  very  firm  and  clear,  directly  opposed  to 
some  of  the  principal  faults  which  you  are  going- 
to  confess.  Say  the  Our  Father^  the  Hail  Mary, 
or  some  other  little  prayer  to  beg  of  God  to  grant 
you  a  true  and  sincere  sorrow  for  sin,  and  the  grace 
to  make  a  good  confession.  Then  go  and  kneel  at 
the  priest's  feet,  as  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 

We  must  always,  if  possible,  make  our  confession 
on  our  knees.  When  you  begin,  say  to  your  con- 
fessor, "  Bless  me.  Father,  for  I  have  sinned ;"  the 
priest  then  gives  you  his  blessing ;  and  having 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  you  must  say  the  first 
part  of  the  Confiteor  : 

"  I  confess  to  Almighty  God,  to  blessed  Mary 
ever  Virgin,  to  blessed  Michael  the  Archangel,  to 
blessed  John  the  Baptist,  to  the  holy  Apostles  Peter 
and  Paul,  and  to  all  the  Saints,  that  I  have  sinned 
exceedingly  in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  through  my 
fault,  through  my  fault,  through  my  most  grievous 
fault."  Here  bowing  your  head,  you  must  accuse 
yourself  simply  and  sincerely  of  all  your  sins. 
You  must  not  speak  either  too  loud  or  too  fast; 
speak  slowly  and  clearly,  so  that  the  priest  may 
hear  each  word  distinctly.  Listen  with  great  atten- 
tion to  the  advice  which  your  confessor  gives  you, 
and  answer  modestly  and  humbly  to  any  questions 
he  may  ask  you. 

When  you  have  confessed  all  the  sins  you  re- 
member, continue  the  Confietor  : 

"  Therefore  I  beseech  thee,  blessed  Mary  ever 
Virgin,  blessed  Michael  the  Archangel,  blessed 
John  the  Baptist,  the  holy  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul, 
and  all  the  Saints,  and  you,  my  Father,  to  pray  to 
the  Lord  my  God  for  me." 

Whilst  the  priest  pronounces  the  words  of  abso- 
lution, you  must  bow  your  head,  and  say  the  Act  of 
Contrition  with  all  your  heart ;  then  rising  up, 
make  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  return  to  your  place 
in  the  church.  Here  you  must  thank  God  fer- 
vently for  the  great  grace  which  He  has  given  you, 


PRACTICAL   ADVICE   ON    CONFESSION. 


313 


in  cleansing  your  soul  in  the  Precious  Blood  of 
His  Divine  Son.  Then  take  your  Prayer-Book, 
and  say  fervently  and  carefully  your  sacramental 
penance. 

Here  I  will  add  a  little  word  of  advice.  Take 
great  care  never  to  repeat  to  your  companions  any- 
thing that  may  have  been  said  to  you  in  confession  ; 
never  tell  them  what  sins  you  have  confessed,  or 
what  penance  you  have  received. 

When  We  Must  Go  to  Confession. 

As  soon  as  we  come  to  the  use  of  reason,  we  are 
obliged  to  go  to  confession  at  least  once  a  year.  We 
have  come  to  the  use  of  reason  when  we  are  capa- 
ble of  committing  sin  willfully.  It  is  very  useful, 
however,  and,  in  some  cases,  quite  necessary,  to  go 
often  to  confession.  Your  soul  is  like  your  face : 
in  order  to  keep  it  clean  you  must  not  leave  it  long 
unwashed.  Sin  soils  your  soul,  and  to  keep  it  pure 
you  must  go  often  to  confession. 

The  more  frequently  you  go  to  confession,  the 
easier  you  will  find  it.  Your  confessor  will  take  a 
kindly  interest  in  you,  and  with  his  help  you  will 
soon  acquire  the  habit  of  watching  yourself  and 
avoiding  even  the  smallest  occasion  of  sin.  When 
you  try  to  follow  as  much  as  possible  the  good 
advice  which  the  priest  gives  you,  you  will  find  it 
easy  to  become  holy  and  pious.  Children  about 
nine  or  ten  years  old  may,  if  their  confessor  thinks 
it  well,  go  to  confession  once  a  fortnight.  Fre- 
quent, very  frequent  confession  is  the  best  and  holi- 
est preparation  a  child  can  make  for  his  first  com- 
munion. 

A  child  who  has  the  true  faith  will  never  go  to 
bed  with  a  mortal  sin  upon  his  conscience.  My 
God  !  if  he  were  to  die  in  the  night — what  an 
awaking  !  A  little  boy  named  Paul  made  this  good 
resolution :  "I  will  never  go  to  sleep  in  a  state  of 
mortal  sin.  If  I  have  the  misfortune  to  commit 
sin,  I  will  go  as  soon  as  ever  I  can  to  confession." 

LWell,  one  day  the  poor  little  fellow  did  something 
which  he  thought  a  grievous  sin  ;  in  the  evening, 
when  his  work  was  done,  he  went  to  the  priest  and 
confessed  it.  The  next  morning  his  mother,  going 
into  his  little  room  to  awake  him,  found  him  dead 
in  his  bed Where  would  he  have  been  had 


An    Examination   of    Conscience  to   be   Made 
Before  Confession. 

Have  I  always  told  all  my  sins  in  confession  ? 
Have  I  said  my  penance  exactly  and  fervently? 
Have  I  tried  to  correct  my  faults  and  become 
holier  ? 

First  Commandment 

Have  I  always  said  my  morning  and  night 
prayers  ?  How  often  have  I  omitted  them  through 
carelessness  ?  How  often  have  I  said  them  with- 
out respect,  without  the  spirit  of  faith,  lightly,  or 
through  custom  ?  Have  I  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross  thoughtlessly  and  without  proper  respect? 
Have  I  neglected  offering  all  my  thoughts,  words, 
and  actions  to  God?  (We  cannot  be  true  Chris- 
tians unless  we  live  in  and  for  Jesus  Christ.) 

Do  I  love  with  all  my  heart  and  soul  Jesus  Christ 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  altar?  Have  I 
neglected  to  adore  Him  whenever  I  could  ?  Have 
I  neglected  going  to  Holy  Communion  through 
coldness  or  carelessness  ? 

Have  I  loved  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  prayed  to 
her  fervently  ? 

Have  I  laughed  at  holy  things,  or  at  the  piety 
of  my  companions  ?  Have  I  read  books  against 
religion  ? 

Second. — Have  I  said  bad  words  ?  Have  I 
sworn  ?  Have  I  taken  the  holy  name  of  God  in 
vain  ?  Have  I  pronounced  the  holy  name  of  Jesus 
and  Mary  in  a  disrespectful  manner  ?  Have  I 
sworn  or  blasphemed  before  others,  so  as  to  give 
them  bad  example  ? 

Third. — Have  I  worked  on  Sundays?  Have  I 
bought  anything  on  Sunday  which  was  not  abso- 
lutely necessary  ? 

Have  I  through  my  own  fault  been  absent  from 
Mass  on  Sundays  or  holydays  ?  Have  I  through 
my  own  fault  been  too  late  ?  Have  I  left  the 
church  before  Mass  was  finished  ?  How  have  I 
conducted  myself  ?  Have  I  talked  or  laughed  in 
the  church  ?  How  many  times  has  this  happened  ? 
Have  I  always  assisted  at  Mass  with  great  thought, 
attention,  and  devotion  ? 

Have  I  assisted  piously  at  Vespers  and  Bene- 
diction when  it  was  possible?  Have  I  listened 
with  faith  and  respect  to  the  religious  instructions  ? 

Fourth. — Have  I  always  had  a  great  respect  for 


314 


PRACTICAL  ADVICE   ON   CONFESSION. 


the  Pope,  the  Bishop,  and  priests  who  are  my 
spiritual  fathers  and  my  guides  in  the  way  of  sal- 
vation? Have  I  prayed  every  day  for  my  rela- 
tions, both  living  and  dead?  Have  I  disobeyed 
my  parents  ?  Have  I  disobeyed  my  mistresses, 
masters,  or  those  who  have  charge  of  me  ?  Have 
I  treated  them  with  disrespect?  Have  I  been 
so  wicked  as  to  raise  my  hand  to  strike  them? 
Have  I  despised  their  observations,  and  laughed 
at  their  good  advice?  Have  I  been  obstinate  in 
following  my  own  will?  How  often  has  this 
happened  ? 

Fifth. — Have  I  given  way  to  impatience  ?  Have 
I  been  in  a  passion  ?  Have  I  quarreled  with  my 
companions  ?  Have  I  insulted  them  ?  Have  I 
hurt  them  willfully  ?  Have  I  tried  to  revenge  my- 
self upon  them  ?  Have  I  spoken  ill  of  them  ? 
Have  I  spoken  unkindly  of  their  faults  ?  Have 
I  told  lies  about  them?  Have  I  told  tales  in 
order  to  get  them  punished?  Have  I  without 
necessity — simply  to  amuse  myself — been  cruel  to 
animals  ? 

Sixth  and  Ninth. — Have  I  always  hated  im- 
modesty with  my  whole  heart  ?  Have  I  resisted 
temptations  ?  Did  I  give  way  to  impure  thoughts  ? 
Did  I  expose  myself  willfully  to  dangerous  tempta- 
tions ?  Have  I  played  with  naughty  children  ? 
Have  I  talked  and  laughed  with  them  about 
naughty  things  ?  Have  I  been  immodest  ?  How 
many  times  seriously  and  willfully  ?  (In  this,  as 
in  other  things,  there  is  no  sin  unless  it  be  willful.) 
Have  I  been  immodest  or  careless  in  my  books,  in 
my  reading  ?  Have  I  been  careful  in  observing 
great  modesty  towards  myself  in  dressing  and  un- 
dressing ?  (No  matter  what  shame  we  may  feel  in 
confessing  a  sin  against  purity,  we  must  confess  it 
bravely,  without  making  it  appear  less  or  more  to 
the  priest.  It  is  nearly  always  a  sin  of  this  kind 
that  a  penitent  is  most  tempted  to  conceal  in  con- 
fession. If  you  feel  it  hard  to  confess  such  a  sin, 
my  dear  child,  ask  the  priest  and  he  will  help  you 
and  make  it  easy  for  you.) 

Seventh  and  Tenth. — Have  I  taken  something 
which  did  not  belong  to  me  ?  Have  I  taken  money 
from  my  parents?  How  often?  (This  is  a  sin 
which  foolish  little  children  conceal  through  shame.) 
Have  I  kept  something  which  I  had  taken  or  found, 


when  I  could  have  returned  it?  Have  I  cheated 
whilst  at  play  ? 

Eighth. — Do  I  tell  lies  ?  Have  I  told  lies  for 
fun  ?  To  excuse  myself  ?  To  praise  myself  ?  To 
excuse  others,  or  to  have  them  punished  ?  Have  I 
told  lies  about  my  masters  ?  Have  I  wished  through 
vanity  to  appear  better  than  others  ?  Have  I  been 
vain  of  my  dress,  my  beauty,  or  any  success  at  my 
studies,  instead  of  giving  honor  and  thanks  to  God 
for  all  the  gifts  he  has  bestowed  upon  me  ?  Have 
I  thought  little  of  those  who  were  poorer  or  less 
instructed  than  myself?  Have  I  done  what  I  knew 
to  be  wrong  because  I  was  laughed  at  by  my  com- 
panions ?  Have  I  tried  to  appear  pious  and  good 
when  I  was  quite  the  contrary  ? 

Have  I  been  kind  to  the  poor  ?  When  I  gave  to 
them  did  I  do  it  willingly  and  for  the  love  of  God  ? 
Have  I  been  too  fond  of  money  ?  Have  I  been 
jealous  of  my  companions — of  their  riches,  beauty, 
or  talents  ? 

Have  I  grumbled  and  given  way  to  discontent  ? 
Have  I  eaten  or  drank  too  much  ?  Did  I  think  too 
much  of  what  I  ate  or  drank  ?  Have  I  spent  too 
much  money  on  sweet-things,  instead  of  giving  to 
the  poor  ?  Have  I  through  greediness  or  careless- 
ness eaten  meat  on  days  of  fasting  and  abstinence 
appointed  by  the  Church  ? 

Have  I  given  way  to  laziness  t  Have  I  done  my 
exercises  carelessly  ?  Have  I  learned  my  lessons 
badly  ?  Have  I  neglected  my  studies  through  in- 
dolence, and  because  I  did  not  wish  to  give  myself 
trouble  ?  Have  I  been  selfish  and  disagreeable 
with  my  companions  ?  Have  I  given  way  to  some 
bad  habit  because  I  felt  discouraged  and  thought  I 
could  not  overcome  it  ?  (Discouragement  and  sad- 
ness are  the  greatest  and  most  dangerous  torments 
of  the  conscience.)  Have  I  remained  long,  through 
my  own  fault,  in  a  state  of  mortal  sin,  exposing 
myself  in  this  way  to  eternal  damnation  ?  Since 
my  last  confession,  has  my  life  been  worthy  of  a 
true  Christian,  of  a  child  who  has  the  faith,  and 
respects  his  conscience  and  his  baptism  ?  ,  ,  .  . 

And  now,  dear  little  child,  may  our  Ivord  Jesus 
Christ  guard  you  in  His  holy  love ;  may  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  your  good  and  tender 
Mother,  lead  your  steps  into  the  path  of  salvation, 
which  is  also  the  path  of  peace  and  happiness  ! 


PRACTICAL   ADVICE   ON   CONFESSION. 


315 


DEVOTIONS  FOR  CONFESSION. 

Prayers  to   be  Said    Before   the   Examination 
of  Conscience. 

My  God,  I  firmly  believe  that  Thou  art  here 
present ;  that  Thou  knowest  and  seest  all  my  sins, 
and  that  Thou  alone  canst  give  me  light  and  grace 
to  see  and  know  in  what  way  I  have  oflFended  Thee. 
Oh !  dear  Jesus,  grant  that  I  may  examine  my 
conscience  well ;  that  I  may  think  of  nothing 
which  may  distract  me  from  the  great  duty  which 
I  am  about  to  perform. 

Mary,  my  dear  Mother,  pray  for  me. 

Come,  Holy  Spirit,  fill  the  hearts  of  Thy  faithful, 
and  enkindle  in  them  the  fire  of  divine  love. 

Send  forth  Thy  Spirit  and  we  shall  be  created. 

And  Thou  shalt  renew  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Our  Father,  Hail  Mary,  I  believe. 

Short  Acts  to  be  Said  After  the  Examination. 

Behold,  O  dear  Saviour,  all  the  sins  which  I  have 
committed  since  my  last  confession.  I  am  sorry 
for  them,  and  resolve  firmly  never  to  offend  Thee 
again. 

By  Thy  bitter  Passion,  by  Thy  cruel  scourging, 
and  crowning  with  thorns,  I  implore  Thee  to  for- 
give Thy  little  child. 

When  I  think  of  Thee,  dear  Jesus,  bleeding  for 
me  upon  the  cross,  I  am  very,  very  sorry  for  having 
caused  Thee  so  much  pain.    Jesus,  Lord,  forgive  me. 

O  sweet  Jesus  !  I  am  sorry,  and  hate  my  sins,  be- 
cause they  displease  Thee,  who  art  so  good.     Give 


me  true  sorrow,  dear  Saviour,  and  grant  that  I  may 
never,  never  sin  again. 

Oh !  Mary,  Mother  of  Jesus,  help  me  to  be  truly 
sorry  for  having  displeased  thy  divine  Son. 

Before  you  enter  the  Confessional^  say :  Behold, 
dear  Lord,  I,  a  wicked,  sinful  child,  come  unto  Thee, 
that  I  may  be  washed  from  every  stain  and  cleansed 
from  every  sin. 

After  Confession. 

I  thank  and  bless  Thee,  dear  Saviour,  for  having 
pardoned  me  my  sins.  I  will  never  more  oflFend 
Thee ;  but  for  the  future  try  to  love  and  please 
Thee  more  and  more. 

Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  let  all  that  is 
within  me  bless  His  holy  name.  Bless  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  that  He  hath  done  for 
thee.  As  a  father  hath  compassion  on  his  children, 
so  hath  the  Lord  compassion  on  them  that  fear  Him. 
(Ps.  cii.)  O  holy  Virgin  Mary,  and  all  ye  angels 
and  saints,  bless  and  praise  my  dear  Jesus  for  His 
great  goodness  to  me.  His  little  sinful  child. 

Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me !  O  God, 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner !  Sprinkle  me  with  Thy 
blood,  O  Jesus,  and  I  shall  be  made  whiter  than  snow! 

Prayer  Before  Saying  Your  Sacramental 
Penance. 

O  my  God,  I  offer  this  penance  to  Thee,  in  union 
with  all  the  prayers  said  by  Jesus  during  His  holy 
life  and  bitter  Passion,  to  satisfy  Thy  infinite  justice, 
which  I  have  offended  by  my  many  sins.     Amen. 


How  TO  Help  m  Sick  m  Dying. 


*■  Then  shall  the  King  say  to  them  that  shall  be  on  His  Right  Hand  :  Come,  ye  blessed  of  My  Father,  possess  you  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  For  ....  I  wa:J  sick  and  you  visited  Me.  ■  .  .  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  as  loug  as  you  did  it  to  one  of  My  least  brethren,  you  did  it  to  Me."— 
Si.  Matt.  XXV.  34-40. 


^^^^  "^  ANY,  encouraged  by  these  words,  would 
,  iw^^jK^  ■  /  gladly  serve  and  console  our  Lord  in  His 
/^UlrW^/ifr^  suffering  members,  if  they  knew  how ;  but 
a  feeling  of  helplessness  holds  them  back, 
and  thus  numberless  opportunities  of  doing 
good  are  neglected.  Yet  to  help  the  sick 
and  dying  is  a  work  of  charity  which  may 
be  required  of  any  one  of  us,  for  which 
therefore  we  should  all  prepare  ourselves.  Let  us  do  so  without 
delay.  No  great  skill  or  exj>erience  is  necessary  :  the  more 
simple  the  assistance  the  better — a  little  patience,  a  little  charity 
and  tact,  and  God's  grace  will  do  the  rest. 

I.— HOW   TO    HELP   THE   SICK. 

To  Those  Who  Attend  the  Sick. 

1.  Keep  the  room  clean  and  tidy.  Open  the  window  some- 
times to  let  in  fresh  air,  but  not  so  as  to  do  any  harm  to  the  sick 
person. 

2.  Take  care  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  the  danger  of 
catching  the  same  sickness.  For  example,  if  it  is  a  fever  avoid 
breathing  the  breath  of  the  sick  person. 

3.  When  you  have  to  wash  the  sick,  make  their  bed,  or 
change  their  linen,  do  it  with  great  modesty. 

4.  Attend  carefully  to  whatever  the  doctor  has  said  about 
food,  medicine,  etc. 

5.  Be  kind  and  gentle  in  all  you  do  for  the  sick  and  be  very 
patient,  for  sick  people  are  often  irritable  and  hard  to  please. 

6.  Do  not  be  talkative  or  talk  in  too  loud  a  voice  so  as  to 
disturb  the  sick  person.  And  do  not  talk  about  vain,  foolish, 
worldly  things,  especially  to  those  who  are  dying. 

7.  When  you  say  prayers  or  read  good  books  to  them,  do  so 
in  a  quiet,  gentle  voice,  and  slowly.  Notice  what  they  like, 
what  seems  to  comfort  and  encourage  them — a  favorite  prayer 
or  aspiration  said  two  or  three  times  at  intervals  is  often  more 
helpful  than  much  variety.  Take  care  not  to  tire  them  by  too 
many  prayers  or  too  much  reading  at  a  time.  Among  the  acts 
suggested  lo  them,  contrition,  patience,  faith,  hope  and  charity 
should  be  the  chief.  See  that  the  sick  say  short  morning  and 
night  prayers,  and,  if  necessary,  say  them  with  them.  At  night 
a  few  minutes  should  be  given  to  examination  of  conscience. 

8.  When  the  sickness  is  long,  see  that  the  parish  priest  is  told 
of  it,  that  he  may  hear  the  Confession  of  the  sick  and  give  them 
Holy  Communion  from  time  to  time. 

316 


Morning  Prayers  for  the  Sick. 

Make  the  sign  of  the  Cross  as  soon  as  you  awake,  and  say  :— » 

My  God,  I  offer  Thee  this  day 
All  I  may  think  or  do  or  say  ; 
Uniting  it  with  what  was  done 
On  earth  by  Jesus  Christ  Thy  Son. 

Make  ap  your  mind  to  try  and  keep  from  anything  displeasing 
to  God. 

In  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.     Amen. 

Our  Father.     Hail  Mary.     I  believe.     Glory  be. 

O  my  God,  I  believe  in  Thee,  because  Thou  art 
Truth  itself. 

O  my  God,  I  hope  in  Thee,  because  of  Thy 
promises  to  me. 

O  my  God,  I  love  Thee,  because  Thou  art  so 
good  :  teach  me  to  love  Thee  daily  more  and  more. 

0  my  God,  I  offer  Thee  all  my  thoughts,  words, 
actions  and  sufferings  ,  and  I  beseech  Thee  to  give 
me  Thy  grace  that  I  may  not  offend  Thee  this  day, 
but  faithfully  serve  Thee  and  do  Thy  holy  Will  in 
all  things. 

1  desire  to  gain  all  the  Indulgences  that  I  can. 
Holy  Mary,  be  a  mother  to  me. 

All  ye  Angels  and  Saints  of  God,  pray  for  me. 

May  our  Lord  bless  us,  and  keep  us  from  all 
evil,  and  bring  us  to  life  everlasting. 

May  the  souls  of  the  faithful,  through  the  mercy 
of  God,  rest  in  peace.     Amen. 

Night  Prayers  for  the  Sick. 

In  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.     Amen. 

Our  Father.     Hail  Mary.     I  believe.     Glory  be. 

My  God,  I  give  Thee  thanks  for  all  the  benefits 
which  I  have  ever  received  from  Thee,  and  par- 
ticularly this  day.     Give  me  light  to  see  what  sins 


HOW   TO    HELP   THE   SICK   AND    DYING. 


317 


I  have  committed  this  day,  and  give  grace  to  be 
truly  sorry  for  them. 

\Ifere  wait  a  little,  and  try  to  remember  the  faults  you  have 
committed  during  the  day.'\ 

O  my  God,  I  am  very  sorry  that  I  have  offended 
Thee  :  I  love  Thee  with  all  my  heart,  because  Thou 
art  so  good,  and  I  will  not  sin  again. 

O  my  God,  I  accept  of  death  as  a  homage  and 
adoration  which  I  owe  to  Thy  Divine  Majesty,  in 
union  with  the  death  of  my  dear  Redeemer,  and  as 
the  only  means  of  coming  to  Thee,  my  beginning 
and  last  end. 

Into  Thy  Hands,  O  Lord,  I  commend  my  spirit : 
Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  soul. 

May  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  St.  Joseph,  and 
all  the  Saints,  pray  for  us  to  our  Lord,  that  we  may 
be  preserved  this  night  from  sin  and  all  evils. 

O  my  good  Angel,  whom  God  has  appointed  to 
be  my  Guardian,  watch  over  me  during  this  night. 

All  ye  Angels  and  Saints  of  God,  pray  for  me. 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  I  give  you  my  heart 
and  my  soul ; 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  assist  me  in  my  last 
agony  ; 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  may  I  die  in  peace  in 
your  blessed  company. 

May  our  Lord  bless  us,  and  keep  us  from  all 
evil,  and  bring  us  to  life  everlasting. 

May  the  souls  of  the  faithful,  through  the  mercy 
of  God,  rest  in  peace.     Amen. 

Acts  that   May  be  Suggested  to  the  Sick. 

I. — Contrition. 

Contrition  does  not  consist  in  tears  or  any  other  expression  of 
sorrow.  We  must  be  so^y  for  our  sins,  but  we  need  not  neces- 
sarily _^(f/  sorry.  It  is  good  to  be  sorry  because  we  have  lost 
heaven  and  deserved  hell,  but  the  best  motive  is  the  love  of  God, 
who  is  infinitely  good  in  Himself  and  worthy  of  all  love.  This 
is  perfect  contrition.  Before  our  Lord  came  on  earth,  before 
there  were  any  Sacraments,  perfect  contrition  was  the  only  means 
by  which  sinners  could  obtain  forgiveness  of  their  actual  sins. 
It  is  as  efficacious  now  as  then.  By  it  mortal  sins  are  forgiven 
immediately,  though  a  person  is  strictly  bound  to  confess  them  if 
he  is  able.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  Catholics  should 
remember  what  an  act  of  perfect  contrition  can  do  for  them,  if 
after  falling  into  mortal  sin  they  are  delayed  or  hindered  by  cir- 
cumstances from  going  to  confession.  And  they  should  bear  it 
in  mind  for  the  benefit  of  others  also,  so  that  in  cases  of  sudden 
and  grave  accident,  before  a  priest  can  be  had,  or  when  no  priest 


is  at  hand,  they  may  at  once  suggest  it  by  short  acts  to  the  suf- 
ferer :  "  My  God,  I  am  sorry  for  all  my  sins,  because  Thou  art 
so  good. ' '  Suggest  such  acts  even  to  those  who  are  not  Catho- 
lics at  whose  death-bed  you  may  be  present,  and  suggest  them 
often  to  the  sick.  The  habit  of  frequently  making  acts  of  per- 
fect contrition  is  a  very  blessed  one,  and  makes  us  very  dear  to 
God  and  very  safe.  And  it  is  not  a  difficult  habit  to  acquire,  for 
contrition  is  as  easy  as  it  is  sweet. 

Acts  of  Contrition. 

To  think  that  I  have  offended  Him  after  being 
so  many  times  forgiven !  To  think  that  I  have 
offended  Him  Whom  after  all  /  do  love  !  My  God, 
I  am  sorry  for  all  my  sins  :  give  me  a  tender,  lov- 
ing, and  hearty  contrition  for  them,  because  they 
have  offended  Thee  Who  art  so  good  ;  and  a  firm 
purpose  not  to  offend  Thee  any  more. 

Father,  I  am  not  worthy  to  be  called  Thy  child : 
I  have  left  Thee,  I  have  lost  Thee  through  my  own 
fault :  I  repent  with  my  whole  heart :  spare  me  for 
the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  my  Saviour.  Look  upon 
the  Face  of  Thy  Christ — look  upon  the  Blood  of 
Thy  Christ — look  upon  the  Heart  of  Thy  Christ — 
and  forgive  me  for  His  sake. 

0  sins  which  have  deprived  me  of  my  God,  I 
hate  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart. 

Dear  Jesus,  who  didst  come  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost,  have  mercy  on  me. 

Good  Shepherd,  who  didst  lay  down  Thy  Life 
for  Thy  sheep,  have  pity  on  me.  I  have  gone 
astray  like  a  sheep  that  is  lost ;  seek  Thy  servant, 
O  Lord. 

Jesus,  my  Lord,  behold  at  length  the  time. 
When  I  resolve  to  turn  away  from  crime  ; 

0  pardon  me,  Jesus,  Thy  mercy  I  implore ; 

1  will  never  more  offend  Thee, — no,  never  more. 

Since  my  poor  soul  Thy  Precious  Blood  hath  cost. 
Suffer  me  not  for  ever  to  be  lost. 
O  pardon,  etc. 

Kneeling  in  tears,  behold  me  at  Thy  feet ; 
Like  Magdalen,  forgiveness  I  entreat. 
O  pardon,  etc. 

1  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father,  and  say  to 
Him :  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and 
before  Thee,  I  am  not  now  worthy  to  be  called  Thy 
son. 

O  God,  merciful  and  patient,  who  wiliest  not  the 
death  of  a  sinner — who,  when  we  repent,  remem- 


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berest  our  sins  no  more — have  mercy  on  me  and 
spare  me. 

Jesus,  wounded  for  our  iniquities,  and  bruised  for 
our  sins  ;  I  grieve  for  my  sins,  which  have  so 
grieved  Thy  Sacred  Heart. 

Have  mercy  on  me  and  heal  my  soul,  for  I  have 
sinned  against  Thee. 

Give  me,  my  God,  the  contrite  and  humble  heart 
which  Thou  wilt  never  despise. 

O  that  I  had  the  tears  of  Peter  and  Magdalen  ! 

Wash  me  yet  more  from  my  iniquity,  and  cleanse 
me  from  my  sin. 

O  Mary,  obtain  for  me  true  sorrow  for  my 
sins,  forgiveness  for  them,  and  the  grace  of  final 
perseverance. 

Have  mercy  on  me,  O  God,  according  to  Thy 
great  mercy :  heal  my  soul  for  I  have  sinned 
against  Thee. 

O  God,  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner :  Thou  Who 
hast  made  me,  have  mercy  on  me. 

O  Lord,  I  have  sinned  exceedingly  in  my  life : 
what  shall  I  do,  whither  shall  I  fly,  but  to  Thee, 
my  God. 

What  can  I  do  for  my  sins  but  humbly  confess 
them  and  lament  them  :  hear  me,  I  beseech  Thee, 

0  my  God.  All  my  sins  displease  me  now  exceed- 
ingly :  I  will  never  commit  them  any  more  :  I  am 
sorry  for  them,  and  will  be  sorry  for  them  as  long 
as  I  live.  I  am  willing  to  make  satisfaction  for 
them  to  the  utmost  of  my  power.  Forgive,  O  my 
God,  forgive  me  my  sins,  for  Thy  holy  Name's 
sake.  Save  my  soul,  which  Thou  hast  redeemed 
with  Thy  Precious  Blood.  Behold,  I  commit  my- 
self to  Thy  mercy :  I  resign  myself  into  Thy 
aands.  Deal  with  me  according  to  Thy  goodness, 
iot  according  to  my  wickedness  and  iniquity. 

Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me. 

My  God,  what  harm  hast  Thou  done  me  that  I 
should  have  so  greatly  offended  Thee  ?  O  that  I 
had  never  sinned  against  Thee !  I  am  sorry  for  my 
sins  because  Thou  art  so  good,  and  with  Thy  help 

1  will  not  sin  again.     O  let  neither  life  nor  death 
nor  any  creature  separate  me  from  Thee  any  more. 

God  of  mercy  and  compassion, 

Look  -vrith  pity  upon  me  ; 
Father  !  let  me  call  Thee  Father  I 

•Tis  Thy  child  returns  to  Thee. 


Jesus,  Lord,  I  ask  for  mercy. 

Let  me  not  implore  in  vain ; 
All  my  sins,  I  now  detest  them. 

Never  will  I  sin  again. 

By  my  sins  I  have  deserved 

Death  and  endless  misery, 
Hell  with  all  its  pains  and  torments, 

And  for  all  eternity. 
Jesus,  Lord,  etc. 

By  my  sins  I  have  abandoned 

Right  and  claim  to  heaven  above ; 

Where  the  Saints  rejoice  for  ever, 
In  a  boundless  sea  of  love. 

Jesus,  Lord,  etc. 

See  our  Saviour,  bleeding,  dying. 

On  the  Cross  of  Calvary  ; 
To  that  Cross  my  sins  have  nailed  Him, 

Yet  He  bleeds  and  dies  for  me. 
Jesus,  Lord,  etc. 

II. — Patience  and  Resignation. 

What  will  happen  to  me  to-day,  O  my  God,  I 
know  not :  all  that  I  know  is  that  nothing  will 
happen  but  what  from  all  eternity  Thy  Love  has 
arranged  for  my  good.  This  is  enough  for  me, 
my  God.  I  adore  Thy  holy  and  blessed  Will,  and 
resign  myself  to  it  with  all  my  heart  for  the  love 
of  Thee.  I  desire  all  Thou  shalt  send  me  :  I  ac- 
cept all — I  make  to  Thee  a  sacrifice  of  all,  and 
unite  my  sacrifice  with  that  of  Jesus  Christ  my 
Saviour.  I  ask  of  Thee  in  His  Name,  and  through 
His  infinite  merits,  patience  in  my  pains,  the  per- 
fect submission  which  I  owe  Thee  in  all  Thou  shalt 
permit  to  happen  to  me,  and  the  crown  promised  to 
those  who  persevere  to  the  end.     Amen. 

Patience,  my  soul,  just  for  to-day  ;  God  will  pro- 
vide for  to-morrow.  Yesterday  has  passed  away, 
and  the  pain  of  its  sufferings  no  longer  remains ; 
the  merit  will  have  remained  if  I  offered  my  suffer- 
ings to  God.  To-day,  then,  I  will  try  to  suffer 
with  merit ;  after  all,  to-day  is  but  one  day,  and 
one  day  is  not  much.  My  God,  what  can  I  do  less 
than  offer  Thee  the  pains  and  weariness  of  one 
day ;  those  of  this  day  shall  be  borne  bravely  for 
love  of  Thee. 

When  the  Cross  first  presents  itself  to  us,  how 
hard  it  looks  ! — how  hard  it  looks  !  But  bear  it 
bravely,  and  how  bright  it  will  appear  when  we 


HOW   TO    HELP   THE   SICK   AND    DYING. 


319 


look  back  upon  it — kow  brigkt  when  we  come  to 
the  crown  ! 

May  the  most  just,  the  most  high,  the  most 
lovable  Will  of  God  be  in  all  things  done,  and 
praised,  and  forever  magnified  ! 

My  God,  I  am  justly  punished  by  Thee,  for  I 
have  greatly  offended  Thee ;  punish  me  in  this  life 
and  not  in  the  next. 

My  heart  is  ready,  O  God,  my  heart  is  ready. 

Sweet  Will  of  God,  I  bless  Thee :  dear  Will  of 
God,  I  love  Thee. 

As  it  hath  pleased  the  L^ord,  so  is  it  done: 
blessed  be  the  Name  of  the  Lord. 

It  is  the  Lord  :  let  Him  do  what  is  good  in  His 
sight. 

O  Lord,  Thou  knowest  what  is  best :  do  with 
me  as  Thou  knowest  and  as  best  pleaseth  Thee. 
I  am  in  Thy  hands,  ready  to  obey  Thee  in  all 
things  :  do  with  me  in  all  things  according  to  Thy 
Will. 

What  matter  is  it  how  much  or  what  I  suffer  so 
I  come  at  length  to  the  haven  of  salvation  ?  Grant 
me  a  good  end,  grant  me  a  happy  passage  out  of 
this  world  ;  be  ever  mindful  of  me,  O  my  God,  and 
direct  me  by  the  straight  road  to  Thy  Kingdom. 

Keep  me  only  from  all  sin,  and  I  will  fear  neither 
death  nor  hell. 

Dear  Jesus,  accept  my  sufferings  which  I  desire 
to  unite  with  Thine  :  sanctify  all  I  suffer,  so  that 
every  pain  I  feel  may  bring  me  nearer  to  Thee. 

Lord,  I  offer  and  consecrate  to  Thy  glory  all 
that  I  have  ever  suffered,  all  that  I  now  suffer,  and 
all  that  I  shall  have  to  suffer  until  death.  Perfect 
my  pains  with  Thy  love,  and  grant,  O  sweet  Jesus, 
that  they  may  be  as  pleasing  to  Thee  as  they  are 
painful  to  me.  I  will  suffer  willingly  because  Thou 
wilt  have  it  so,  Thou  Whom  I  love  with  my  whole 
heart. 

The  chalice  that  my  Father  hath  given  me,  shall 
I  not  drink  it  ?  Yea,  Father,  for  so  it  hath  seemed 
good  in  Thy  sight. 

Thy  Will  be  done— Thy  Will  be  done. 

Lord,  I  accept  this  sickness  from  Thy  hands,  and 
entirely  resign  myself  to  Thy  blessed  Will,  whether 
for  life  or  for  death :  not  my  will  but  Thine  be 
done — Thy  Will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
Ueaven. 


As  Thou  knowest  and  wiliest,  Lord. 
Jesus,  meek  and  humble  of  heart,  make  my  heart 
like  unto  Thine. 

Passion  of  Christ,  strengthen  me. 

O  Jesu  mine,  for  love  of  Thee 
I  love  what  Thy  Will  giveth  me 
Whate'er  it  be ; 

O  Jesu  mine,  for  love  of  Thee 
I  love  what  Thy  Will  giveth  me 
Whene'er  it  be  .- 

O  Jesu  mine,  for  love  of  Thee 
I  love  what  Thy  Will  giveth  me 
How  much  it  be  : 

O  Jesu  mine,  for  love  of  Thee 
I  love  what  Thy  Will  giveth  me 
How  long  it  be. 

Blessed  be  God:  Blessed  be  His  Holy  Name: 
Blessed  be  the  Will  of  God  in  all  things. 

Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ? 

O  Lord  God,  O  Holy  Father,  be  Thou  now  and 
for  ever  blessed :  for  as  Thou  wilt  so  it  has  happened, 
and  what  Thou  dost  is  always  good.  To  Thee  I 
commit  myself  and  all  that  is  mine :  it  is  better  to 
be  chastised  here  than  hereafter. 

Give  me  fortitude  that  I  may  stand  my  ground, 
patience  that  I  may  endure,  and  constancy  that  I 
may  persevere. 

Grant,  me,  my  God,  always  to  will  and  desire 
that  which  is  most  acceptable  to  Thee,  and  which 
pleaseth  Thee  best.  Let  Thy  Will  be  mine,  and 
let  my  will  always  follow  Thine,  and  agree  perfectly 
with  it.  Let  me  always  will  or  not  will  the  same 
with  Thee. 

O  God,  may  Thy  Will  be  done  and  be  blessed 
a  thousand  thousand  times. 

Father,  not  my  will,  but  Thine  be  done. 

Teach  me  to  do  Thy  Will,  for  Thou  art  my 
God. 

I  worship  Thee,  sweet  Will  of  God, 

And  all  Thy  ways  adore  ; 
And  every  day  1  live,  I  wish 

To  love  Thee  more  and  more. 

With  all  my  heart  I  desire  whatever  God  de- 
sires.    It  is  all  well :  blessed  be  God. 

Sickness  and  sorrow  have  come  to  weigh  me 
down  :  blessed  be  God  in  all. 


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Lord,  Thy  care  over  me  is  greater  than  all  the 
care  I  can  take  of  myself.  I  cast  all  my  care  then 
upon  Thee  :  I  cast  myself  into  Thine  arms — do 
with  me  whatever  it  shall  please  Thee,  for  it  can- 
not but  be  good  whatever  Thou  shalt  do  by  me. 
Cast  me  not  off  for  ever,  nor  blot  me  out  of  the 
book  of  life :  and  what  tribulation  soever  befalls 
me  shall  not  hurt  me. 

Lord  Jesus,  make  me  faithful  to  Thee  unto 
death,  that  Thou  mayst  give  me  the  crown  of  life. 

Let  us  rejoice  :  we  shall  one  day  be  taken  to  the 
bosom  of  God. 

III. — Faith,  Hope  and  Charity. 

I  believe  in  God  the  Father,  who  created  me  to 
His  own  image  and  likeness  :  and  in  Jesus  Christ 
my  Saviour,  who  redeemed  me  with  His  own  Blood : 
and  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  sanctified  me  in  Bap- 
tism.    Lord,  increase  my  faith. 

My  God,  I  believe  in  Thee  :  my  God,  I  hope  in 
Thee  :  my  God,  I  love  Thee  with  my  whole  heart. 

I  believe  in  Thee  because  Thou  art  the  very 
Truth  :  I  believe  in  all  Thy  Church  teaches,  be- 
cause Thou  hast  bid  me  hear  it :  and  in  this  faith 
I  resolve  through  Thy  grace  to  live  and  die. 

I  be?ieve.  Lord  :  help  Thou  my  unbelief. 

I  hope  in  Thee,  my  God,  because  Thou  arc  so 
good,  and  through  the  sufferings  and  death  of 
Jesus  Christ  my  Redeemer,  I  hope  for  mercy, 
grace  and  salvation  from  Thee,  because  of  Thy 
mercy.  Thy  promises,  and  Thy  power.  In  Thee, 
O  Lord,  have  I  put  my  trust :  I  shall  not  be  con- 
founded for  ever. 

My  God,  Thou  didst  not  abandon  me  when  I  fled 
Irom  Thee,  do  not  abandon  me  now  that  I  seek 
Thee. 

Heart  of  Jesus,  Salvation  of  those  who  trust  in 
Thee,  have  mercy  on  me.     My  Jesus,  mercy. 

My  sweetest  Jesus,  be  not  Thou  my  Judge,  but 
my  Saviour. 

Jesus,  Jesus,  be  to  me  a  Jesus,  and  save  me. 

O  good  Jesus,  hear  me  ; 

Within  Thy  Wounds  hide  me ; 

Never  let  me  be  separated  from  Thee ; 

In  the  hour  of  my  death  call  me, 

And  bid  me  come  to  Thee, 

That  with  Thy  Saints  I  may  praise  Thee 

For  all  eternity.     Amen. 


My  God,  I  love  Thee  with  my  whole  heart  and 
soul :  at  least  I  desire  so  to  love  Thee. 

I  love  Thee,  who  hast  loved  me  from  eternity, 
and  hast  created  me  out  of  love  that  I  may  be 
happy  with  Thee  for  ever. 

I  love  Thee,  who  hast  forgiven  me  so  often,  and 
washed  me  from  my  sins  in  Thy  Precious  Blood. 

I  love  Thee,  who  hast  been  so  good  and  kind  to 
me,  and  given  me  all  that  I  have  and  am. 

I  love  Thee,  who  art  so  good  in  Thyself,  and  so 
worthy  of  all  my  love. 

0  God,  my  God,  whom  shall  I  love  if  I  love  not 
Thee? 

1  love  Thee — I  love  Thee  :  help  me  to  love  Thee 
more. 

Give  me  only  Thy  love  and  Thy  grace,  and  I 
shall  be  rich  enough. 

Let  me  love  Thee  with  all  my  heart  and  soul 
and  mind  and  strength — grant  that  I  may  love 
Thee  for  ever. 

I  love  my  neighbor  as  myself  for  Thy  sake : 
I  forgive  all  who  have  injured  me,  and  ask  pardon 
of  all  I  have  injured. 

My  God,  who  art  Infinite  Goodness,  I  love  Thee 
above  all  things — I  love  Thee  with  my  whole 
heart. 

I  wish  for  heaven,  that  there  I  may  love  Thee 
with  all  my  strength,  and  for  all  eternity. 

My  God,  cast  me  not  into  hell  as  I  deserve — 
there  I  could  not  love  Thee  :  let  me  love  Thee  and 
then  do  with  me  as  Thou  wilt. 

O  my  God,  make  me  all  Thine  before  I  die. 

When  shall  I  be  able  to  say — My  God,  I  can 
never  lose  Thee  again. 

IV. — Preparation  for  Death. 

To  live  for  God  and  then  to  die  :  that  done,  all 
is  done. 

If  I  will  take  care  of  my  life  for  God,  He  will 
take  care  of  my  death  for  me. 

My  soul,  let  us  so  live  that  in  heaven  we  may 
rejoice  to  have  lived  so. 

Let  my  death  color  my  life  ;  let  me  live  like  one 
who  has  to  die. 

May  my  soul  die  the  death  of  the  just,  and  my 
last  end  be  like  unto  theirs. 

My  God,  I  accept  of  death  as  a  homage  and 


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321 


adoration  which  I  owe  to  Thy  Divine  Majesty,  in 
union  with  the  death  of  my  dear  Redeemer,  and 
as  the  only  means  of  coming  to  Thee,  my  begin- 
ning and  last  end. 

I  commend  my  soul  to  God  my  Creator,  who 
made  me  out  of  nothing :  to  Jesus  Christ  my 
Saviour,  who  redeemed  me  with  His  Precious  Blood  : 
to  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  santified  me  in  Baptism. 

Into  Thy  hands,  O  Lord,  I  commend  my  spirit. 
My  God,  my  Father,  and  my  Friend, 
Do  not  forsake  me  in  the  end. 

I  desire  to  die,  my  God,  in  order  to  see  Thee. 

My  crucified  Saviour,  who  to  obtain  a  good  death 
for  me  didst  suffer  a  most  painful  death,  remember 
me  in  my  last  hour — remember  that  I  am  one  of 
Thy  sheep,  whom  Thou  hast  purchased  with  Thine 
own  Blood. 

Lord,  on  the  Cross  Thine  Arms  were  stretched 
To  draw  Thy  people  nigh  : 
O  grant  us  then  that  Cross  to  love. 
And  in  those  Arms  to  die. 

O  Shepherd  of  my  soul,  who  alone  canst  guide 
and  comfort  me  in  that  hour,  when  I  walk  through 
the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death — when  no 
one  of  this  earth  shall  stand  by  me — when  no  friend 
shall  be  able  to  profit  me :  be  v/ith  me  then — suffer 
me  not  to  lose  Thee  for  ever — cast  me  not  off  from 
Thee.  O  beloved  Jesus,  since  I  embrace  Thee 
now,  receive  me  then — hide  me  in  Thy  holy 
Wounds — wash  me  in  Thy  Precious  Blood. 

Jesus,  Jesus,  trusting  myself  to  the  love  of  Thy 
Sacred  Heart,  I  give  up  my  soul  into  Thy  hands  ; 
receive  it  unto  the  bosom  of  Thy  mercy.  Say  to 
me  in  the  hour  of  my  death  as  Thou  didst  say  to 
the  good  thief — "  This  day  thou  shalt  be  with  Me 
in  Paradise." 

My  Jesus,  Thou  art  about  to  judge  me,  spare  and 
pardon  before  Thou  j  udgest. 

O  Jesus,  Jesus,  Jesus,  receive  me  into  the  number 
of  Thy  chosen. 

Blood  of  Christ,  wash  me :  Passion  of  Christ, 
strengthen  me :  Heart  of  Jesus,  sorrowful  even 
unto  death,  have  mercy  on  me. 

Jesus,  dear  Jesus,  never  let  me  be  separated  from 
Thee. 

Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  sinners 
-^-now  for  present  graces,  and  at  the  hour  of  our 

21 


death  for  final  perseverance :  pray  for  me  in  the 
hour  of  my  death.     Amen. 

O  most  compassionate  Mother,  show  thyself  my 
Mother  in  the  hour  of  my  death — be  with  me  in 
that  last  moment  of  my  life  on  which  eternity 
hangs.  As  thou  didst  invite  thy  Son  to  thine  own 
blessed  departure,  so  I  invite  thee  now  to  mine, 
beseeching  thee  not  to  be  absent  from  me  then,  but 
to  be  there  and  succor  me  with  a  mother's  tender- 
ness, for  without  thee  I  cannot  die  in  peace.  Cheer 
me  with  thy  holy  presence,  protect  me  from  my 
enemies,  speak  for  me  to  thy  Son,  and  obtain  for 
me  forgiveness  of  all  my  sins,  a  happy  death  and 
life  everlasting  with  Him  and  with  thee.     Amen. 

Leave  me  not,  my  Mother,  until  thou  seest  me 
safe  in  heaven. 

Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  grace.  Mother  of  clemency ; 
defend  me  from  the  enemy,  receive  me  in  the  hour 
of  my  death. 

Refuge  of  sinners,  pray  for  me. 

St.  Joseph,  Patron  of  a  happy  death,  pray  for 
me. 

O  holy  Angel,  my  Guardian,  stand  by  me  and 
help  me. 

My  holy  Patron  Saints  (name  them),  pray  for 
me. 

All  ye  holy  Angels  and  Saints  of  God,  pray  for 
me. 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  I  give  you  my  heart 
and  my  soul  : 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  assist  me  in  my  la«t 
agony : 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  may  I  die  in  peace  \n 
your  blessed  company. 

II.— HOW  TO    HELP   THE    DYING. 

To  Those  Who  Attend  the  Dying. 

1.  In  cases  of  serious  accident,  or  in  a  sudden  and  dangerous 
illness,  lose  no  time  in  sending  for  the  priest.  In  other  cases  he 
should  be  sent  for  as  soon  as  the  sickness  becomes  grave. 

2.  Tell  the  sick  jjerson  gently  that  his  state,  though  not  des- 
perate, is  dangerous,  and  that  he  would  therefore  do  well  to 
settle  the  state  of  his  soul  without  delay — that  this  will  be  much 
better  done  now  than  later,  when  pain,  weakness,  or  the  nature 
of  the  remedies  may  render  him  unfit  for  so  great  a  work.  It  is 
a  great  mistake  to  think  that  the  Last  Sacraments  will  make  him 
worse :  on  the  contrary,  they  will  bring  him  peace,  strengthen 
him  against  his  spiritual  enemies,  and  enable  him  to  bear  his  suf- 


322 


HOW   TO    HELP   THE   SICK   AND    DYING. 


ferings  with  patience  and  merit  for  eternity.  What  is  to  be  feared 
is  any  delay,  by  which  he  might  die  without  them.  If  he  wishes 
to  put  off  his  Confession  till  he  is  better,  or  shrinks  from  it  be- 
cause he  has  been  a  long  time  away  from  his  duties,  and  fears  the 
labor  of  preparation,  tell  him  that  the  priest  will  help  him,  and 
if  necessary  go  through  the  examination  of  conscience  with  him. 
If  he  still  objects,  the  priest  should  be  told  of  his  state,  that  he 
may  warn  him  of  the  danger  there  is  in  delay. 

3.  If  he  has  a  will  to  make,  or  any  necessary  provision,  spiritual 
or  temporal,  for  his  family — any  debts  or  other  obligations  to 
discharge,  engage  him  to  do  this  also  without  delay,  that  having 
settled  his  temporal  concerns,  he  may  give  his  whole  attention 
to  the  affairs  of  his  soul.  If  he  wishes  to  leave  anything  for  the 
benefit  of  his  soul,  as  a  certain  sum  for  Masses,  or  any  other  good 
work,  this  should  also  be  provided  for  in  good  time. 

4.  Do  not  flatter  the  sick  person  with  hopes  of  life  when  there 
are  little  or  no  grounds  for  hope ;  rather  encourage  him  to  make 
the  best  use  of  the  time  that  remains  to  him,  by  receiving  the 
Holy  Sacraments  with  fervent  dispositions,  and  accepting  his 
sickness  from  the  Hands  of  God  with  perfect  resignation  to  the 
Divine  Will,  in  union  with  the  sufferings  of  his  dying  Saviour 
and  in  satisfaction  for  his  sins.  Many,  through  a  mistaken 
affection,  are  cruel  to  the  dying,  and  keep  from  them  what  it  is 
all  important  for  them  to  know, — or  at  least  fear  to  sjjeak  to  them 
of  those  things  which  would  prep»are  them  to  meet  their  God. 
Do  not  imitate  these.  Affection  at  the  deathbed  must  be  un- 
selfish— the  first  thought  of  all  should  be  the  soul  that  is  soon  to 
appear  before  God.  How  beautiful  is  the  charity  of  those  who 
help  their  loved  ones  to  die  well,  instead  of  adding  to  their  diffi- 
culties and  distress  by  their  own  unrestrained  sorrow  ! 

5.  Attend  most  carefully  to  the  recommendations  for  the  sick- 
room mentioned  above.  Take  out  of  the  room  such  things  as 
profane  pictures,  dresses,  and  anything  likely  to  disturb  or  tempt 
the  dying  person.  Place  near  him,  where  he  may  easily  see 
them,  a  crucifix  or  picture  of  Jesus  crucified  and  of  His  Blessed 
Mother,  that  he  may  be  reminded  to  commend  himself  frequently 
to  Jesus  and  Mary,  Holy  water  should  also  be  near,  so  that  he 
may  easily  reach  it. 

6.  Visitors  who  might  disturb  or  distract  the  dying  person 
should  not  be  allowed  in  the  room.  Keep  away  therefore  all 
bad,  idle,  and  talkative  people,  any  who  have  been  the  occasion 
of  sin  to  him,  any  who  have  done  him  a  great  injury,  any  who 
would  talk  to  him  of  vain  and  worldly  things,  or  disturb  him  by 
their  grief,  or  make  him  grieve  too  much. 

7.  Bad  people  should  not  be  left  to  take  care  of  the  dying, 
above  all  should  not  be  left  alone  with  them.  There  are  in- 
stances of  bad  persons  who,  being  left  alone  with  the  dying, 
ruined  the  soul  instead  of  saving  it.  If  a  woman  is  dying,  and 
some  one  has  to  sit  up  with  her,  it  should  be  a  woman. 

8.  ^Vhilst  helping  the  dying,  do  not  forget  to  say  your  own 
prayers.  Some  people  forget  their  prayers,  and  so  lose  the  bless- 
ing of  God  on  what  they  do  for  the  dying. 

9.  The  devil  is  very  busy  in  the  room  of  the  dying.  He  tries 
to  ruin  them  by  fearful  temptations,  and  often  makes  them  see 
terrible  things  which  frighten  them  very  much.     Often,  there- 


fore, suggest  to  them  acts  of  contrition,  confidence,  patience 
and  the  love  of  God.  As  temptations  to  despair  are  among  the 
most  frequent  with  which  the  dying  are  assailed,  it  is  seldom  ad- 
visable to  speak  to  them  of  the  Divine  Justice,  of  the  pains  of 
hell,  or  of  the  grievousness  of  their  sins.  Encourage  them  rather 
to  put  all  their  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God,  in  the  Passion  of 
Christ,  and  in  the  prayers  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Saints. 
Remind  them  also  that  a  remedy  against  all  temptations  is  to 
make  often  the  sign  of  the  Cross,  and  to  invoke  the  holy  names 
of  Jesus  and  Mary.  The  dying  should  be  sprinkled  with  holy 
water,  especially  during  their  agony,  and  when  they  show  signs 
of  fear  and  trouble. 

The  Last  Sacraments. 

It  is  an  immense  blessing  to  receive  the  Last  Sacraments. 
They  are  given  to  us  by  God  in  His  goodness  to  comfort  and 
strengthen  us  in  our  Last  Agony,  and  they  help  us  wonderfully 
to  die  a  happy  death.  Try  therefore  to  rouse  in  the  dying  per- 
son a  great  desire  to  receive  them,  and  to  prepare  carefully  for 
them. 

I. — Penance. 

This  Sacrament  will  remit  all  his  sins,  restore  to  him  the  friend- 
ship of  God,  and  open  heaven  to  him  again.  His  preparation 
need  not  be  long.  Having  asked  God's  grace  to  know  his  sins 
and  to  be  truly  sorry  for  them,  let  him  try  to  bring  to  his  memo^ , 
at  least  the  principal  sins  since  his  last  Confession.  If  it  is  a  long 
time  since  he  was  at  Confession,  it  may  help  him  in  his  examina- 
tion of  conscience  to  remember  the  places  where  he  has  been, 
the  persons  with  whom  he  has  lived  or  worked,  the  work  on 
which  he  has  been  employed.  Then  let  him  excite  in  his  heart 
a  true  sorrow  for  his  sins  and  a  resolution  never  to  commit  them 
again  by  saying  with  all  his  heart : — 

My  God,  I  am  sorry  for  my  sins,  because  by 
tbem  I  Have  lost  heaven  and  deserved  hell ;  because 
they  have  crucified  my  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  and 
most  of  all  because  they  have  offended  Thee,  Who 
art  infinitely  good  and  worthy  of  all  love.  I  am 
sorry  for  them :  I  wish  I  had  never  sinned :  with 
Thy  help  I  will  not  sin  again. 

After  his  Confession,  remind  the  sick  person  to  say  his  pen- 
ance, and  if  necessary  say  it  with  him. 

II.— The  Holy  Viaticum. 

When  Holy  Communion  is  given  to  the  sick  in  danger  of 
death,  it  is  called  the  Holy  Viaticum,  or  food  for  a  journey. 
A  dying  person  has  a  long  and  dangerous  journey  to  take.  He 
has  to  go  from  this  world  to  the  next,  and  to  pass  through  many 
enemies.  Our  Blessed  Lord  knows  how  weak  he  is,  and  comes 
Himself  to  strengthen  him,  to  protect  him  from  all  dangers,  and 
take  him  safely  to  heaven. 

Help  him  to  thank  so  loving  and  faithful  a  Friend,  who,  when 
all  go  away,  will  not  leave  him,  but  remain  with  him  faithful  to 
the  end. 


HOW   TO    HELP   THE   SICK   AND    DYING. 


328 


Before  Receiving  Holy  Viaticum. 

My  God  and  my  Saviour,  Thou  art  coming  to 
visit  me :  I  thank  Thee  with  all  my  heart.  I 
believe,  O  Jesus,  that  Thou  art  present  in  the  Most 
Holy  Sacrament :  I  adore  Thee,  I  love  Thee,  and  I 
desire  Thee  :  come  into  my  poor  heart,  and  never 
leave  me — come.  Lord  Jesus,  come  ! 

Lord,  I  am  not  worthy  that  Thou  shouldst  enter 
under  my  roof ;  but  only  say  the  word,  and  my 
soul  shall  be  healed.  Come,  dear  Jesus,  into  my 
poor  heart :  Thou  alone  canst  comfort  and  help  me 
now :  come  to  strengthen  me  and  comfort  me  and 
save  me. 

O  most  sweet  and  loving  Lord,  I  desire  to  receive 
Thee  with  the  greatest  love  and  thankfulness  :  but 
I  am  very  weak.  Pity  me  and  help  me — give 
Thyself  to  me,  and  it  is  enough.  Jesus,  Jesus, 
come  to  me. 

1.  Before  the  priest  comes  to  give  the  Holy  Viaticum,  the 
room  should  be  put  in  order,  and  everything  made  neat.  Have 
a  table  ready  with  a  white  cloth  on  it,  two  candles,  a  crucifix, 
holy  water,  and  a  glass  or  cup  of  clean  water.  Lay  a  small 
white  cloth  for  Holy  Communion  upon  the  breast  and  under  the 
chin  of  the  sick  person. 

2.  When  the  priest  comes  into  the  room  with  the  Blessed  Sac- 
rament, all  present  should  kneel  down.  There  should  be  no 
talking.  If  it  is  necessary  to  speak,  do  so  in  a  few  words  and  in 
a  low  voice. 

3.  After  Holy  Communion  has  been  given,  leave  the  sick  per- 
son quiet  for  a  little  while  to  say  his  prayers,  or  you  may  help 
him  to  make  his  thanksgiving,  if  he  cannot  do  it  himself. 

After  Receiving  Holy  Viaticum. 

Jesus,  sweet  Jesus,  dear  Jesus  !  I  believe,  O  my 
Saviour,  that  I  have  received  Thy  most  holy  Body 
and  Blood  :  ^  believe  that  Thou  art  really  present 
in  my  heart,  I  adore  Thee — I  love  Thee — I  thank 
Thee  with  all  my  heart,  my  God  and  my  All.  How 
good,  how  kind  Thou  art  to  me,  sweet  Jesus  :  stay 
with  me  and  never  leave  me  any  more ;  take  me  to 
be  happy  with  Thee  for  ever.  Thou  hast  given 
Thyself  to  me  :  I  give  myself  to  Thee  for  life  and 
death.  I  love  Thee,  I  love  Thee  with  all  my  heart. 
Thou  knowest.  Lord,  that  I  love  Thee.  Body  of 
Christ,  save  me  ;  Passion  of  Christ,  strengthen  me ; 
O  good  Jesus,  hear  me  ;  within  Thy  Wounds  hide 
me  ;  never  let  me  be  separated  from  Thee  ;  in  the 
hour  of  my  death,  call  me ;  and  bid  me  come  to 


Thee  ;  that  with  Thy  Saints  I  may  praise  Thee  ; 
for  all  eternity.     Amen. 

4.  Say  some  of  these  prayers,  not  too  many  ;  the  sick,  and  still 
more  the  dying,  cannot  bear  much  at  a  time.  Say  them  slowly, 
pausing  a  little  from  time  to  time.  Stop  as  soon  as  you  see  the 
sick  person  is  tired. 

5.  The  dying  can  receive  Holy  Communion  as  Viaticum  without 
fasting,  and  they  can  go  on  doing  so  as  long  as  the  danger  lasts. 

6.  The  sick  should  be  warned  not  to  spit  for  ten  minutes  after 
receiving.  If  there  is  danger  of  their  vomiting,  the  priest  should 
be  told  of  it. 

III. — Extreme  Unction. 

1.  Extreme  Unction,  or  the  Last  Anointing,  is  the  specicd 
Sacrament  of  the  dying.  Our  Lord  instituted  it  to  give  us  the 
grace  we  need  in  our  last  sickness,  and  the  dispositions  neces- 
sary for  a  happy  death.  It  strengthened  the  first  Christians  as 
it  strengthens  us.  St.  James,  writing  to  them,  says  :  "Is  any  man 
sick  among  you  ?  Let  him  bring  in  the  priests  of  the  Church, 
and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  And  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick 
man,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up,  and  if  he  be  in  sins  they 
shall  be  forgiven  him. ' ' 

2.  The  priest  anoints  with  the  holy  oil  the  eyes,  ears,  nostrils, 
lips,  hands  and  feet,  praying  that  God  by  that  holy  anointing, 
and  through  His  most  tender  mercy,  would  forgive  the  sins  com- 
mitted through  each  of  the  senses. 

3.  Extreme  Unction  comforts  and  strengthens  the  soul  in  her 
last  agony  ;  forgives  venial  sins ;  takes  away  the  evil  dispositions 
left  in  the  soul  by  sin;  and  lessens  the  temporal  punishment 
which  we  should  have  to  suffer  in  Purgatory.  It  makes  us 
patient  in  the  pains  of  our  last  sickness.  It  gives  strength 
against  the  terrible  temptations  that  assail  us  at  the  hour  of 
death.  It  takes  away  the  fear  of  death,  and  makes  us  willing  to 
die  if  such  be  God's  will.  Extreme  Unction,  being  a  sacrament 
of  the  living,  should  be  received  in  a  state  of  grace ;  but  if  the 
sick  person  is  unable  to  go  to  Confession,  it  will  take  away 
mortal  sins  if  he  is  sorry  for  his  sins. 

4.  This  Sacrament  can  only  be  received  once  in  the  same 
danger.  Its  reception  should  not  be  put  off  till  the  last  ex- 
tremity, or  there  will  be  danger  of  the  sick  dying  without  it, 
and  thus  being  deprived  of  the  special  graces  which  would  make 
them  better  prepared  for  death  and  more  fit  to  meet  their  Judge, 
By  putting  off  they  may  also  lose  the  blessing  of  recovery, 
which  God  grants  by  means  of  this  Sacrament  when  he  sees  it  to 
be  expedient. 

Some  ill-instructed  Catholics  have  a  secret  fear  of  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Extreme  Unction,  as  if  death  were  sure  to  follow  on  its 
reception.  This  is  a  great  mistake.  Its  healing  power  is  so 
often  and  so  wonderfully  shown,  that  many  look  to  it  hopefully 
as  the  means  of  saving  the  life  of  those  they  love,  and  far  from 
deferring  it,  are  eager  to  secure  it  in  good  time. 

5.  Out  of  respect  for  the  Sacrament,  the  eyelids,  ears,  nose, 
lips,  hands  and  feet,  which  are  to  be  anointed,  should,  if  pos- 
sible, be  washed  beforehand. 


324 


HOW   TO    HELP   THE   SICK   AND    DYING. 


6.  The  sick  person  should  try  to  prepare  himself  well  for  re- 
ceiving this  great  Sacrament.  That  he  may  gain  its  full  benefit, 
let  him  turn  away  his  mind  entirely  from  the  things  of  this 
world  to  think  only  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  Let 
him  renew  his  sorrow  for  all  the  sins  of  his  life,  trust  himself 
completely  to  the  mercy  of  God,  and  resign  himself  wholly  to 
the  Will  of  God,  whether  for  life  or  death. 

7.  A  few  fervent  aspirations  will  help  him  in  his  preparation, 
and  enable  him  to  unite  himself  with  the  beautiful  prayers  used 
by  the  Church  in  the  administration  of  this  Sacrament. 

Before  Extreme  Unction. 
My  God,  I  believe  that  Extreme  Unction  is  a 
Sacrament,  wliicli  gives  grace  to  die  a  happy  death. 
May  I  receive  all  the  graces  of  this  Sacrament. 
Give  me  a  true  sorrow  for  all  my  sins.  I  grieve 
for  them  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  because  they 
have  offended  Thee — who  art  so  good,  and  with  Thy 
help,  I  will  not  sin  again.  Through  this  holy 
Unction,  and  through  Thy  most  tender  mercy,  par- 
don me  whatever  sins  I  have  committed,  by  my 
sight  and  hearing,  by  smell  and  taste  and  speech, 
and  by  my  hands  and  feet.  Through  this  holy 
Sacrament,  make  me  strong  against  the  pains  and 
temptations  of  death.     Amen. 

After  Extreme  Unction. 
My  God,  I  have  received  the  Sacrament  of  Ex- 
treme Unction  ;  may  it  take  away  all  sin  from  my 
soul.  May  it  save  me  from  the  punishment  due 
to  my  sins.  I  am  willing  to  die  that  I  may  gain 
Thee.  Give  me  grace  to  persevere  to  the  end.  O 
good  Jesus,  hear  me ;  within  Thy  wounds  hide 
me ,  never  let  me  be  separated  from  Thee  ;  in  the 
hour  of  my  death,  call  me ;  and  bid  me  come  to 
Thee  ;  that  with  thy  Saints  I  may  praise  Thee  ; 
for  all  eternity.     Amen. 

The  Last  Blessing. 

The  Church  grants  to  her  Priests  the  power  of  giving  the 
Apostolic  Blessing  with  a  Plenary  Indulgence  to  her  children 
who  are  near  their  end.  Though  a  considerable  time  may 
elapse  between  the  granting  of  this  Indulgence  and  the  moment 
of  death,  it  will  produce  its  effect  at  this  last  moment,  if  the 
dying  person  is  in  a  state  of  grace. 

To  receive  the  benefit  of  this  Blessing  and  Plenary  Indul- 
gence, he  should  renew  his  sorrow  for  the  sins  of  his  whole  life, 
and  his  resolution  never  more  to  offend  God  by  sin ;  make  an 
act  of  faith  in  all  that  the  Church  believes  and  teaches ;  unite 
himself  to  God  by  fervent  acts  of  hope  and  charity  ;  and  resign 
himself  entirely  to  His  Most  Holy  Will. 

My  God,  I  once  more  renounce  and  detest  all  the 


sins  of  my  whole  life.  I  am  sorry  for  them  all, 
because  Thou  art  so  good  :  I  will  never  commit 
them  any  more.  I  believe  in  Thee,  my  God:  I 
believe  all  Thy  Church  believes  and  teaches  because 
Thou  hast  bid  me  hear  it.  I  hope  in  Thee,  my 
God :  I  love  Thee,  my  God,  with  all  my  heart ;  and 
for  Thy  sake  I  love  my  neighbor  as  myself,  and  I 
forgive  all  who  have  injured  me.  I  love  Thy  most 
holy  Will :  I  am  willing  to  die,  because  it  is  Thy 
Will.  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my 
spirit,  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  soul. 

The  Last  Agony. 

Our  Holy  Mother  the  Church  has  now  poured  out  all  her 
treasures  upon  her  dying  child.  Let  him  guard  them  carefully, 
and  in  patience  and  peace  await  his  last  hour  and  the  reward 
promised  to  those  who  persevere  to  the  end. 

The  few  days  or  hours  he  has  yet  to  live  are  very  precious,  for 
in  them  he  may  lay  up  great  treasures  of  merit  for  eternity. 
Encourage  him  to  lose  nothing  by  impatience,  and  quickly  to 
efface  by  contrition  any  sin  or  fault  he  may  commit.  Should 
he  fall  into  grievous  sin,  let  him  ask  for  the  priest  without 
delay. 

Let  him  pray  as  well  as  he  is  able.  Remind  him  often  of  the 
suffering  of  his  dying  Saviour,  which  will  sustain  his  patience, 
and  comfort  him  in  all  his  pains.  Let  no  long  time  pass  with- 
out suggesting  to  him  some  short  aspiration  :  though  apparently 
unconscious,  he  may  be  able  to  hear  and  understand.  He  will 
unite  with  you,  and  your  words  will  strengthen  and  encourage 
him.  O  how  his  Guardian  Angel  will  bless  you  for  helping  him 
with  that  good  though^,  with  that  little  prayer,  at  a  moment 
when  of  himself  he  could  not  have  made  the  effort  to  direct  his 
thoughts  to  God  ' 

Place  the  crucifix  in  his  hands,  and  now  and  then  give  it  him 
to  kiss,  with  some  short,  tender  words  of  love : 

Jesus,  sweet  Jesus,  dear  Jesus  !  My  Jesus,  mercy. 
Jesus,  I  am  Thine ;  save  me.  Dear  Jesus,  I  kiss 
Thy  Feet ;  hide  me  in  Thy  Wounds, 

Guide  his  hand  to  make  the  sign  of  the  Cross,  a.c  often  re- 
peat the  holy  names  of  Jesus  and  Mary. 

When  the  agony  begins,  kneel  down  reverently,  and  recite 
with  those  present  the  Recommendation  for  a  Departing  Soul, 
part  of  the  Rosary,  the  Litany  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  or  any 
suitable  prayers, — such  as. 

We  beseech  Thee,  help  Thy  servant,  whom  Thou 
hast  redeemed  with  Thy  Precious  Blood. 

Mary,  Mother  of  Grace,  Mother  of  Mercy,  defend 
us  from  the  enemy,  and  receive  us  at  the  hour  of 
our  death. 

Refuge  of  sinners,  pray  for  him. 


HOW   TO    HELP   THE   SICK   AND    DYING. 


325 


floly  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  sinners 
now,  and  at  the  hour  of  our  death, 
Jesus,  mercy  !  Mary,  help  ! 

During  the  agony,  often  sprinkle  the  bed  and  the  dying  per- 
son with  holy  water,  especially  when  he  shows  signs  of  fear  and 
trouble.  The  acts  suggested  now  should  be  chiefly  love  and 
contrition,  the  simpler  the  better, — and  they  should  be  short. 
When  he  is  near  his  last  moment,  repeat  them  without  pausing, 
and  in  a  louder  voice  : — 

My  God,  I  love  Thee,  I  love  Thee. 

I  am  sorry  for  all  my  sins. 

lyord  Jesus,  receive  my  soul. 

My  Jesus,  mercy ! 

Holy  Mary,  pray  for  me  ;  St.  Joseph,  pray  for 
me. 

St.  Michael,  pray  for  me ;  my  good  Angel,  pray 
for  me. 

My  dear  Patrons  {name  them)  pray  for  me. 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  I  give  you  my  heart 
and  my  soul : 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  assist  me  in  my  last 
agony : 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  may  I  die  in  peace  in 
your  blessed  company. 

Jesus,  Jesus,  Jesus. 

After  Death. 

As  soon  as  the  soul  has  departed  this  life,  say  the  Psalm  "  Out 
of  the  Depths, ' '  for  its  eternal  repose  : 

Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried  unto  Thee,  O 
Lord  :     L,ord,  hear  my  voice. 

Let  Tine  ears  be  attentive  to  the  voice  of  my 
supplication. 

If  Thou,  O  Lord,  will  mark  iniquities  ;  Lord, 
who  shall  abide  it  ? 

For  with  Thee  there  is  merciful  forgiveness  ; 
and  by  reason  of  Thy  law  I  have  waited  for  Thee, 
OLord. 

My  soul  hath  relied  on  His  word ;  my  soul  hath 
hoped  in  the  Lord. 

From  the  morning  watch  even  until  night ;  let 
Israel  hope  in  the  Lord. 

Because  with  the  Lord  there  is  mercy  ;  and  with 
Him  is  plenteous  redemption. 

And  He  shall  redeem  Israel  from  all  his  in- 
iquities. 

Eternal  rest  give  to  them,  O  Lord,  and  let  per- 
petual light  shine  upon  them. 


Let  Us  Pray. 

O  God,  the  Creator  and  Redeemer  of  all  the 
faithful,  grant  to  the  souls  of  Thy  servants  de- 
parted the  remission  of  all  their  sins,  that  through 
pious  supplications  they  may  obtain  that  pardon 
which  they  have  always  desired  ;  who  livest  and 
reignest,  world  without  end.     Amen. 

May  they  rest  in  peace.     Amen. 

The  soul  has  gone  into  eternity,  but  prayers  can  reach  it  and 
help  it  still.  How  then  can  those  who  loved  it  in  life  forsake  it 
now  in  its  extreme  need,  and  leave  it  to  suffer  unpitied  in  the 
fearful  fires  of  Purgatory  !  Do  not  forget  it  because  its  voice 
can  no  longer  reach  your  bodily  ears.  Go  down  in  spirit  to 
the  gates  of  Purgarory  and  hear  its  cry:  "  Have  pity  on  me, 
have  pity  on  me,  at  least  you  my  friends — you  who  watched  by 
me,  and  cared  for  me  to  the  last,  and  promised  never  to  forget 
me — do  not  forsake  me  now."  Can  you  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  this 
piteous  prayer?  Now  is  the  time  to  prove  your  love,  not  by 
feasting  in  the  house  of  death ;  not  by  squandering  money  in 
costly  flowers  and  outward  show  of  grief  when  the  body  is  com- 
mitted to  the  grave ;  but  by  thinking  of  the  poor  soul,  which, 
unless  you  come  to  its  help,  must  suffer  so  long  and  so  terribly. 
Send  it  help  continually ;  you  can  do  it  so  easily. 

Many  of  the  short  prayers  in  this  book  are  indulgenced  by  the 
Church.  As  often  as  you  say  them  they  will  find  their  way  to 
Purgatory,  and  show  the  soul  you  love  that  you  have  not  for- 
gotten it.  They  will  comfort  it,  they  will  ease  it  in  its  pains, 
and  hasten  the  time  when  it  will  be  freed  from  them,  and  go  to 
enjoy  God  for  ever.  There,  before  His  Throne,  it  will  remem- 
ber you,  its  benefactor,  for  the  Blessed  are  most  grateful.  It 
will  pray  for  you  and  help  you  amid  the  dangers  and  trials  of 
this  life,  and  will  come  to  your  assistance  when  you  too  shall 
have  passed  the  gates  of  death,  and  stand  in  need  of  the  charity 
you  have  shown  to  others.  "  Blessed  are  the  merciful,"  says 
our  Divine  Lord,  "  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy." 

Remember  that  to  have  a  Mass  said  for  those  you  love  is  the 
greatest  proof  of  affection  you  can  give  them.  One  Mass  will 
help  them  more  than  all  you  could  do  for  them  by  prayer  and 
good  works.  A  dying  child  said  to  her  sorrowing  parents : — 
"  When  I  am  gone  give  me  no  flowers,  but  Masses,  Masses." 

Let  your  charity  be  persevering  also.  Many  souls  have  to 
remain  long  in  pain  and  weary  waiting,  because  those  they 
loved  grew  tired  of  praying,  and  after  a  few  days  or  weeks 
forgot  them. 

And  whilst  you  pray  for  the  soul  that  is  gone,  think  also  of 
those  who  have  the  same  journey  to  make  before  very  long — To- 
day forme,  to-tnorrow  for  thee,  is  the  lesson  every  death-bed  should 
teach  us.  Listen  to  our  Lord's  solemn  words — "Watch — Be 
ready. ' '  He  does  not  say  ' '  Be  getting  ready, ' '  but  ' '  Be  ready. ' ' 
And  ask  yourself — Am  I  ready  ?  Shall  I  be  ready  ?  What  must 
I  do  to  be  always  ready  ? 

Grant  we  beseech  Thee,  O  Lord,  that  whilst  we 
lament  the  departure  of  this  Thy  servant,  we  may 


326 


HOW   TO    HELP   THE    SICK   AND    DYING. 


always  remember  that  we  are  most  certainly  to  fol- 
low him ;  give  us  grace  to  prepare  for  that  last 
hour  by  a  good  life,  that  we  may  not  be  surprised 
by  a  sudden  and  unprovided  death,  but  be  ever 
watching,  that  when  Thou  shalt  call,  we  may  go 
forth  to  meet  the  Bridegroom  and  enter  with  Him 
into  glory  everlasting,  through  Christ  our  Lord. 
Amen. 

HOW  WE  MAY  HELP  NON-CATHOLICS. 

Should  you  ever  be  with  dying  Protestants,  and  have  no  hope 
of  their  reconciliation  vnth  the  Church,  do  not  speak  to  them  of 
it,  especially  if  this  would  irritate  them.  But  say  slowly  and  get 
them  to  join  you  in  the  following  acts : — 

My  God,  I  believe  in  Thee,  and  in  all  that  Thy 
Son,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  came  on  earth  to  teach. 
I  believe  that  there  is  One  God  :  I  believe  that  in 


God  there  are  Three  Persons — ttie  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost :  I  believe  that  God  the  Son 
was  made  man,  and  died  to  save  us  :  I  believe  that 
God  will  punish  the  wicked  for  ever  in  hell,  and 
make  the  good  happy  for  ever  in  Heaven.  My 
God,  I  believe  all  Thou  wouldst  have  me  believe. 

My  God,  I  am  sorry,  with  all  my  heart  for 
all  the  sins  of  my  whole  life,  because  they  have 
offended  Thee  who  art  infinitely  good,  and  worthy 
of  all  love.     Help  me  never  to  effend  Thee  again. 

My  God,  if  it  be  Thy  blessed  Will  that  I  should 
suffer  pain,  help  me  to  bear  it  patiently,  because 
Jesus  suffered  for  me.  I  resign  myself  to  Thy 
Will  in  all  things  :  I  am  ready  to  believe  and  do 
and  suffer  whatever  Thou  wilt.  Thy  Will  be  done 
—Thy  Will  be  done. 


THB 


Seyen  Holy  Founders 2^5  Seryite  Order 


By   C.   KKQAN   PAUIv. 


^  HE  Order  of  Servites,  or  Servants  of 
Mary,  is  an  order  of  friars,  wlio  follow 
the  rule  of  Saint  Augustine.     It  was 
instituted  in  Italy  in  the   thirteenth 
century  by  seven  rich  men  of  Flor- 
ence, and  has  for  its  special   object 
meditation  on  the  Dolours  of  the  most 
holy  Virgin,  that  its  members  may  feel  and  share 
them  with  her,  and  propagate  this  devotion  among 
the  faithful. 

The  coming  of  the  Friars  marks  the  very  heart 
of  the  Middle  Ages.  St.  Dominic  was  bom  in 
1 1 70,  St.  Francis  in  1182,  St.  Bonfilius,  the  eldest 
of  the  Servites,  in  1198;  and  the  special  task  of 
each  of  the  three  Orders  was  closely  allied  to  those 
of  the  others.  St.  Dominic  took  the  doctrine  of 
Christ  as  his  charge,  to  preach  it  everywhere,  and 
set  it  forth  in  all  its  splendor ;  St.  Francis  embraced 
Christian  morality,  to  practice  it  in  all  its  heroism, 
and  show  the  inexpressible  sweetness  which  under- 
lay its  most  austere  observances.  The  Seven  Holy 
Founders  of  the  Senate  Order,  like  loving  and 
tender  children,  devoted  themselves  to  her,  who 
had  borne  Christ  Himself  in  her  immaculate  bosom, 
Christ,  source  of  all  truth  and  principle  of  all  good ; 
to  her,  the  inseparable  coadjutrix  of  Jesus  in  the 
redemption  of  souls  ;  to  her  who  gave  to  the  world 
the  Word  full  of  grace  and  truth,  the  Saviour  sacri- 
ficed in  His  infinite  love  for  the  salvation  and  the 
blessing  of  all  men. 

Thus  while  St.  Dominic  and  St.  Francis  mani- 
fested Christ  to  those  eager  to  know  and  to  love 
Him,  the  seven  Saints  of  Florence  showed  forth  the 
sweet  and  radiant  face  of  the  Virgin,  the  Mother 
who  from  Bethlehem  to  Calvary  encircles  with  the 
aureole  of  her  love  Him  who  wrought  the  glory  of 
God,  who  is  the  Conqueror  of  souls. 

Innocent  III.  was  in  the  chair  of  St.  Peter,  keep- 
ing a  brave  heart  among  the  many  distractions  of 
'he  Christian  world.     Germany  was  a  prey  to  civil 


war  between  the  Emperor  Otho  IV.  and  Philip  of 
Swabia ;  France  was  under  the  glorious  rule  of 
Philip  Augustus  who,  having  returned  from  the 
third  Crusade,  conquered  Normandy,  Maine,  Anjou 
Poitou,  but  showed  himself  a  true  son  of  the  Church 
in  submitting  wholly  to  Innocent  in  the  question 
of  his  marriage,  having  wished  to  repudiate  his  wife 
Ingeburge.  Not  so  John  in  England,  more  disloyal 
to  the  Holy  See  than  any  king  of  England,  till  he 
arose  who  brought  about  the  great  Apostacy.  Spain 
was  in  the  agony  of  the  Mahommedan  invasion.  In 
the  East,  Jerusalem  had  again  fallen  into  the  power 
of  the  Infidel,  and  the  Pope  incited  and  arranged 
the  fourth  Crusade.  But  the  Eastern  Empire 
alone  fell,  and  the  Holy  Places  were  not  freed. 

Coming  nearer  to  his  own  realm,  the  Pope  looked 
out  on  a  stormy  and  distracted  land.  Except  the 
States  of  the  Church  and  the  kingdom  of  Sicily, 
then  under  a  Regency,  all  the  important  towns 
were  at  strife  with  their  neighbors,  either  forming 
round  them  independent  communes,  or  becoming 
the  centres  of  small  republics.  They  lived  in  a 
state  of  perpetual  feud,  happy  only  if  they  had 
peace  within  their  own  borders,  as  Florence  had  for 
the  moment.  Later,  in  Dante's  time,  who  prob- 
ably knew  some  of  the  early  Servite  Saints,  there 
were  no  less  than  seven  intrenched  camps  belong- 
ing to  different  factions  within  the  City  of  Florence 
itself.  Though,  of  course,  politically  divided  by 
the  two  great  parties,  the  Guelfs  and  the  Ghibel- 
lines,  their  dissensions  were  but  political ;  war  with 
those  without  had  not  become  civil  war. 

The  Church  and  the  ofl&ces  of  religion  constituted 
the  whirlwind's  heart  of  peace,  and  the  many  con- 
fraternities to  which  pious  laymen  belonged,  brought 
men  together,  who  would  not  otherwise  have  known 
each  other,  of  all  opinions  and  all  stations.  In 
them,  Guelf  and  Ghibelline,  merchant  and  prince, 
met  on  an  equal  footing.  Such  a  Confraternity  was 
that  of  the  "  Laudesi,"  or  the  Elder  Society  of  Our 

327 


328 


THE   SEVEN   HOLY   FOUNDERS   OF   THE   SERVITE   ORDER. 


Blessed  Lady,  founded  in  the  year  1183.  It  was  in 
fact  just  such  a  confraternity  or  sodality  as  we  now 
know,  mainly  in  connection  with  Jesuit  churches, 
and  under  one  of  the  titles  of  Our  Lady.  It  was 
composed  of  the  nobles  and  merchants  of  Florence, 
and  met  at  the  church  of  Santa  Reparata.  In  the 
year  1233,  just  fifty  years  after  its  foundation,  it 
numbered  two  hundred  members,  all  of  the  best 
families  in  Florence,  and  was  under  the  direction 
of  a  young  priest,  James  of  Poggibonsi. 

Of  these  two  hundred  members,  seven  became 
the  saintly  founders  of  the  Servite  Order,  and  the 
Confraternity  of  the  Laudesi  was,  in  the  good  provi- 
dence of  God,  to  serve  as  their  novitiate. 

Bonfilius  Monaldi  was  the  eldest.  He  was  bom 
in  1 198,  the  year  of  the  election  of  Innocent  III. 
The  Monaldeschi,  for  such  was  the  original  name, 
were  of  French  extraction,  related  to  the  royal 
House  of  Anjou.  What  may  have  been  his  occu- 
pation in  the  world  is  not  known,  but  he  was  noted 
as  being  a  young  man  of  prayerful  and  ascetic  life, 
who  took  the  lead  among  his  friends  in  all  exer- 
cises of  piety,  so  that,  as  soon  as  there  was  question 
among  them  of  community  life,  they  turned  to  him 
as  their  natural  superior.  He  retained  in  religion 
his  baptismal  name. 

Alexis  Falconieri  was  born  in  1200,  of  a  noble 
family,  originally  of  Fiesole,  but  long  settled  in 
Florence.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Bernard  Fal- 
conieri, a  knight,  and  one  of  the  merchant  princes 
who  created  the  greatness  of  his  native  city.  The 
femily  were  all  strong  adherents  of  the  Pope,  and 
opponents  of  the  Emperor,  in  their  unhappy  quar- 
rels. He  made  his  course  at  the  University,  study- 
ing what  were  then  known  as  the  Humanities, 
Latin  and  Greek,  the  usual  classical  course,  as  well 
as  belles-lettres^  with  great  success ;  but  he  was 
marked  as  especially  prayerful,  fond  of  reading 
religious  books,  and  avoiding  general  society.  At 
an  early  age  he  vowed  himself  to  celibacy  long  be- 
fore he  knew  what  outward  form  his  life  would 
take.  He  never  became  a  priest,  but  remained  all 
his  life  Brother  Alexis,  he  also  keeping  his  own 
name. 

Benedict  de  I'Antella  was  born  in  1203,  of  a 
wealthy  family,  of  foreign,  perhaps  German,  or,  as 
some  think,  Bastem  extraction,  who,  long  settled 


at  Antella,  had  but  recently  come  into  Florence 
and  become  bankers.  Benedict  was  extremely  well 
educated,  of  very  remarkable  beauty,  and  called  on 
by  his  position  to  mix  much  in  society.  He  was 
afterwards  known  in  religion  as  Father  Manettus. 

Bartholomew  Amidei  was  bom  in  1204,  of  one 
of  the  oldest,  richest,  and  most  powerful  families  of 
the  city.  He  claimed  to  be  ancient  Roman  by 
origin.  The  Amidei  were  Ghibellines,  and  that 
Bartholomew  received  a  most  Christian  education 
is  among  the  many  proofs  that  the  bitter  political 
strifes  of  the  age  were  merely  political,  and  hin- 
dered neither  side  from  being  good  Catholics.  His 
family,  who  lived  much  in  the  world,  allowed  him 
to  follow  a  secluded  and  religious  life,  which  found 
its  natural  development  in  a  religious  Order.  He 
took  in  religion  his  family,  rather  than  his  baptis- 
mal name. 

Ricovero  Uguccioni  was  born  in  the  same  year 
as  Amidei,  of  a  family  both  noble  and  mercantile. 
The  lad  was  from  a  very  early  age  remarkable  for 
obedience,  compassion  for  the  poor,  and  love  of  soli- 
tude ;  he  was  devoted  to  pious  reading,  yet  none 
the  less  was  a  leader  among  his  young  companions 
who  looked  to  him  in  all  things.  In  religion  he 
was  known  as  Hugh. 

Gherardino  Sostegni  was  born  in  1205,  of  good 
family,  but  beyond  this  little  is  known  of  his 
wordly  state.  In  religion  he  bore  his  family  name 
Sostegni. 

John  Manetti  was  bom  in  1206,  of  the  higher 
ranks  of  the  Florentine  aristocracy,  both  in  birth 
and  riches.  In  religion  he  was  afterwards  known 
as  Fr.  Buonagiunta,  or  Bienvenu. 

Of  these  seven  the  eldest  was  thirty-four,  the 
youngest  about  twenty-seven,  when  their  great 
change  in  life  came  to  them.  They  lived  in  various 
quarters  of  the  city,  they  held  divers  views  on 
politics,  their  one  bond  of  union  was  the  confrater- 
nity of  Our  Lady,  though  some  among  them  knew 
one  or  two  others  with  more  or  less  intimacy. 
Monaldi,  Amidei,  Sostegni  and  Manetti  were  mar- 
ried, but  Monaldi  and  perhaps  another  had  already 
become  widowers.  Alexis  Falconieri  alone  had,  as 
has  been  said,  taken  a  vow,  but  Antella  and  Uguc- 
cioni showed  plainly  to  their  families  that  their 
wishes  tended  in  the  same  direction. 


THE   SEVEN    HOLY   FOUNDERS    OF   THE   SERVITE   ORDER. 


329 


There  were  many  reasons  why  even  those  who 
sought  after  perfection  should  in  Italy,  and  at  that 
time,  enter  into  the  marriage  state.  The  Cathari, 
a  sect  of  heretics  who  had  great  success  in  Flor- 
ence, made  light  of  marriage,  and  under  pretence 
of  purity  were  grossly  immoral.  It  was  as  neces- 
sary to  uphold  true  purity  by  affording  examples 
of  holy  married  life,  as  of  celibacy.  But  whether 
married,  widowed,  or  single,  these  seven  were 
especially  eager  after  a  life  of  perfection,  in  which 
they  were  aided,  and  to  which  they  were  stimulated, 
by  their  director. 

No  new  development  in  the  Church  of  God  is 
sudden  ;  and  it  had  come  to  pass  that  Gregory  IX. 
in  his  pontificate  gave  special  favor  to  two  devo- 
tions, afterwards  to  be  so  closely  associated  with 
the  servants  of  Mary.  These  were  the  Angelus 
and  the  Salve  Regina.  In  1230  Ardingo  de  Foras- 
boschi  became  Bishop  of  Florence,  himself  a  native 
of  the  city,  and  belonging  to  one  of  the  great  Guelf 
families.  Both  on  religious  and  on  social  grounds 
he  had  an  especial  affection  to  the  Laudesi,  and  its 
members. 

On  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption,  August  15, 
1233,  these  seven  young  men,  with  other  members 
of  the  Laudesi,  having  confessed  and  communi- 
cated, were  each  and  all  making  their  thanks- 
giving after  Mass.  Each,  unknown  to  those  bout 
them,  fell  into  an  ecstasy.  Each  seemed  to  him. 
self  surrounded  by  supernatural  light,  in  the  mids 
of  which  Our  Lady  appeared  to  them  accompanied 
by  angels,  who  spoke  to  each  of  them  the  words  : 
"  Leave  the  world,  retire  together  into  solitude, 
that  you  may  fight  against  yourselves,  and  live 
wholly  for  God.  You  will  thus  experience  heav- 
enly consolations.  My  protection  and  assistance 
will  never  fail  you." 

The  vision  faded,  the  congregation  dispersed, 
only  the  seven  remained,  each  meditating  what  the 
vision  might  mean.  Bonfilius  Monaldi,  as  the 
eldest,  did  violence  to  his  humility  and  broke  the 
silence.  He  told  what  had  befallen  him,  and  that 
he  was  ready  to  obey  Our  Lady's  call.  Each  in 
order  recounted  the  same  experiences,  and  the 
same  resolve. 

As  Monaldi  had  been  the  first  to  speak,  so  the 
little  band  at  once  decided  that  he  must  be  the  first 


to  act;  they  looked  to  him  for  guidance.  He 
decided  to  seek  counsel  of  their  director,  James  of 
Poggibonsi,  who  concluded  that  was  no  mere  fancy 
of  pious  youths,  but  a  fact,  a  call  from  their  Mother, 
manifesting  to  them  the  will  of  God,  to  be  obeyed 
without  hesitation.  Some  were  engaged  in  busi- 
ness, some  in  offices  of  state,  four  had  family  ties, 
which  it  was  not  easy  to  break,  especially  since  the 
Church  suffers  no  married  man  or  woman  to  enter 
into  religion  unless  the  other  party  to  the  marriage 
contract  does  so,  too.  It  is  believed  that  the  two 
wives  who  still  lived  became  afterwards  Tertiaries 
of  the  Order ;  at  any  rate,  the  conditions  were  at 
the  time  fulfilled,  all  social  and  worldly  arrange- 
ments were  made  ;  and  by  the  eighth  of  September, 
the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  they  were  free 
to  obey,  they  had  stripped  themselves  of  ill  that 
bound  them  to  the  world. 

Meantime,  and  while  waiting  to  know  the  further 
will  of  God,  Monaldi  and  their  director  sketched 
out  a  plan  of  community  life.  They  adopted  a 
habit  of  grey  wool,  with  a  leathern  cincture,  and 
found  a  house  just  outside  the  city  walls,  where 
they  might  pass  much  of  their  time  in  solitude  and 
prayer,  yet  near  enough  to  the  city  to  give  an 
example  to  those  they  had  so  lately  left.  All  this 
was  done  with  the  approval  of  the  Bishop  ;  although 
there  was  as  yet  no  notion  of  a  new  Order ;  it  was 
rrerely  a  question  of  certain  men  living  a  mortified 
life  in  community ;  he  granted  permission  to  James 
iz  live  with  them  as  their  chaplain,  to  celebrate 
luass  in  their  oratory,  and  to  reserve  the  Blessed 
Sacrament. 

So  soon  as  their  life  arranged  itself,  and  Monaldi 
was  formally  elected  as  their  Superior,  they  desired 
to  submit  themselves  to  the  Bishop  for  his  blessing. 
He  wished  to  see  the  whole  Brotherhood.  Their 
entry  into  Florence  was  a  strange  contrast  to  what 
they  had  seemed  a  few  days  before,  a  band  of  rich 
young  men  in  all  the  splendor  of  the  dress  of  those 
days.  Their  appearance  drew  a  crowd  of  sym- 
pathizers, of  men  indifferent  and  curious,  of  former 
companions,  and  of  some  who,  recognizing  their 
great  renunciation  and  sanctity,  pressed  to  touch 
their  garments,  to  kiss  their  hands  and  entreat  their 
blessing. 

Suddenly,  from  the   midst  of  the   crowd,   were 


330 


THE   SEVEN    HOLY   FOUNDERS   OF   THE   SERVITE   ORDER. 


heard  the  voices  of  children  who  cried  :  "Ecco,  ecco 
i  Servi  di  Maria ;  "  "  See,  the  Servants  of  Mary." 
The  same  exclamation  was  made  still  more  wonder- 
fully on  the  following  thirteenth  of  January,  when, 
as  two  of  the  Brethren,  Falconieri  and  Manetti, 
were  asking  charity  in  the  city,  again  infants  in 
arms  gave  them  their  title.  One  of  these  children 
was  Philip  Benizi,  afterwards  to  be  one  of  the 
greatest  Saints  of  the  Order  and  its  General.  He 
was  then  only  five  months  old,  and  spoke  for  the 
first  time  in  crying :  "  Mother,  those  are  Mary's 
Servants,  give  them  an  alms."  Thej'  had  by  this 
time,  with  the  approbation  of  their  Bishop,  entered 
on  a  community  life  of  mendicancy,  devoting  them- 
selves especially  to  Our  Lady,  to  whose  honor  they 
reserved  Saturday  in  each  week. 

The  habitation  without  the  city  walls  which  had 
seemed  to  them  at  first  so  solitary,  and  so  fitted  for 
an  eremitical  life  became  soon  thronged  by  troops 
of  citizens,  curious  to  see  the  recipients  of  so  great 
favors ;  and  they,  therefore,  began  to  say  among 
themselves  that  they  were  not  wholly  obedient  to 
the  voice  which  had  said  as  plainly  as  to  the  dis- 
ciples of  old  "  Come  ye  apart  into  a  desert  place, 
and  rest  awhile." 

There  is  a  windy  mountain  ten  miles  to  the  north 
of  Florence,  a  spur  of  the  Apennines,  lonely  and 
savage ;  this  again  was  manifested  to  each  of  them 
in  a  vision  as  the  place  of  their  future  abode  ;  while 
at  the  same  time  a  voice,  sweet  and  sonorous,  dis- 
tinct yet  mysterious,  told  them  that  this  mountain 
was  called  Monte  Senario,  that  on  its  height  they 
were  to  dwell,  and  apply  themselves  to  yet  greater 
austerity  ;  that  in  this  more  rigorous  and  secluded 
life  they  might  count  always  on  the  favor  and 
succor  of  the  Mother  of  God. 

Monte  Senario  was  part  of  the  episcopal  domain 
of  Florence,  and  the  Bishop  willingly  granted  to 
solitaries  the  territory  whereon  they  desired  to 
settle.  They  went  without  delay  from  the  house 
wherein  they  had  rested  nine  months.  At  dawn  of 
day,  after  receiving  Holy  Communion  from  their 
director,  they  skirted  the  walls  of  Florence  in  pro- 
cession, carrying  the  Cross  before  them,  and  the 
image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  which  had  stood  in 
their  oratory.  They  climbed  the  mountain  fasting, 
for  it  was  the  vigil  of  the  Ascension  ;  they  grounded 


the  Cross,  and  set  down  the  statue  of  Our  Lady  to 
make  their  evening  prayer,  unconscious  where  they 
could  lay  their  heads,  or  even  if  and  how  they 
might  raise  a  shelter  for  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
after  the  Feast  of  the  morrow.  They  succeeded, 
however,  in  building  a  small  shelter  of  boughs  as 
a  chapel,  and  so  passed  the  last  day  of  May, 
1234.  Their  simple  monastery,  or  rather  hermit- 
age, was  built  before  the  end  of  the  same  year; 
they  dwelling  till  then  in  caves  and  crevices  of  the 
rocks. 

In  this  monastery  they  followed  a  mixture  of 
hermit  and  community  life,  broken  only  by  visits 
of  two  of  their  number  each  week  to  Florence  in 
quest  of  alms,  and  by  the  acquisition  of  a  small 
house  of  refuge  in  which  they  might  shelter  if 
fatigue  or  nightfall  rendered  it  impossible  for  them 
to  regain  Monte  Senario.  Their  lives  were  one 
unceasing  round  of  austerity  and  devotion,  but 
their  future  was  still  uncertain  ;  they  had  not  ven- 
tured to  form  themselves  into  a  religious  Order, 
though  encouraged  to  do  so  by  their  Bishop.  They 
waited  and  prayed,  and  in  their  perplexity  they 
asked  a  sign.  It  was  given  them  somewhat  as  one 
was  given  to  the  Prophet  Jonas  when  his  gourd 
grew  up  in  a  night. 

Just  below  the  crest  of  the  mountain  to  the  south, 
where  there  was  some  depth  of  richer  soil,  the  her- 
mits had  planted  a  vine.  On  the  third  Sunday  in 
Lent,  February  27,  1239,  the  Brethren  saw  their 
~nne  clothed  with  green  leaves  and  clusters  of  ripe 
grapes.  All  around  smiled  the  verdure  of  spring, 
and  the  scent  of  flowers  filled  the  air.  They  dared 
not  interpret  the  prodigy.  The  superior  despatched 
one  of  the  community  to  tell  to  the  Bishop  the 
amazing  news,  and  beg  that  he  would  give  them 
counsel,  for  not  only  was  he  man  of  most  holy  life, 
but  one  to  whom  also  supernatural  communication 
had  already  been  vouchsafed. 

To  him  in  a  dream  heaven  revealed  the  interpre- 
tation of  the  prodigy.  The  seven  hermits  were 
seven  branches  of  the  mystic  vine,  the  clusters 
were  those  who  should  join  themselves  to  the 
Order;  the  Brethren  were  again,  though  as  Re- 
ligious, to  mingle  in  the  world.  As  always  they 
obeyed  the  divine  voice,  however  given  ;  Easter  was 
near  at  hand,  when  they  would  open  their  ranks  to 


THE   SEVEN    HOLY    FOUNDERS   OF   THE   SERVITE   ORDER. 


331 


those  who  came ;  till  then  they  would  give  them- 
selves to  earnest  prayer. 

On  Good  Friday,  April  13,  1240,  which  that  year 
coincided  with  the  Feast  of  the  Annunciation,  all 
for  which  the  Seven  Holy  Founders  had  been  pre. 
paring  found  its  explanation.  On  the  evening  of 
that  day,  in  their  oratory.  Our  Lady  once  more  ap- 
peared to  them  in  a  vision,  surrounded  by  angels 
who  bore  in  their  hands  religious  habits  of  black,  a 
book  containing  the  Rule  of  St.  Augustine,  the  title 
Servants  of  Mary  written  in  letters  of  gold,  and  a 
palm  branch.  Then  holding  in  her  own  hands  the 
habit  with  which  she  seemed  to  clothe  each  of  them, 
she  said :  "  I  come,  Servants  well  beloved  and  elect, 
I  come  to  accomplish  your  desires  and  grant  your 
prayers  ;  here  are  the  habits  in  which  I  wish  you 
should  in  future  be  clothed  ;  their  black  hue  should 
always  bring  to  mind  the  cruel  Dolours  which  I  felt 
by  reason  of  the  Crucifixion  and  Death  of  my  only 
Son ;  the  Rule  of  St.  Augustin,  which  I  give  you 
as  the  form  of  your  Religious  Life,  will  gain  for 
you  the  palm  prepared  in  heaven,  if  you  serve  me 
faithfully  on  earth."  The  vision  vanished,  and 
the  foundation  of  the  Servite  Order  was  definitely 
accomplished. 

But  this  was  not  all.  Our  Lady  at  the  same 
hour  appeared  to  the  Bishop  of  Florence,  and  made 
to  him  the  same  communication.  He  gladly  went 
to  Monte  Senario  for  their  Clothing,  and  erected 
them,  so  far  as  rested  with  him,  into  a  formal  Or- 
der, giving  them  their  religious  names,  and  allow- 
ing them  to  admit  new  members.  Of  these,  their 
Director,  James  of  Poggibonsi,  was  the  first.  The 
Bishop  also  urged  on  the  Seven  to  prepare  for 
ordination,  wherein  all  obeyed,  Alexis  Falconieri 
only  excepted.  Nothing  could  overcome  the  great 
humility  in  which  he  desired  to  remain  Brother 
Alexis. 

It  were  long  to  tell  how,  when  the  news  of  the 
vision  went  abroad,  and  the  aflluence  of  new  num- 
bers was  known,  other  towns  in  North  Italy  de- 
sired to  receive,  and  received,  homes  of  the  nascent 
Order,  and  of  the  new  and  special  practices  which 
distinguished  them  from  others.  Immediately — 
and  to  this  day  the  practice  remains — they  began 
their  Mass  with  Ave  Maria,  and  ended  it  with  Salve 
"Regina,  adding  other  devotions  also  to  Our  Lady 


of  Dolours,  who  under  that  title  had  given  herself 
as  their  special  patron.  Blessed  Bonfilius  estab- 
lished also  the  Third  Order,  and  the  Society  of  the 
Black  Scapular,  both  of  these  as  well  as  the  Devo- 
tions, seeming  to  appeal  to  the  hearts  and  satisfying 
the  needs  of  the  time,  and  all  things  seemed  to 
promise  prosperity.  But  the  Founders  had  to 
share  in  the  dolours  of  theii  mother,  and  the  time 
of  peace  was  not  yet. 

Gregory  IX.  died  in  August,  1241,  without 
having  formally  confirmed  the  Order,  and  his  suc- 
cessor Celestine  IV.,  who  had  for  the  Servites  great 
esteem  and  aflEection,  who  had  also  visited  them  at 
Monte  Senario,  only  lived  a  fortnight  after  his  elec- 
tion. The  See  remained  vacant  for  nearly  two 
years,  till  Innocent  IV.  was  elected  in  June,  1243. 
One  of  his  earliest  acts  was  to  send  Peter  of 
Verona,  a  Dominican,  afterwards  known  as  St. 
Peter  Martyr,  as  Inquisitor  to  Northern  Italy,  with 
a  view  to  putting  down  the  heresy  of  the  Cathari, 
and  incidentally  to  inquire  into  the  life  of  the  Re- 
ligious of  Monte  Senario. 

Peter  of  Verona  conversed  with  Monaldi  and 
Falconieri,  and  then  prayed  earnestly.  He  was 
answered  by  a  vision  in  which  Our  Lady  appeared 
to  him,  covered  with  a  black  mantle  under  which 
she  .sheltered  Religious  in  the  same  habit,  and  in 
the  company  were  those  with  whom  he  had  spoken. 
Then  he  beheld  angels  gathering  lillies,  and  among 
them  were  seven  of  surpassing  whiteness,  which 
Our  Lady  accepted,  and  placed  in  her  bosom.  The 
Saint  was  convinced  that  the  Order  was  of  God, 
and,  after  visiting  Monte  Senario,  reported  favor- 
ably to  the  Pope. 

This  is  no  place  to  speak  of  the  favors  heaped  on 
the  Fathers  by  various  Popes,  nor  the  difficulties 
which  cast  shadows  on  their  way,  of  their  mission- 
ary efforts,  nor  the  spread  of  the  Order  into  other 
lands,  even  in  the  lifetime  of  the  Founders.  To  do 
so  would  be  to  write  the  history  of  the  Order,  and 
far  exceed  our  limit.  We  can  but  say  a  few  words 
on  their  edifying  lives,  their  holy  deaths. 

St.  Bonfilius  ruled  the  community  till  1255, 
when,  after  repeated  endeavors,  he  succeeded  in  lay- 
ing down  his  office,  and  the  choice  of  the  Fathers 
fell  on  St.  Bonagiunta.  Miracle  had  again  marked 
him  out  as   chosen  of  God.     A  merchant  in  the 


332 


THE   SEVEN    HOLY   FOUNDERS   OF   THE   SERVITE   ORDER. 


town,  wearied  by  the  Saint's  exhortations  to  virtue, 
under  pretence  of  aiding  the  needs  of  the  convent, 
offered  bread  and  wine,  into  which  he  had  intro- 
duced poison,  for  the  special  use  of  Fr.  Bonagiunta. 
The  Saint  partook  of  the  food  without  hurt,  then, 
suspecting  the  evil,  he  made  over  it  the  sign  of  the 
Cross  ;  the  wine  flask  burst  into  shards,  the  bread 
was  in  an  instant  full  of  worms ;  and  the  terrified 
servant  who  had,  unwittingly,  brought  the  gift,  re- 
turned to  find  his  master  sick  unto  death. 

St.  Bonagiunta  was  the  first  to  pass  away.  Worn 
with  travel,  always  on  foot,  for  the  good  of  his 
Order,  and  the  conversion  of  heretics,  he  felt  his 
end  approaching.  On  the  last  day  of  August, 
1257,  he  said  Mass  with  extraordinary  devotion, 
and,  calling  his  brethren  together,  spoke  in  pro- 
phetic words,  of  trouble  which  was  soon  to  fall  on 
the  Order ;  and  then  set  himself  to  meditate  aloud 
on  the  Passion.  When  he  came  to  the  words  "  In 
manus  tuas,  Domine,  commendo  spiritum  meum  " — 
"Into  Thy  hands,  O  Lord,  I  commend  my  spirit," — 
he  extended  his  arms  in  the  form  of  a  cross  and  fell 
forward  against  the  altar.  His  brethren,  among 
whom  was  St.  Philip  Benizi,  at  his  wish,  supported 
him  in  that  position,  and  so  kneeling  at  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  Lord,  he  breathed  forth  his  soul. 

St.  Bonfilius  was  the  next  to  hear  his  Master's 
call.  He  was  Vicar  General  in  the  absence  of  the 
third  General  in  Germany  and  in  France.  He  top 
retired  to  Monte  Senario,  and  died  on  January  i, 
1262,  "less  of  any  definite  disease  than  of  those 
heavenly  flames  which  burnt  up  his  heart."  He 
and  those  around  him  were  consoled  by  special 
revelations  from  her  whose  faithful  servant  he  had 
been. 

Three  years  later  came  the  turn  of  St.  Amideus. 
For  a  year  he  had  felt  his  force  failing,  and  had  re- 
mained at  Monte  Senario.  He  led  a  hermit  life, 
constantly  remaining  whole  hours  alone  in  his 
grotto.  Alone  he  died  on  the  third  Sunday  after 
Easter,  April  18, 1265.  His  death  was  made  known 
to  his  brethren  by  a  wondrous  sign.  A  tongue  of 
fire  shot  from  Monte  Senario  to  heaven,  while  a 
sweet  odor  filled  the  whole  convent :  the  Fathers 
did  not  doubt  that,  under  this  sign  of  flame,  his 
heart,  which  had  burnt  with  so  vehement  love, 
went  to  God.     He  was  succeeded  by  Fr.  Manetti 


as  General,  and  he  in  his  turn  by  the  young  Philip 
Benizi,  into  whose  hands  when  he  had  committed 
his  charge,  St.  Manetti  also  retired  to  Monte  Sena- 
rio, and  died  in  St.  Philip's  arms. 

The  three  brave  men  who  were  left  spared  no 
fatigue.  One,  St.  Alexis,  continued  his  hard  life 
as  a  lay  brother  ;  two,  in  spite  of  advancing  years, 
wore  themselves  with  missionary  labors  in  foreign 
lands  with  their  new  General,  St.  Philip.  In  the 
spring  of  1282,  SS.  Hugh  and  Sosthenes  returned 
to  Monte  Senario.  And  as  they  went  they  spoke 
of  all  that  their  Lady  had  done  for  them,  of  the 
spread  of  the  Order,  of  the  deaths  of  those  who  had 
gone  before.  Raising  their  eyes  to  heaven,  they 
desired  that  they  also  might  be  removed  from  this 
valley  of  tears  and  united  to  their  Sovereign  Good. 
Then  they  heard  a  voice  which  said :  "  Fear  not, 
ye  men  of  God,  your  consolation  is  at  hand."  At 
once  on  their  arrival  they  were  stricken  with  fever, 
and  died  at  the  same  hour  on  May  3,  1282. 

St.  Philip  Benizi  was  at  that  time  in  Florence, 
and,  praying,  he  fell  into  a  trance.  He  saw  on 
Monte  Senario  two  angels  pluck  each  a  lily  of  per- 
fect whiteness,  and  present  them  to  Our  Lady.  He 
called  his  brethren  around  him,  and  knowing  well 
what  the  vision  meant,  announced  to  them  the 
deaths  of  the  two  holy  Founders. 

Not  till  13 10  was  St.  Alexis  called  away.  In  his 
last  years  it  was  only  in  virtue  of  holy  obedience 
that  he  allowed  himself  to  lie  on  a  couch  of  straw, 
and  to  relax  his  rule  of  rigid  abstinence.  When 
he  knew  that  his  hour  was  come  he  called  his 
brethren  round  him,  and  recited  one  hundred  Aves, 
during  which  the  angels  circled  around  him  in  the 
form  of  doves.  As  he  recited  the  last  Ave  he  saw 
our  Lord  approach,  and  crown  him  with  sweet 
flowers.  He  cried :  "  Kneel,  my  Brothers,  see  ye 
not  Jesus  Christ,  your  loving  Lord  and  mine,  who 
crowns  me  with  a  garland  of  beauteous  flowers? 
Worship  Him  and  adore.  He  will  crown  you  also 
in  the  same  manner,  if,  full  of  devotion  to  the  holy 
Virgin,  you  imitate  her  immaculate  purity,  her  pro- 
found humility." 

So  closed  the  life  story  of  the  Seven  Founders, 
who,  during  the  time  they  spent  on  earth,  did  all 
that  in  them  lay  to  hide  their  merits  under  the  veil 
of  profound  humilitj'.    Their  sanctity  was  attested. 


i 


THE   SEVEN    HOLY    FOUNDERS   OF   THE   SERVITE   ORDER. 


333 


not  only  by  their  heroic  virtues,  as  they  came  to 
light,  and  by  the  miracles  which  accompanied  them 
in  their  career,  and  illuminated  their  deaths,  but 
also  by  an  whole  generation  of  Saints,  who  arose  on 
their  traces,  and  became  as  it  were,  their  guard  of 
honor. 

Foremost  of  these  was  St.  Philip  Benizi,  whom 
we  have  so  often  named,  whose  life  merits  a  sepa- 
late  essay.  He  was  the  most  brilliant  disciple 
of  the  Seven  Founders,  and  did  honor  to  his  mas- 
ters by  his  work  and  sanctity.  Indeed  so  great 
was  the  renown  of  his  virtue,  that  he  seemed  even 
to  cast  into  the  shade  the  heroism  of  those  who 
formed  his  character,  as  he  is  their  abiding  honor. 
No  other  ever  reflected  their  spirit  more  faithfully, 
seized  their  thought  more  accurately,  carried  out 
their  designs  with  such  fidelity.  Philip,  made  a 
Saint  by  Saints,  was  in  his  turn  the  father  of  Saints, 
of  whom  SS.  Peregrine  Laziosi  and  Juliana  Falcon- 
ieri,  foundress  of  the  Mantellate  or  Servite  nuns, 
are  the  best  known. 

The  spread  of  the  Order  in  its  early  days  was 
remarkable,  and  it  was  soon  divided  into  six  prov- 
inces, containing  about  one  hundred  convents,  four 


provinces  in  Italy,  one  consisting  of  German}',  one 
of  France.  Only  in  these  later  days  has  the  Order 
spread  to  England  and  to  America,  where  to  it,  as 
to  the  Catholic  Church  in  general,  a  vast  field 
seems  opening. 

More  than  four  hundred  years  passed  away  after 
the  death  of  St.  Alexis  during  which  the  Order  had 
its  vicissitudes,  its  triumphs  of  grace,  its  dangers, 
alternations  of  honor  and  scorn.  But  in  the  course 
of  the  year  1752,  the  Seven  Holy  Fathers  were 
solemnly  declared  Blessed ;  in  1888  they  were  can- 
onized. Lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives,  in 
death  they  were  not  divided ;  their  invocation  is 
collective,  none  in  the  Sacred  Order  is  greater  or 
less  than  another ;  the  miracles  necessary  to  their 
canonization  were  not  wrought  in  connection  with 
this  or  that  one  amongst  them  ;  all  together  con- 
tinue the  work  they  began  in  common. 

Sancti  Patres  Fundatores,  orate  pro  nobis. 

Tu  autem,  praecipue,  Domina  Septem  Uolorum, 

Regina  Servorum  tuorum  ;  Ora  pro  nobis. 

Holy  Father  Founders,  pray  for  us. 

Thou  too,  especially,  our  Lady  of  Seven  Dolours, 

Queen  of  thy  Servants,  pray  for  us. 


Legends  of  St.  Francis. 


How  St.  Francis  Showed  to  Brother  Leone,  as  They 
Went  by  the  Way,  What  Are  the  Things  in  Which 
Consists  Perfect  Joy. 

As  St.  Francis  went  once  on  a  time  from  Perugia 
to  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  with  Brother  Leone,  in 
the  winter,  they  suffered  greatly  from  the  severity 
of  the  cold,  and  St.  Francis  called  to  Brother  Leone, 
who  was  going  on  a  little  in  advance  :  "  O  Brother 
Leone,  although  the  Friars  Minor  in  these  parts 
give  a  great  example  of  sanctity  and  good  edifica- 
tion, write  it  down  and  note  it  well,  that  this  is  not 
perfect  joy."  And  having  gone  a  little  further,  he 
called  to  him  the  second  time  :  "  O  Brother  Leone, 
even  though  the  Fiars  Minor  should  give  sight  to 
the  blind,  and  loose  the  limbs  of  the  paralyzed,  and 
though  they  should  cast  out  devils,  and  give  hear- 
ing to  the  deaf,  speech  to  the  dumb,  and  the  power 
of  walking  to  the  lame,  and  although — which  is  a 
greather  thing  than  these — they  should  raise  to 
life  those  who  had  been  dead  four  days,  write  that 
in  all  this,  there  is  not  perfect  joy." 

And  going  on  a  little  while,  he  cried  aloud :  "  O 
Brother  Leone,  if  the  Friars  Minor  knew  all  lan- 
guages, and  all  the  sciences,  and  all  the  Scriptures, 
and  if  they  could  prophesy,  and  reveal,  not  only 
things  in  the  future,  but  the  secrets  of  consciences, 
and  of  men's  souls,  write  that  in  all  this,  there  is 
not  perfect  joy."  Going  still  a  little  further,  St. 
Francis  called  aloud  again  :  "  O  Brother  Leone, 
thou  little  sheep  of  God,  even  though  the  Friars 
Minor  spoke  with  the  tongues  of  angels,  and  knew 
the  courses  of  the  stars,  and  the  virtues  of  herbs, 
and  though  to  them  were  revealed  all  the  treasures 
of  the  earth,  and  that  they  knew  the  virtues  of 
birds  and  of  fishes,  and  of  all  animals,  and  of  men, 
of  trees  also,  and  of  stones,  and  roots  and  waters, 
write  that  not  in  this  is  perfect  joy." 

And  going  yet  a  little  while  on  the  way,  St. 
Francis  called  aloud :  "  O  Brother  Leone,  even 
though  the  Friars  Minor  should  preach  so  well  that 
they  should  convert  all  the  infidels  to  the  Faith  of 
Christ,  write  that  herein  is  not  perfect  joy."  And 
334 


as  he  spoke  in  this  manner  during  two  good  miles. 
Brother  Leone  in  great  astonishment  asked  of  him, 
and  said :  "  Father,  I  pray  thee,  for  God's  sake, 
tell  me  wherein  is  perfect  joy."  And  St.  Francis 
replied  to  him  :  "  When  we  shall  have  come  to 
St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  soaked  as  we  are  with  the 
rain,  and  frozen  with  the  cold,  encrusted  with  mud, 
and  afliicted  with  hunger,  and  shall  knock  at  the 
door,  if  the  porter  should  come,  and  ask  angrily, 
'  Who  are  you  ?  '  and  we  replying,  '  We  are  two  of 
your  Brethren,'  he  should  say,  '  You  speak  falsely ; 
you  are  two  good-for-nothings,  who  go  about  the 
world  stealing  alms  from  the  poor  ;  go  your  way,' 
and  if  he  would  not  open  the  door  to  us,  but  left  us 
without,  exposed  till  night  to  the  snow,  and  the 
wind,  and  the  torrents  of  rain,  in  cold  and  hunger ; 
then,  if  we  should  bear  so  much  abuse  and  cruelty, 
and  such  a  dismissal  patiently,  without  disturb- 
ance, and  without  murmuring  at  him,  and  should 
think  humbly  and  charitably  that  this  porter  knew 
us  truly,  and  that  God  would  have  him  speak 
against  us,  O  Brother  Leone,  write  that  this  would 
be  perfect  joy. 

"  And  if  we  should  continue  to  knock,  and  he 
should  come  out  in  a  rage,  and  should  drive  us 
away  as  importunate  villains,  with  rudeness  and 
with  buffetings,  saying  :  '  Depart  from  this  house, 
vile  thieves  ;  go  to  the  poor-house,  for  you  shall 
neither  eat  nor  be  lodged  here,'  if  we  should  sustain 
this  with  patience,  and  with  joy,  and  with  love, 
O  Brother  Leone,  write  that  this  would  be  per- 
fect joy.  And  if  constrained  by  hunger,  and 
the  cold,  and  the  night,  we  should  knock  yet 
again,  and  beg  him  with  many  tears,  for  the 
love  of  God,  that  he  would  open  to  us  and  let 
us  in,  and  he  should  say  still  more  angrily  :  '  These 
are  importunate  rascals,  I  will  pay  them  well  for 
this,  as  they  deserve,'  and  should  come  out  furiously 
with  a  knotted  stick,  and  seize  hold  of  us  by  our 
hoods,  and  throw  us  to  the  earth,  and  roll  us  in  the 
snow,  and  beat  us  all  over  our  bodies  ,  if  we  should 
bear  all  these  things  patiently  and  with  joy,  think- 


LEGENDS    OF   ST.  FRANCIS. 


335 


ing  on  fhe  pains  of  the  Blessed  Christ,  as  that 
which  we  ought  to  bear  for  His  love : — O  Brother 
Leone,  write,  that  it  is  in  this  that  there  is  perfect 
joy.  Finally,  hear  the  conclusion,  Brother  Leone: 
above  all  the  graces  and  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
which  Christ  has  given  to  His  friends,  is  that  of 
conquering  one's  self,  and  suffering  willingly,  for 
the  love  of  Christ,  all  pain,  ill-usage,  and  oppro- 
brium, and  calamity  ;  because,  of  all  the  other  gifts 
of  God,  we  can  glory  in  none,  seeing  they  are  not 
ours,  but  God's ;  as  said  the  Apostle :  What  hast 
thou  that  thou  hast  not  received  of  God  ?  And  if 
thou  hast  received  it  of  God,  why  dost  thou  glory, 
as  if  thou  hadst  it  of  thyself  ?  But  in  the  cross  of 
tribulation,  and  affliction,  we  may  glory,  for  these 
are  ours,  and  therefore,  says  the  Apostle,  I  will 
not  glory  save  in  the  Cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

How  Brother  Masseo  Mockingly  Said  to  St.  Francis 
that  all  the  World  Went  After  Him  :  and  St.  Francis 
Replied  that  this  was  for  the  Confusion  of  the  World, 
and  for  the  Glory  of  God. 

St.  Francis  was  staying  once  on  a  time  in  the 
convent  of  the  Portiuncula  with  Brother  Masseo  of 
Marignano,  a  man  of  great  sanctity,  discernment, 
and  grace  in  speaking  of  the  things  of  God,  for 
which  reason  St.  Francis  loved  him  much  ;  and  one 
day,  as  St.  Francis  was  returning  from  his  prayers 
in  the  wood,  at  the  entrance  to  the  wood.  Brother 
Masseo  met  him,  and  wishing  to  test  how  humble 
he  was,  asked  in  a  mocking  manner,  saying :  "  Why 
after  thee  ?  why  after  thee  ?  why  after  thee  ?"  St. 
Francis  replied  :  "  What  is  it  thou  wouldst  say  ?" 
And  Brother  Masseo  answered :  "  Say,  why  is  it 
that  all  the  world  comes  after  thee,  and  everybody 
desires  to  see  thee,  and  to  hear  thee,  and  to  obey 
thee  ?  Thou  art  not  a  man  either  comely  of  per- 
son, or  of  noble  birth,  or  of  great  science.  Whence 
then  comes  it  that  all  the  world  runs  after  thee  ?" 

Hearing  this,  Sti  Francis,  filled  with  joy  in  his 
spirit,  raised  his  face  towards  heaven  and  remained 
for  a  great  while  with  his  mind  lifted  up  to  God ; 
then,  returning  to  himself,  he  knelt  down,  and  gave 
praise  and  thanks  to  God ;  and  then,  with  great 
fervor  of  spirit,  turning  to  Brother  Masseo,  he  said  : 
"  Wouldst  know  why  after  me  ?  wouldst  know  why 
after  me  ?  why  all  the  world  runs  after  me  ?     This 


comes  to  me,  because  the  eyes  of  the  Most  High 
God,  which  behold  in  all  places  both  the  evil  and 
the  good,  even  those  most  holy  eyes  have  not  seen 
amongst  sinners  one  more  vile,  nor  more  insuf- 
ficient, nor  a  greater  sinner  than  I,  and  therefore  to 
do  that  wonderful  work  which  He  intends  to  do.  He 
has  not  found  on  the  earth  a  viler  creature  than  I ; 
and  for  this  cause  He  has  elected  me  to  confound  the 
nobility,  and  the  grandeur,  and  the  strength,  and 
beauty,  and  wisdom  of  the  world ;  that  all  men  may 
know  that  all  virtue  and  all  goodness  are  of  Him, 
and  not  of  the  creature ;  and  that  none  should  glory 
in  His  presence;  but  that  he  who  glories  should 
glory  in  the  Lord,  to  Whom  is  all  honor  and  glory 
in  eternity." 

Then  Brother  Masseo,  at  this  humble  and  fervent 
reply,  feared  within  himself,  and  knew  certainly 
that  St.  Francis  was  grounded  in  humility. 

How  St.  Francis  and  Brother  Masseo  Deposited  Some 
Bread,  Which  They  Had  Begged,  on  a  Stone,  Be- 
side a  Fountain ;  and  St.  Francis  Greatly  Praised 
Poverty ;  and  Afterwards  Prayed  God  and  St  Peter 
and  St.  Paul  to  Make  Them  Lovers  of  Holy  Poverty ; 
and  How  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  Appeared  to  Him. 

The  wonderful  servant  and  follower  of  Christ,  St. 
Francis,  in  order  to  conform  himself  perfectly  in  all 
things  to  Christ — Who,  as  it  is  said  in  the  Gospel, 
sent  out  His  disciples,  two  and  two,  to  all  the  cities 
and  places  whither  He  was  intending  to  go — had, 
after  the  example  of  Christ,  chosen  twelve  com- 
panions, and  sent  them  forth  into  the  world  to 
preach,  two  and  two.  And  in  order  to  give  them 
an  example  of  true  obedience,  he  was  the  first  to 
set  forth,  after  the  example  of  Christ,  Who  began 
to  act  before  He  taught. 

Now,  having  assigned  to  the  others  another  part 
of  the  world,  he  himself,  with  Brother  Masseo  for 
companion,  took  the  way  which  leads  towards  the 
land  of  France.  And  coming  one  day  to  a  certain 
town,  and  being  very  hungry,  they  went,  according 
to  the  Rule,  to  beg  bread  for  the  love  of  God  ;  St. 
Francis  going  down  one  street  and  Brother  Masseo 
down  another.  But  because  St.  Francis  was  a  man 
of  mean  appearance,  and  small  of  stature,  and  ac- 
counted a  vile  beggar  by  those  who  knew  him  not, 
he  received  nothing  but  a  few  mouthful  and  crumbs 
of  dry  bread ;    whilst  Brother  Masseo,  being  tall 


336 


LEGENDS   OF    ST.  FRANCIS. 


and  comely  in  person,  liad  good  pieces,  and  large, 
and  many,  given  to  him,  and  entire  loves. 

When  they  had  begged  enough,  they  went  to- 
gether to  a  place  outside  the  town,  where  there  was 
a  fair  fountain,  that  they  might  eat ;  and  beside 
which  was  also  a  broad  and  convenient  stone,  on 
which  each  placed  all  the  alms  which  he  had 
begged.  And  St.  Francis,  seeing  that  the  pieces 
of  bread  which  Brother  Masseo  had  were  larger 
and  better  than  his  own,  had  great  joy,  and  spoke 
thus  :  "  O  Brother  Masseo,  we  are  not  worthy  of  so 
great  treasure."  And  as  he  repeated  these  words 
several  times,  Brother  Masseo  answered  him : 
"  Father,  how  can  this  be  called  treasure,  when  we 
are  in  such  poverty,  and  lack  the  things  of  which 
we  have  need  ;  we,  who  have  neither  cloth,  nor 
knives,  nor  plates,  nor  porringer,  nor  house,  nor 
table,  nor  man  servant,  nor  maid  servant? '" 

Then  said  St.  Francis  :  "  And  this  is  what  I 
call  a  great  treasure,  that  there  is  nothing  here 
provided  by  human  industry,  but  everything  is  pro- 
vided by  Divine  Providence,  as  we  may  see  mani- 
festly in  this  bread  which  we  have  begged,  in  this 
stone  which  serves  so  beautifully  for  our  table,  and 
in  this  so  clear  fountain  ;  and  therefore  I  desire 
that  we  should  pray  to  God,  that  He  would  cause 
holy  Poverty,  which  is  a  thing  so  noble  that  God 
Himself  was  made  subject  to  it,  to  be  loved  by  us 
with  our  whole  heart."  And  when  he  had  said 
these  words,  and  they  had  made  their  prayer,  and 
partaken  for  bodily  refreshment  of  the  pieces  of 
bread,  and  drunk  of  the  water,  they  arose  and  went 
on  their  way  to  France.  And  they  having  come  to 
a  church,  St.  Francis  said  to  his  companion :  "  Let 
us  go  into  this  church  and  pray." 

And  entering,  St.  Francis  placed  himself  behinc 
the  altar,  and  betook  himself  to  prayer.  And  as 
he  prayed,  he  received  from  the  Divine  visitation 
such  excessive  fervor,  which  so  vehemently  in- 
flamed his  soul  with  the  love  of  holy  Poverty, 
that  by  the  increased  color  of  his  face,  and  the  un- 
accustomed opening  of  his  lips,  it  seemed  as 
though  he  was  breathing  out  flames  of  love.  And 
coming  thus,  all  enflamed,  to  his  companion,  he 
said  to  him  :  "  Ah  !  Ah  !  Ah  !  Brother  Masseo, 
yield  thyself  to  me."  And  this  he  said  three  times, 
and  the  third  time,  he  lifted  Brother  Masseo  by  his 


breath  into  the  air,  and  threw  him  from  him  to  the 
distance  of  a  long  spear,  which  put  Brother  Masseo 
into  the  greatest  astonishment.  And  afterwards, 
relating  the  matter  to  his  companions,  he  said  that 
during  the  time  he  was  raised  up  and  thrown  forth 
by  the  breath  which  proceeded  from  St.  Francis, 
he  tasted  such  sweetness  in  his  soul,  and  such  con- 
solation of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  in  all  his  life  he 
had  never  felt  the  like. 

And  this  done,  St.  Francis  said  to  him  :  "  My 
Brother,  let  us  go  to  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and 
pray  them  to  teach  us,  and  to  give  us  to  possess, 
the  immeasurable  treasure  of  holy  Poverty,  inas- 
much as  it  is  a  treasure  so  exalted,  and  so  Divine, 
that  we  are  not  worthy  to  possess  it  in  our  vile 
bodies,  seeing  that  this  is  that  celestial  virtue  by 
which  all  earthly  and  transitory  things  are  trodden 
under  foot,  and  all  impediments  are  lifted  away 
from  the  soul,  so  that  she  can  freely  unite  herself 
to  the  Eternal  God.  And  this  is  the  virtue  which 
makes  the  soul,  while  still  retained  on  earth,  con- 
verse with  the  angels  in  Heaven,  and  this  it  is 
which  accompanied  Christ  to  His  Cross,  with 
Christ  was  buried,  with  Christ  was  raised  up,  with 
Christ  ascended  into  heaven,  which,  being  given  in 
this  life  to  the  souls  who  are  enamored  of  it,  facili- 
tates their  flight  to  heaven,  seeing  that  it  guards 
the  arms  of  true  humility  and  charity.  And  there- 
fore let  us  pray  the  most  holy  Apostles  of  Christ, 
who  were  perfect  lovers  of  this  pearl  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ,  that  they  will  beg  for  us  this  grace  from 
our  lyord  Jesus  Christ,  that,  by  His  most  holy 
mercy.  He  would  grant  us  the  merit  to  be  true 
lovers,  observers,  and  humble  disciples  of  this  most 
orecious,  most  lovable,  evangelical  Poverty." 

And  thus  speaking,  they  arrived  in  Rome,  and 
entered  the  church  of  St.  Peter;  and  St.  Francis 
placed  himself  in  prayer  in  a  corner  of  the  church, 
and  Brother  Masseo  in  another.  And  as  St.  Francis 
prayed  for  a  long  time,  with  many  tears,  and  great 
devotion,  the  most  holy  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul 
appeared  to  him  in  great  splendor,  and  said :  "  Be- 
cause thou  hast  asked  and  desired  to  observe  that 
which  Christ  and  the  holy  Apostles  observed,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  sent  us  to  thee,  to  announce 
that  thy  prayer  is  heard,  and  it  is  granted  of  God 
to  thee  and  thy  followers  to  possess  perfectly  the 


LEGENDS   OF   ST.  FRANCIS. 


337 


treasure  of  most  holy  Poverty.  And  further,  in 
His  name,  we  say  to  thee  that  whosoever,  after  thy 
example,  shall  follow  perfectly  after  this  desire,  he 
shall  be  secure  of  the  blessedness  of  life  eternal ; 
and  thou  and  all  thy  followers  shall  be  blessed  of 
God." 

And  having  said  these  words,  they  vanished, 
leaving  St.  Francis  full  of  consolation,  who,  rising 
from  his  prayer,  returned  to  his  companion,  and 
asked  him  if  God  had  revealed  nothing  to  him,  and 
he  answered  him,  nothing.  Then  St.  Francis  told 
him  how  the  holy  Apostles  had  appeared  to  him, 
and  what  they  had  revealed  to  him.  At  which  both 
of  them,  filled  with  joy,  determined  to  return  by  the 
valley  of  Spoleto,  and  to  abandon  the  journey  into 
France. 

How  St.  Francis  Received  the  Counsel  of  St.  Clare, 
and  of  the  Holy  Brother  Silvestro,  that  He  Should 
Preach  for  the  Conversion  of  Many  People ;  and 
How  He  Founded  the  Third  Order,  and  Preached  to 
the  Birds,  and  Made  the  Swallows  Keep  Quiet. 

The  humble  servant  of  Christ,  St.  Francis,  a 
short  time  after  his  conversion,  having  already 
gathered  many  companions  and  received  them  into 
the  Order,  entered  into  great  consideration,  and 
great  doubt  what  he  should  do  :  whether  he  should 
give  himself  solely  to  prayer,  or  whether  he  should 
sometimes  preach :  and  he  desired  much  to  know 
the  will  of  God  in  this  matter.  And  because  the 
holy  humility  that  was  in  him  suffered  him  not  to 
presume  on  himself,  nor  on  his  own  prayers,  he 
thought  to  discover  the  Divine  will  through  the 
prayers  of  others :  and  he  called  Brother  Masseo, 
and  spoke  thus  :  "  Go  to  Sister  Clare,  and  tell  her 
from  me  to  pray  fervently  to  God,  she  and  some  of 
her  most  spiritual  daughters,  that  it  may  please  Him 
to  shew  which  is  the  best,  whether  I  should  give 
myself  to  preaching,  or  solely  to  prayer.  And 
then  go  to  Brother  Silvestro,  and  say  the  same  to 
him." 

The  same  Brother  Silvestro  it  was,  who  when  he 

was  in  the  secular  state,  had  seen  a  cross  of  gold 

proceeding  from  the  mouth  of  St.  Francis,  which 

went  lengthwise  as  far  as  heaven,  and  the  arms  of 

which  extended  to  the  extremities  of  the  world ; 

and  the  same  Brother  Silvestro  was  also  of  so  great 

devotion  and  sanctity  that  many  times  he  spoke 
22 


with  God,  and  whatsoever  he  asked  of  God  was 
granted,  and  for  this  cause  St.  Francis  had  a  great 
devotion  towards  him.  Brother  Masseo  therefore 
departed,  and  according  to  the  command  of  St. 
Francis,  made  his  embassy  first  to  St.  Clare,  and 
afterwards  to  Brother  Silvestro,  who,  as  soon  as  he 
knew  wherefore  he  had  come,  immediately  betook 
himself  to  prayer,  and  when  he  had  received  the 
Divine  answer,  he  turned  to  Brother  Masseo  and 
spoke  thus :  "  This  is  what  God  says :  thou  shalt 
tell  Brother  Francis  that  God  has  not  called  him 
to  this  state  solely  for  himself,  but  that  he  may 
gain  much  fruit  in  the  souls  of  others,  and  that 
many  through  him  may  be  saved." 

Having  received  this  answer.  Brother  Masseo 
returned  to  St.  Clare,  to  know  what  she  had  ob- 
tained of  God ;  and  she  replied  that  she  and  her 
companions  had  received  from  God  the  same  an- 
swer as  Brother  Silvestro.  With  this  reply  Brother 
Masseo  returned  to  St.  Francis  ;  and  St.  Francis 
received  him  with  the  greatest  charity,  washed  his 
feet,  and  prepared  his  repast ;  and  after  he  had 
eaten,  St.  Francis  called  him  into  the  wood  ;  and 
kneeling  before  him,  he  let  down  his  hood,  and 
stretching  out  his  arms  in  the  form  of  a  Cross,  he 
asked  :  "  What  does  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ  com- 
mand that  I  should  do  ? "  Brother  Masseo  an- 
swered :  "  As  to  Brother  Silvestro,  so  to  Sister 
Clare,  with  her  Sisters,  has  Christ  answered  and 
revealed :  that  His  will  is  that  thou  shouldst  go 
into  the  world  to  preach,  because  He  has  not 
elected  for  thyself  alone,  but  also  for  the  salva- 
tion of  others." 

Then  St.  Francis,  having  heard  this  reply  and 
knowing  by  this,  what  was  the  will  of  Jesus  Christ, 
arose,  with  great  fervor,  and  said :  "  Let  us  go,  in 
the  name  of  God ;  "  and  he  took  for  his  compan- 
ions Brother  Masseo  and  Brother  Agnolo,  both 
holy  men. 

And  going  by  the  prompting  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
without  taking  thought  of  the  way  or  the  road,  he 
came  to  a  village  called  Savumiano.  And  St. 
Francis  began  to  preach,  and  first  of  all  he  com- 
manded the  swallows  who  were  singing  that  they 
should  keep  silence,  until  he  had  done  preaching  ; 
and. the  swallows  obeyed  him,  and  he  preached  with 
so  much  fervor^  that  all  the  men  and  women  in  thct 


838 


LEGENDS   OF   ST.  FRANCIS. 


village  were  minded  to  go  forth  and  abandon  the 
village ;  but  St.  Francis  suflfered  them  not,  and 
said  to  them  :  "  Do  not  be  in  haste,  and  do  not  go 
hence,  and  I  will  order  that  which  you  must  do 
for  the  salvation  of  your  souls  ;  "  and  then  he 
thought  of  his  Third  Order,  for  the  salvation  of 
the  whole  world. 

And  he  left  them  much  comforted,  and  well 
disposed  to  penance ;  and  he  departed  thence,  and 
went  by  Cannaio,  and  Bevagno.  And  passing 
along,  in  fervor  of  soul,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and 
saw  many  trees  standing  by  the  way,  and  filled 
with  a  countless  multitude  of  little  birds  ;  at  which 
St.  Francis  wondered,  and  said  to  his  companions  : 
"  Wait  a  little  for  me  in  the  road,  and  I  will  go  and 
preach  to  my  sisters  the  birds."  And  he  entered 
into  the  field,  and  began  to  preach  to  the  birds  that 
were  on  the  ground. 

And  suddenly  those  that  were  in  the  trees  came 
around  him,  and  together  they  all  remained  silent, 
so  long  as  it  pleased  St.  Francis  to  speak  ;  and 
even  after  he  had  finished  they  would  not  depart 
until  he  had  given  them  his  blessing.  And,  ac- 
cording as  Brother  Masseo  afterwards  related  to 
Brother  James  of  Masso,  St.  Francis  went  among 
them  and  touched  them  with  his  cloak,  and  aone 
of  them  moved. 

The  substance  of  the  sermon  was  this  :  "  My 
little  sisters,  the  birds,  you  are  much  beholden  to 
God  your  Creator,  and  in  all  places  you  ought  to 
praise  Him,  because  He  has  given  you  liberty  to 
fly  about  in  all  places,  and  has  given  you  double 
and  triple  raiment.  Know  also,  that  He  preserved 
your  race  in  the  ark  of  Noe  that  your  species  might 
not  perish.  And  again,  you  are  beholden  to  Him 
for  the  element  of  air,  which  He  has  appointed  for 
you ;  and  for  this  also,  that  you  neither  sow  nor 
reap,  but  God  feeds  you,  and  gives  you  the  brooks 
and  fountains  for  your  drink,  the  mountains  and 
valleys  also  for  your  refuge,  and  the  tall  trees 
wherein  to  make  your  nests.  And  since  you  know 
neither  how  to  sew  nor  to  spin,  God  clothes  you, 
you  and  your  young  ones.  Wherefore  your  Creator 
loves  you  much,  since  He  has  bestowed  on  you  so 
many  benefits.  And  therefore  beware,  my  little 
sisters,  of  the  sin  of  ingratitude,  and  study  always 
to  please  God." 


As  St.  Francis  spoke  thus  to  them,  all  the  multi- 
tude of  these  birds  opened  their  beaks,  and  stretched 
out  their  necks  ;  and  opening  their  wings,  and  rev- 
erently bowing  their  heads  to  the  earth,  by  their 
acts  and  by  their  songs  they  shewed  that  the  words 
of  the  holy  Father  gave  them  the  greatest  delight. 
And  St.  Francis  rejoiced,  and  was  glad  with  them, 
and  marvelled  much  at  such  a  multitude  of  birds, 
and  their  beautiful  variety,  and  their  attention  and 
familiarty ;  for  all  which  he  devoutly  praised  their 
Creator  in  them. 

Finally,  having  finished  his  sermon,  St.  Francis 
made  the  sign  of  the  Cross  over  them,  and  gave 
them  leave  to  depart ;  and  thereupon  all  those  birds 
arose  in  the  air,  with  wonderful  singing ;  and  after 
the  fashion  of  the  sign  of  the  Cross  which  St. 
Francis  had  made  over  them,  they  divided  them- 
selves into  four  parts ;  and  one  part  flew  towards 
the  East,  and  another  to  the  West,  another  to  the 
South,  and  another  to  the  North,  and  all  departing 
went  their  way  singing  wonderful  songs  ;  signify- 
ing by  this,  that  as  St.  Francis,  standard-bearer  of 
the  Cross  of  Christ,  had  preached  to  them,  and 
made  on  them  the  sign  of  the  Cross,  after  which 
they  had  divided  themselves,  going  to  the  four 
parts  of  the  world ;  so  the  preaching  of  the  Cross, 
of  Christ,  renewed  by  St.  Francis,  should  be  carried 
by  him  and  by  his  Brothers  to  the  whole  world ; 
and  that  these  Brothers,  after  the  fashion  of  the 
birds,  should  possess  nothing  of  their  own  in  this 
world,  but  commit  their  lives  solely  to  the  Provi- 
dence of  God. 

How  a  Little  Boy-Brother,  Whilst  St.  Francis  Waa 
Praying  in  the  Night,  Saw  Christ,  and  the  Virgin 
Mother,  and  Many  Other  Saints  Talking  to  Him. 

A  certain  little  boy,  most  pure  and  innocent,  was. 
received  into  the  Order  during  the  lifetime  of  St. 
Francis,  and  it  was  in  a  little  place  where  the 
Brothers,  of  necessity,  slept  on  truckle  beds.  Now 
once  on  a  time,  St.  Francis  came  to  this  place,  and 
in  the  evening,  after  Compline,  he  lay  down  to 
sleep,  that  he  might  be  able  to  rise  in  the  night 
and  pray,  when  the  other  Brothers  were  asleep, 
according  to  his  custom.  Then  the  little  boy  set 
his  heart  on  carefully  watching  the  ways  of  St. 
Francis,  that  he  might  know  his  sanctity,  and 
especially  that  he  might  know  what  he  did  when 


LEGENDS    OF   ST.   FRANCIS. 


he  got  up  in  the  night.  And  in  order  that  he 
might  not  sleep  too  soundly,  the  boy,  when  he  lay 
down  by  the  side  of  St.  Francis,  tied  his  cord  to 
the  cord  of  St.  Francis,  that  he  might  feel  when  he 
got  up ;  and  of  this  St.  Francis  perceived  nothing. 

But  in  the  night,  after  his  first  sleep,  when  all 
the  other  Brothers  slept,  St.  Francis  arose  and 
found  his  cord  fastened  to  something,  and  he  softly 
untied  it,  so  that  the  boy  did  not  feel  anything,  and 
went  into  the  wood  which  was  close  to  the  house, 
and  entering  a  little  cell  which  was  there,  betook 
himself  to  prayer.  After  a  while  the  boy  awoke, 
and  finding  that  the  cord  had  been  unfastened,  and 
that  St.  Francis  had  arisen  and  gone  away,  he  arose 
also,  and  went  to  look  for  him :  and  finding  the 
door  open,  which  led  to  the  wood,  he  thought  that 
St.  Francis  might  have  gone  there ;  and  entered 
the  wood  himself  And  nearing  the  cell  where  St. 
Francis  was  praying,  he  began  to  hear  much  speak- 
ing ;  and  approaching  nearer  to  see,  and  to  make 
out  what  it  was  that  he  heard,  he  beheld  a  wonder- 
ful light,  which  surrounded  St.  Francis  ;  and  in  it 
he  saw  Christ,  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
and  an  immense  multitude  of  angels,  who  were 
speaking  with  St.  Francis.  Seeing  and  hearing  all 
this,  the  boy  fell  to  the  earth  as  one  dead. 

Then,  the  mysterious  vision  being  ended,  St. 
Francis,  returning  to  the  house,  stumbled  with  his 
foot  against  the  boy,  who  lay  as  though  dead ;  and 
in  compassion  he  lifted  him  up  and  carried  him  in 
his  arms,  as  a  good  shepherd  does  with  his  lambs. 
And  afterwards  learning  from  the  boy  how  he  had 
seen  this  vision,  he  commanded  him  not  to  tell  it 
to  any  one,  as  long  as  he  should  be  alive.  And 
the  boy  grew  in  great  grace  with  God,  and  devotion 
to  St.  Francis,  and  became  a  celebrated  man  in  the 
Order ;  and  after  the  death  of  St.  Francis,  he  re- 
vealed to  the  Brothers  the  vision  which  he  had  seen. 

Of  the  Marvellous  Chapter  Which  St.  Francis  Held 
at  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  at  Which  Were  Present 
More  Than  Five  Thousand  Brothers. 

The  faithful  servant  of  Christ,  Francis,  was  once 
holding  a  general  Chapter  at  St.  Mary  of  the  An- 
gels, at  which  Chapter  more  than  five  thousand 
Brothers  assembled ;  and  there  came  also  St. 
Dominic,  head  and  founder  of  the  Order  of  Friars 


Preachers,  who  was  then  on  his  way  from  Bor- 
gogna  to  Rome.  And  hearing  of  the  assembling 
of  the  Chapter,  which  St.  Francis  was  holding  in 
the  plain  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels,  he  went  to  see 
it,  with  seven  Brothers  of  his  Order.  There  was 
also  at  the  said  Chapter  a  Cardinal  most  devoted 
to  St.  Francis,  who  had  prophesied  to  him  that  he 
should  be  Pope,  as  it  afterwards  came  to  pass. 
This  Cardinal  had  come  expressly  from  Perugia, 
where  the  Court  was  to  Assisi ;  and  he  came  every 
day  to  see  St.  Francis  and  his  Brothers,  and  some- 
times sang  the  Mass,  and  sometimes  preached  to 
the  Brothers  in  Chapter.  The  said  Cardinal  found 
the  greatest  delight  and  devotion  whenever  he  came 
to  visit  this  holy  company. 

And  coming  to  the  little  plain  of  St.  Mary  of  the 
Angels,  he  saw  the  Brothers  grouped  in  companies, 
here  forty,  there  a  hundred,  there  eighty  together, 
all  occupied  in  speaking  of  the  things  of  God,  in 
prayer,  in  tears,  and  in  exercises  of  charity;  and 
this  with  such  quietness,  and  such  modesty,  that 
there  was  not  heard  one  sound,  or  any  disturbance. 
And  marvelling  at  such  a  multitude,  so  well  or- 
dered, with  tears,  and  with  great  devotion,  he  said : 
"  Truly  this  is  the  camp,  and  the  army  of  the 
knights  of  God."  There  was  not  to  be  heard  in 
all  this  multitude  an  idle  word,  or  unseemly  jest ; 
but  wherever  a  company  of  Brothers  assembled 
together,  they  either  prayed,  or  said  the  Office,  or 
wept  over  their  own  sins  and  those  of  their  bene- 
factors, or  spoke  of  the  things  which  are  for  the 
salvation  of  souls. 

The  tents  in  this  encampment  were  of  willow- 
trellis  and  of  rush  matting,  and  divided  into  groups 
consisting  of  the  Brothers  of  the  various  Provinces  ; 
and  hence  this  Chapter  was  called,  "  the  Chapter 
of  the  Trellises,"  or,  "  of  the  Rush-mats."  Their 
bed  was  on  the  bare  ground,  with  a  little  straw  for 
those  who  had  it ;  and  for  pillows,  they  had  stones 
or  logs  of  wood.  For  which  cause,  so  great  devo- 
tion spread  from  them  to  those  who  heard  or  saw 
them,  and  so  great  was  the  fame  of  their  sanctity, 
that  from  the  Court  of  the  Pope,  which  was  then  at 
Perugia,  and  from  the  other  districts  of  the  valley 
of  Spoleto,  there  came  many  counts,  barons  and 
cavaliers,  and  other  gentlemen  of  rank,  and  many 
parish  priests,  cardinals,  bishops  and  abbots,  and 


340 


LEGENDS   OF   ST.  FRANCIS. 


many  other  clencs,  to  see  this  so  great,  and  holy, 
and  humble  congregation,  like  which  the  world 
had  never  another  containing  so  many  holy  men 
together. 

And  chiefly  they  came  to  see  the  most  holy  head 
and  Father  of  this  holy  people,  who  had  robbed 
from  the  world  so  noble  a  prey,  and  assembled  to- 
gether so  devout  and  fair  a  flock  to  follow  in  the 
steps  of  the  true  Shepherd  Jesus  Christ.  The  Gen- 
eral Chapter  being  therefore  assembled,  the  holy 
Father  and  General  Minister  of  all,  St.  Francis, 
with  fervor  of  spirit,  expounded  the  word  of  God ; 
and  preached  to  them,  with  a  loud  voice,  that  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  made  him  speak  ;  and  for  the  theme 
of  his  sermon,  he  proposed  to  them  these  words  : 
"  My  sons,  great  are  the  things  promised  to  us 
from  God :  yea,  too,  great  things  are  promised  to 
us  if  we  observe  that  which  we  have  promised  to 
Him.  Brief  are  the  delights  of  this  world  ;  the 
pain  which  follows  after  them  is  perpetual ;  little 
are  the  pains  of  this  life,  but  the  glory  of  the  other 
life  is  infinite." 

And  on  these  words,  he  preached  with  the  great- 
est devotion,  comforting  the  Brothers,  and  per- 
suading them  to  obey  and  reverence  the  holy 
Mother  Church,  and  to  iiave  fraternal  charity,  to 
praise  God  for  all  men,  and  to  have  patience  in  the 
adversities  of  this  world,  and  temperance  in  pros- 
perity, and  to  observe  modesty,  and  angelic  chas- 
tity, and  to  have  peace  and  concord  with  God,  and 
with  men,  and  with  their  own  conscience,  and  to 
love  and  observe  holy  poverty.  And  after  this,  he 
said  :  "  I  command  all  you  who  are  here  assem- 
bled, by  virtue  of  obedience,  that  none  of  you  have 
care  or  solicitude  for  anything  to  eat,  or  anything 
necessary  for  the  body  ;  attend  only  to  praying  and 
praising  God,  and  all  solicitude  for  your  body  leave 
to  Him,  inasmuch  as  He  has  special  care  for  you." 

And  all  received  this  command  with  glad  hearts 
and  with  joyful  countenances ;  and  the  sermon  of 
St.  Francis  being  ended,  they  prostrated  themselves 
in  prayer.  At  which  St.  Dominic,  who  was  present 
during  all  these  things,  marveled  greatly  at  the 
commandment  of  St.  Francis,  and  considered  it  in- 
discreet, not  being  able  to  think  how  so  great  a 
multitude  should  be  able  to  govern  itself,  without 
any  care  or  solicitude  for  the  things  necessary  to 


the  body.  But  the  Chief  Shepherd,  Christ  the 
Blessed,  willing  to  show  how  He  has  care  for  His 
sheep,  and  singular  love  for  His  poor,  immediately 
inspired  the  people  of  Perugia,  of  Spoleto,  of  Fu- 
ligno,  of  Spello  and  Assisi,  and  the  other  surround- 
ing districts,  so  that  they  carried  what  was  needed 
to  eat  and  to  drink  to  this  holy  congregation. 

And  behold  there  come  speedily,  from  the  neigh- 
boring districts,  men  with  mules,  horses  and  carts, 
laden  with  bread  and  with  wine,  with  beans,  and 
with  cheese,  and  with  other  good  things  to  eat, 
such  as  the  poor  of  Christ  had  need  of  Besides 
this,  they  brought  napkins,  earthen  pots,  bowls, 
drinking-cups,  and  other  vessels  necessary  for  so 
great  a  multitude;  and  he  considered  himself 
blessed  who  could  bring  the  most,  or  serve  the 
most  diligently,  so  that  even  the  knights,  and 
barons,  and  other  gentlemen  who  had  come  to  see 
the  sight,  were  the  first,  with  great  humility  and 
devotion,  to  serve  them. 

For  which  cause,  St.  Dominic,  seeing  these 
things,  and  knowing  of  a  surety  that  Divine  Provi- 
dence worked  for  them,  humbly  acknowledged  that 
he  had  wrongfully  judged  that  St.  Francis  had 
given  an  indiscreet  commandment,  and  forthwith 
went,  and  kneeling  down,  humbly  confessed  his 
fault ;  and  added  :  "  Truly  God  has  special  care  of 
these  holy  poor  little  ones,  and  I  knew  it  not ;  and 
from  this  hour,  I  promise,  first  of  all,  to  observe 
holy,  evangelical  Poverty ;  and  I  anathematize,  on 
the  part  of  God,  all  the  Brothers  of  my  Order,  who 
shall  presume  to  have  property." 

Thus  was  St.  Dominic  much  edified  by  the  faith 
of  most  holy  Francis,  and  the  obedience  and  poverty 
of  so  great  and  well-ordered  a  company,  and  by  the 
Providence  of  God,  and  the  copious  abundance  of 
all  these  good  things. 

Of  the  Most  Holy  Miracle  Which  St.  Francis  Per- 
formed When  He  Converted  the  Fierce  Wolf  of 
Gubbio. 

At  the  time  when  St.  Francis  dwelt  in  the  city 
of  Gubbio,  there  appeared  in  the  neighborhood  an 
enormous  wolf,  terrible  and  ferocious,  which  de- 
voured not  only  animals,  but  even  men  also,  inso- 
much that  all  the  citizens  stood  in  great  terror, 
because  many  times  he  had  approached  the  city, 
and  all  carried  arms  when  thev  went  out  of  the 


lf:gends  of  st.  francis. 


541 


city,  as  thougli  they  were  going  to  battle  ;  yet  with 
all  this  if  any  one  met  him  alone  he  could  not  de- 
fend himself  against  him.  And  for  fear  of  this 
wolf  it  had  come  to  such  a  pass  that  no  one  had 
the  courage  to  go  out  of  the  city. 

Therefore,  St.  Francis  had  compassion  on  the 
men  of  the  place,  and  desired  to  go  out  to  this 
wolf,  although  all  the  citizens  together  counseled 
him  not  to  do  so  :  and  making  the  sign  of  the  most 
holy  Cross,  he  went  out  into  the  fields,  he  and  his 
companions,  all  his  confidence  resting  in  God.  And 
the  others,  hesitating  to  go  any  further,  St.  Francis 
took  his  way  to  the  place  where  the  wolf  was.  And 
behold !  seeing  the  many  citizens,  who  had  come 
out  to  witness  the  miracle,  the  wolf  made  at  St. 
Francis  with  open  mouth.  And  when  he  had  come 
near,  St.  Francis  made  on  him  the  sign  of  the  most 
holy  Cross,  and  called  him  to  him,  saying :  "  Come 
along,  Brother  Wolf,  I  command  thee  on  the  part 
of  Christ,  that  thou  do  no  harm,  neither  to  me,  nor 
to  any  one." 

And  O  wonder!  immediately  that  St.  Francis 
had  made  the  holy  Sign,  the  terrible  wolf  shut  his 
mouth,  and  ceased  to  run,  and  did  as  he  was  com- 
manded, coming  gently  as  a  lamb,  and  lay  down  to 
rest  at  the  feet  of  St.  Francis.  Then  St.  Francis 
spoke  to  him  thus  :  "  Brother  Wolf,  thou  hast  done 
much  damage  in  these  parts,  and  many  evil  deeds, 
ravaging,  and  killing  the  creatures  of  God,  without 
His  permission  ;  and  not  only  killing  and  devour- 
ing the  cattle,  but  having  the  hardihood  to  destroy 
men  made  in  the  image  of  God,  for  which  cause 
thou  dost  deserve  to  be  hung  upon  the  gallows  like 
a  convict,  as  being  a  thief  and  the  worst  of  mur- 
derers ;  and  all  the  people  cry  out  and  murmur 
because  of  thee,  and  the  whole  neighborhood  is 
hostile  to  thee.  But,  Brother  Wolf,  I  would  make 
peace  between  them  and  thee,  so  that  thou  offend 
no  more,  and  they  shall  pardon  thee  all  past 
offences,  and  neither  men  nor  dogs  shall  persecute 
thee  more." 

At  these  words,  the  wolf,  by  the  motions  of  his 
body,  and  his  tail,  and  his  eyes,  and  by  inclining  his 
head,  showed  that  he  accepted  what  St.  Francis  had 
said,  and  was  ready  to  observe  it.  Then  St.  Fran- 
cis said  again .  "  Brother  Wolf,  since  it  pleases 
thee  to  make  and  to  keep  this  peace,  I  promise  thee 


that  I  shall  have  thy  food  given  to  thee  continually 
by  the  men  of  this  place,  as  long  as  thou  shalt  live, 
so  that  thou  shalt  suffer  no  more  hunger,  for  I 
know  well  that  it  is  hunger  which  made  thee  do 
all  this  evil.  But  since  I  have  obtained  for  thee 
this  grace,  I  desire.  Brother  Wolf,  that  thou  prom- 
ise me  never  more  to  harm  man  or  beast ;  dost  thou 
promise  me  this  ?  "  And  the  wolf  by  inclining  his 
head  made  evident  signs  that  he  promised. 

And  St.  Francis  said  to  him  :  "  Brother  Wolf, 
I  would  have  thee  pledge  me  thy  faith  that  thou 
wilt  keep  this  promise,  without  which  I  cannot  well 
trust  thee."  And  St.  Francis,  holding  out  his  hand 
to  receive  his  faith,  the  wolf  immediately  lifted  up 
his  right  paw  and  gently  placed  it  in  the  hand  of 
St.  Francis,  thus  giving  him  such  pledge  of  faith 
as  he  was  able.  Then  St.  Francis  said  :  "  Brother 
Wolf,  I  command  thee  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ 
that  thou  come  now  with  me,  without  doubting  of 
anything  ;  and  let  us  go  and  confirm  this  peace  in 
the  name  of  God." 

And  the  wolf  obediently  went  with  him  like  a 
mild  and  gentle  lamb  ;  which  the  citizens  saw,  and 
marvelled  greatly.  And  immediately  the  news 
spread  over  the  whole  city,  and  all  the  people,  men 
and  women,  great  and  small,  young  and  old, 
thronged  to  the  Piazza  to  see  the  wolf  with  St. 
Francis.  And  all  the  people  being  gathered  to- 
gether, St.  Francis  got  up  to  preach,  telling  them 
among  other  things  how  it  was  on  account  of  sin 
that  God  permitted  such  calamities,  and  also  pes- 
tilences. Much  more  terrible,  he  said  "  are  the 
flames  of  hell  which  the  damned  will  have  to  en- 
dure eternally  than  the  fangs  of  the  wolf,  which 
cannot  destroy  more  than  the  body.  How  much 
more  then  are  the  jaws  of  hell  to  be  feared,  when 
we  see  so  many  held  in  terror  by  the  jaws  of  a 
little  animal !  Turn  therefore,  beloved,  to  God, 
and  do  worthy  penance  for  your  sins,  and  God  will 
deliver  you  now  from  the  fires  of  hell." 

And  the  sermon  ended,  St.  Francis  said :  "  Listen, 
my  brethren :  Brother  Wolf,  who  is  here  before 
you,  has  promised,  and  has  pledged  me  his  faith, 
to  make  peace  with  you,  and  never  to  offend  again 
in  anything ;  and  you  will  promise  to  give  him 
every  day  that  which  is  necessary  ;  and  I  make 
myself  surety  for  him,  that  he  will  faithfully  ob- 


342 


LEGENDS   OF   ST.  FRANCIS. 


serve  the  treaty  of  peace."  Then  all  the  people 
promised  with  one  voice  to  feed  him  continuall}'. 
And  St.  Francis,  before  them  all,  said  to  the 
wolf :  "And  thou,  Brother  Wolf,  dost  thou  promise 
to  observe  and  to  keep  the  treaty  of  peace  that 
thou  wilt  not  offend  either  man  or  beast,  or  any 
creature  ?  " 

And  the  wolf  knelt  down  and  inclined  his  head, 
and  by  gentle  movements  of  his  body,  and  his  tail, 
and  his  ears,  showed  as  well  as  he  could  that  he 
was  willing  to  keep  all  he  had  promised  them. 
Then  said  St.  Francis  :  "  Brother  Wolf,  I  desire 
that  as  thou  hast  pledged  me  thy  faith  to  this 
promise  outside  the  gates,  thou  wilt  pledge  me  thy 
faith  again  before  all  the  people,  and  not  deceive 
me  in  the  promise  and  guarantee  which  I  have 
given  for  thee."  Then  the  wolf  lifting  up  his  right 
paw,  placed  it  in  the  hand  of  St.  Francis.  Whilst 
this  and  the  rest  that  has  been  told  above  was 
taking  place,  there  was  such  joy  and  admiration 
amongst  all  the  people,  both  through  devotion  to 
the  Saint,  and  through  the  novelty  of  the  miracle, 
and  also  on  account  of  the  peace  made  with  the 
wolf,  that  all  began  to  cry  to  heaven  praising  and 
blessing  God  for  sending  to  them  St.  Francis,  who 
by  his  merits  had  delivered  them  from  the  jaws  of 
the  cruel  beast. 

And  after  this,  the  said  wolf  lived  two  years  in 
Gubbio  ;  and  went  sociably  into  the  houses,  going 
from  door  to  door,  without  doing  harm  to  any  one, 
or  any  one  doing  harm  to  him,  and  was  continually 
entertained  by  the  people.  And  thus,  as  he  went 
through  fields  and  lanes,  never  did  any  dog  bark 
at  him.  Finally,  after  two  years.  Brother  Wolf 
died  of  old  age  ;  at  which  the  citizens  grieved  much  ; 
for  whilst  he  went  so  gently  about  the  town,  they 
remembered  the  virtue  and  sanctity  of  St.  Francis. 

How    St.  Francis    Made    the    Wild    Turtle-Dove 
Tame. 

A  certain  youth  had  caught  one  day  a  great 
number  of  turtle-doves  ;  and  as  he  was  taking  them 
to  market  he  met  St.  Francis,  who,  having  a  sin- 
gular compassion  for  these  gentle  creatures,  looked 
at  the  doves  with  eyes  of  pity,  and  said  to  the 
youth  :  "  O  good  youth,  I  pray  thee  give  me  these 
gentle  birds,  to  which,  in  the  holy  Scriptures,  chaste 
and  humble  and  faithful  souls  are  compared ;  ar/' 


do  not  let  them  fall  into  the  hands  of  cruel  men 
who  would  kill  them." 

And  immediately  the  young  man,  being  inspired 
by  God,  gave  them  all  to  St.  Francis ;  and  he  re- 
ceived them  into  his  bosom  and  said  to  them  ten- 
derly :  "  O  my  little  sisters,  simple,  innocent  and 
chaste  doves,  why  have  you  let  yourselves  be 
snared?  See  I  will  snatch  you  from  death  and 
make  nests  for  you,  wherein  you  may  increase  and 
multiply  according  to  the  commandment  of  our 
Creator."  And  St.  Francis  went  and  made  nests 
for  them  all ;  and  they  took  to  their  nests,  and 
began  to  lay  eggs,  and  hatched  them  without  fear 
before  the  eyes  of  the  Brothers  ;  and  they  were  as 
tame  and  familiar  with  St.  Francis  and  all  the 
other  Brothers  as  if  they  had  been  domestic  fowls 
always  accustomed  to  be  fed  by  them  ;  and  they 
would  not  depart  until  St.  Francis  with  his  blessing 
gave  them  leave  to  go. 

And  to  the  young  man  who  had  given  them  to 
him,  St.  Francis  said:  "Little  son,  thou  wilt  yet 
be  a  Brother  in  this  Order,  and  wilt  serve  Jesus 
Christ  nobly."  And  so  it  came  to  pass :  for  the 
said  youth  became  a  Brother  and  lived  in  the  Order 
in  great  sanctity. 

Of  the  Beautiful  Sermon  Preached  in  Assisi  by  St. 
Francis  and  Brother  Ruffino. 

Brother  Rufl&no,  by  continued  contemplation,  was 
so  absorbed  in  God,  that  he  became  almost  insensi- 
ble and  speechless,  and  moreover  had  neither  grace, 
nor  courage,  nor  eloquence  in  preaching ;  neverthe- 
less, St.  Francis  commanded  him  one  day  to  go  to 
Assisi  and  preach  to  the  people  that  which  God 
inspired  him  to  say.  To  which  Brother  Ruffino 
replied :  "  Reverend  Father,  I  pray  you  to  excuse 
me,  and  send  me  not,  because,  as  thou  knowest,  J 
have  not  the  grace  of  preaching,  but  am  simple  and 
stupid."  And  St.  Francis  said :  "  Since  thou  hast 
not  obeyed  promptly,  I  command  thee  by  holy 
obedience,  that  thou  go,  in  thy  breeches  only,  to 
Assisi,  and  enter  into  a  church,  and  preach  to  the 
people." 

At  this  command.  Brother  Ruffino  stripped  off 
his  habit,  and  went  to  Assisi,  aud  entered  a  church, 
and  having  made  his  reverence  to  the  altar,  he 
ascended  the  pulpit  and  began  to  preach  ;  at  which 
the  children  and  men  began  to  laugh,  and  said: 


LEGENDS   OF   ST.  FRANCIS. 


343 


"  Now  see,  these  men  do  so  much  penance,  that 
they  become  fools  and  beside  themselves."  In  the 
meantime,  St.  Francis,  thinking  over  the  prompt 
obedience  of  Brother  Rufl&no,  who  was  one  of  the 
highest  gentlemen  of  Assisi,  and  of  the  hard  com- 
mand which  he  had  given  him,  began  to  reproach 
himself,  saying :  "  Whence  hast  thou  so  great  pre- 
sumption, son  of  Peter  Bemardoni,  thou  sorry 
wight,  to  command  Brother  Ruffino,  who  is  one  of 
the  highest  gentlemen  of  Assisi,  to  go  and  preach 
to  the  people,  as  if  he  were  a  madman  ?  By  God's 
grace,  thou  shalt  prove  in  thyself  that  which  thou 
hast  commanded  to  others.'' 

And  immediately,  in  fervor  of  spirit,  he  stripped 
himself  in  like  manner,  and  went  his  way  to  Assisi, 
taking  with  him  Brother  Leo,  to  carry  his  habit 
and  that  of  Brother  Ruffino.  And  the  townsmen 
of  Assissi  seeing  him  in  the  same  plight,  derided 
him,  declaring  him  and  Brother  Ruffino  both 
mad,  through  excess  of  penance.  And  St.  Francis 
entered  the  church,  where  Brother  Ruffino  was 
preaching  in  these  words  :  "  O  most  dearly  be- 
loved, fly  the  world  and  forsake  sin  ;  restore  that 
which  belongs  to  others,  if  you  would  escape  hell ; 
keep  the  commandments  of  God,  by  loving  God 
and  your  neighbor,  if  you  wish  to  go  to  heaven ; 
do  penance,  if  you  would  possess  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." 

Then  St.  Francis  ascended  the  pulpit,  and  be- 
gan to  preach  so  wonderously  of  the  contempt  of 
the  world,  of  holy  penance,  of  voluntary  poverty, 
and  of  the  desire  of  the  heavenly  kingdom,  and  of 
the  nakedness  and  opprobrium  of  the  Passion  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  all  they  that  were  pre- 
sent at  the  sermon,  both  men  and  women,  a  great 
multitude,  began  to  weep  bitterly,  with  great  de- 
votion and  compunction  of  heart ;  and  not  only  in 
the  church,  but  through  all  Assisi  that  day,  there 
was  such  weeping  for  the  Passion  of  Christ,  that 
the  like  was  never  known. 

And  the  people  being  thus  edified  and  consoled 
by  this  act  of  St.  Francis  and  Brother  Ruffino,  St. 
Francis  re-clothed  Brother  Ruffino  and  himself, 
and  thus  re-habited  they  returned  to  the  convent 
of  the  Portiuncula,  praising  and  glorifying  God, 
who  had  given  them  grace  to  overcome  themselves 
by  the  contempt  of  themselves,  and  to  edify  the 


little  sheep  of  Christ  by  a  good  example,  and  to 
show  how  much  the  world  is  to  be  despised. 
And  in  that  day,  the  devotion  of  the  people  in- 
creased so  greatly  towards  them,  that  he  reputed 
himself  blessed  who  could  touch  the  hem  of  their 
habit. 

How  St.  Clare,  by  Command  of  the  Pope,  Blessed  the 
Loaves  Which  Were  on  the  Table  ;  and  How  There 
Appeared  on  Each  Loaf  the  Sign  of  the  Holy  Cross. 

St.  Clare,  most  devoted  disciple  of  the  Cross  of 
Christ,  and  noble  plant  of  St.  Francis,  was  of  such 
sanctity  that  not  only  Bishops  and  Cardinals,  but 
the  Pope  himself  desired,  with  great  affection,  to 
see  her,  to  hear  her,  and  oftentimes  visited  her  in 
person.  Amongst  other  times,  once,  when  the 
Holy  Father  went  to  her  Convent  to  hear  her 
speak  of  heavenly  and  divine  things,  whilst  they 
were  together,  holding  divers  discourses,  St.  Clare 
meanwhile  had  the  tables  prepared,  and  the  loaves 
placed  on  them  in  order  that  the  Holy  Father 
might  bless  them. 

The  spiritual  discourse  being  ended  she  inclined 
herself  with  great  reverence,  prayed  him  to  be 
pleased  to  bless  the  loaves  before  their  repast.  The 
Holy  Father  answered  :  "  Sister  Clare,  most  true 
and  faithful  one,  I  desire  that  you  bless  these  loves, 
and  make  on  them  the  sign  of  the  most  holy  Cross, 
to  which  thou  hast  entirely  given  thyself."  St. 
Clare  replied :  "  Most  Holy  Father,  pardon  me, 
who  would  be  worthy  of  too  great  rebuke,  if  before 
the  Vicar  of  Christ  I,  who  am  a  worthless  woman, 
should  presume  to  give  this  blessing."  And  the 
Pope  answered :  "  In  order  that  this  may  not 
be  imputed  to  presumption,  but  to  the  merit  of 
obedience,  I  command  thee  by  holy  obedience 
that  thou  make  on  these  loves  the  sign  of  the 
most  holy  Cross,  and  bless  them  in  the  name  of 
God." 

Then  St.  Clare,  like  a  true  daughter  of  obedience, 
most  devoutly  blessed  these  loves  with  the  sign  of 
the  most  holy  Cross.  Wonderful  to  relate !  imme- 
diately there  appeared  on  all  these  loves  the  sign 
of  the  Cross,  most  beautifully  engraved  ;  then  of 
these  loves,  some  were  eaten  and  some  miraculously 
preserved.  And  the  Holy  Father,  having  seen  the 
miracle,  took  of  the  loves  with  him,  and  departed, 
Jeaving  St.  Clare  with  his  blessing. 


344 


LEGENDS   OF   ST.  FRANCIS. 


Of  the  Miracle  Which  God  ^Vorked,  When  St.  An- 
thony, Being  at  Rimini,  Preached  to  the  Fishes  of 
the  Sea. 

Christ  the  Blessed,  wishing  to  show  the  great 
sanctity  of  His  most  faithful  servant,  St.  Anthony, 
and  how  devoutly  his  preaching  and  holy  doctrine 
were  to  be  listened  to,  on  one  occasion  among 
others  reproved  the  folly  of  the  faithless  heretics 
by  means  of  animals  without  reason  ;  that  is  to  say, 
by  the  fishes,  even  as  in  former  days  in  the  Old 
Testament  by  the  mouth  of  an  ass  he  had  reproved 
the  ignorance  of  Balaam. 

For  once  on  a  time,  St.  Anthony  being  at  Rimini, 
where  were  a  great  multitude  of  heretics,  desiring 
to  bring  them  to  the  light  of  the  true  Faith  and  the 
way  of  virtue,  he  preached  for  many  days,  disputing 
on  the  Faith  of  Christ,  and  on  the  holy  Scriptures  ; 
but  they,  not  only  not  consenting  to  his  holy  words, 
but,  as  those  who  are  obstinate  and  hardened,  re- 
fusing even  to  listen,  St.  Anthony  one  day,  by 
Divine  inspiration,  went  his  way  to  the  bank  of 
the  stream,  where  it  flowed  into  the  sea ;  and  stand- 
ing thus,  by  the  shore,  between  the  river  and  the 
sea,  he  began  to  speak,  and,  as  it  were,  preach  to 
the  fishes,  in  the  Name  of  God,  saying ;  "  Hear  the 
word  of  God,  ye  fishes  of  the  sea  and  the  stream, 
since  the  unbelieving  heretics  scorn  to  hear  it." 

And  as  soon  as  he  had  thus  spoken,  immediately 
there  came  to  him,  swimming  towards  the  shore,  so 
great  a  multitude  of  fishes,  big,  little  and  middle- 
sized,  as  were  never  seen  before  in  the  sea  and  in 
that  river;  and  all  of  them  held  their  heads  up 
above  the  water,  and  all  remained  attentive  before 
the  face  of  St.  Anthony,  all  of  them  docile,  and  in 
the  greatest  order  and  tranquillity ;  so  that  in  the 
forefront,  close  to  the  shore,  came  all  the  smallest 
fishes,  and  after  them  the  middle-sized  fishes,  and 
behind  these  again,  where  the  water  was  deeper, 
the  great  fishes. 

All  the  fishes  being  now,  therefore,  thus  placed 
and  in  order,  St.  Anthony  began  to  preach  solemnly  ; 
and  thus  he  said :  "  My  brothers  the  fishes,  much 
are  you  indebted  and  bound  to  return  thanks  to 
our  Creator,  Who  has  given  you  so  noble  an  ele- 
ment for  your  habitation,  so  that  as  it  pleases  you, 
you  can  have  sweet  waters,  or  salt,  and  wherein  is 
given  you  many  a  place  of  refuge  from  the  tem- 


pests ;  and  also  this  same  clear  and  transparent  ele- 
ment, and  the  food  by  which  you  live.  God,  your 
gentle  and  beneficent  Creator,  when  He  made  you, 
gave  you  command  to  grow  and  multiply,  and  be- 
stowed on  you  His  blessing ;  after  which  came  the 
Deluge,  when  all  the  other  animals  universally 
perished,  you  only  being  preserved  by  God  from 
all  hurt.  Besides  all  this.  He  has  granted  to  you 
fins,  that  you  may  wander  at  pleasure  wheresoever 
you  will.  To  you  it  was  given,  by  the  commandment 
of  God,  to  preserve  Jonas  the  prophet,  and  on  the 
third  day  to  cast  him  on  dry  land,  safe  and  well. 
You  it  was  who  offered  the  tax-money  to  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  Who  was  so  poor  that  He  had  not 
wherewith  to  pay.  You  were  the  food  of  the  Eter- 
nal King,  Jesus  Christ,  immediately  before  the 
Resurrection  and  after  it,  by  a  singular  mystery ; 
for  all  which  causes,  you  are  bound  to  praise  and 
to  bless  God,  Who  has  given  you  such  and  so 
many  benefits,  more  than  to  other  creatures." 

At  these  and  similar  words  of  St.  Anthony,  the 
fishes  began  to  open  their  mouths,  and  to  incline 
their  heads,  and  by  these  and  other  signs  of  rever- 
ence, after  the  manner  they  were  able,  to  praise 
God.  Then  St.  Anthony,  seeing  such  reverence 
in  the  fishes  towards  God  their  Creator,  rejoiced  in 
spirit,  and  with  a  loud  voice  said  :  "  Blessed  be  the 
Btemal  God,  because  that  the  fishes  of  the  waters 
honor  him  more  than  the  heretics,  and  the  animals 
without  reason  hear  His  word  better  than  unbe- 
lieving men."  And  the  more  St.  Anthony  preached 
on,  the  more  the  multitude  of  fishes  increased,  and 
not  one  left  the  place  it  had  taken.  At  this  miracle, 
the  people  of  the  city  began  to  hasten  together, 
amongst  whom  came  the  aforesaid  heretics,  who, 
seeing  a  miracle  so  marvellous  and  so  manifest,  had 
compunction  in  their  hearts,  and,  with  one  accord, 
threw  themselves  at  the  feet  of  St.  Anthony,  to 
hear  his  words. 

Then  St.  Anthony  began  to  preach  of  the  Catholic 
Faith,  and  so  ably,  that  all  the  heretics  were  con- 
verted to  the  true  Faith  of  Christ;  and  all  the 
faithful  were  built  up  anew,  and  comforted,  and 
confirmed  in  the  Faith,  with  the  greatest  joy.  And 
this  done,  St.  Anthony  dismissed  the  fishes  with 
the  blessing  of  God ;  and  they  all  departed,  with 
wondrous  signs  of  gladness,  as  did  the  people  also. 


SAINT   ANTHONY   DE  PADUA 


St.  Antony  of  Padua. 


(1195-1231.) 
By  C.  KEGAN    PAUL. 


AINT   ANTONY   of  Padua,  is  the 
Franciscan  Friar  whose  name  is,  per- 
haps,   better    known    throughout    the 
world  than  any  other  member  of  that 
Order,  save  only  St.  Francis  himself. 
We  dare  not  say  that   he  is  greatest 
among    them,    bearing    in    mind    the 
words  of  Thomas  a  Kempis  : 
"  Inquire  thou  not, 
Nor  dispute  concerning  the  merits  of  the  Saints ; 
Which  of  them  is  more  holy  than  the  other, 
Or  which  the  greater  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
These  things  often  times  breed  strifes  and  unprofitable  con- 
tentions ; 
And  nourish  pride  and  vainglory,  whence  arise  enyy  and 

dissensions  : 
Whilst  one  man  seeks  to  exalt  this  saint ; 
And  another  man  another. ' ' 

But  we  cannot  ignore  facts,  and  it  is  plain  as  the 
sun  in  heaven  that  Almighty  God  singled  out  St. 
Antony  to  manifest  His  power  to  the  world,  and 
called  him  be  the  especial  wonder-worker  of  the 
Order  which  was  his  final  choice,  and  in  which 
he  died. 

The  ways  of  God  are  not  as  our  ways,  nor  His 
thoughts  as  our  thoughts,  and  it  might  be  that 
when  they  are  strange  and  unusual  our  duty  were 
simply  to  admire  and  adore.  But  since  order  would 
appear  to  be  a  necessary  part  of  Himself,  we  find 
a  law  running  through  those  of  His  most  unusual, 
and,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  most  eccentric 
manifestations. 

Miracle  forms  part  of  the  life  of  a  Saint,  and  the 
Church  has,  at  least  for  many  centuries,  required 
proof  of  miracles  as  one  of  the  conditions  of  canon- 
izations, so  that  miraculous  power  and  sanctity 
invariably  accompany  each  other.  But  in  the  vast 
majority  of  the  Saints  we  dwell  on  the  sanctity  and 
forget  the  miracle ;  we  remember  St.  Augustine 
for  his  Confessions,  St.  Ignatius  for  his  Spiritual 
Exercises,  St.  Francis  de  Sales  for  his  Counsels  to 


those  living  in  the  world.  In  some  cases,  as  in 
that  of  the  Seven  Founders  of  the  Servite  Order, 
in  that  of  the  Japanese  Martyrs,  and  in  that  of  the 
English  who  suffered  under  Henry  VIII.  and 
Elizabeth,  those  who  were  so  lovely  in  their  lives 
in  death  were  not  divided,  it  is  not  always  possible 
to  ascribe  this  or  that  miracle  to  a  definite  name ; 
the  deeds  and  the  invocations  are  alike  collective. 

There  are  again  others  not  necessarily  less,  nor 
necessarily  more,  holy  than  they,  in  whose  case 
miracle  is  forced  upon  us,  who  have  passed  through 
life  attended  by  a  storm  of  miracles,  being  in  very 
fact  like  the  fable  of  the  poet  : 

"Where'er  you  walk  cool  gales  shall  fan  the  glade, 
Trees  where  you  sit  shall  crowd  into  a  shade. ' ' 

Wonder  clings  to  them,  as,  in  the  natural  order, 
some  men  have  gifts  of  healing,  others  of  states- 
manship, others  of  command,  of  eloquence,  or  of 
literature  ;  and  we  not  unreasonably  ask  whether 
there  be  any  law  for  such  a  gift. 

We  find  that  God  has  given  a  special  and  pre- 
eminent wonder-worker  once  at  least  to  each  of  the 
great  Orders  of  Religious  whom  He  has  called  to 
serve  Him,  and  that  in  each  case  He  has  attached 
the  gift  not  so  much  to  the  Founder,  as  to  one  who 
came  near  him  and  had  caught  much  of  his  spirit. 

Thus  among  the  Benedictines,  St.  Maurus  was 
distinguished  alike  for  his  miracles  and  his  holi- 
ness, through  sixty  years  of  his  life  of  seventy-four 
years.  Thus  St.  Nicholas  of  Tolentino  showed 
forth  in  an  especial  manner  the  power  of  God  in 
the  austere  order  of  the  Hermits  of  St.  Augustine. 
Thus  St.  Vincent  Ferrer  sealed  by  his  wondrous 
works  the  power  of  God  on  the  sons  of  St.  Dominic. 
So  too  St.  Peregrine  Laziosi  among  the  Servites, 
St.  Francis  Xavier  among  the  Jesuits,  and  in  the 
eighteenth  century  B.  Gerard  Majella  among  the 
more  recent  Redemptorists,  as  St.  Antony  among 
the  Franciscans,  were  evidence  of  God's  approba- 
tion on  the  Orders  to  which  they  severally  belonged. 

345 


346 


ST.  ANTONY   OF    PADUA. 


It  might  be  tedious,  and  alien  to  our  special  inten- 
tion, to  follow  out  this  in  detail,  but  it  would  not  be 
diflBcult  to  do  so  in  the  case  of  every  eminent  Order 
and  Congregation.  That  certain  Orders  have  arisen 
near  each  other  in  time,  thus  causing  the  appear- 
ance of  wonder-working  Saints  in  groups,  is  just 
what  we  might  expect  when  we  study  the  phe- 
nomena of  miracles. 

Those  recorded  in  the  Bible  lay  down,  as  it  were, 
the  rule,  and  we  therein  find  whole  tracts  of  years 
without  surpernatural  intervention  ;  then  on  a  sud- 
den are  large  clusters  of  strange  events  wrought 
by  the  power  of  God,  through  the  hands  of  men. 
When  God's  people  were  to  be  delivered  from 
Egypt,  and  led  into  the  Promised  Land ;  when  He 
would  give  His  sanction  to  the  Prophetic  Order; 
when  His  Church  was  founded ;  then  to  Moses  and 
Aaron  ;  to  Elias  and  Eliseus ;  to  Peter  and  Paul 
were  given  the  kind  of  powers  that  St.  Antony  and 
St.  Peregrine  Laziosi,  St.  Vincent  Ferrer  and  St. 
Francis  Xavier  possessed  in  later  ages. 

In  the  spiritual  world,  as  in  this,  there  are  pecu- 
liarities of  gifts,  characters,  temperaments  ;  sanctity 
does  not  reduce  or  elevate  the  blessed  to  one  level. 
"  Some  Saints  can  help  us  in  one  trouble,  others  in 
another,"  wrote  St.  Teresa ;  we  may  go  further  and 
say  that,  as  here  below  the  dominant  note  of  one 
character  is  authority,  of  another  sympathy,  of 
another  a  bright  and  affectionate  playfulness ;  so 
the  wonders  wrought  after  death  by  St.  Winifred, 
by  St.  Edmund  Rich,  by  St.  Philomena,  show  dif- 
ferences of  character  as  clearly  as  if  they  were  still 
alive.  There  are  many-sided  men  in  this  life,  and 
in  the  life  beyond  the  veil :  such  an  one  was  he 
of  whom  we  now  consider  the  saintliness  and  the 
marvels. 

Ferdinand  de  Buglione,  as  was  his  name  in  the 
world  by  birth  and  baptism,  was  born  at  Lisbon 
in  the  year  1195.  His  parents  were  noble  and 
wealthy,  and  the  boy  received  an  education  such  as 
became  his  rank,  at  the  Cathedral  School.  It  is 
sometimes  said  that  the  dedication  of  the  Cathedral 
to  Our  Lady  was  the  cause  of  his  singular  devotion 
towards  her ;  but,  without  this  special  reason,  it 
would  indeed  have  been  strange  if  he,  who  was  to 
prove  so  holy,  had  not  always  been  a  faithful  client 
of  the   Queen  of  Saints.     There  was,  however,   a 


Sodality  or  Confraternity  of  Our  Lady  connected 
with  the  Cathedral,  and  of  this  he  was  a  member. 
In  after  years  his  fellow-sodalists  vested  his  image 
year  by  year  in  red  cassock  and  cotta,  such  as  he 
had  been  wont  to  wear  at  her  altar  when  a  boy. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a  novice  with  the 
Canons  Regular  of  St.  Augustine,  that  Congrega- 
tion of  which  Thomas  a  Kempis  was  so  great  an 
ornament.  Their  house  was  just  outside  the  gates  of 
Lisbon,  too  near  home  to  allow  him  to  be  wholly  free 
from  distraction  ;  he  therefore  asked  for  and  obtained 
his  transfer  to  Coimbra,  and  here  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  was  able  to  give  himself  entirely  to  a 
life  of  study,  solitude  and  prayer.  Not,  however, 
with  these  Religious  had  he  found  his  true  voca- 
tion. In  the  "  Imitation  of  Christ "  is  a  well-known 
passage  wherein  Thomas  recognizes  that,  blessed  as 
was  the  life  of  the  Canons  Regular,  there  were  Re- 
ligious who  led  stricter  lives  than  they.  He  does 
not  mention  the  Franciscans  indeed,  only  the  Car- 
thusians and  Cistercians  ;  but  the  Franciscans  were 
no  doubt  in  his  mind  among  "  the  monks  and  nuns 
of  divers  Orders." 

The  Franciscan  Order  was  founded  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  thirteenth  century,  which  may  be- 
called  the  heart  of  the  Middle  Ages,  soon  after 
that  of  St.  Dominic,  not  long  before  that  of  the 
Servants  of  Mary.  The  times  stood  sorely  in  need 
of  these  three  austere  bodies ;  for  the  great  light 
of  faith  which  streamed  on  the  world  in  the  Ages 
of  Faith  was  attended  with  corresponding  dark 
shadows.  The  Cathari,  the  Waldenses,  the  Albi- 
genses,  and  other  sectaries  less  well-known  by 
name,  assailed  both  faith  and  morals,  while  Italy, 
and  indeed  the  whole  empire,  was  torn  asunder  by 
the  bloody  feuds  of  Guelf  and  Ghibelline.  The 
Moors  were  still,  and  even  up  to  the  battle  of 
Lepanto  in  1571,  an  abiding  danger  to  Europe  ;  in 
the  days  of  St.  Francis  much  of  Spain  was  actuall}^ 
under  their  sway.  Among  his  daring  plans  was 
that  of  a  Crusade  by  wholly  spiritual  arms,  and  he 
designed  two  expeditions,  one  starting  from  Ancona 
for  Egypt,  the  other  destined  for  Seville  and 
Granada. 

This  band  of  brethen  passed  into  Morocco, 
where,  though  the  Sultan  Miramolino  was  con- 
verted, five  of  them  laid  down  their  lives  for  the 


ST.  ANTONY   OF   PADUA. 


347 


faith.  Their  bodies,  ransomed  at  great  price,  were 
brought  to  Coimbra,  where  miracles  signalized  the 
place  of  their  rest.  In  order  to  win  like  them  a 
martyr's  death,  Ferdinand  assumed  the  Franciscan 
habit  in  the  Chapel  of  St.  Antony,  patriarch  of 
monks,  whose  patronage  and  name  he  adopted. 
An  early  writer  of  St.  Antony's  life  has  this  odd 
simile,  that  "  so  soon  as  the  deaths  of  the  martyrs 
reached  his  ears,  he,  like  an  elephant  who  has  seen 
blood,  became  wholly  full  of  the  desire  of  battle, 
and  carried  away  by  the  fervor  of  faith."  He  was 
then  twenty-six  years  of  age. 

Keeping  ever  before  him  the  end  with  which  he 
had  become  a  Franciscan,  he  asked  and  obtained 
permission  to  go  on  the  Mission  to  Morocco,  and 
actually  set  sail  in  a  merchant  vessel,  with  a  manu- 
script Bible  and  a  crucifix  as  his  only  possessions. 
The  ship  in  which  he  sailed  was  obliged,  through 
stress  of  weather,  to  put  into  Messina,  where  he 
learnt  that  St.  Francis  was  holding  a  Chapter  of  the 
Order  at  Assisi.  Thither,  therefore,  he  proceeded 
and  received  the  blessing  of  his  Father  in  God. 

The  failure  of  this  voyage  was  succeeded  by  so 
serious  an  attack  of  illness  that  he  recognized  the 
missionary  life  to  be  impossible,  and,  in  his  zeal 
for  mortification,  entreated  that  he  might  not  again 
return  to  Portugal,  but  rather  enter  as  a  lay 
brother  into  some  Italian  monastery.  Even  this 
was  difficult,  for  reasons  of  health,  but  he  finally 
found  a  home  in  a  small  convent  near  Bologna. 
There  he  passed  his  days  in  the  humblest  duties 
of  a  laj'  brother,  spending  all  his  free  time  in  a 
lonely  grotto,  where  he  gave  himself  to  penance 
and  to  prayer.  None  knew,  and  apparently  the 
Guardian  alone  suspected,  that  a  Saint  was  among 
them.  Each  might  have  cried  with  Cardinal 
Newman : 

"  I  saw  thee  once,  and  nought  discerned 

For  stranger  to  admire  ; 
A  serious  aspect,  but  it  burned 

With  no  unearthly  fire. 

I  saw  once  more,  and  awe-struck  gazed 

On  face  and  form  and  air ; 
God's  living  glory  round  thee  blazed — 

A  Saint — a.  Saint  was  there." 

The  manifestation  of  the  glory  of  God  came,  as 
we  should  lightly  say,  by  accident,  though  there 


are  no  accidents  in  the  province  of  God.  The 
Bishop  of  Forli  held  an  ordination,  where  certain 
Dominicans  were  the  guests  of  the  Franciscans, 
with  Antony  and  others  of  the  Order  from  distant 
convents,  who  were  to  receive  the  Sacrament  of 
Order.  The  sons  of  St.  Dominic  were  naturally 
asked  to  take  on  them,  here  also,  the  office  of 
preacher,  but  none  was  prepared,  and  the  Guardian, 
moved  by  some  divine  instinct,  commanded  Antony 
on  his  obedience  to  speak  to  the  assembled  congre- 
gation ;  though,  as  he  pointed  out,  he  considered 
himself  far  more  fitted  to  wash  the  kitchen  utensils. 
His  sermon  was  simple,  but  was  yet  a  revelation  of 
the  power  and  the  sanctity  of  his  word. 

St.  Francis,  on  hearing  what  had  happened, 
determined  that  he  should  study  theology,  and 
become  a  Professor  of  that  science,  as  well  as  take 
upon  himself  the  office  of  public  preacher ;  the 
first  essay  having  been  made  among  his  brethren 
only.  He  wrote  in  few  but  pregnant  words  to 
Antony : 

"  To  his  dear  Brother  Antony,  Brother  Francis, 
in  Jesus  Christ,  greeting :  I  find  it  good  that  you 
should  interpret  to  the  Brethren  the  books  of  sacred 
theology,  yet  in  such  sort  as  I  enjoin  you,  above 
all  things,  that  the  work  of  study  deaden  not  in 
you,  nor  in  them,  the  spirit  of  holy  prayer,  as  is 
laid  down  in  the  Rule  which  we  profess.  The 
Lord  be  with  you." 

In  accordance  with  this  direction,  he  taught  in 
Montpelier,  Bologna,  Padua,  and  Toulouse,  while 
his  preaching  tours  embraced  the  whole  of  Southern 
France,  Sicily  and  Romagna,  especially  Rome  and 
Padua.  The  effects  of  his  eloquence  both  in  the 
reform  of  manners  and  of  doctrine  seem  to  have 
been  extraordinary ;  it  was,  men  said,  as  though 
another  Elias  or  St.  John  Baptist  had  arisen.  As 
a  preacher  he  had  great  natural  gifts.  His  health 
became  re-established  :  it  may  have  been  through 
the  physical  impossibility  of  those  mortifications 
and  penances  which  had  been  so  dear  to  him  when 
his  life  as  a  lay  brother  could  be  hidden  from  men  ; 
his  frame  grew  robust,  and  not  easily  subdued  by 
fatigue,  his  voice  was  sonorous  and  of  musical 
quality.  His  memory  was  wonderful,  and  it  was 
said  of  him  that  he  knew  so  well  the  text  of  Holy 
Scripture  that,  another  Esd^as,  he  could  have  re- 


348 


ST.  ANTONY   OF   PADUA. 


produced  it,  had  the  existing  copies  beeu  lost. 
Therefore  Pope  Gregory  IX.  called  him  the  Ark  of 
the  Covenant,  because  as  the  Ark  contained  the 
two  tables  of  the  law,  so  he  held  in  his  memory  the 
whole  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 

The  supernatural  gifts,  with  which  Antony  was 
in  so  large  a  measure  endowed,  came  first  into 
notice  in  connection  with  the  exercise  of  preaching. 
First  among  these  was  the  gift  of  tongues,  and 
fchis  was  manifested  in  two  ways.  He  was  under- 
stood by  persons  in  other  languages  than  that  in 
which  he  actuatly  spoke,  and  again  he  was  able  to 
preach  iu  Italian  and  in  French,  as  though  he  had 
studied  those  languages  profoundly,  instead  of  hav- 
ing a  very  elementary  knowledge  of  them.  But 
more  than  this  :  the  power  of  his  voice  was  raised 
to  a  supernatural  degree.  A  woman  to  whom  her 
husband  refused  his  consent  that  she  should  attend 
Antony's  preaching,  heard  his  words  plainly  at  the 
distance  of  a  league  ;  the  husband  also  heard  them, 
and  was  converted.  Once  in  the  midst  of  his  dis- 
course a  violent  storm  came  on,  the  rain  fell  all 
round  the  crowd  of  hearers,  but  no  drop  amongst 
those  who  remained  at  his  bidding.  To  his  breth- 
ren, when  he  was  preaching  in  a  Chapter  at  Aries, 
a  vision  of  St.  Francis,  then  alive  in  Italy,  ap- 
peared, giving  his  blessing  to  the  assembly,  while 
A.ntony  extolled  the  sanctity  of  their  profession, 
and  urged  the  exact  and  inviolate  observance  of 
the  Rule. 

Women  who  attended  on  his  ministry,  with  a  too 
great  carelessness  to  their  home  duties  were  saved, 
because  of  their  piety  and  faith,  from  the  conse- 
quence of  their  want  of  heed.  One  had  left  her 
infant  alone  to  fall  into  a  pan  of  boiling  water,  but 
found  the  baby  playing  unhurt  in  the  terrible 
bath.  Another,  on  her  return  from  the  sermon, 
found  her  child  dead.  She  ran  to  the  preacher  to 
implore  his  aid,  and  was  sent  away  with  the 
words  of  our  Lord  in  the  Gospel :  "Go  thy  way, 
thy  son  liveth,"  to  find  on  her  return  the  child 
alive  again  and  playing  with  his  companions. 

And  yet  another,  who,  in  her  eagerness  to  carry 
a  cup  a  wine  for  Antony's  refreshment,  forgot  to 
turn  the  spigot,  so  that  all  the  contents  of  the  bar- 
rel were  poured  out,  no  sooner  had  closed  the  ori- 
fice than  the  vessel  was  full  again  to  overflowing. 


It  is  not  for  us  to  say  that  the  latter  miracle  is 
trivial  and  the  former  great,  in  face  of  the  Lord's 
words  that  not  even  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground 
without  our  Father's  will :  we  must  also  remem- 
ber that  in  this  Antony  reproduced  the  deed  of  that 
great  Saint  of  the  Old  Testament,  who  healed  the 
son  of  the  widow  in  Sarephta,  yet  condescended  to 
refill  the  pot  of  meal  and  replenish  the  cruse  of  oil, 
from  day  to  day  during  the  famine.  There  is  no 
small  nor  great  with  God ;  His  are  the  issues  of 
life  and  death ;  but  He  is  the  sole  and  ultimate 
dispenser  of  daily  bread,  whether  He  gives  medi- 
ately or  immediately. 

Stranger  things  were  yet  to  be,  if,  when  all  is  so 
wonderful,  we  may  venture  to  compare.  The  Saint 
appeared  simultaneously  in  A^ery  distant  places. 
At  Montpelier,  at  Limoges,  while  preaching,  he  was 
seen  and  heard  to  sing,  now  the  gradual,  now  the 
ninth  lesson  of  Matins  in  his  own  monastery  ;  thus 
repeating  the  miracle  of  St.  Ambrose,  who  while 
saying  Mass  at  Milan  seemed  to  fall  asleep  at  the 
altar,  and  was  seen  at  the  same  hour  assisting  at 
the  funeral  of  St.  Martin  at  Tours. 

In  this  manner  Antony  was  twice  transported 
from  Padua  to  Lisbon  to  aid  his  father,  whom,  save 
thus,  he  was  never  to  see  again.  In  his  father's 
garden  a  young  man  was  found  murdered,  and  the 
household  were  accused  of  the  crime.  But  the 
Saint,  warned  of  God  of  the  danger,  was  borne  by 
an  angel  to  the  court  in  which  Martin  de  Buglione 
was  arraigned.  There  he  adjured  the  corpse,  who 
sat  up  and  declared  the  accused  were  guiltless,  and 
having  said  this,  again  slept  in  death.  At  night 
the  angel  bore  him  back  again  to  his  monastery  in 
Padua.  Again,  and  in  the  same  manner,  he  was 
carried  to  Lisbon,  to  help  his  father  in  a  civil  suit. 
It  is  recorded  that  though  he  was  to  be  the  recipient 
of  so  wonderful  a  favor,  he  asked  and  obtained  per- 
mission from  the  Guardian,  according  to  rule,  be- 
fore he  ventured  to  leave  the  convent. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  this  is  the  very  class  of 
miracle  that  Satan  in  these  later  days  imitates  with 
skill,  just  as  when  Moses  and  Aaron  wrought  won- 
ders before  Pharao,  Jannes  and  Mambres  did  the 
same  with  their  enchantments. 

Even  in  this  wonder,  however,  God  did  not  de- 
part  from  His  law  of  miracle  ;  that  is.  He  laid  down 


ST.  ANTONY   OF   PADUA. 


349 


once  for  all  in  the  Old  Testament  certain  classes  of 
miracle  which  He  repeated  in  the  New,  and  again 
in  ecclesiastical  miracles.  Habacuc  was  carried  by 
an  angel  from  Judsea  to  Babylon  that  he  might  bear 
food  to  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den.  St.  Philip,  the 
deacon,  was  miraculously  conveyed  from  the  desert 
near  Jerusalem  to  Azotus,  after  the  baptism  of  the 
Ethiopian ;  there  are  probably  no  miracles  of  the 
new  dispensation  which  had  not  their  prototypes 
in  the  old. 

St.  Antony  also  had  in  a  large  measure  the  gift 
of  prophecy.  We  are  sometimes  apt  to  forget  that 
a  gift  once  bestowed  by  God  on  His  Church  is 
never  again  withdrawn,  though  its  manifestations 
may  from  time  to  time  be  in  abeyance.  No  doubt, 
however,  just  as  the  abundance  of  miracles  which 
attended  the  promulgation  of  Christianity  has  in- 
duced some  Protestants  to  declare  that  they  ceased 
with  the  Apostolic  age,  so  the  existence  of  whole 
schools  of  prophecy  and  the  gathering  together  of 
whole  books  of  predictions,  under  the  Jewish  dis- 
pensation, has  blinded  even  Catholics  to  the  exist- 
ence of  the  power  in  the  Christian  Church. 

St.  Antony  had  the  gift  in  its  fullness,  and  in 
both  its  forms,  that  of  inspired  preaching  and 
prediction  of  the  future.  Before  one  steeped  in 
pleasures  of  the  flesh,  for  whom  nothing  seemed 
less  likely  than  a  holy  life  and  a  holy  death,  Antony 
was  accustomed  to  uncover  his  head  and  genuflect. 
He  taking  this  for  mere  mockery  was  enraged,  but 
the  Saint  told  him  he  did  so  because  God  had  re- 
vealed to  him  the  martyrdom  of  this  present  sinner. 
"Then,"  said  he,  "you  will  remember  me."  He 
was  converted  long  afterwards  and  died  a  holy 
death  for  Christ,  in  torment  among  the  Saracens. 

For  the  number  of  miraculous  events,  both  great 
and  trivial,  many  volumes  would  hardly  find  space ; 
the  powers  of  nature  seemed  to  wait  upon,  and  to  be 
altered  at  his  will.  For  instance :  the  Saint  quoted  to 
one,  who  had  kicked  his  mother,  the  words  :  "  If  thy 
foot  scandalize  thee  cut  it  off."  The  penitent,  taking 
the  words  literally,  thus  mutilated  himself  with  a 
hatchet.  Antony  uniting  the  severed  limb,  made 
over  it  the  sign  of  the  Cross,  and  the  foot  was  re- 
stored whole  as  the  other.  But  in  a  slighter,  and, 
as  it  were,  playful  manner,  the  mere  invocation  of 
his  name  removed  all  traces  of  dirt  from  the  dress 


of  a  great  lady,  who  on  her  way  to  hear  his  sermon 
had  fallen  into  a  mud  heap. 

These  were  miracles  of  beneficence.  But  there 
were  those  in  which  the  Saint,  so  gentle,  so  tender- 
hearted, had  yet  to  declare  God's  awfulness  when 
He  is  slighted.  Preaching  on  the  text  "Where 
your  treasure  is  there  will  your  heart  be  also,"  he 
told  the  terrible  tale  that  one  dead  in  that  city  and 
buried,  was  suffering  the  just  reward  of  his  avarice. 
"  Go,"  he  said  to  those  who  could  in  their  con- 
sciences identify  him  of  whom  he  spoke,  "  Go  and 
open  his  money-box,  and  you  will  find  the  heart  of 
him  whose  body  lies  in  the  grave."  They  went, 
and  found  the  usurer's  heart  still  warm  amidst  the 
chilly  gold. 

Like  Saint  Philip  Neri  in  latter  days,  his  power 
of  reading  the  heart  was  wonderful,  and  with  this 
he  set  great  value  upon  the  Sacrament  of  Penance. 
He  not  only  urged  it  in  his  sermons  and  privately 
in  person,  but  so  great  was  his  zeal  for  souls  that 
he  was  even  transported  as  it  were  out  of  himself, 
and  sought  sinners  in  vision.  His  early  biog- 
rapher says  of  him :  "  While  the  man  of  God 
was  yet  alive,  penitents  were  wont  to  come  to  the 
Brethren,  and  delare  that  the  Saint  had  appeared 
to  them  as  they  lay  in  bed,  saying,  '  Rise,  Martin,' 
or  '  Rise,  Agnes,  and  go  to  such  a  Brother  confess- 
ing such  and  such  a  sin,'  committed  in  such  and 
such  a  place,  which  God  alone  knew." 

His  greatest  power  over  nature  was  shown  in 
confirmation  of  sacred  doctrine.  When  we  speak 
of  the  ages  of  faith,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
the  same  were  ages  of  heresy  also,  and  a  pessimist 
of  these  days,  face  to  face  with  the  denial  of  God, 
as  well  as  with  the  thousand  heresies  which  veil 
themselves  under  forms  of  religion,  may  take  note 
that  by  the  side  of  the  sanctity  of  Antony,  Francis, 
and  Dominic,  went  the  uncleanness  and  false  doc- 
trine of  the  Cathari,  absolute  atheism,  and  that 
modified  but  deadly  denial  of  God  which  derided 
His  real  presence  in  the  Blessed  Eucharist.  So 
strong  was  his  protest  against  all  false  teaching 
that  he  was  known  as  Malleus  hcsreticorum — the 
hammer  of  heretics. 

In  relation  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  it  is  told 
that  when  preaching  at  Toulouse,  a  blasphemous 
Jew  said  that  he  too  would  believe,  if  his  mule. 


350 


ST.  ANTONY   OF   PADUA. 


after  a  three  days'  fast,  would  turn  aside  from  hay 
and  com,  to  adore  the  Sacred  Host.  The  Saint, 
with  daring  faith,  accepted  the  agreement,  and  the 
mule  adored,  to  the  confusion,  and  happily  the  con- 
version, of  the  Jew  and  his  followers.  Again  we 
appeal  to  the  Holy  Scripture.  Those  only  will 
smile  or  scoff"  who  reject  the  miracle  which  was 
wrought  on  Balaam,  when  as  St.  Peter  puts  it, 
"  the  dumb  beast  speaking  with  man's  voice  for- 
bade the  folly  of  the  prophet." 

At  Rimini,  when  the  heart  of  his  hearers  were 
hardened,  and  those  who  had  come  to  hear  stopped 
their  ears,  he  went  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mareccia, 
and  called  on  the  fish  of  the  river  and  sea  to 
hear  him.  They  did  so,  crowding  together  where 
land  and  water  met,  while  he  spoke,  ending  in 
the  words  of  the  song  of  Ananias,  Azarias,  and 
Misael :  "  O  ye  whales  and  all  that  move  in  the 
waters,  bless  ye  the  Lord."  Again,  let  those  smile 
who  deny  that  at  a  given  hour  the  Saviour  called 
a  great  multitude  of  fish  where  none  were  before, 
and  brought  them  into  that  net  which  the  disciples 
had  constantly  let  down  all  the  night,  and  had 
taken  nothing.  Once  more  we  may  say  with 
emphasis :  What  God  has  done  once,  and  His 
Spirit  has  recorded  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  by  the 
pen  of  man,  He  does  again  at  intervals  through 
the  ages  ;  so  that  as  the  furniture  of  His  material 
temple  was  made  after  the  pattern  He  had  shown 
to  Moses  in  the  Mount,  the  spiritual  furniture,  so 
to  speak,  of  His  Saints;  their  equipment  to  win 
the  souls  of  men,  is  made  after  the  pattern  on 
which  He  had  set  His  seal,  in  that  dispensation 
wherein  He  had  given  His  earliest  revelation. 

But  though  some  heretics  heard  the  Saint  with 
awe,  and,  under  stress  of  his  miracles,  amended 
the  errors  of  their  ways,  there  were  others  who 
were  less  easily  converted  and  attempted  to  poison 
his  food ;  but  here  also  the  sign  of  the  Cross  over 
the  viands  made  him  a  sharer  of  that  promise  of 
our  Lord :  "  If  they  shall  drink  any  deadly  thing 
it  shall  not  hurt  them." 

All  these  occurrences  were  so  many  signs  from 
God  of  the  holiness  of  His  servant.  But  a  greater 
remained.  It  is  that  which  is  so  constantly  repre- 
sented in  the  portraits  of  the  Saint.  When  on  a 
visit  in  the  south  of  France,  his  host,  on  entering 


his  chamber,  saw  him  in  prayer,  but  a  lovely  child 
stood  by  him,  and  caressed  him  ;  the  Child  Jesus 
thus  manifested  His  love  to  one  who  loved  Him 
with  a  child's  innocence  and  simplicity. 

In  the  cases  of  those  Saints  to  whom  our  Lord 
has  vouchsafed  to  reveal  Himself,  there  seems  to 
be  again  a  law  that  as  is  the  recipient  so  is  the 
vision  :  St.  Francis,  who  desired  to  suffer  for  all, 
saw  his  Saviour  crucified  and  received  from  Him 
the  stigmata  of  His  Passion ;  St.  Margaret  Mary, 
all  burning  with  love,  saw  Jesus'  heart  aflame,  and 
ever  bore  about  within  herself  thereafter  that  heart 
of  fire  ;  St.  Antony,  whose  child's  heart  still  beat 
within  the  man's,  had  most  affinity  with,  and  there- 
fore saw,  Jesus  as  a  child. 

By  his  absolute  simplicity  and  innocence,  he 
moved  among  dangerous  men,  when  others  would 
scarce  have  dared  do  so ;  he  opposed  Bccelin, 
known  to  all  time  as  the  tyrant  of  Padua,  excom- 
municated by  Alexander  IV.  for  his  atrocities, 
branded  forever  in  Dante's  Inferno.  After  a  mas- 
sacre at  Verona  the  Saint  adjured  him  thus  :  "  How 
long,  cruel  tyrant,  wilt  thou  shed  blood  ?  Knowest 
thou  not  that  the  vengeance  of  God  is  ready,  that 
His  sword  is  raised,  and  will  surely  smite,  unless 
thou  dost  penance."  So  astonished  was  Eccelin, 
that  he  cast  himself  at  the  Saint's  feet  in  submis- 
sion and  confession.  How  far  this  availed  for  the 
salvation  of  his  own  soul  at  the  end  none  can 
know :  he  died  iu  battle  against  the  Guelfs  ;  but 
at  the  time  the  horrors  he  wrought  were  assuaged, 
and  he  himself  bare  witness  that  he  was  subdued 
by  the  rays  of  light  which  darted  from  Antony's 
face,  and  by  his  immediate  expectation  of  being 
thrust  down  into  hell. 

Few  things  are  more  difficult  to  reconcile  than 
the  life  of  the  cloister  and  the  life  of  the  world. 
Perhaps  in  these  later  days  the  incongruity  of  two 
conflicting  duties  was  most  marked  in  the  case  of 
Father  Burke,  the  great  Dominican  ;  here  men- 
tioned, because  in  a  narrative  of  our  own  time 
which  may  be  read  of  all,  it  is  clear  that  the  real 
life  was  that  of  the  cell,  the  other,  however  evident, 
was  but  a  purple  patch  on  the  garment  of  simple 
devotion.  Antony  was  before  all  things  a  good 
monk,  who  ever  returned  gladly  to  obedience,  soli- 
tude and  silence.     It  came  to  him  as  a  call  from 


ST.  ANTONY   OF   PADUA. 


351 


God  to  oppose  Brother  Elias,  the  successor  of  St. 
Fraucis,  who  eveu  so  early  ia  the  history  of  the 
Order  encouraged  dangerous  laxity.  He  treated 
St.  Antony  at  once  as  turbulent  and  seditious,  and 
would  have  cast  him  into  prison  had  not  St.  An- 
tony appealed  to  the  Holy  See,  by  whom  he  was 
supported  and  Elias  deposed. 

Then  he  gladly  laid  down  his  offices — he  had 
been  Provincial  of  Romagna — and  retired  to  the 
strictest  solitude  he  could  find,  to  live  the  monastic 
life  in  its  entirety,  and  prepare  his  soul  for  God. 
And  this  all  the  more,  because  he  felt  how  much 
of  stain  his  soul  might  have  contracted  from  that 
world  with  which  the  Love  of  God  and  his  neigh- 
bors had  caused  him  to  come  in  contact. 

His  sojourn  in  the  desert  was  of  no  long  dura- 
tion, for  he  rapidly  grew  weak,  and  knew  by  rev- 
elation that  the  hour  drew  near  in  which  he  should 
die  at  Padua.  Accompanied  by  Brother  Roger,  he 
set  out  for  that  town,  but  as  the  carriage  ap- 
proached, a  monk,  who  had  gone  out  to  meet  it, 
seeing  his  feeble  state,  had  him  carried  into  the 
Chaplain's  house,  attached  to  the  Convent  of  the 
Poor  Clares.  There,  feeling  his  end  at  hand,  after 
confession  and  absolution  he  said  the  hymn  O  Glo- 
riosa  Domina^  then,  looking  intently  upwards,  he 
said,  "  I  see  my  Lord." 

The  Brethren  brought  the  holy  oil  of  unction, 
and  said  :  "  I  have  an  unction  within  me  ;  never- 
theless, though  outward  anointing  be  not  necessary, 
it  is  well,  and  good  for  me."  Then  he  said  the  Peni- 
tential Psalms,  making  the  responses  even  to  the 
end,  and  died  as  one  who  gently  falls  asleep.  His 
death  took  place  on  June  15,  1231,  five  years  after 
his  father  St.  Francis.  He  was  but  thirty-six  years 
old,  and  he  had  been  ten  years  a  Franciscan. 

Again  a  miracle.  The  Brethren,  fearing  the  con- 
course of  people,  desired  to  keep  his  death  a  secret 
for  a  while ;  but  scarcely  was  he  deceased,  when 
the  children  of  Padua,  as  by  a  divine  impulse,  and 
at  no  man's  bidding  or  information,  began  at  once 
to  cry  "  Our  Father  is  dead ;  St.  Anthony  is  dead ;" 
and  a  vast  concourse  went  out  to  the  Chaplain's 
house,  where  a  strife  arose  about  the  place  of  his 
sepulture.  The  Poor  Clares  naturally  desired  that 
his  body  should  lie  where  it  fell,  and  their  lay 
neighbors  were  ready  to  take  up  arms  against  its 


removal ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  brethren  within 
the  walls  wished  him  to  lie  in  his  own  house.  The 
Bishop  decided  in  favor  of  the  latter  course,  and 
thither  the  body  was  borne  into  Padua  with  all  pbs- 
sible  honor.  His  soul  had  already  passed  to  Para- 
dise, the  Saint  having  appeared  to  the  Abbott  of 
Vercelli  at  the  moment  of  death,  and  communicated 
to  him  this  happy  tidings. 

So  great  was  the  number  of  miracles  which 
adorned  his  tomb,  that  Gregory  IX.  to  whom  he 
had  been  personally  known,  set  his  canonization  on 
foot  at  once,  and  the  process  was  completed  in  the 
following  year.  The  canonization  took  place  at 
Spoleto  in  Italy,  and  at  the  moment  the  decree  was 
pronounced  we  are  told  that  all  the  bells  in  Lisbon 
rang  of  their  own  accord,  while  men  and  women 
burst  into  shouts  of  joy,  though  as  yet  unconscious 
of  the  cause  of  their  gladness. 

Thirty-two  years  after  his  death,  Antony's  sacred 
relics  were  translated  to  a  magnificent  church  still 
standing,  which  the  inhabitants  of  Padua  had  built 
in  his  honor.  His  body  had  fallen  into  that  cus- 
tomary decay  which  awaits  our  frail  human  flesh, 
the  tongue  alone  remained  incorrupt,  red  as  in  life. 
St.  Bonaventure,  then  General  of  the  Franciscans, 
assisted  at  the  translation.  Taking  the  holy  relic 
in  his  hands,  he  said :  "  O  blessed  tongue  who  didst 
always  praise  God,  who  didst  work  so  well  that 
others  might  praise  Him,  now  your  merits  are  plain 
to  all  the  world,  and  you  receive  the  recompense  of 
Him  Who  created  you  for  so  glorious  a  work." 
The  tongue  is  still  incorrupt,  still  to  be  seen,  a 
most  treasured  relic. 

When  a  Saint  is  invoked,  it  is  only  by  degrees 
that  we  can  discover  what  has  been  given  him  as 
his  special  work  in  the  economy  of  the  spiritual 
kingdom  ;  if  may  be  that  we  shall  never  know  the 
reason  why  Almighty  God  has  given  this  or  that 
power  of  protection  or  patronage  to  one  or  another. 
But  time  tries  these  things,  and  in  case  of  each 
Saint  it  is  found  by  degrees  that  such  and  such 
invocations  are  specially  answered.  St.  Antony  is 
the  special  helper  of  those  who  have  lost  any 
objects  they  value,  and  there  is  never  lacking  a 
number  of  persons  who  have  in  this  respect  found 
his  aid. 

Perhaps  the  most  standing  wonder  of  his  life  in 


352 


ST.  ANTONY   OF   PADUA. 


heaven  is  this,  his  patronage  in  regard  to  lost 
things.  His  privilege,  in  this  respect,  seems  unique 
and  abnormal.  It  has  been  said  of  him,  that  it 
would  almost  seem  as  if  Almighty  God,  having 
to  leave  our  prayers  so  often  seemingly  unanswered, 
had  taken  this  means  to  enable  us  to  appreciate  the 
reality  of  His  Providence,  giving  to  St.  Antony  in 
things  apparently  trivial  a  sort  of  free  hand.  To 
women  in  labor,  to  travellers,  and  especially  to 
those  in  danger  of  shipwreck,  he  is  found  a  great 
and  powerful  protector. 

But  space  would  fail  to  tell  here  of  the  stupen- 


dous miracles  which  attend  St.  Antony's  invoca- 
tion, as  well  as,  if  we  may  so  call  them,  his  more 
playful  miracles  ;  the  great  show  kindness  in  what 
seems  trifling,  smaller  miracles  are  indications  of 
smiles  not  on  the  Saint's  brow  alone,  but  on  the 
face  of  Our  Father  Who  is  in  heaven.  The 
clients  of  St.  Anthony  alone  know  the  intensity  of 
his  love  now,  as  in  his  life-time,  for  them ;  how 
watchful  he  is,  how  ready  to  give  and  how  prompt- 
to  pray  :  Therefore,  we,  too,  say  : 

Sancte  Antoni  Patavine,  ora  pro  nobis. 
Saint  Antony  of  Padua,  pray  for  us. 


ST.  BERNARD    WRITING    COMMENTARIES    ON    THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES. 


St.  Ignatius  Loyola. 

By  RKV.  F.  QOI^DIE,  S.J. 


N  the  summer  of  152 1,  a  handful  of  Span- 
ish soldiers  were  holding  the  unfinished 
citadel  of  Pamplona,  against  an  invading 
army  of  the  French.  A  cannon  shot 
from  the  assailants  dislodged  a  fragment 
of  stone  which  wounded  the  left  leg  of 
a  young  Spanish  officer,  while  the  ball  itself  broke 
his  other  leg.  He  fell,  and,  as  he  had  been  the 
soul  of  the  defence,  the  fortress  fell  with  him.  The 
conquerors  honored  the  bravery  of  th^ir  gallant  foe ; 
they  dressed  his  wounds,  and  carried  him  gently  to 
his  home,  not  very  far  distant,  and  there  set  him 
free. 

His  name  was  Inigo  or  Ignatius  de  Loyola,  one 
of  the  sons  of  a  nobleman  of  ancient  family,  whose 
old  castle  lay  in  the  broad  and  beautiful  valley  from 
which  the  family  surname  was  derived.  Young 
Inigo  had  been  sent  as  page  to  King  Ferdinand 
the  Catholic,  the  first  monarch  of  a  united  Spain. 
But  the  youth  wearied  of  the  soft  life  of  court ;  he 
longed  to  be  a  soldier.  His  relative,  the  Duke  of 
Najera,  took  him  into  his  service  and  he  won  his 
spurs  in  actual  war  at  the  conquest  of  the  town 
from  which  the  Duk<^  took  his  title.  He  was  as 
true  as  he  was  brave,  and  universally  popular. 
Though  a  man  of  the  world,  and  fond  of  society, 
his  lips  were  never  sullied  with  a  foul  word,  nor  his 
life  by  a  disgraceful  deed.  He  was  a  poet  too  in 
his  own  way,  and  sang  the  praises  of  St.  Peter  in  a 
long  epic. 

The  army  surgeons  had  very  unskillfully  set  his 
broken  leg,  and  he  had  to  go  through  such  horrible 
operations  that  his  life  was  despaired  of.  On  the 
eve  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  he  received  the  last  Sac- 
raments. But  that  very  night  St.  Peter  appeared 
to  him,  and  he  perfectly  recovered  his  health.  Still 
he  was  deformed  and  crippled ;  for  not  only  was  the 
leg  that  had  been  broken  much  shorter  than  its 
fellow,  but  the  bone  stood  out  with  an  unsightly 
lump.  The  fashionable  hose  of  those  days  would 
reveal  the  deformity,  and  the  young  ofl&cer  bade  the 

23 


surgeons,  at  the  cost  of  any  torture  to  himself,  to 
reduce  the  disfigurement  and  to  stretch  the  limb. 
He  bore  without  flinching  a  very  martyrdom  of 
vanity.  For  an  active  mind  like  his  the  sick-room 
was  itself  a  torture ;  and  to  quiet  his  mind  and  to 
kill  time,  he  asked  for  a  novel  of  the  period — some 
romance  of  knight-errantry. 

But  books  were  rare  in  those  days,  and  there 
were  none  of  that  kind  in  the  Castle  of  Loyola. 
They  brought  him  a  Spanish  translation  of  Ludolf 
of  Saxony's  Life  of  Christ,  and  a  volume  of  the 
Lives  of  the  Saints.  For  want  of  anything  more 
to  his  taste,  these  he  read  and  read  again.  Inigo, 
with  the  spirit  of  a  soldier  who  never  flinched  be- 
fore any  odds,  said  to  himself:  "  What  St.  Francis 
did,  and  St.  Dominic  did,  why  cannot  I  do  ?"  What 
most  attracted  his  fearless  soul  were  the  self-inflicted 
penances  of  the  Saints.  This  seemed  to  him  the 
point  which  he  ought  most  to  try  to  imitate,  and  he 
only  longed  to  gather  strength  and  to  leave  his  bed, 
in  order  that  he  might  put  in  practice  his  stern  re- 
solve to  leave  house  and  home  and  all  the  world 
holds  dear  to  lead  a  life  of  austerity  and  seclusion. 

Those  were  days  of  tremendous  issues  for  God's 
Church.  The  riches  and  the  luxury  of  the  time, 
the  ferment  of  new  ideas  which  the  learning  of  the 
East  and  the  invention  of  printing  had  produced, 
the  new-born  paganism  and  laxity  of  life,  all  had 
made  the  soil  ready  for  a  rank  crop  of  evil  within 
the  Church,  and  even  of  revolt  against  her  teach- 
ing. At  this  very  time  Luther,  the  apostate  monk, 
had  thrown  aside  the  mask  and  publicly  burnt  the 
Pope's  Bull  as  a  sign  of  open  rebellion.  In  Eng- 
land and  in  France,  as  in  Germany,  error  was  lift- 
ing its  head,  and  everything  presaged  a  mighty 
moral  convulsion,  of  which  even  the  most  foresee- 
ing could  not  measure  the  results. 

One  night  Inigo,  stirred  by  his  longings  for 
higher  things,  leapt  form  his  bed  ;  and,  kneeling 
before  a  picture  of  Our  Lady,  dedicated  himself  in 
an  ardent  prayer  to  his  Blessed  Mother.     A  tremor 

353 


354 


ST.  IGNATIUS    LOYOLA. 


as  of  an  earthquake  shook  the  castle,  and  split  the 
solid  walls  with  a  rent,  which  can  be  seen  even  to 
this  day.  Hell  seemed  to  have  realized  how  great 
a  recruit  had  been  enrolled  in  God's  army.  Mary 
appeared  to  her  servant  with  the  Blessed  Child  in 
her  arms,  and  accepted  by  her  presence  the  offering 
thus  made.  Long  before  his  strength  had  fully 
returned,  Inigo  bade  good-bye  to  his  brother,  who 
was  then  the  head  of  the  house.  The  lord  of  Loy- 
ola had  half  divined  the  purpose  of  Ignatius,  and 
strove  in  every  way  to  retain  him.  But  he  tore 
himself  away  under  the  pretext  of  being  obliged  to 
pay  a  visit  of  compliment  to  his  relative,  the  Duke 
of  Najera. 

No  sooner  had  Inigo  fulfilled  this  duty,  than  he 
sent  back  his  two  attendants,  and  on  his  mule,  for 
he  was  still  very  lame,  he  pushed  right  across  the 
North  of  Spain  to  that  great  sanctuary  of  our  Lady 
which  nestles  under  the  crags  and  peaks  of  Mont- 
serrat.  On  his  way  he  bound  himself  by  a  vow  of 
chastity  in  honor  of  our  Lady.  Shortly  after  he 
fell  in  with  a  Moorish  gentleman,  many  of  whom 
were  then  still  in  Spain.  The  Mahommedan  denied 
the  virginity  of  Mary  after  the  birth  of  our  Lord, 
and  Inigo  strenuously  upheld  it.  When  the  Mus- 
sulman had  left  him,  it  seemed  to  the  converted 
cavalier  that  he  had  done  wrong  in  letting  the 
blasphemer  go  unpunished ;  and  in  doubt  as  to 
what  he  ought  to  do,  he  let  his  mule  go  its  own 
way,  ready  to  revenge  the  honor  of  his  Lady  if  it 
should  follow  the  Moor.  However,  it  turned  off 
by  another  road,  and  Inigo  was  saved  from  staining 
his  hands  with  blood  under  a  misguided  impulse. 

When  our  Saint  had  scaled  the  precipitous 
mountain,  he  made  a  most  exact  and  general  con- 
fession to  one  of  the  Benedictine  monks,  a  saintly 
Frenchman.  It  was  so  broken  with  sobs  and  tears 
of  contrition  that  it  was  not  completed  for  three 
days.  Then,  at  nightfall,  on  the  vigil  of  the 
Annunciation,  he  stripped  himself  of  all  his  fine 
clothes,  to  his  very  shirt,  and  gave  them  all  to  a 
poor  man,  putting  on  a  rough  dress  of  sackcloth, 
which  went  down  to  his  feet.  In  this  his  new 
armor,  like  the  squires  of  those  days  before  receiv- 
ing knighthood,  he  spent  the  night  at  the  statue  of 
our  Lady,  on  his  knees  or  leaning  on  his  pilgrim's 
staff,  within   the   old   church.     There,  at  Mary's 


shrine,  in  the  first  light  of  dawn,  he  hung  up 
his  rapier  and  dagger — the  badges  of  a  gentleman 
in  those  days — and  then  approached  Holy  Com- 
munion. 

Before  day  had  fully  broken  over  the  huge  spires 
of  Montserrat,  with  one  foot  bare,  but  the  other 
still  swollen  and  sore,  in  a  rough  sandal  of  esparto 
grass,  such  as  the  Spanish  peasants  wear  to  this 
day,  he  came  down  the  rough  mountain  side.  He 
had  given  his  mule  to  the  monastery.  Some  kind 
souls  showed  him  the  road  to  a  shelter  in  the  near- 
est town,  and  there,  in  the  poor-house  or  hospice 
of  St.  Lucy  in  Manresa,  he  went  to  live  among  the 
poor  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  made  himself  the  poorest 
of  the  poor.  Once  so  particular  about  his  appear- 
ance, he  now  let  his  hair  and  nails  grow,  and  tried 
to  conceal  under  squalor  and  neglect  all  signs  of 
his  noble  birth  and  breeding.  He  begged  his  food 
from  door  to  door,  and  gave  the  best  he  got  to  the 
sick  and  hungry.  His  only  food  was  bread  and 
water ;  save  that  for  his  Sunday  dinner  he  added 
a  few  herbs  savored  with  ashes.  The  most  fetid 
and  loathsome  of  the  sick  were  the  object  of  his 
tenderest  care,  and  no  service  was  too  revolting  for 
him.  Seven  hours  of  his  day  were  spent  in  prayer, 
without  counting  those  which  he  gave  to  hearing 
Mass  and  attending  the  public  services  of  the 
Church. 

But  Ignatius,  as  he  now  began  to  be  called, 
wished  for  a  spot  where  his  prayers  and  penances 
might  be  unobserved.  He  found  it  in  a  long  nar- 
row cavern  in  a  defile  not  far  off,  running  down  to 
the  swift  river  Cardoner.  Its  entrance  was  hidden 
by  a  rich  growth  of  thistles  and  thorns,  while  from 
a  fissure  in  the  rock  he  could  look  out  on  the 
jagged  heights  of  Montserrat.  There  he  was  free 
to  pass  his  time  in  prayer,  there  he  could  spend  his 
days  in  absolute  fast,  there  he  could  wield  the 
scourge  unseen  or  unheard,  and  bind  his  waist 
with  a  cruel  girdle  of  prickly  leaves,  still  to  be  seen 
at  Manresa.  But  there  too,  in  return,  God  commu- 
nicated to  him  His  choicest  gifts.  Within  that 
cave  was  revealed  to  him  that  system  of  Christian 
perfection  which  is  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Spiritual  Exercises^  taught  him  by  our  Blessed 
Lady  and  impressed  on  his  soul  by  practical  experi- 
ence and  fidelity  to  grace. 


ST.  IGNATIUS    LOYOLA. 


355 


There  is  hardly  a  spot  in  that  picturesque  town 
which  does  not  remind  us  of  God's  dealings  with 
St.  Ignatius,  and  of  the  heroic  penance  and  pro- 
found humility  which  prepared  him  for  the  great 
work  God  destined  for  him. 

There  is  the  Cross  of  Tort,  looking  out  over  the 
bright  river  and  rich  valley,  with  Montserrat  rising 
up  dark  and  weird  beyond.  On  his  knees  before 
this  sacred  sign  the  mysteries  of  the  Catholic  Faith 
were  made  known  to  St.  Ignatius  with  such  vivid- 
ness, that  in  after  life  he  used  to  say  that  even  if 
those  truths  were  to  be  made  known  to  him  in  no 
other  way,  he  was  prepared  to  die  a  martyr's  death 
for  each  doctrine  of  the  Church  from  the  knowl- 
edge of  it  he  received  in  Manresa.  There,  too,  is 
the  Church  of  the  Dominicians,  such  kind  friends 
to  the  Saint,  where  the  ineffable  depths  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity  were  opened  to  him,  and  where  he 
was  privileged  to  understand  the  mystery  of  the 
presence  of  our  Lord  on  the  Altar. 

There  in  the  adjoining  convent,  now,  alas !  a 
theatre,  he  was  tenderly  nursed  by  the  good 
Fathers  through  a  severe  illness,  which  was  the 
result  of  his  awful  austerities  and  his  still  more 
terrible  scruples.  There  again  within  the  ruins  of 
the  Hospice,  covered  by  a  fair  chapel,  is  the  spot 
where  was  his  little  room,  which  looked  out  on  the 
old  Church  of  St.  Lucy.  This  was  the  scene  of  the 
marvellous  rapture,  like  to  the  sleep  of  death,  last- 
ing for  a  whole  week  and  more,  during  which,  in 
spite  of  the  reserve  under  which  Ignatius  hid  the 
favors  of  God,  it  seems  certain  that  he  saw  the 
future  of  the  Society  which  he  was  called  to  found. 

Temptation  of  disgust  at  his  squalid,  hard,  cruel 
life ;  temptations  of  vainglory  at  the  honor  which 
his  marvellous  virtues  began  to  win  for  him ; 
doubts  about  the  genuineness  of  his  past  con- 
fessions— all  these  trials  and  many  others  give 
him  a  practical  insight  into  the  mysterious  warfare 
which  is  waged  with  more  or  less  violence  in  every 
soul. 

A  year  or  so  had  now  gone  by  since  Ignatius 
came  to  Manresa.  He  had  passed  through  a  fiery 
probation,  by  which  the  old  life  was  burned  away, 
and  the  soul  purified  and  free,  and  was  ready  to 
receive,  like  molten  metal,  a  new  form.  The  life 
of  our  Lord  had,  by  prayerful  study  and  pains- 


taking practice,  become  his  life.  It  was  time  for 
work.  Longings  which  had  not  yet  taken  perfect 
shape,  the  seeds  of  mighty  works  for  God,  were 
stirring  in  his  soul.  And  so  he  left  Manresa,  and 
made  his  way  alone,  though  many  would  have 
gladly  borne  him  company,  to  the  beautiful  city  of 
Barcelona,  with  its  church  towers  rising  from 
gardens  of  myrtles,  and  cedars,  and  orange  groves, 
there  to  take  ship  for  Civita  Vecchia,  and  for  the 
Holy  Land.  While  waiting  for  a  fair  wind,  a 
fogtnight  or  so  went  by.  Through  a  fierce  storm, 
in  the  early  spring,  Loyola  crossed  the  Mediter- 
ranean. 

They  were  wild  and  lawless  times  for  the  weak 
and  defenceless,  but  Ignatius,  on  landing  at  Gaeta, 
pushed  forward  to  Rome,  and  there  he  spent  Holy 
Week  and  Easter  Week.  On  Low  Sunday  he  was 
admitted  to  received  the  blessing  of  that  great  and 
good  Pope,  the  Belgian  Adrian  VI.  Everyone  told 
Ignatius  that  it  was  useless  for  a  poor  man  to 
think  of  going  to  the  Holy  Land.  The  Crescent 
was  everywhere  victorious,  and  the  brave  knights 
of  St.  John  had  just  been  forced  to  yield  up  their 
fortress  of  Rhodes.  But  our  Saint,  who  had 
learned  for  Christ's  sake  to  love  poverty  and  pain, 
went  on  to  Venice,  and  even  gave  away  what  had 
been  forced  upon  him  to  pay  his  passage.  He 
begged  his  food  by  day  and  slept  by  night  like  a 
vagrant  under  the  arcades  in  the  great  square  of 
St.  Mark. 

One  of  the  Council  of  Ten,  Mark  Antony 
Trevisano,  a  Venetian  nobleman,  was  wakened  up 
at  night  by  hearing  words  like  these :  "  While 
you  are  sleeping  in  a  soft  bed,  my  servant  is  lying 
on  the  bare  ground ! "  He  got  up  at  once,  and 
went  to  look  for  this  servant  of  God.  He  stumbled 
upon  the  sleeping  stranger,  and  made  him  come  to 
his  palace.  But  Ignatius  disliked  its  luxury  and 
splendor,  and  succeeding  in  obtaining  a  free  pas- 
sage on  a  Venetian  man-of-war  bound  for  Cyprus. 
So  bodly  did  he  reprove  the  bad  life  of  some  on 
board,  that,  but  for  a  contrary  wind,  the  sailors 
would  have  cast  him  away  on  some  desert  island. 
At  Cyprus,  Ignatius  found  a  pilgrim  ship,  and  on 
the  last  day  of  August  he  landed  at  Jaffa.  To  be 
in  Jerusalem  was  to  him  such  a  happiness  that  he 
would  have  stayed  there  all  the  rest  of  his  life,  if 


356 


ST.  IGNATIUS   LOYOLA. 


God,  by  means  of  the  Provincial  of  the  Francis, 
cans,  had  not  bade  him  leave. 

Two  months  brought  Ignatius  back  to  Italy,  and 
he  set  off  from  Venice  poor  as  ever  and  on  foot  for 
Genoa.  But  Lombardy  was  ablaze  with  a  fierce 
war,  and  the  pilgrim  fell  in  with  a  party  of  Spanish 
soldiers  who  stripped  him  and  searched  him  with 
every  insult,  and  then  dragged  him  as  a  spy  before 
their  commanding  officer.  Ignatius  had  assumed 
a  rough  and  country  fashion  of  speech,  to  suit  the 
humble  state  of  life  he  had  chosen.  But  now  there 
came  the  doubt  whether  he  ought  not  to  address  the 
officer  with  respect,  lest  he  should  expose  himself  to 
even  worse  treatment.  He  decided  to  invite  reproach, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  denying  that  he  was  a 
spy,  he  said  not  a  word  when  cross-questioned.  He 
had  but  to  tell  his  name,  and  he  would  have  been 
saluted  with  applause  as  the  hero  of  Pamplona. 

As  it  was,  the  commander  bade  the  men  let  him 
go,  and  soundly  scolded  the  men  for  bringing  in  one 
who  was  evidently  mad.  The  soldiers  vented  their 
anger  on  Ignatius,  kicking  him  and  beating  him 
unmercifully.  But  again  the  Lord  comforted  him 
with  the  thought  of  His  sufferings  at  the  hands  of 
the  servants  of  the  high  priest  and  of  Herod.  An  old 
friend,  the  Admiral  of  the  Spanish  Galleys,  whom 
he  chanced  to  meet  at  Genoa,  carried  Ignatius  on 
board  his  fleet  to  Barcelona  during  the  Lent  of  1524. 

He  was  then  thirty-three.  His  scheme  for  evan- 
gelizing the  Holy  Land  had  fallen  through.  His 
heart  burned  all  the  more  to  labor  for  souls.  Now 
for  this  some  education  was  necessary,  and  he  began 
heroically  to  learn  his  Latin  in  a  public  school. 
But  strange  to  say,  amidst  the  toilsome  drudgery 
of  the  Latin  grammar,  he  found  his  soul  carried 
away  by  a  torrent  of  devotion  such  as  he  had  never 
experienced  in  the  time  of  prayer,  or  of  penance, 
or  even  in  Holy  Communion.  In  vain  he  strove 
against  the  strength  of  its  sweetness.  But  long 
watchfulness  aud  his  practiced  eye  soon  detected 
the  enemy  ;  and  taking  his  teacher  into  the  Church 
of  our  Lady  of  the  Sea,  he  solemnly  promised  that 
for  the  next  two  years  he  would  devote  himself  with 
all  diligence  to  his  lessons,  and  he  begged  him  on 
his  knees  to  flog  him  as  he  would  any  boy-idler  in 
his  class,  if  he  caught  him  with  his  mind  away  from 
his  work. 


1526.  Two  years  of  study  had  at  length  fitted 
St.  Ignatius  to  go  on  to  his  higher  studies,  and  he 
went  by  advice  to  the  new  University  which  the 
great  Franciscan  statesman  and  Cardinal,  the  holy 
Ximenes,  had  then  so  lately  founded  at  Alcalda. 
There  Loyola  threw  himself  with  fervor  into  his 
studies.  But  he  aimed  at  so  much  at  a  time  that 
he  made  but  little  progress  for  all  his  labor.  How- 
ever he  sought  and  found  his  consolation  in  slaking 
his  thirst  for  souls.  And  wonderful  were  the  con- 
versions he  wrought ;  so  wonderful,  that  in  the  days 
when  many  wolves  were  about  in  sheeps'  clothing, 
he  excited  the  suspicions  of  some  of  the  authorities 
of  the  University. 

He  was  arrested  and  carried  off  to  prison.  As 
he  was  hurried  along  to  gaol,  there  was  among  the 
lookers-on  Francis  Borja,  the  young  son  and  heir 
of  the  Duke  of  Gandia. 

1527.  Ignatius'  friends  flocked  to  him  in  his 
trouble,  and  he  spoke  to  all  so  marvellously,  and 
with  such  enthusiasm,  of  the  love  of  God  and  of 
the  grandeur  of  suffering  for  Him,  that  one  of  the 
most  learned  professors  of  the  University  forgot 
his  lecture  in  the  delight  of  listening  to  the  poor 
prisoner,  and  when  he  rushed  back  breathless  to 
his  class,  his  first  words  were,  "  I  have  seen  St. 
Paul  in  prison."  He  was  set  free,  but  forbidden  to 
work  for  souls  till  he  had  completed  a  course  of 
theology.  Ignatius  was  taken  aback  by  this  de- 
cision, and  resolved  to  go  to  the  older  University 
of  Salamanca ;  and  to  Salamanca  he  went. 

But  either  rumors  of  his  late  troubles  had  gone 
before  him,  or  his  ceaseless  zeal  among  the  students 
and  townsfolk  gave  rise  to  suspicions.  Ignatius 
and  his  companions  were  once  m  re  sent  to  gaol. 
Though  not  thrust,  like  some  of  his  party,  among 
the  felons,  the  room  in  which  he  was  confined  was 
unsavory  and  filthy,  and  he  was  fettered  to  his  fel- 
lows by  a  long  chain  which  was  fastened  to  a  stake 
in  the  floor.  But  all  these  aggravations  of  his  hard 
lot  were  so  many  additional  delights  to  one  whose 
sole  desire  was  to  suffer  like  his  Lord.  "  There 
are  not  in  all  Salamanca  fetters  and  handuffs  and 
chains  enough,  but  that  I  would  wish  to  bear  more 
for  love  of  God,"  was  his  answer  to  those  who  com- 
passioned  his  hardship. 

Again  he  was  closely  cross-questioned  on  matters 


ST.  IGNATIUS    LOYOLA. 


357 


high  and  deep  on  theology,  and  even  a  knotty  point 
in  Canon  Law  was  proposed  to  him.  He  humbly 
avowed  his  ignorance ;  but  when  pressed  for  a  reply 
he  completely  satisfied  his  examiners. 

Gradually  the  plans  of  God  were  making  them- 
selves known  to  His  servant.  It  had  begun  to 
dawn  clearly  upon  him  that,  in  face  of  the  altered 
state  of  things,  a  new  Order  was  required,  and  he 
had  commenced  to  gather  in  companions.  So  now 
a  fresh  horizon  seemed  to  open  out  before  him.  He 
must  not  confine  his  work  to  Spain,  alone.  Paris, 
the  metropolis  of  the  student,  the  first  University 
of  its  day,  where  the  new  learning  and  new  here- 
sies were  in  open  contest  with  the  old  and  the  true, 
that  was  the  place  for  Ignatius  to  begin  the  work 
with  which  God  was  charging  him. 

The  war  was  still  raging  between  Spain  and 
France,  and  the  good  people  of  Salamanca  were 
very  sorry  to  lose  our  Saint.  Grim  horrors  were 
foretold  him ;  but  the  Hand  of  God  was  leading, 
and  nothing  could  affright  him.  So  bidding  his 
companions  come  after  him,  he  went,  in  1528,  to 
Paris  ;  but  their  courage  failed  and  they  did  not  go. 

One  thing  Ignatius  had  learned  by  experience : 
that  order  and  method,  doing  one  thing  at  a  time, 
was  as  much  needed  in  education  as  in  most  other 
things  ;  and  so  he  resolved  to  begin  all  his  studies 
afresh  from  the  very  beginning  and  to  go  to  class 
again  with  boys  to  learn  his  Latin  Grammar,  as  he 
had  done  before  at  Barcelona.  So,  too,  he  accepted 
the  alms  sent  to  him  from  his  old  and  fast  friends 
at  Barcelona,  in  order  to  be  able  to  devote  himself 
without  other  worries  to  his  books. 

But  a  rascally  companion,  to  whom  he  had  given 
hospitality,  made  away  with  all  he  had,  and  he  was 
forced  to  seek  refuge  as  a  pauper  in  the  Spanish 
hospital  of  St.  James,  at  the  opposite  end  of  Paris 
to  the  College  of  IMontaigu,  where  the  Saint  was 
attending  the  classes  of  grammar.  The  doors  of 
St.  James'  Hospital  closed  too  early  at  night,  and 
opened  too  late  in  the  morning,  for  him  to  be  able 
to  follow  the  lessons  as  regularly  as  he  desired. 
There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  go,  at  the  advice  of 
a  Religious,  to  beg  for  alms  during  the  summer 
vacations  from  the  Spanish  merchants  at  Antwerp, 
Bruges,  and  London,  so  as  to  be  able  to  take  a 
lodging  nearer  to  his  school. 


It  was  in  1530  that  St.  Ignatius  came  to  our 
great  capital  to  seek  the  aid  of  the  Spanish  colony 
in  London.  They  lived  in  those  days  for  the  most 
part  about  old  Broad  Street,  under  the  shadow  of 
the  Church  of  the  Austin  Friars,  and  round  about 
the  Spanish  Embassy,  which  seems  to  have  been 
lodged  in  that  religious  house.  The  dark  cloud  of 
the  divorce  of  Henry  VIII.  was  gathering  thick 
over  the  realm,  and  things  looked  ill  for  England's 
faith.  How  changed  is  that  ancient  place,  in  the 
very  hart  of  the  city  ! 

Ever  full  of  desire  to  win  souls  to  God,  Ignatius 
began  after  his  return  to  Paris  to  cast  out  the  nets 
of  earnest  exhortation,  which  derived  their  power 
from  his  fervent  prayers  and  constant  penance. 
Three  youths  had,  after  making  the  Exercises^  left 
their  Colleges  to  share  the  hardships  and  poverty 
of  the  hospice  with  their  new  master  and  guide. 
The  disputations  on  Church  holidays  began  to  be 
ill  attended,  as  so  many  young  men  gave  their 
times  to  prayer  and  going  to  the  Sacraments,  while 
others  left  the  world  altogether  and  entered  re- 
ligion. 

The  professors  were  ill  pleased  at  the  apparent 
interference  of  our  Saint.  They  viewed  him  as  an 
innovator  and  a  reformer.  He  was  accused  before 
the  Inquisition  by  one  who  was  hereafter  his  close 
friend,  the  learned  canonist.  Dr.  Ortiz.  Though 
he  cleared  himself  from  any  suspicion  of  error,  the 
students  took  the  law  into  their  own  hands  and  tore 
the  young  men  from  the  side  of  Ignatius  and  car- 
ried them  back  to  their  colleges.  Thus  he  found 
himself  again  without  a  companion. 

The  wretch  who  had  robbed  our  Saint  had 
quickly  squandered  all  his  ill-gotten  money,  and 
had  fallen  ill  at  Rouen,  where  he  had  gone  to  take 
ship  for  Spain.  As  soon  as  Ignatius  heard  of  his 
distress  he  determined  to  visit  him  ;  and  more  than 
this,  for  the  benefit  of  this  man's  soul,  to  go  fasting 
and  on  foot  the  whole  way.  Three  days  of  swift 
walking,  though  without  food  or  drink,  brought 
him  to  the  bedside  of  the  sick  man.  The  heroic 
sacrifice  was  accepted  ;  and  Ignatius  put  him  on 
board  ship,  rejoicing  and  forgiven.  At  Rouen  the 
Saint  learnt  of  the  charge  laid  before  the  Inquisi- 
tion against  him,  and  fearing  lest  he  should  seem 
to  have  fled  from  justice,  he  hastened  back  to  Paris, 


358 


ST.  IGNATIUS   LOYOLA. 


and  under  these  circumstances  appeared  before 
the  Inquisitor,  F.  Ori,  who  ever  after  proved  his 
defender. 

Ignatius  had  at  last  efficiently  completed  his 
preparatory  studies  and,  in  the  October  of  1520,  he 
entered  the  College  of  St.  Barbaraj  which  was  close 
by  his  former  College  of  Alontaigu.  He  was  given 
a  room  in  an  old  turret,  where  he  found  a  young 
Savoyard,  Peter  Favre,  who  had  already  taken  his 
degree  in  Philosophy,  and  who,  at  the  request  of 
his  professor,  Pena,  undertook  to  help  him  in  his 
course.  His  room  was  shared  by  a  young  profes- 
sor, Francis  Xavier,  from  the  north  of  Spain,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  I^oyola.  He  was  of  high  fam- 
ily, very  gifted  in  body  and  mind,  but  he  cared 
little  for  the  pious  sayings  and  unwordly  ways  of 
Ignatius. 

However,  constant  acts  of  kindness,  the  power 
of  example,  the  often  repeated  reminder,  "  What 
does  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  ?  " 
broke  down  the  stubborn  will  of  the  young  pro- 
fessor, whose  dreams  of  earthly  glory  made  way  for 
an  all-absorbing  thirst  for  suffering  and  humilia- 
tion, in  order  tc  be  like  His  Lord.  Two  other 
Spanish  students,  who  had  known  St.  Ignatius  at 
Alcale,  James  Lainez,  and  Alphonsus  Salmeron, 
followed  him  to  Paris,  and  soon  renewed  their 
acquaintance  with  him.  A  Portuguese,  on  the  en- 
dowment of  St.  Barbara,  Simon  Rodriguez,  and  the 
Spaniard  Nicholas  Bobadilli,  who  was  attending 
the  lectures  of  Xavier  at  the  College  of  Beauvais, 
were  joined  to  this  close  circle  of  friends. 

But  the  heads  of  the  Gollege  still  looked  with 
little  favor  on  the  influence  which  Ignatius  exer- 
cised ;  they  remembered  the  flight  of  his  former 
companions  to  the  Spanish  hospital,  and  the  falling 
oflF  of  the  attendance  at  the  public  discussions.  It 
was  Pena,  the  professor  of  philosophy  at  St.  Bar- 
bara, who  urged  the  Rector  of  the  College,  James 
Gouvea,  a  Portuguese,  to  inflict  upon  Ignatius  a 
public  flogging,  or  as  it  was  called  at  Paris,  a  hall^ 
the  chastisements  reserved  for  students  who  were 
incorrigible  or  convicted  of  leading  their  comrades 
astray.  Ignatius  was  warned  by  his  friends  of 
what  was  in  store  for  him,  and  at  first  hearing  of 
it  he  trembled  at  the  very  thought  of  the  indignity. 

But  he  quickly  conquered   himself  and  forced 


himself  to  embrace  the  shame.  However,  on  more 
mature  thought  he  saw  that  if  he  were  to  be  so 
flogged  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  be  of  any 
further  good  to  the  students,  as  he  would  be  dis- 
graced and,  therefore,  shunned  by  all.  He  went 
straight  to  the  Rector,  who  had  not  as  yet  left  his 
room,  and  told  him  frankly  and  briefly  that,  while 
willing  as  far  as  he  himself  was  concerned  to  accept 
the  ignominy,  he  feared  lest  it  should  be  a  hin- 
drance to  his  future  usefulness. 

The  Rector  listened  to  him,  and  whether  it  was 
that  he  felt  he  had  acted  hastily  and  harshly,  or 
that  the  very  sincerity  of  Ignatius  won  his  heart, 
he  took  him  by  the  hand  and  led  him  into  the  hall, 
and  there,  before  them  all,  knelt  at  his  feet  and 
begged  his  pardon,  the  good  man's  tears  proving 
the  sincerity  of  his  regret.  From  that  time  Gouvea, 
Ortiz  and  Pena  became  the  fast  friends  of  Ignatius. 
He  was  looked  up  to  and  venerated  by  all,  and  one 
of  the  leading  men  of  the  University  wished  to 
have  him  made  a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  though  he  was 
then  only  a  student  of  philosophy. 

One  story  must  be  told  out  of  many  of  what 
Ignatius  did  for  souls.  A  young  man  was  carry- 
ing on  a  criminal  intrigue,  and  our  Saint  knew  that 
on  his  way  the  sinner  used  to  cross  a  bridge  over  a 
branch  of  the  lake  of  Gentilly.  It  was  a  bitter 
night,  and  Ignatius  stood  up  to  his  neck  in  the  icy 
water,  and  there  awaited  his  coming.  "  Go,"  cried 
the  Saint,  as  the  youth  passed  by  ;  "I  will  do  pen- 
ance here  every  evening  till  you  amend."  The 
sight  touched  the  sinner's  heart,  and  he  turned 
home  a  penitent. 

Ignatius  finished  his  philosophy  in  1534,  when 
he  took  his  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  He  began 
at  once  his  theological  studies  at  the  great  Domini- 
can College  close  by.  Meantime  he  saw  the  hour 
had  come  to  give  some  permanent  shape  to  his 
work,  and  so  to  prevent  the  new  band  of  followers 
from  drifting  away  under  any  storm  of  difficulty 
that  might  arise.  Five  of  the  six  companions  had 
made  the  Exercises  with  extraordinary  fervor  under 
Ignatius,  which  Xavier's  duties  as  professor  alone 
had  debarred  him  from  doing ;  and  to  each  our 
Saint  commended  his  rules  for  the  choice  of  a  state 
of  life.  To  none  but  Favre  had  he  revealed  his 
own  design  of  going  to  work  for  God  in  the  Holy 


ST.  IGNATIUS   LOYOLA. 


359 


Land.  He  invited  each  separately  and  under 
promise  of  secrecy  to  make  up  his  mind  by  a  cer- 
tain time,  and  on  that  day  to  come  to  him  with  his 
decision.  To  their  surprise,  the  six  friends  when 
they  met  found  that  they  were  all  of  one  mind, 
ready  to  go  with  St.  Ignatius  to  the  end  in  close 
following  of  Christ,  their  King  and  Captain. 

Their  resolve  was  to  bind  themselves  by  vow  to 
perpetual  poverty  and  chastity,  and  to  visit  the 
Holy  Land  ;  and  if,  as  had  happened  to  St.  Igna- 
tius, they  could  not  remain  there,  or  were  even  pre- 
vented from  going,  they  would  put  themselves 
entirely  at  the  disposal  of  the  Pope. 

On  the  slope  of  Montmartre,  not  far  off  the  busy 
Boulevards,  is  now  a  convent  of  nuns  of  the  Order 
of  Reparation.  In  St.  Ignatius'  days,  when  this 
was  a  mile  or  so  outside  Paris,  there  stood  here  a 
quiet  church,  called  the  Martyrs,  where  tradition 
says  that  St.  Denis  and  his  companions  gave  their 
lives  to  God.  It  was  a  Priory  dependant  on  the 
great  Abbey  of  Benedictine  Nuns,  the  Church  of 
which  is  still  standing  near  the  votive  Church  now 
rising  to  the  honor  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  Beneath 
the  Church  of  the  Martyrs  was  a  crypt,  and  there 
at  early  dawn  an  Altar  was  prepared,  and  B.  Peter 
Favre,  the  priest  of  the  little  band,  said  Mass. 

At  the  Communion  he  turned  round  with  his 
Sacramental  Lord  in  his  hands  and  St.  Ignatius 
made  his  vows  and  received  His  Divine  Master. 
He  was  followed  by  the  others ;  Favre  turning  to 
the  altar  at  the  end  and  making  his  offering  like 
the  rest.  This  was  on  Mary's  great  feast  of  the 
Asstimption,  and  the  year  was  1534,  that  of  Eng- 
land's apostacy.  The  craven  Convocation  and 
Parliament  had  at  the  bidding  of  an  adulterous 
tyrant  rejected  the  authority  of  Christ's  Vicar,  and 
before  the  year  was  out  they  would  choose  that 
monster,  instead  of  the  Pope,  as  head  of  the  Church 
of  England.  Joshua  and  his  faithful  few  were 
called  by  Heaven  in  this  hour  of  need. 

The  rest  of  that  day  was  spent  near  St.  Denis' 
fountain,  which  is  not  far  off  the  Martyrs' .  Their 
hearts  were  overflowing,  and  they  could  talk  of 
nothing  but  of  the  days  when  they  could  give 
themselves  up  entirely  to  work  for  souls.  Nor  did 
they  return  home  till  the  late  summer  sun  set 
behind  the  spires  of  Paris. 


Time  passed  on  in  study  and  prayer  and  penance. 
One  of  the  pits  which  honeycomb  Montmartre,  and 
from  which  the  well-known  plaster-of-Paris  was 
drawn,  served  Ignatius  as  a  cave  for  hidden  con- 
templation and  austerity.  His  favorite  church 
within  the  city  wall  was  Notre  Dame  des  Champs. 
But  his  health  gave  way  so  utterly  that  the  doctors 
said  there  was  no  remedy  for  him  but  to  give  up  his 
studies  and  try  a  change  to  his  native  air. 

It  was  a  bitter  parting,  between  Ignatius  and  his 
followers,  though  it  was  arranged  that  at  the  end  of 
1536  they  should  all  meet  in  Venice,  there  to  take 
ship  for  Palestine.  So  in  the  spring  of  1535, 
mounted  on  a  sorry  horse,  which  his  companions 
had  procured  for  him,  as  he  was  too  ill  to  walk, 
Ignatius  set  out  for  Spain.  He  had  determined 
not  to  go  to  his  old  home,  but  to  steal  in  unawares 
to  the  neighboring  town  of  Azpeitia.  However, 
when  two  leagues  from  Loyola,  he  was  recognized 
by  an  old  friend  who  rode  full  speed  to  take  the 
news  to  his  brother's  castle.  As  a  precaution 
against  any  honor,  Ignatius  had  left  the  high  road 
and  taken  an  out-of-the-way  and  dangerous  mountain 
path ;  but  all  was  of  no  avail,  and,  as  he  drew  near, 
a  procession  of  the  clergy  and  a  number  of  his  rela- 
tives came  forth  from  the  town  to  meet  him.  But 
nothing  would  induce  him  to  stay  anywhere  except 
at  St.  Mary  Magdalen's  hospice  for  the  poor. 

Once  and  once  only  was  he  persuaded  by  the 
entreaties  of  his  sister-in-law  to  pay  a  brief  visit  to 
his  home.  But  his  brother  sent  down  to  St.  Mary 
Magdalen's  a  fine  bed  with  silken  hangings  ;  and  a 
basket  of  provisions  came  from  the  Castle  every 
day.  It  was  soon  found  out,  in  spite  of  his  efforts 
to  conceal  the  fact,  that  he  slept  on  the  hard  floor ; 
never  did  he  touch  the  Castle  fare,  but  went  round 
the  town  begging  for  his  food,  and  giving  the  best 
he  obtained  to  others  who  were  poor  like  himself. 

The  journey  had  already  restored  his  health,  and 
Ignatius  not  only  resumed  his  terrible  austerities, 
but  devoted  himself  heart  and  soul,  for  the  short  time 
he  spent  in  his  native  land,  to  work  a  great  change 
in  Azpeitia.  Clergy  and  people  alike  were  brought 
back  to  God.  He  used  to  preach  from  the  entrance 
of  the  little  chapel  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen,  just 
opposite  the  poor-house ;  and  crowds  came  to  hear 
him.     From  the  chapel  porch  a  farm-house  across 


S60 


ST.  IGNATIUS    LOYOLA. 


the  stream  can  still  be  seen  a  long  way  off,  to  which, 
according  to  tradition,  his  voice  reached. 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  could  get  away  from 
the  good  Basque  folk,  and  from  his  relations.  He 
went  a  long  journey  through  Spain  to  settle  the 
affairs  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  and  other  of  his  com- 
panions, who  were  anxious  to  rid  themselves  of 
their  property,  in  accordance  with  their  vows.  At 
length  he  reached  Valencia  on  the  Mediterranean, 
near  to  which  he  paid  a  visit  to  one  of  his  former 
companions,  then  a  novice  in  the  Charter  House  of 
Val  de  Cristo.  To  him  he  talked  about  the  new 
Order  he  was  about  to  found,  and  from  him  he 
asked  counsel  and  the  aid  of  his  prayers. 

From  Valencia  the  Saint  took  ship  to  Genoa.  A 
furious  storm  broke  the  rudder,  snapped  the  rig- 
ging of  the  vessel,  and  threatened  the  crew  with 
instant  shipwreck ;  but  amidst  the  cries  and  lamen- 
tations of  all,  St.  Ignatius  felt  but  one  trouble — not 
having  been  grateful  enough  for  the  marvellous 
favors  he  had  received  from  God.  The  storm 
abated  and  they  reached  port.  But  winter  had 
commenced,  and  the  pilgrim  had  a  fearful  journey 
among  the  Apennines,  where  he  lost  his  way  and 
was  forced  to  crawl  on  his  hands  and  feet  amidst 
the  precipices  of  the  mountains.  He  used  to  say 
in  after  life  that  never  had  he  been  in  such  peril. 
The  year  1535  was  closing,  when  at  length  Ignatius 
reached  Venice,  and  there  awaited  his  companions. 
The  following  year  was  fruitful  in  good  for  that 
rich  and  gay  city,  and  the  zeal  of  St.  Ignatius  won 
to  God  many  a  noble  soul,  of  whom  more  than  one 
joined  him  in  his  life  of  devotion  and  zeal. 

In  the  beginning  of  January,  1537,  after  a  jour- 
ney full  of  hardships,  through  hostile  armies, 
through  the  snows  and  frost  of  the  Alps,  and 
through  countries  and  towns  full  of  hostile  Protest- 
ants, the  companions  whom  he  had  left  in  Paris 
came  to  forget  all  their  sorrows  in  being  once  more 
with  their  Father  Ignatius.  To  him  and  to  them 
it  was  an  additional  pleasure  to  see  their  little  band 
increased  by  two  fresh  recruits  from  Paris,  and 
others  from  Venice.  The  hospitals  were  their 
home,  and  the  scene  of  their  marvellous  devotion 
and  victory  over  self  in  the  service  of  the  sick  and 
poor. 

When  Lent  arrived,  St.  Ignatius  sent  them  all 


to  Rome  to  spend  the  Holy  Week  there,  and  to  get 
the  Pope's  blessing  and  the  leave  from  him  to  re- 
ceive Orders  and  to  preach  and  hear  confessions. 
He  did  not  dare  to  go  himself,  for  he  feared  to  meet 
Dr.  Ortiz,  who  was  then  at  Rome  as  one  of  the 
agents  of  Charles  V.,  pleading  the  cause  of  our 
brave  Queen,  Catharine  of  Aragon.  Ortiz  proved 
the  very  best  friend  of  the  pilgrims,  for  he  pre- 
sented them  to  the  Pope,  Paul  III.,  who  sent  them 
back  with  all  and  more  than  they  had  dared  to  ask 
or  hope  for.  On  the  Feast  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
St.  Ignatius  and  those  of  his  companions  who  were 
not  priests,  were  ordained  priests  at  Venice,  and 
then  one  and  all  retired  into  solitude  to  prepare  for 
their  apostolic  work,  and  wherin  the  newly  anointed 
might  make  ready  for  their  first  Mass.  St.  Ignatius, 
B.  Peter  Favre  and  Father  Lainez  took  up  their 
abode  in  a  ruined  monastery  outside  the  walls  of 
Vicenza.  There  were  neither  doors  nor  window- 
frames  in  the  building,  and  their  food  was  the  hard 
dry  crusts  which  they  begged. 

But  the  forty  days  in  that  desert  were  turned 
into  Paradise  by  the  glimpses  of  heavenly  things 
which  made  all  suffering  forgotten.  That  period 
the    Fathers    went   out   into   the    streets   of 


over 


Vicenza  to  preach  and  to  instruct,  and  though 
they  knew  but  little  Italian,  their  zeal,  the  sight 
of  their  wearied  and  wasted  forms,  and  the  power 
of  their  holiness  wrought  wonders  among  the 
people. 

All  the  companions  then  gathered  together  at 
Vicenza ;  and  there  it  was  agreed  that  as  the  way 
to  the  Holy  Land  was  indefinitely  closed  by  the 
war  between  the  Catholic  powers  and  the  Turk, 
they  should  offer  their  services  to  the  Pope.  Ac- 
cordingly, St.  Ignatius,  with  B.  Peter  Favre  and 
Lainez,  went  on  to  Rome,  to  put  themselves  and 
their  brethren  entirely  at  the  disposal  of  the  Pope. 
As  they  drew  near  the  city,  close  by  the  site  of 
ancient  Veil,  in  the  broad  Campagna  which  spreads 
around  the  capital  of  the  Christian  world,  there  is 
a  wayside  chapel  at  a  place  called  La  Storta.  As 
St.  Ignatius  had  journeyed  along,  the  two  Fathers 
who  were  with  him  had  said  Mass,  and  the  Saint 
had  approached  Holy  Communion  each  day.  His 
heart  was  full  of  thoughts  of  love  towards  his  Sac- 
ramental Lord. 


ST.  IGNATIUS   LOYOLA. 


361 


He  entered  tlie  chapel  to  pray,  and  when  he  came 
out,  it  was  evident  that  he  had  been  deeply  stirred. 
"  I  know  not,"  he  said,  "  what  awaits  us  in  Rome. 
Perhaps  Ave  shall  be  crucified  there."  In  fact,  as 
he  went  on  to  tell,  Jesus  had  appeared  to  him  bear- 
ing His  Cross,  and  the  Eternal  Father  had  com- 
mended Ignatius  to  the  care  of  His  Blessed  Son 
with  these  words,  "  Receive  this  man  as  Thy  ser- 
vant." Then  our  Lord  had  turned  to  him  and 
said  :  "  I  will  be  favorable  to  you  in  Rome." 

It  was  during  the  Lent  of  1537  ^^^^  St.  Ignatius 
arrived  there  with  his  two  companions.  Those 
whom  he  had  left  behind  were  busy  gathering  in 
the  harvest  of  the  souls  in  various  cities  of  Italy, 
nor  could  St.  Ignatius  remain  idle  in  face  of  so 
much  to  be  done.  Pope  Paul  III.  received  him  and 
his  companions  with  the  greatest  kindness.  He 
appointed  FF.  Lainez  and  Favre  as  lecturers  in  the 
Roman  university,  while  he  left  Ignatius  free  to 
exercise  his  zeal. 

By  the  Easter  of  1538  God's  time  had  come  for 
laying  broad  and  deep  the  Constitutions  of  the  new 
Order,  and  St.  Ignatius  in  his  wise  humility  sum- 
moned around  him  all  his  brethren,  to  aid  him  by 
their  prayers  and  counsel  in  this  most  important 
work.  By  the  orders  of  the  Vicar  of  the  Pope, 
Cardinal  Carafa,  the  pulpits  of  various  churches 
were  assigned  to  them,  and  marvellous  was  the 
change  wrought  by  their  burning  discourses  and 
bright  example. 

But  none  had  the  power  of  St.  Ignatius'  words 
simple  and  straightforward,  without  adornment,  a 
soldier's  speech,  but  irresistible  because  the  expres- 
sions of  deepest  conviction  and  the  fruit  of  the  per- 
petual prayer.  He  preached  in  his  native  tongue 
in  the  Spanish  Church  of  our  Lady  of  Montserrat, 
hard  by  the  English  hospice,  which  is  now  the  ven- 
erable English  College.  So  engrossed  were  these 
Apostolic  men  with  their  work,  that  it  sometimes 
happened  that  night  came  upon  them  before  they 
had  had  time  to  remember  that  they  had  not  yet 
broken  their  fast. 

But  a  sudden  tempest  arose.  One  of  the  many 
whom  the  moral  corruption  of  the  time  and  the 
widespread  attacks  against  the  faith  had  led  astray, 
an  Augustinian  Friar  from  Piedmont,  had  come  to 


high  rank.  The  followers  of  St.  Ignatius  soon 
detected  that  his  sermons  contained,  under  a  care- 
ful disguise,  the  errors  of  Calvin  and  Luther.  They 
began  at  once  to  treat  in  their  instructions,  without 
any  allusion  to  the  preacher,  tipon  various  points 
on  which  the  Piedmontese  Friar  was  leading  the 
people  astray.  His  defence  was  to  retort  upon  St. 
Ignatius  the  accusation  of  heresy,  and  openly  to 
assert  that,  over  and  over  again,  our  Saint  had  been 
convicted  of  false  doctrine.  His  assertions  were 
supported  by  a  group  of  men  who  came  primed 
with  false  evidence.  The  accusations  were  destruc- 
tive of  all  prospect  of  future  good,  and  St.  Ignatius, 
so  willing  to  court  contempt  and  ignominy  when 
only  himself  was  concerned,  boldly  demanded  a 
public  enquiry  and  a  sentence  in  the  public  courts. 

God  took  the  matter  in  hand ;  the  four  ecclesias- 
tical judges  before  whom  he  had  been  tried  were 
all,  for  one  reason  or  other,  in  Rome  just  at  that 
very  time,  and  their  evidence  was  conclusive.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  hush  up  the  affair  in  order  •to 
shelter  some  persons,  high  placed,  who  would  have 
been  compromised  by  an  official  sentence.  But  St, 
Ignatius  was  convinced  that  an  authoritative  recog- 
nition of  his  innocence  and  freedom  from  error  way 
absolutely  necessary  to  prevent  the  old  accusation 
from  continually  reappearing.  He  went  to  the 
Pope,  then  at  his  country  house  at  Frascati,  and 
boldly  laid  the  whole  matter  before  him.  A  full 
and  judicial  sentence  was  published  in  due  form  in 
his  favor.  The  Friar  escaped  to  Geneva,  and  there 
openly  professed  Lutheranism. 

On  Christmas  night  that  same  year,  153S.  in  the 
subterranean  chapel  of  the  Basilica  of  St.  Mary 
Major,  where  the  relic  of  the  holy  crib  of  Bethlehem 
was  kept,  St.  Ignatius  said  his  first  Mass.  He  had 
not  thought  a  year  and  a  half  too  long  a  preparation ! 

Now  that  peace  had  been  restored,  it  was  time  to 
settle  definitely  the  form  and  shape  of  the  Order. 
Ignatius  recommended  the  others  to  seek  in  prayer 
and  penance  and  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  the  light 
they  required  ;  and  there  is  still  existing  a  sort  of 
diary  in  which  he  used  to  note  down  the  thoughts 
vouchsafed  to  himself  at  that  time  in  prayer. 
There  are,  too,  at  Rome  the  minutes  drawn  up  and 
signed  by  the  Fathers  during  their  careful  and  pro- 
preach  in  Rome,  under  the  patronage  of  persons  of    longed  deliberations.     Not  to  interrupt  their  labor 


362 


ST.  IGNATIUS   LOYOLA. 


for  souls,  they  only  met  at  night-fall,  and  then  dis- 
cussed at  length  the  various  subjects  which  were 
before  them. 

The  resolutions  of  the  Fathers  were  laid  before 
Paul  III.  on  September  3,  1539,  by  the  fast  friend 
of  St.  Ignatius,  the  great  Cardinal  Contarini, — who 
was  also  the  friend  of  our  Cardinal  Pole.  The  Pope 
gladly  gave  a  general  approval.  But  St.  Ignatius 
was  desirous  of  a  still  more  explicit  recognition. 
The  scheme  was  handed  over  to  a  commission  of 
three  Cardinals,  of  whom  one  especially  was  strongly 
opposed  to  the  approbation  of  any  fresh  Religious 
Order  in  the  Church.  But  the  prayers  and  pen- 
ances of  our  Saint  won  the  day,  and  even  Cardinal 
Guidiccioni,  who  had  been  most  determined,  owned 
that  some  irresistible  impulse  forced  him  to  give  a 
consent  against  his  own  wishes.  Paul  III.  read 
over  the  scheme  himself  with  great  attention,  and 
exclaimed  on  doing  so :  "  The  finger  of  God  is 
here!"  On  the  27th  of  September,  a  bull  of  the 
Pontiff  set  the  seal  of  Christ's  Vicar  on  the  work  of 
St.  Ignatius. 

Already  B.  Peter  Favre  had  been  sent  as  the 
counsellor  of  Ortiz  to  the  conference  on  religion  at 
Worms,  while  at  the  suggestion  of  Gouvea,  the  old 
rector  of  St.  Barbara's,  John  III.  of  Portugal  had 
asked  and  obtained  St.  Francis  Xavier  and  F.  Rod- 
riguez as  missionaries  for  India.  Four  of  the  other 
Fathers  had  been  called  away  to  labor  in  various 
parts  of  Italy.  It  was  absolutely  necessary,  before 
they  were  scattered  over  the  world,  at  once  to  elect 
a  Superior.  The  four  were  recalled  to  Rome,  and 
in  the  Lent  of  154 1  they  were  all  gathered  into  the 
narrow  and  poverty-stricken  house  beside  the  little 
Church  of  Santa  Maria  della  Strada,  which  had 
been  given  to  them.  Three  days  were  spent  in 
prayer ;  no  discussion  was  allowed ;  the  result  was 
to  come  from  God. 

On  the  day  fixed  the  votes  of  those  present  and 
of  those  who  were  absent  were  opened,  and  all,  save 
the  vote  of  the  Saint  himself,  fell  on  Ignatius.  He 
declared  most  positively  that  the  sins  of  his  present 
and  past  life  totally  unfitted  him  for  such  a  post ; 
and,  spite  of  the  protest  of  his  brethren  to  the 
contrary,  insisted  that  a  new  election  should  take 
place,  after  four  days  of  fresh  prayer  and  considera- 
tion.     The  second  voting    had    the    same    result. 


Ignatius  refused  as  absolutely  as  before ;  no  per- 
suasion could  change  his  mind,  till  at  length,  as  a 
compromise,  he  volunteered  to  lay  bare  all  his 
defects  and  crimes  to  his  confessor,  a  Franciscan 
Father,  and  abide  by  his  decision.  He  never  doubted 
what  the  result  would  be. 

Accordingly  he  spent  the  last  three  days  of  Holy 
Week  in  the  Franciscan  house  of  St.  Peter  in  Mon- 
torio,  the  traditional  scene  of  St.  Peter's  crucifixion, 
which  looks  down  from  the  Janiculan  hill  upon  the 
domes  and  bell-towers  of  Rome.  Ignatius  spent 
the  time  in  earnest  effort  to  paint  his  own  character 
in  the  blackest  colors  and  so  to  prove  his  utter 
unworthiness  for  the  ofiEce  of  General ;  and  then  on 
Easter  Day,  he  went  triumphantly  to  his  father  con- 
fessor to  hear  his  verdict.  "  By  your  refusal  you 
are  acting  against  the  Holy  Ghost,"  was  the  friar's 
only  reply.  Even  then  Ignatius  begged  him  to 
reconsider  his  opinion,  and  when  he  had  done  so 
to  write  his  answer  to  the  Fathers.  Then  and  then 
only  did  St.  Ignatius  bow  his  head,  and  in  accepting 
the  painful  burden  of  Superior,  his  life  henceforward 
was  merged  in  the  sorrows  and  successes  of  the 
Society. 

On  the  Friday  in  Easter  Week  St.  Ignatius  and 
his  companions  went  on  that  touching  pilgrimage, 
trodden  by  so  many  millions  of  Catholics,  to  the 
Seven  Churches  of  Rome.  It  brought  them  at 
length  to  the  solemn  Basilica  of  St.  Paul,  so  stately 
in  its  solitude,  with  its  forest  of  marble  pillars  and 
its  glittering  mosaics.  There  at  the  altar  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  before  a  picture  of  our  Lady 
and  Child,  then  at  the  left  of  the  venerable  high 
altar,  St.  Ignatius  said  Mass,  and  at  the  Commu- 
nion, with  the  paten  in  one  hand  and  the  formula 
of  vows  in  the  other,  he  made  his  solemn  profession, 
sealing  it  with  the  reception  of  his  King  and  Captain, 
and  the  five  other  Fathers  then  followed  his  example. 

After  Mass,  they  went  to  visit  each  of  the  privi- 
leged altars  of  the  basilica,  and  then  meeting  round 
the  high  altar,  which  is  still  standing,  they  gave 
each  other  the  kiss  of  peace,  their  hearts  full  of 
gratitude  that  it  had  been  given  them  to  fulfill  pub- 
licly and  in  the  face  of  the  world  at  the  Shrine  of 
the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  what  had  been  begun 
in  the  secret  vault  of  Montmartre. 

The  remaining  sixteen    years    of   his  life  were 


ST.   IGNATIUS    LOYOLA. 


363 


I 


chequered  witii  many  clouds  of  trouble,  cheered 
though  they  were  by  the  steady  progress  of  the 
Society  in  unwearied  struggles  with  vice  and  with 
error.  Ignatius  himself  never  left  Rome,  save 
on  two  occasions,  when  he  went  as  peacemaker 
to  Tivoli,  and  once  to  a  castle  of  the  Colonnas  in 
the  territory  of  Naples.  But  he  followed  with  the 
deepest  interest  the  labors  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  in 
India  and  Japan,  of  B.  Peter  Favre  and  his  other 
Fathers  in  Italy,  Germany,  the  Low  Countries,  in 
Savoy,  in  Spain,  Portugal  and  elsewhere,  cheering 
them  with  frequent  letters.  B.  Peter  he  welcomed 
home  when  at  length,  after  eight  years'  absence 
and  hardship,  obedience  brought  him  back  to  Rome 
to  die  in  his  arms.  St.  Francis  Borja,  Viceroy  of 
Catalonia  and  Duke  of  Gandia,  left  his  state  and 
broad  lands  to  fill  the  void  caused  by  Favre's  death. 
St.  Ignatius  made  everj'  son  of  his,  however  dis- 
tant, in  India  or  in  Brazil,  feel  the  warm  beatings 
of  a  Father's  heart  in  those  wonderful  letters  which 
tell  better  than  eny thing  its  tenderness,  its  courage, 
its  strength,  and,  when  needs  be,  its  sternness. 

To  far  off  Japan,  to  mysterious  Abyssinia,  to 
Ireland  torn  by  heresy  and  faction,  to  Scotland 
tottering  to  its  ruin,  to  the  Congo,  opened  out  long 
before  the  days  of  modern  travel  by  the  children  of 
Ignatius,  the  General  from  his  little  room  at  Santa 
Maria  della  Strada,  sent  his  brave  sons  on  the  mes- 
sage of  peace.  To  England  he  would  have  sent 
them  if  his  zeal  had  not  been  baffled  by  politicians. 

Then,  as  ever,  his  children  had  to  suffer  even 
from  Catholic  hands  and  in  Catholic  countries,  and 
every  sorrow  of  theirs  found  its  echo  in  his  soul,  so 
jealous  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  so  sensitive  to 
their  sufferings,  so  indifferent  to  his  own. 

The  walls  of  his  humble  rooms  still  exist,  their 
holiness  is  still  respected,  and  they  could  tell  that 
the  source  and  spring  of  all  he  did  was  his  constant 
union  with  God,  a  prayer  which  found  its  food  in 
every  creature  of  the  Creator.  For  each  flower, 
each  star,  each  beautiful  object  in  creation  lifted 
his  heart  up  to  heaven.  He  loved  to  step  out  at 
night  on  a  balcony,  which  has  been  preserved,  and 
to  gaze  upon  the  calm  stillness  of  a  southern  star- 
lit sky,  as  if  lifting  his  eyes  longing  towards  his 
home,  and  he  would  sigh  and  say,  "  How  vile  the 
earth  is  when  we  look  at  heaven  !  "     So  constant 


grew  this  his  habit  of  looking  upwards  that  he  was 
known  familiarly  to  passers-by  as  the  man  whose 
eyes  were  ever  heavenward. 

Such  was  his  devotion  at  office  that  his  tears 
flowed  in  such  streams  that  there  was  peril  of  his 
losing  his  sight ;  and  it  was  at  length  found  neces- 
sary to  obtain  for  him  a  dispensation  from  the 
Pope  and  a  prohibition  to  say  his  breviary.  At 
Mass  his  devotion  got  the  better  of  him  so  com- 
pletely that  he  often  spent  an  hour  at  the  altar, 
and  was  forced  to  celebrate  in  private,  while  the 
saying  of  two  Masses  on  Christmas  night  threw 
him  into  a  fever. 

St.  Ignatius  was  naturally  very  fond  of  the 
chants  and  services  of  the  Church,  but  he  sacri- 
ficed this  pleasure  and  departed  so  far  from  the 
practice  of  former  days  as  to  lay  no  obligation  of 
choir  on  his  order.  He  felt  the  absolute  need  of 
devoting  all  its  time  to  the  active  work  of  teaching, 
of  preaching  and  administering  the  Sacraments, 
and  he  would  leave  to  others  that  sublime  duty  of 
echoing  on  earth  the  perpetual  service  of  the  blessed 
before  the  Throne.  Still  he  valued  at  its  full  the 
Liturgy,  and  when  the  ceremonies  of  Holy  Week 
were  to  be  gone  through  in  his  church,  he  was  so 
anxious  that  they  should  be  done  as  well  as  possi- 
ble, that  he  used  to  send  for  those  who  were  to  take 
part  in  them  and  make  them  rehearse  them  several 
times  in  his  presence. 

Much  as  the  Saint  valued  prayer,  much  as  he 
sought  in  it  the  light  and  grace  which  he  needed 
for  himself,  and  which  he  asked  for  others,  yet  he 
ever  taught  by  his  own  practice  how  necessary  it 
was  to  join  to  it  self-conquest ;  for  otherwise,  as  he 
remarked,  persons  given  to  prayer  easily  become 
too  wedded  to  their  own  ideas.  His  constant  prayer 
was  "  Grant  me,  O  God,  humility  and  loving  rev- 
erence." His  lowly  opinion  of  himself  was  shown, 
not  only  in  his  first  refusal  of  the  office  of  General, 
but  in  his  efforts  to  resign  the  post,  even  long  be- 
fore his  health  had  so  far  incapaciated  him  that 
pity  for  his  feebleness  forced  his  children  to  accept 
the  resignation.  His  plea  was  that  it  was  easy  to 
find  one  who  would  fill  the  post  better  or  less  ill 
than  he.  He  ever  feared  that  others  should  take 
him  for  anything  more  than  he  was.  His  confes- 
sor had  hinted  that  if  he  out-lived  the  Saint  he 


364 


ST.  IGNATIUS    LOYOLA. 


would  have  marvels  to  disclose.  The  Saint  gave 
him  a  severe  public  penance  ;  and  when  the  Father 
died  before  his  penitent,  his  friends  suspected  that 
this  was  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  St.  Ignatius. 

The  holiness  of  our  Saint  stood  the  test  of  the 
Apostle's  saying,  for  never  did  he  offend  by  the 
tongue.  He  was  most  careful  not  to  exaggerate  or 
to  use  superlatives,  so  common  in  southern  speech. 
Never  did  he  say  a  word  against  another  nor  use  a 
harsh  word  of  reproach,  nor  did  he  allow  himself 
to  express  an  unfavorable  judgment  of  anyone. 
He  always  preferred  to  get  those  who  were  in  fault 
to  acknowledge  their  error,  so  the  more  success- 
fully to  be  able  to  correct  them.  What  was  pre- 
liaps  most  notable  in  him  was  the  complete  control 
which  he  had  obtained  over  his  naturally  fiery 
temper. 

He  was  sweet  and  gentle,  when  sweetness  and 
gentleness  were  needed,  and  yet  could  at  the  right 
time  speak  with  such  severity  as  to  make  the 
offender  tremble  before  him,  though  the  next  mo- 
ment he  would  return  to  his  usual  calm.  He  ad- 
justed this  severity  to  a  nicety  according  to  the 
virtue  of  the  person  with  whom  he  had  to  deal,  and 
while  considerate  and  gentle  with  the  weak,  he 
might  have  appeared  hard  and  exacting  to  a  fault 
when  dealing  with  men  of  tried  virtue,  like  Lainez. 

A  proof  of  St.  Ignatius's  wise  foresight  and  of  his 
blindness,  when  needs  be,  to  thoughtless  faults,  was 
best  seen  in  his  long  suffering  the  freaks  of  the  boy 
novice  Ribadeneira,  whose  grateful  pen  was  after- 
wards to  give  us  the  most  charming  biography  of 
the  Saint.  In  one  of  his  fits  of  juvenile  wayward- 
ness the  youth  showed  the  power  which  Ignatius 
could  exert  over  hearts,  by  walking  all  the  way 
from  Ivouvain  to  Rome  in  the  midst  of  a  cruel 
winter  to  seek  comfort  in  his  troubles  in  the  sight 
of  his  friend  and  father.  The  sick  had  a  special 
place  in  the  heart  of  St.  Ignatius.  When  he  had 
ordered  some  extra  comforts  for  the  invalids,  and 
the  bursar  told  him  there  was  not  money  in  the 
house  even  to  buy  food  for  the  community,  he  bade 
him  sell  some  of  the  very  small  supply  of  crockery 
and  furniture  which  the  house  then  possessed  and 
get  delicacies  for  the  sick. 

His  hidden  life  is  told  us  in  the  more  than  human 
wisdom  of  his  Exercises^  of  which  it  was  ever  the 


outward  expression.  Therein  we  can  read  the 
maxims  which  he  carried  out  in  every  detail  of  his 
life.  The  secret  of  his  success,  the  source  of  the 
courage  which  supported  him  are  to  be  found  in 
his  quiet  trust  in  God.  Yet  he  fully  recognized 
how  God  demands  that  man  should  do  his  part. 
However  stiff  and  decided  he  might  be  in  carrying 
out  his  resolves  when  once  he  saw  it  was  God's 
wish,  his  action  was  wisely  slow,  and  he  studied 
carefully  and  chose  the  best  times  and  the  seasons. 
At  all  other  times  he  anxiously  sought  and  readily 
followed  the  opinion  of  others. 

He  had  also  a  Saint's  discernment  when  to  lay 
aside  human  prudence  and  cast  his  care  on  God. 
His  hands  were  already  well  filled  with  pious 
works,  beyond  and  above  his  care  of  the  Society, 
and  yet  he  undertook  the  whole  responsibility  of 
the  refuge  for  fallen  women  at  St.  Martha,  and 
braved  the  scoffs  and  vile  insinuations  of  the 
wicked,  and  the  worldly-wise  criticisms  of  the 
good.  No  labor  was  too  great,  he  urged,  to  pre- 
vent one  single  mortal  sin,  or  to  promote  God's 
glory  in  any  way ;  and  once,  when  that  was  at 
stake,  he  stayed  fourteen  hours  waiting  without 
food  for  an  audience  at  a  great  man's  door. 

The  reward  came  at  last.  Ignatius  was  now 
sixty-five.  He  was  constantly  prostrated  by  ill- 
ness. Age  had  not  bent  his  upright  form,  rior 
blanched  his  hair,  his  face  was  winning  and  full 
of  a  noble  dignity.  Yet  the  responsibilities  of  his 
world-wide  work,  and  the  hea^s  of  a  more  than  un- 
usually hot  Roman  summer  brought  on  a  fever. 
But  it  did  not  seem  serious.  On  the  last  day  but 
one  of  July,  1556,  he  suggested  to  his  vicar  that  it 
was  time  to  go  and  beg  for  him  the  Papal  blessing, 
as  he  was  near  his  end.  Neither  the  doctors  nor 
the  Fathers  could  believe  this,  and  so  the  message 
was  delayed ;  even  the  last  Sacraments  were  not 
administered.  Next  morning  was  Friday,  and  at 
early  dawn  St.  Ignatius  was  found  actually  dying, 
and  before  the  holy  oils  could  be  brought,  about 
an  hour  after  sunrise,  he  expired  with  the  words 
"Jesus,  Jesus"  on  his  lips. 

In  1622,  Gregory  XV.  canonized  our  Saint.  His 
relics  lie  in  a  sumptuous  chapel,  within  the  Church 
of  the  Gesu,  which  was  built  in  the  place  of  Santa 
Maria  della  Strada. 


St.  Thomas  Aquinas, 

Doctor  of  the  Church  and  Patron  of  Catholic  Schools. 


(1225-1274J 


I.— Birth  and  Early  Life. 

The  thirteenth  century  was  a  time  of  extraordi- 
nary intellectual  activity,  which  was  not  without 
its  dangers.  In  the  enthusiastic  pursuit  of  learn- 
ing, students  flocked  by  thousands  to  the  great 
Universities,  which,  unhappily,  were  as  often 
schools  of  infidelity  as  of  faith.  The  philosophers 
of  the  age  owned  but  one  master,  and  he  was  a 
heathen.  "Aristotle,"  says  Lacordaire,  "  was  taken 
to  be  the  representative  of  wisdom ;  and,  unfortu- 
nately, Aristotle  and  the  Gospel  did  not  always 
agree ;  "  and  many,  entering  on  the  unexplored  sea 
of  thought  without  a  guide,  made  hopeless  ship- 
wreck of  their  faith.  The  great  professors  who 
were  the  oracles  of  the  day  were  not  always  proof 
against  the  seductions  of  vanity,  and  sometimes 
tried  to  make  themselves  a  name  by  striking  out 
bold  theories  in  matters  where  original  speculation 
is  seldom  friendly  to  the  faith. 

It  was  amidst  the  confusion  of  these  new  opin- 
ions that  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  was  given  to  the 
world  to  mark  out  the  limits  of  Christian  phil- 
osophy, and  to  form  the  separate  materials  of  dog- 
matic, moral,  and  speculative  theology  into  one 
grand  and  finished  structure,  whilst  at  the  same 
time  he  enriched  the  Church's  liturgy  with  some 
of  the  most  beautiful  of  its  devotional  formularies, 
and  displayed  in  his  life  and  character  all  the 
virtues  and  winning  graces  of  a  Saint. 

Picturesquely  situated  in  southern  Italy  on  the 
top  of  a  rugged  clifF  flanking  a  spur  of  the  Apen- 
nines, g.nd  overlooking  the  rushing  waters  of  the 
Melfi,  there  stood  in  mediaeval  times  the  fortress  of 
of  Rocca-Secca.  Here  St.  Thomas  was  born  about 
the  year  1225  (authors  are  not  agreed  as  to  the 
precise  date) ;  and  to  the  neighboring  little  town  of 
Aquino  he  owed  his  surname  of  Aquinas.  The 
count,  his  father,  was  nephew  to  the  Emperor  Fred- 
erick Barbarossa,  and  on  his  mother's  side,  he  was 
descended  from  the  Norman  Barons  who  had  con- 


quered Sicily  two  centuries  before.  The  Aquino 
family  could  claim  relationship  with  St.  Gregory 
the  Great,  and  was  allied  by  blood  to  St.  Louis  of 
France  and  St.  Ferdinand  of  Castille. 

The  future  vocation  and  sanctity  of  the  little 
Thomas  had  been  predicted  to  his  mother,  the 
Countess  Theodora,  by  a  holy  hermit  of  the  name 
of  Bonus  ;  and,  whilst  he  was  yet  an  infant,  God's 
watchful  Providence  over  him  was  manifested  in  a 
striking  manner.  A  terrific  thunderstorm  burst 
over  the  Castle,  and  his  nurse  and  his  little  sister 
were  struck  dead  in  the  very  chamber  in  which 
Thomas  slept  on  unharmed.  This  circumstance 
accounts  for  the  great  fear  of  thunder  and  light- 
ning which  the  Saint  is  said  to  have  had  through- 
out life,  which  caused  him  often  to  take  refuge  in 
the  church  during  a  thunderstorm,  even  leaning 
his  head  against  the  Tabernacle,  so  as  to  place 
himself  as  closely  as  possible  under  the  protection 
of  our  Lord.* 

The  words  Ave  Maria  were  the  first  which  his 
baby  lips  were  heard  to  utter.  Long  before  he 
could  read,  a  book  was  discovered  to  be  an  unfail- 
ing means  of  drying  his  tears  in  all  his  childish 
woes ;  he  would  delight  in  handling  it,  turning 
over  the  leaves  with  infantine  gravity. 

When  only  five  years  old,  his  education  was 
begun  by  the  monks  of  the  celebrated  Benedictine 
Abbey  of  Monte  Cassino,  which  was  only  a  few 
miles  distant  from  Rocca-Secca. 

The  monks  found  that  their  new  pupil  was  a 
grave,  quiet  child,  who  loved  to  spend  much  of  his 

*  Hence  the  popular  devotion  to  St.  Thomas  as  Patron  against 
thunderstorms  and  sudden  death.  Crosses  are  blessed  against 
lightning,  bearing  on  one  side  the  image  of  the  Saint  and  on  the 
other  a  Latin  inscription,  which  he  left  traced  on  the  wall  o  a 
cavern  at  Anagni,  into  which  he  more  than  once  retired  during  a 
thunderstorm,  and  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation  :  "The 
Cross  to  me  is  certain  salvation.  The  Cross  is  that  which  I  ever 
adore.  The  Cross  of  the  Lord  is  with  me.  The  Cross  is  my 
refuge. ' ' 

365 


366 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


time  in  the  church,  and  was  never  without  a  book 
in  his  hand.  He  had  considerable  influence  over 
his  young  companions,  whom  he  was  always  ready 
to  help,  aud  to  whom  the  sweetness  of  his  dispo- 
sition rendered  him  very  dear ;  but  he  cared  little 
for  the  sports  of  childhood,  in  which  he  seldom 
took  part.  One  day,  when  the  rest  of  the  merry 
band  were  playing  in  the  woods,  Thomas  was 
standing  apart  in  silent  thought ;  the  monk  in 
charge  of  the  boys  inquired  the  subject  of  his  re- 
flections. The  child  raised  his  head  and  said : 
"  Tell  me,  master,  what  is  God  ?  "  This  was  his 
oft-repeated  question,  and  it  showed  that  the  whole 
bent  of  his  mind  and  heart  was  already  directed 
heavenward. 

At  ten  years  old,  he  had  made  such  progress  in 
his  studies  that  his  parents  resolved  to  send  him, 
under  the  care  of  a  tutor,  to  the  newly-founded 
University  of  Naples.  Before  doing  so,  however, 
they  took  him  to  spend  some  weeks  with  them  at 
another  of  their  castles  at  Ivoreto,  a  spot  afterwards 
destined  to  become  so  famous  as  the  resting-place 
of  the  Holy  House  of  Nazareth.  A  famine  pre- 
vailed at  the  time,  and  Thomas  delighted  in  dis- 
tributing the  abundant  alms  which  his  charitable 
parents  had  set  aside  for  the  poor.  He  carried  his 
liberality  so  far  that  the  steward  of  the  castle  com- 
plained to  his  father.  The  Count  waylaid  the 
child  as  he  was  hurrying  with  bread  to  the  gate 
and  sternly  asked  what  was  hidden  under  his  cloak. 
Thomas  let  go  the  folds,  and  there  fell  to  the 
ground,  not  the  food  which  he  had  taken,  but  a 
profusion  of  lovely  and  sweet-scented  flowers. 

On  his  arrival  in  Naples,  the  extraordinary 
talents  of  which  he  had  already  given  proof  under 
his  Benedictine  teachers,  became  more  and  more 
manifest,  whilst  at  the  same  time  he  made  rapid  pro- 
gress in  the  science  of  the  Saints.  He  was  con- 
tinually held  up  as  a  model  to  his  fellow-students  in 
a  way  most  painful  to  his  humility  ;  but  the  mod- 
esty, sweetness,  and  gentleness  of  his  character 
preserved  him  from  envy,  and  gained  for  him  uni- 
versal affection.  He  shunned  all  occasions  of  evil, 
and  devoted  his  leisure  hours  to  prayer  and  good 
works.  The  Dominican  church  became  one  of  his 
favorite  resorts  ;  and,  as  he  poured  forth  his  soul 
in  prayer  before  the  altar,  bright   rays  of  light 


were  more  than  once  seen  to  issue  from  his  coun- 
tenance. 

A  holy  Friar,  named  John  of  St.  Julian,  who  had 
witnessed  the  wonderful  sight,  one  day  said  to  the 
pious  youth :  "  God  has  given  you  to  our  Order." 
Thomas  threw  himself  on  his  knees,  saying  that 
he  had  long  and  ardently  desired  to  take  the  habit, 
but  that  he  feared  he  was  unworthy  of  so  great  a 
grace.  The  Community  joyfully  admitted  the 
young  student ;  and,  whilst  still  almost  a  boy,  he 
was  publicly  clothed  in  the  white  habit  of  St. 
Dominic. 

The  news  soon  reached  the  ears  of  the  Countess 
Theodora,  his  mother,  who,  recognizing  in  the 
event  the  fulfillment  of  the  holy  hermit's  prophecy, 
hastened  to  Naples  to  congratulate  her  son.  Thomas 
and  the  brethren,  however,  who  were  ignorant  of 
her  dispositions,  were  much  alarmed  at  the  idea  of 
the  impending  visit,  and,  in  compliance  with  his 
own  earnest  entreaties,  the  novice  was  hurried  off 
to  the  Convent  of  Santa  Sabina  in  Rome.  Thither 
his  mother  followed  him,  but  she  was  unable  to  in- 
duce him  to  consent  to  an  interview.  The  General 
of  the  Order,  John  the  German,  was  on  the  point 
of  starting  for  Paris  and  resolved  to  take  Thomas 
and  three  other  companioiis  with  him ;  and  they 
accordingly  left  Rome  together. 

When  Theodora  found  herself  thus  foiled  and 
mistrusted,  she  became  furious  against  the  friars, 
and  sent  orders  to  her  two  elder  sons,  who  were 
then  serving  in  the  Emperor's  army  in  Italy,  to 
waylay  their  brother  and  bring  him  back  to  her. 
The  little  party  of  friars  were  overtaken  and  seized 
as  they  were  taking  their  midday  rest  by  a  wayside 
fountain.  The  rough  soldiers  tried  to  tear  the 
habit  from  Thomas's  back ;  but  his  stout  resistance 
compelled  them  to  give  up  the  attempt.  His  com- 
panions were  suffered  to  continue  their  journey, 
whilst  the  young  novice  was  carried  off  to  his 
angry  parents  at  Rocca-Secca. 

The  Countess  was  now  determined  that  he  should 
never  be  a  Dominican  ;  and  his  father,  who  would 
gladly  have  seen  him  assume  the  Benedictine 
habit,  that,  like  one  of  his  uncles,  he  might  rise  to 
the  dignity  of  Abbot  of  Monte  Cassino,  was  equally 
determined  that  he  should  never  belong  to  the  des- 
pised mendicant  Order  he  had  embraced.     Tears, 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


367 


threats  and  entreaties  proving  powerless  to  shake 
the  Saint's  resolution,  he  was  imprisoned  in  one  of 
the  towers  of  the  Castle,  where  he  had  to  suflfer 
cold,  hunger,  and  every  sort  of  privation. 

His  two  sisters.  Marietta  and  Theodora,  to  whom 
he  was  tenderly  attached,  vainly  endeavored  by 
their  affectionate  caresses  to  induce  him  to  yield  to 
his  mother's  wishes  ;  but  they  were  themselves  won 
to  a  life  of  perfection  ;  and  both  eventually  died  in 
the  odor  of  sanctity,  one  as  a  Benedictine  Abbess, 
the  other  in  the  married  state  as  Countess  of  San 
Severino.  Through  their  instrumentality,  Thomas 
was  enabled  to  obtain  books  and  clothes  from  his 
Brethren  at  Naples.  During  his  captivity,  which 
lasted  considerably  more  than  a  year,  he  managed 
to  commit  to  memory  the  entire  Bible  and  the  five 
books  of  the  "  Sentences,"  the  theological  text- 
book of  the  time.  His  earliest  writings  are  said  to 
belong  to  the  same  period. 

On  the  arrival  of  his  brothers,  Thomas's  con- 
stancy was  put  to  a  yet  more  terrible  trial.  The 
two  young  of&cers  conceived  the  infernal  project  of 
introducing  a  woman  of  evil  life  into  his  chamber ; 
but  with  a  flaming  brand  snatched  from  the  hearth 
the  Saint  indignantly  drove  her  from  his  presence. 
With  the  same  brand  he  then  traced  a  cross  upon 
the  wall ;  and,  casting  himself  on  his  knees  before 
it,  besought  of  God  to  grant  him  the  gift  of  per- 
petual chastity. 

As  he  prayed,  he  fell  into  an  ecstacy,  during 
which  two  angels  appeared  to  him  and  girded  him 
with  a  miraculous  cord,  saying :  "  We  are  come 
from  God  to  invest  thee  with  the  girdle  of  per- 
petual chastity.  The  Lord  has  heard  thy  prayer ; 
and  that  which  human  frailty  can  never  merit, 
is  ensured  to  thee  by  the  irrevocable  gift  of 
God."  The  angels  girded  him  so  tightly  that 
he  uttered  an  involuntary  cry  of  pain,  which 
brought  some  servants  to  the  spot ;  but  Thomas 
kept  his  secret  to  himself,  and  only  revealed  it 
on  his  deathbed  to  his  confessor.  Brother  Regi- 
nald, declaring  that  from  that  day  the  spirit  of 
darkness  had  never  been  allowed  to  approach 
him.  The  girdle  was  worn  by  the  Saint  till  his 
death,  and  is  still  preserved  at  the  Convent  of 
Chieri  in  Piedmont. 

By  this  time  his  family  had  discovered  that  his 


firmness  *  would  not  be  overcome  by  persecution. 
Though  unwilling  to  acknowledge  themselves 
beaten,  they  connived  at  his  escape,  and,  like  St. 
Paul,  he  was  let  down  from  the  tower  in  a  basket 
to  the  Friars,  who  by  appointment  were  waiting 
below.  They  carried  off  their  rescued  treasure  to 
Naples,  where  he  was  immediately  admitted  to  pro- 
fession. One  more  attempt  was  made  to  shake  his 
constancy  by  an  appeal  to  the  Pope,  who  summoned 
him  to  Rome  ;  but  the  Saint  pleaded  his  cause  so 
well  that  the  Holy  Father  was  convinced  of  the 
reality  of  his  vocation.  In  order  to  satisfy  his 
family,  however,  and  to  secure  in  an  important  post 
the  services  of  so  gifted  a  subject,  the  Pope  pro- 
posed to  make  him  Abbott  of  Monte  Cassino,  whilst 
still  continuing  a  Dominican.  But  St.  Thomas 
implored  so  earnestly  that  he  might  be  allowed  to 
remain  a  simple  religious  in  the  Order  he  had 
chosen,  that  his  Holiness  yielded,  and  strictly 
forbade  any  further  interference  with  his  vocation. 

To  put  him  beyond  reach  of  further  molestation, 
the  General  of  the  Order  took  him  with  him  to 
Cologne,  where  he  became  the  disciple  of  Blessed 
Albert  the  Great,  the  renowned  Dominican  pro- 
fessor of  the  day.  When  St.  Thomas  found  him- 
self safe  within  the  convent  walls,  he  devoted 
himself  with  ardor  to  the  work  of  his  sanctifica- 
tion.  His  time  was  divided  between  prayer  and 
study.  His  humility  enabled  him  to  conceal  his 
vast  powers  of  mind ;  and  his  absolute  silence  at 
all  the  scholastic  disputations,  rendered  more  con- 
spicuous by  his  commanding  stature  and  the  port- 
liness of  his  figure,  led  his  companions  to  call  him 
"  the  dumb  ox  of  Sicily." 

A  good-natured  fellow-student  offered  to  explain 
the  daily  lessons  to  him,  an  offer  which  the  Saint 
humbly  and  gratefully  accepted.  But  one  day  the 
young  teacher  came  to  a  diificult  passage,  which 
he  interpreted  wrongly.  Then  the  Saint's  charity 
and  love  of  truth  triumphed  over  his  humility ;  and, 
taking  the  book,  he  explained  the  passage  with  the 
utmost  clearness  and  precision.  His  astonished 
friend  begged  in  future  to  be  the  scholar,  to  which 

*  In  the  1 6th  century  a  Confraternity  was  established, 
called  ' '  the  Angelic  Warfare, ' '  to  obtain  through  the  interces- 
sion of  St.  Tliomas  the  virtue  of  chastity.  This  Confraternity 
still  flourishes  and  has  been  enriched  with  many  Indulgences. 


368 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


Thomas  consented,  on  condition  his  secret  should 
be  kept.  Shortly  after  this,  a  paper  written  by  the 
Saint  and  containing  a  masterly  solution  of  a  most 
abstruse  question,  fell  accidentally  into  the  hands 
of  Blessed  Albert.  Astonished  at  the  genius  it  dis- 
played, he  next  day  put  the  learning  of  his  saintly 
disciple  to  a  public  test,  and  exclaimed  before  the 
assembled  students :  "  We  call  Brother  Thomas 
'  the  dumb  ox ;'  but  I  tell  you  he  will  one  day 
make  his  bellowing  heard  to  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth." 

II. — Work  in  His  Order  and  in  the  Church. 

In  the  summer  of  1245,  ^  y^3,r  after  St.  Thomas's 
arrival  at  Cologne,  the  General  Chapter  commanded 
Blessed  Albert  to  proceed  to  Paris  in  order  to  take 
the  degree  of  Doctor  in  that  University,  and  he  ob- 
tained permission  to  take  Brother  Thomas  as  his 
companion.  The  two  Saints  set  out  on  foot,  staff 
in  hand,  carrying  on  their  shoulders  the  breviary 
and  Bible,  to  which  Brother  Thomas  added  the 
book  of  "  Sentences."  At  midday  they  rested  by 
some  spring  to  eat  the  food  they  had  begged  on 
their  way.  At  night  they  generally  found  shelter 
in  the  guest  quarters  of  some  monastery.  In  this 
manner  they  reached  the  convent  of  St.  James  at 
Paris,  where  St.  Tomas  became  the  model  of  the 
whole  Community,  by  his  spirit  of  pra3''er,  his  pro- 
found humility,  perfect  obedience,  and  universal 
charity.  He  tried  to  imitate  the  virtues  he  ob- 
served in  his  brethren,  and  judged  himself  utterly 
unworthy  of  living  in  such  saintly  company.  Never 
was  he  known  to  utter  an  idle  word ;  when  he  did 
speak,  the  charm  of  his  heavenly  conversation  filled 
all  who  heard  him  with  spiritual  consolation.  A 
celestial  grace  beamed  from  his  beautiful  counte- 
nance ;  so  that  some  said  they  had  only  to  look  at 
him  to  feel  within  themselves  a  renewal  of  fervor. 

A  young  Franciscan  was  at  this  time  studying 
at  Paris,  Bonaventure  by  name,  to  whom  St.  Thomas 
became  knit  in  bonds  of  closest  friendship ;  they, 
who  were  in  after  ages  to  be  honored  in  the  Church 
as  the  Seraphic  and  Angelic  Doctors,  were  dear  to 
each  other  on  earth  as  Jonathan  and  David ;  and 
after  their  three  years  of  study,  they  were  raised 
together  to  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Theology, 
in  1248.     In  the  November  of  that  year,  Blessed 


Albert  was  sent  back  to  Cologne,  again  accom- 
panied by  St.  Thomas,  who  taught  under  his  direc- 
tion. Scholars  were  not  slow  to  discover  that  the 
two  Dominican  professors  excelled  all  others,  and 
the  new  school  at  Cologne  was  soon  filled  to  over- 
flowing. St.  Thomas's  lessons  fully  bore  out  the 
five  principles  of  teaching  which  he  has  himself  laid 
down,  viz.,  clearness,  brevity,  utility,  sweetness, 
and  maturity.  He  possessed  a  wonderful  gift  of 
communicating  knowledge,  so  that  more  was  learnt 
from  him  in  a  few  months  than  from  others  in 
several  years. 

It  was  soon  after  his  return  to  Cologne  that  the 
Saint  was  raised  to  the  priesthood  ;  from  that  time 
he  seemed  more  closely  than  ever  united  to  God. 
He  used  to  spend  many  hours  of  the  day  and  a 
great  part  of  the  night  in  the  church  ;  whilst  offer- 
ing the  Holy  Sacrifice  he  shed  abundant  tears,  and 
the  ardor  of  his  devotion  communicated  itself  to 
those  who  assisted  at  his  Mass. 

After  teaching  for  four  years  at  Cologne,  Thomas 
was  ordered  by  the  General  Chapter  to  prepare  to 
take  his  degree  as  Doctor.  This  was  a  terrible 
blow  to  his  humility,  as  he  sincerely  judged  himself 
unfit  for  the  dignity.  On  his  way  to  Paris,  whither 
he  had  now  to  repair,  he  preached  at  the  court  of 
the  Duchess  of  Brabant,  at  whose  request  he  wrote 
a  treatise  on  the  government  of  the  Jews  which  is 
full  of  wisdom  and  moderation.  Later  on,  he  was 
often  consulted  on  most  important  matters  of  state, 
especially  by  St.  Louis  of  France,  who  was  tenderly 
attached  to  him.  He  arrived  in  Paris  in  1252,  and 
from  the  first  his  success  in  teaching  was  so  great 
that  the  vast  halls  of  the  Convent  of  St.  James  were 
unable  to  contain  his  audience.  The  University 
congratulated  the  Order  on  the  acquisition  of  so 
great  a  treasure,  and  proposed  at  once  to  grant  him 
the  license  preliminary  to  the  acts  required  for  tak- 
ing the  degree  of  Doctor,  although  he  was  nearl}'^ 
ten  years  under  the  age  required  by  the  statutes. 

But  this  step  was  delayed  by  a  dispute  which 
arose  between  the  Friars  and  the  secular  Doctors. 
The  quarrel  originated  in  the  refusal  of  the  former 
to  take  an  oath  to  close  their  schools  whenever  the 
rights  of  the  University  were  attacked  ;  and  it  was 
fanned  into  a  flame  by  the  publication  of  a  book, 
entitled  "  The  Perils  of  the  Latter  Times,"  in  which 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


I 


the  new  mendicant  Orders  were  attacked  in  the  ' 
most  calumnious  and  scandalous  terms.  This 
work,  which  came  from  the  pen  of  a  Paris  Doctor, 
William  de  St.  Amour,  a  man  of  violent  and  hereti- 
cal opinions,  was  referred  by  St.  Louis  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Pope.  St.  Thomas  and  St.  Bonaven- 
ture  were  summoned  to  the  Papal  Court  to  act  as 
the  champions  of  the  regulars,  and  the  pen  of 
Blessed  Albert  the  Great  was  also  called  into  requi- 
sition. St.  Thomas's  eloquent  defence  procured  the 
condemnation  of  the  book,  and  delivered  the  men- 
dicant Orders  from  destruction  ;  and  by  the  joint 
exertions  of  the  Pope  and  St.  Louis,  the  University 
was  compelled  to  yield,  and  to  readmit  the  Friars  to 
their  theological  chairs. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  1257,  ^^^  t^^  Saints  were 
allowed  to  take  their  Doctor's  degree.  St.  Thomas's 
humility  had  been  so  sorely  distressed  at  the  idea 
of  this  promotion,  that  he  could  not  bring  himself 
to  prepare  the  preliminary  public  address  until  the 
very  eve  of  the  day  on  which  it  was  to  be  delivered. 
Then,  as  it  would  seem,  by  divine  inspiration,  he 
chose  for  his  text  the  words  of  the  103d  Psalm,  v. 
13  :  "  Thou  waterest  the  hills  from  Thy  upper 
rooms  ;  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  fruit  of 
Thy  works,"  words  which  he  interpreted  to  refer  to 
Jesus  Christ,  Who,  as  the  head  of  men  and  angels, 
waters  the  heavenly  spirits  with  glory,  whilst  He 
fills  the  Church  militant  on  earth  with  the  fruits  of 
His  works  through  the  Sacraments,  which  apply 
the  merits  of  His  sacred  Passion  to  our  souls.  But 
the  event  gave  to  this  text  the  character  of  a  pro- 
phecy regarding  the  Saint's  own  future  caree. . 

In  1259,  St.  Thomas  was  deputed,  in  concert  with 
Blessed  Albert  and  other  learned  men  of  the  Order, 
to  draw  up  ordinances  to  regulate  the  studies  of  the 
Brethren.  A  year  or  two  later,  he  was  summoned 
to  Italy  to  teach  in  the  schools  attached  to  the 
Papal  Court.  As  these  schools  followed  the  Pope 
from  place  to  place,  several  of  the  great  cities  of 
Italy  and  many  of  the  convents  of  his  Order 
enjoyed  for  a  time  the  privilege  of  the  Saint's 
teaching.  It  is  pleasant  to  think  that  the  streets 
of  the  world's  metropolis  have  probably  been  trodden 
by  the  feet  of  the  holy  Doctor,  who  is  said  to  have 
been  present  at  the  General  Chapter  of  the  Order 
held  in  London  in  1263. 

24 


After  being  for  some  time  stationed  in  Rome, 
he  was  again  appointed  to  teach  in  Paris  in  1269. 
The  Doctors  of  the  University  referred  to  his  de- 
cision a  controversy  which  had  arisen  concerning 
the  sacramental  species  in  the  Holy  Eucharist. 
After  long  and  fervent  prayer,  the  Saint  put  his 
own  opinion  on  the  subject  into  writing,  laid  the 
manuscript  at  the  foot  of  the  Crucifix  on  the  Altar 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  then  prayed  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Lord  Jesus,  Who  art  truly  present  and 
dost  work  wonders  in  this  adorable  Sacrament,  I 
implore  thee  to  grant  that,  if  what  I  have  written 
be  the  truth.  Thou  wilt  enable  me  to  teach  it ;  but 
that,  if  it  contains  anything  contrary  to  the  faith, 
Thou  wilt  hinder  me  from  proceeding  further  in 
declaring  it."  Then  the  other  Friars,  who  were 
watching,  beheld  our  Lord  Himself  descend  and 
stand  upon  the  manuscript,  and  they  heard  from 
His  Divine  lips  the  words :  "  Thomas,  thou  hast 
written  well  concerning  the  Sacrament  of  My 
Body."  The  Saint  immediately  fell  into  an 
ecstasy,  in  which  he  was  raised  a  cubit  from  the 
ground. 

In  1 271  he  returned  to  Italy,  and  began  to  teach 
in  Rome.  During  the  following  Holy  Week  he 
preached  in  St.  Peter's  on  the  Passion  of  our  Lord ; 
and  those  who  heard  him  on  Good  Friday  were 
moved  to  tears  and  ceased  not  to  weep  until  Easter 
Day,  when  his  Paschal  sermon  filled  them  with 
holy  jubilation.  On  that  day,  as  he  came  down 
from  the  pulpit,  a  poor  woman  who  had  been  hope- 
lessly ill  for  a  long  time  kissed  the  hem  of  his 
mantle  and  was  immediately  cured.  Meanwhile 
the  Universities  of  Paris  and  of  Naples  were  vying 
with  each  other  in  their  efforts  to  get  possession  of 
the  great  Doctor.  Naples  gained  the  day  ;  and  the 
Saint  accordingly  repaired,  towards  the  end  of  the 
summer  of  1272,  to  this  the  last  scene  of  his  labors 
as  a  professor. 

During  all  these  busy  years  of  teaching,  St. 
Thomas's  pen  had  been  at  work  indefatigably,  en- 
riching the  schools  and  the  Church  with  invaluable 
treatises,  which  fill  twenty  volumes.  Within  the 
narrow  limits  of  these  pages  it  is  impossible  to  do 
more  than  name  a  very  few  of  his  most  important 
writings.  He  commented  on  the  works  of  Aristotle, 
and  purged  the  text  of  the  pagan  philosopher  from 


370 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


everj^hing  opposed  to  the  truths  of  the  faith,  whilst 
at  the  same  time  he  chose  the  terms  of  Aristotle's 
philosophy  as  the  most  scientific  classification  of 
the  ideas  of  the  human  mind,  and  thus  established 
a  complete  system  of  Christian  philosophy.  His 
"Summa  Against  the  Gentiles"  was  written  by 
command  of  St.  Raymond  of  Pennafort,  the  third 
General  of  the  Order,  to  combat  the  false  philo- 
sophical doctrines  introduced  by  the  Saracens,  into 
Spain,  which  were  making  their  way  into  the  Uni- 
versities of  Europe. 

In  this  work  St.  Thomas  demonstrates  the  truth 
of  revealed  religion  and  triumphantly  proves  that 
Christianity  can  never  be  contrary  to  sound  reason. 
The  holy  Doctor  has  written  treatises  on  the  Our 
Father,  the  Hail  Mary,  and  the  Creed,  commen- 
taries on  various  parts  of  Holy  Scripture,  and 
answers  to  sundry  questions  proposed  to  him  for 
solution.  Pope  Urban  IV.  charged  him  with  the 
task  of  collecting  all  the  most  beautiful  passages 
of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church  on  the  Gospels.  The 
result  was  his  "  Catena  Aurea  "  or  Golden  "  Chain," 
which  is  entirely  made  up  of  quotations,  written  in 
great  part  from  memory.  The  Saint,  as  he  trav- 
elled from  convent  to  convent,  had  read  the  works, 
now  of  one,  now  of  another,  of  the  Fathers,  and  his 
marvellous  memory  enabled  him  to  retain  and 
transcribe  the  passages  bearing  on  his  subject. 
The  most  famous  of  his  works  is  his  "  Summa 
of  Theology,"  at  which  he  labored,  in  the  inter- 
vals of  teaching  and  preaching,  for  the  last  nine 
years  of  his  life,  and  which  he  did  not  live  to 
complete. 

Of  this  work.  Pope  John  XXII.  is  reported  to  have 
said  that  St.  Thomas  had  worked  as  many  miracles 
as  it  contains  articles  ;  and  its  value  is  perhaps  best 
attested  by  the  hatred  with  which  it  has  ever  been 
regarded  by  heretics.  In  1520,  Luther  caused  it  to 
be  burnt  in  the  public  square  at  Wittenberg,  and 
another  of  the  so-called  Reformers,  Martin  Bucer, 
exclaimed :  "  Suppress  Thomas  and  I  will  destroy 
the  Church."  "A  vain  wish,"  remarks  Pope  Leo 
XIII. ,  "  but  not  a  vain  testimony."  At  the  Council 
of  Trent,  three  works  of  reference  only  were  laid  on 
the  table  of  the  hall  of  Assembly  :  they  were  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  the  Pontifical  Acts,  and  the 
"  Summa  "  of  St.  Thomas  ;  and  from  the  "  Summa  " 


the  Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent  was  compiled 
by  three  Dominican  Fathers. 

But  perhaps  St.  Thomas's  chief  title  to  the  love 
and  veneration  of  the  faithful  generally  is  the  part 
which  he  took  in  the  institution  of  the  Feast  of 
Corpus  Christi.  When  he  presented  to  Pope  Urban 
IV.  the  first  part  of  his  "  Catena  Aurea,"  about 
1263,  the  delighted  Pontiff  wished  in  token  of  grati- 
tude to  raise  him  to  the  episcopate.  But  St.  Thomas 
threw  himself  on  his  knees  and  implored  the  Holy 
Father  to  grant,  as  the  only  reward  he  would  ever 
accept  for  his  labors,  that  the  Feast  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  already  established  through  the  prayers 
of  the  Blessed  Juliana  and  the  influence  of  the 
Dominican  Cardinal  Hugh  of  St.  Cher,  in  Germany 
and  the  Low  Countries,  should  be  extended  to  the 
Universal  Church.  Urban  gladly  consented,  and 
ordered  St.  Thomas  to  write  the  Office  of  the  Feast. 

In  this  Office  each  of  the  responsories  at  matins 
is  composed  of  two  sentences,  one  drawn  from  the 
Old,  and  the  other  from  the  New  Testament,  which 
are  thus  made  to  render  their  united  testimony  to 
the  great  central  mystery  of  Catholic  belief  With 
its  hymns,  the  Vernum  Siipermim  and  Pange 
Lingua  we  are  all  familiar,  and  specially  with  their 
concluding  stanzas,  the  O  Salutaris2:a$i\\\^&  Tantum 
Ergo,  always  sung  at  Benediction  ;  and  from  child- 
hood our  hearts  have  thrilled  within  us  as  we  walked 
in  processions  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  to  t'le 
strains  of  the  Lauda  Sion. 

Before  presenting  his  Office  to  the  Pope,  St. 
Thomas  placed  it  before  the  Tabernacle,  and  the 
miracle  formerly  worked  at  Paris  was  renewed,  the 
words  of  approval  proceeding  from  the  lips  of  a 
crucifix  still  venerated  at  Orvieto.  A  similar  testi- 
mony of  Divine  approval  was  granted  to  the  Saint 
at  Naples,  and  was  witnessed  by  one  of  the  Friars. 
On  this  occasion  also  our  Lord  spoke  to  him  from  a 
Crucifix  which  is  preserved  in  the  Church  of  San 
Domenico  Magg^ore,  saying :  "  Thou  hast  written 
well  of  Me,  Thomas.  What  reward  wilt  thou 
have  ?  "  To  which  the  Saint  fervently  replied : 
"  No  other  than  Thyself,  O  Lord." 

To  the  pen  of  St.  Thomas  we  are  also  indebted 
for  the  Adoro  7>,  for  beautiful  devotions  before  and 
after  Holy  Communion,  and  many  other  prayers 
solid  in  doctrine  and  beautiful  in  expression.     It  is 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


371 


a  tradition  that  he  composed  the  well-known  prayer, 
the  "  Soul  of  Christ,  sanctify  nie,"  which  was  a 
favorite  one  of  St.  Ignatius,  who  introduced  it  into 
his  book  of  spiritual  exercises,  though  leaving  out 
the  lovely  petition,  "  Light  of  the  sacred  counten- 
ance of  Jesus,  shine  down  upon  me,"  which  is  found 
in  the  old  forms  of  the  prayer.  This  petition  occurs 
in  the  version  of  the  Am'ma  Christi^  found  in  an 
old  prayer-book  called  the  "  York  Hours,"  where  it 
is  stated  to  have  been  indulgenced  by  Pope  John 
XXII.  when  said  after  the  elevation  at  Mass.  This 
prayer-book  was  published  in  15 17,  four  years 
before  the  conversion  of  St.  Ignatius. 

III. — Personal  Traits. 

St.  Thomas  was  tall  and  inclined  to  corpulence, 
with  a  fine  massive  head,  a  lofty  forehead,  refined 
and  handsome  features,  and  large,  gentle  eyes  beam- 
ing with  benevolence.  His  manners  were  singularly 
winning  and  graceful ;  and  his  prodigious  powers  of 
mind  were  accompanied  by  a  childlike  simplicity  of 
character,  which,  no  less  than  the  purity  of  his  doc- 
trine, gained  for  him  the  title  of  the  "Angel  of  the 
Schools."  Though  raised  so  high  above  others  by 
his  gigantic  intellectual  powers,  he  was  the  sweetest 
and  most  charitable  of  masters  and  of  fathers,  always 
ready  to  stoop  to  the  capacity  of  the  youngest  and 
dullest  of  his  scholars. 

No  matter  how  important  the  affair  might  be  on 
which  he  was  engaged,  his  cell  was  always  open  to 
his  brethren  whenever  they  wished  to  speak  to  him, 
and  he  would  cheerfully  turn  from  the  most  absorb- 
ing occupatioa  to  give  them  his  undivided  atten- 
tion. He  listened  to  their  difficulties,  explained 
their  doubts,  and  comforted  them  in  their  troubles. 
Nothing  that  concerned  them  was  trifling  in  his 
eyes,  and  he  never  showed  himself  weary  of  their 
interruptions  and  importunities.  In  return,  they 
bore  him  the  tenderest  affection  ;  "  Doctor  noster," 
they  loved  to  call  him ;  and  the  sincerity  of  their 
attachment  was  amply  proved  by  the  bitterness  of 
their  grief  when  he  was  taken  from  them. 

Long  after  his  death,  those  who  had  known  him 
could  never  speak  of  him  without  tears,  so  dearly 
did  they  love  him.  True  son  of  St.  Dominic,  he 
cared  only  to  speak  of  God  or  to  God,  and  could 
not  understand  how  Religious  could  take  interest 


in  any  other  topic.  If  the  conversation  turned  to 
other  subjects,  he  ceased  to  take  part  in  it ;  and  he 
owned  to  his  companions  that  it  surprised  him  that 
a  Religious  could  think  of  anything  but  God. 

And  what  was  perfectly  incomprehensible  to  him 
was,  how  any  one  who  knew  himself  to  be  in  the 
state  of  mortal  sin  could  eat,  sleep,  or  be  merry. 
When  seculars  came  to  seek  advice  and  conso- 
lation from  him,  he  lent  them  a  willing  ear,  and 
after  solving  their  doubts  and  consoling  their  sor- 
rows, he  never  failed  to  tell  them  some  short  pious 
story  or  to  speak  a  few  words  of  edification,  and 
then  dismissed  them,  their  hearts  glowing  with 
spiritual  joy  and  divine  love. 

We  can  picture  St.  Thomas  to  ourselves  enjoy- 
ing his  ordinary  recreation  of  walking  up  and 
down  the  cloister  of  his  convent,  occasionally 
dragged  off  by  his  brethren  to  take  a  breath  of 
fresh  air  in  the  garden,  but  sure  in  such  cases 
soon  to  be  found  in  some  remote  corner,  absorbed 
in  thought.  Of  this  abstraction  of  mind,  some 
amusing  anecdotes  are  preserved,  as,  for  example, 
that  which  shows  him  to  us  dining  with  St.  Louis, 
and  suddenly  striking  the  table  with  his  hand,  ex- 
claiming :  "  It  is  all  up  with  the  Manichees  !"  His 
companion  gently  endeavored  to  recall  him  to  the 
remembrance  of  the  royal  presence,  whilst  the 
good-natured  King  instantly  summoned  a  secre- 
tary to  commit  to  writing  the  convincing  argument 
which  had  just  presented  itself  to  the  mind  of  his 
saintly  guest. 

Again  at  Naples,  when  the  Cardinal  Legate  and 
the  Archbishop  of  Capua  came  to  visit  him,  he 
went  to  the  cloister  to  receive  them,  but  on  the 
way  became  so  absorbed  in  the  solution  of  a  theo- 
logical difficulty,  that,  by  the  time  he  arrived,  he 
had  forgotten  all  about  the  business  and  the 
visitors  that  had  called  him,  and  stood  like  one 
in  a  dream.  The  Archbishop,  who  had  formerly 
been  his  pupil,  assured  the  Cardinal  that  these  rev- 
eries were  perfectly  familiar  to  all  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  Saint's  habits.  This  abstraction 
of  mind  at  times  rendered  him  insensible  to  pain, 
as,  for  example,  when  a  wax  candle  once  burnt  his 
hand,  while  he  remained  in  thought,  unconscious 
of  the  pain. 

The  austere  life  of  St.  Thomas  and  his  incessant 


372 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


labors  increased  the  natural  delicacy  of  his  consti- 
tution, and  he  had  frequent  attacks  of  illness, 
which,  however,  do  not  appear  ordinarily  to  have 
caused  him  to  desist  from  the  labor  of  composition. 
Surgery  was  rough  and  ready  in  the  thirteenth 
century ;  and  the  extreme  sensitiveness  of  St. 
Thomas's  organization  rendered  its  operations  very 
terrible  to  him.  On  one  occasion,  when  obliged  to 
undergo  a  cautery,  he  begged  the  infirmarian  to 
warn  him  of  the  coming  of  the  surgeons,  when  he 
stretched  himself  on  his  bed  and  immediately  went 
into  ecstacy,  remaining  motionless  whilst  his  flesh 
was  burnt  by  the  red-hot  irons.  His  clothes  were 
always  the  poorest  in  the  convent,  and  his  love 
of  holy  poverty  was  so  great  that  his  "  Summa 
Against  the  Gentiles  "  was  written  on  the  backi  cf 
old  letters  and  other  scraps  of  paper. 

In  vain  did  the.  Sovereign  Pontiffs  press  upon 
his  acceptance  the  Archbishopric  of  Naples  and 
other  ecclesiastical  dignities,  together  with  ample 
revenues ;  nothing  could  shake  his  determination 
to  live  and  die  a  simple  Religious  ;  and  they  were 
obliged  to  withdraw  their  offers,  being  unwilling  to 
afflict  one  so  dear  to  them.  He  who  was  the  oracle 
of  his  age  loved  to  preach  to  the  poor  and  lowly ; 
and  we  are  told  that  they  always  listened  to  him 
gladly  and  with  much  fruit  to  their  souls.  He 
was  full  of  compassion  for  their  wants,  and  even 
gave  away  his  own  clothes  to  cover  them. 

Humility  was  ever  his  characteristic  virtue.  So 
thoroughly  had  he  realized  the  greatness  of  God, 
and  his  own  nothingness,  that  in  a  moment  of  inti- 
macy he  was  able  to  say  to  a  friend  :  "  Thanks  be 
to  God !  never  has  my  knowledge,  my  title  of 
Doctor,  nor  any  of  my  scholastic  acts  aroused  in 
me  a  single  movement  of  vainglory.  If  any 
motion  has  arisen,  reason  has  instantly  repressed 
it."  From  his  humility  sprang  his  extreme 
modesty  in  the  expression  of  his  opinion ;  never 
in  the  heat  of  disputation  or  at  any  other  time  was 
he  known  to  lose  his  unruffled  serenity  of  temper, 
or  to  say  a  word  that  could  wound  the  feelings  of 
another ;  and  he  bore  the  most  cutting  insults  with 
imperturbable  calmness.  His  life  was  full  of 
examples  of  his  spirit  of  humility  and  religious 
obedience. 

On  one  occasion,  when,  as  a  young  Religious,  he 


was  reading  in  the  refectory  at  Paris,  he  was  told 
by  the  offlcial  corrector  to  pronounce  a  word  in  a 
way  evidently  incorrect.  St.  Thomas  obeyed,  and 
made  the  false  quantity.  When  asked  how  he 
could  have  consented  to  so  obvious  a  blunder,  he 
replied :  "It  matters  little  whether  a  syllable  be 
long  or  short ;  but  it  matters  much  to  practice 
humility  and  obdience."  In  later  years,  when  the 
Saint  was  teaching  at  Bologna,  a  lay  brother  ob- 
tained leave  from  the  Prior  to  take  as  companion 
the  first  Religious  brother  whom  he  should  find  dis- 
engaged. Seeing  St.  Thomas,  who  was  a  stranger 
to  him,  walking  up  and  down  the  cloister,  he  ad- 
dressed himself  to  him,  saying  that  the  Prior  wished 
him  to  accompany  him  through  the  city,  where 
he  had  business  to  transact.  The  Saint,  though 
suffering  from  lameness,  and  perfectly  aware  that 
the  lay  brother  was  under  some  mistake,  immedi- 
ately obeyed  the  summons,  and  went  limping 
through  the  city  after  his  companion,  who,  from 
time  to  time,  found  fault  with  his  slowness. 

When  the  lay  brother  discovered  his  mistake 
his  apologies  were  profuse ;  but  the  Saint  replied, 
"  Don't  be  troubled,  my  dear  brother ;  I  am  the  one 
to  blame.  I  am  only  sorry  that  I  could  not  be 
more  useful."  To  those  who  asked  why  he  did  not 
explain  the  mistake,  he  gave  this  golden  answer : 
"  Obedience  is  the  perfection  of  the  Religious  life ; 
by  it  man  submits  to  man  for  the  love  of  God,  as 
as  God  rendered  Himself  obedient  unto  men  for 
their  salvation." 

St.  Thomas  was  very  slow  to  believe  evil  of 
others ;  he  always  thought  everyone  was  better 
than  himself;  but,  when  a  fault  was  proved  beyond 
the  possibility  of  a  doubt,  he  wept  over  it  as  though 
he  had  committed  it  himself;  and  his  zeal  demanded 
that  it  should  be  severely  corrected,  according  to 
the  saying  of  St.  Augustine,  "  with  charity  towards 
the  offender,  and  hatred  against  the  sin." 

One  of  the  brethren  once  pressed  him  to  say 
what  he  considered  the  greatest  favor  he  had  ever 
received  from  God,  sanctifying  grace,  of  course, 
excepted.  After  a  moment's  reflection,  he  replied : 
"  I  think  that  of  having  understood  whatever  I 
have  read."  He  remembered  everything  he  had 
once  heard,  so  that  his  mind  was  like  a  well- 
stocked  library.     He  often  wrote,  dictating  at  the 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


373 


same  time  on  other  subjects  to  three  or  four 
secretaries,  and  never  losing  the  thread  of  the 
arguments. 

Of  St.  Tomas's  manner  of  spending  his  day  the 
following  particulars  have  been  preserved.  After 
the  short  time  absolutely  necessary  for  sleep,  he 
would  rise  in  the  night  and  come  down  to  the 
church  to  pray,  returning  to  his  cell  just  before 
the  bell  rang  for  matins,  that  his  vigil  might  pass 
unnoticed.  He  would  then  go  down  again  to  office 
with  the  community,  often  prolonging  his  prayer 
till  daybreak.  After  preparing  by  penance,  con- 
fession, and  meditation,  he  celebrated  the  first 
Mass,  and  for  his  thanksgiving  heard  another 
Mass,  which  he  often  served. 

He  had  composed  prayers  for  all  his  daily 
actions,  some  of  which  are  still  preserved.  At  the 
elevation  he  was  accustomed  to  repeat  the  words : 
"Thou,  O  Christ,  art  the  King  of  Glory,"  with 
the  remaining  verses  of  the  Te  Deum.  Although 
lawfully  dispensed  from  attendance  in  choir  by  his 
duties  of  teaching  and  writing  and  by  the  numer- 
ous visits  of  those  who  sought  his  advice,  he  as- 
sisted with  the  rest  of  his  brethren  at  all  the  hours 
of  the  Divine  Ofl&ce,  at  which  he  often  shed  tears 
of  devotion. 

When  his  morning  spiritual  exercises  were  ended, 
he  gave  his  lectures  on  Theology  or  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, after  which  he  returned  to  his  cell  and  wrote 
or  dictated  till  dinner-time.  He  ate  but  once  in 
the  day,  and  was  perfectly  indifferent  to  what  was 
set  before  him.  Indeed,  in  the  refectory  he  was  so 
absorbed  in  prayer  and  thought,  as  to  become  quite 
unconscious  of  external  things,  and  his  plate  was 
often  changed  or  his  food  taken  away  by  the  servers, 
without  any  notice  on  his  part. 

After  dinner  he  conversed  for  a  short  time  with 
the  brethren,  then  refreshed  his  soul  with  a  little 
spiritual  reading,  his  favorite  book  being  the  Con- 
ferences of  Cassian.  After  a  short  repose,  he  re- 
sumed his  labors.  Compline  in  choir  with  the 
chanting  of  the  Salve  Regina  ended  the  day.  The 
angelic  Doctor  was  full  of  childlike  devotion  to  Our 
Blessed  Lady.  His  confessor,  Brother  Reginald, 
declared  that  St.  Thomas  had  never  asked  any- 
thing through  Mary  without  obtaining  it ;  and  the 
Saint  himself  specially  attributed  to  her  interces- 


sion the  grace  of  living  and  dying  in  the  Domini- 
can Order,  according  to  his  own  earnest  desire. 

During  the  whole  of  one  Lent,  he  preached  on 
the  words:  "Ave  Maria,"  and  the  same  cherished 
words  are  to  be  found  in  his  own  hand-writing  over 
and  over  again  on  the  margin  of  an  autograph 
copy  of  the  "  Summa  Against  the  Gentiles,"  re- 
cently discovered  in  Italy.  On  his  death-bed  he 
confided  to  Brother  Reginald  that  Our  Lady  had 
appeared  to  him  several  times,  and  assured  him  of 
the  good  state  of  his  soul  and  the  solidity  of  his 
doctrine.  The  holy  Apostles  SS.  Peter  and  Paul 
also  favored  him  with  their  visits,  and  explained  to 
him  diflScult  passages  of  Scripture.  The  Epistles 
of  St.  Paul  were  his  favorite  subjects  of  meditation, 
and  he  was  accustomed  to  recommend  them  to  others 
for  the  same  purpose.  He  had  a  special  devotion 
to  St.  Augustine,  whose  proper  Ofl&ce,  still  in  use 
in  the  Dominican  Order,  he  composed  from  the 
holy  Doctor's  worki 

St.  Thomas  used  to  wear  round  his  neck  a  relic 
of  the  virgin  martyr,  St.  Agnes,  of  which  he  once 
made  use  to  cure  Brother  Reginald  of  a  fever,  which 
attacked  him  on  a  journey  to  Naples  ;  and  from  that 
time  we  are  told  the  holy  Doctor  resolved  to  cele- 
brate the  feast  of  St.  Agnes  with  special  solemnity, 
and,  with  a  touch  of  nature  that  showed  human 
sympathy  in  the  midst  of  his  abstract  studies,  to 
have  a  better  dinner  provided  in  the  refectory  on 
that  day. 

"  His  marvellous  science,"  says  Brother  Regi- 
nald, "  was  due  far  less  to  the  power  of  his  genius 
than  to  the  efiScacy  of  his  prayer.  Before  studying, 
entering  on  a  discussion,  reading,  writing,  or  dic- 
tating, he  always  gave  himself  to  prayer.  He 
prayed  with  tears  to  obtain  from  God  the  under- 
standing of  His  mysteries,  and  abundant  light  was 
granted  to  his  mind."  If  he  met  with  a  difl&culty, 
he  joined  fasting  and  penance  to  his  prayer,  and  all 
his  doubts  were  dispelled.  On  one  occasion,  St. 
Bonaventure,  coming  to  visit  him,  saw  an  angel 
assisting  him  in  his  labors. 

Among  his  remarkable  sayings  may  be  men- 
tioned the  answer  he  gave  to  his  sister,  when  she 
asked  him  what  she  must  do  to  become  a  Saint. 
"  Velle,"  he  replied—/,  c,  "  Will  it."  Being  asked 
what  were  the  signs  of  the  perfection  of  the  soul, 


.•574 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 


lie  replied :  "  If  I  saw  a  man  fond  of  trifles  in  con- 
versation, desirous  of  honor,  and  unwilling  to  be 
despised,  I  would  not  believe  him  perfect,  even  if  I 
saw  him  work  miracles." 

IV. — His  Death.      Honors   Rendered   Him   by 
the  Church. 

On  the  feast  of  St.  Nicholas,  December  6th,  1273, 
St.  Thomas  was  saying  Mass  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Saint  in  the  convent  of  Naples,  when  he  received 
a  revelation  which  so  changed  him  that  from  that 
time  he  could  neither  write  nor  dictate.  Shortly 
afterwards,  in  answer  to  Brother  Reginald's  press- 
ing entreaties,  he  said  to  him :  "  The  end  of  my 
labors  is  come.  All  that  I  have  written  appears  to 
me  as  so  much  straw,  after  the  things  that  have 
been  revealed  to  me.  I  hope  in  the  mercy  of  God 
that  the  end  of  my  life  may  soon  follow  the  end  of 
my  labors." 

He  was  suffering  from  illness  when  he  received 
a  summons  from  the  Pope  to  attend  the  General 
Council  convoked  at  Lyons  for  the  reunion  of  the 
Greek  and  Latin  Churches.  The  Saint  therefore 
started  from  Naples,  accompanied  by  Brother  Regi- 
nald and  some  other  Friars,  on  the  28th  of  January, 
A.  D.  1274.  On  the  way  he  was  taken  much  worse. 
"If  our  Lord  is  about  to  visit  me,"  he  said  to  his 
companions,  "it  is  better  he  should  find  me  in  a 
Religious  house  than  among  seculars." 

As  he  was  not  within  reach  of  a  Dominican  con- 
vent, he  yielded  to  the  pressing  invitation  of  some 
Cistercian  friends,  and  allowed  them  to  carry  him  to 
their  Abbey  of  Fossa  Nuova.  He  went  straight 
to  the  church  to  adore  the  Blessed  Sacrament ;  and 
then,  as  he  passed  through  the  cloister,  he  ex- 
claimed: "  Here  is  the  place  of  my  rest  for  ever." 
He  was  lodged  in  the  Abbot's  room  and  waited 
upon  with  the  utmost  charity.  The  monks  went 
themselves  to  the  forest  to  cut  wood  for  his  fire; 
and  on  seeing  them  bringing  a  load  into  his  cham- 
ber, the  Saint  cried  out :  "  Whence  is  this  that  the 
servants  of  God  should  thus  serve  a  man  like  me, 
bringing  such  heavy  burdens  from  a  distance  ?"  In 
compliance  with  the  earnest  entreaties  of  the  Cis- 
tercians, he  began  to  expound  to  them  the  Canticle 
of  Canticles ;  but  he  did  not  live  to  complete  his 
exposition. 


As  his  end  approached,  he  with  many  tears  made 
a  general  confession  of  his  whole  life  to  Brother 
Reginald,  and  then  asked  to  be  laid  on  ashes 
on  the  ground  when  the  Holy  Viaticum  was 
brought  to  him.  On  beholding  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment, he  raised  himself  into  a  kneeling  posture, 
and  said  in  a  clear  and  distinct  voice,  whilst  the 
tears  chased  each  other  down  his  face :  "  I  receive 
Thee,  the  price  of  my  soul's  ransom  ;  I  receive  Thee, 
the  Viaticum  of  my  soul's  pilgrimage ;  for  Whose 
love  I  have  studied,  watched  and  labored,  preached 
and  taught.  I  have  written  much  and  have  often 
disputed  on  the  mysteries  of  Thy  law,  O  my  God ; 
Thou  knowest  I  have  desired  to  teach  nothing  save 
what  I  have  learnt  from  Thee.  If  what  I  have 
written  be  true,  accept  it  as  a  homage  to  Thy  In- 
finite Majesty ;  if  it  be  false,  pardon  my  ignorance. 
I  consecrate  all  I  have  ever  done  to  Thee,  and 
submit  all  to  the  infallible  judgment  of  Thy  Holy 
Roman  Church,  in  whose  obedience  I  am  about  to 
depart  this  life." 

Just  before  receiving  the  Sacred  Host,  he  uttered 
his  favorite  ejaculation:  "Thou,  O  Christ,  art  the 
King  of  Glory,  Thou  art  the  Everlasting  Son  of 
the  Father."  After  receiving  the  Holy  Viaticum, 
he  made  fervent  acts  of  faith  and  love- in  the  words 
of  his  own  beautiful  Adoro  Te.  On  the  following 
day,  while  receiving  Extreme  Unction,  he  calmly 
answered  all  the  prayers,  whilst  the  voices  of  the 
assistants  were  choked  by  their  sobs.  He  tried  to 
comfort  his  own  brethren  who  were  inconsolable  at 
their  approaching  loss,  and  most  gratefully  thanked 
the  Cistercians  for  their  charity.  One  of  them  asked 
him  what  was  the  best  way  of  living  without  offend- 
ing God.  "  Be  certain,"  replied  the  Saint,  "  that 
he  who  walks  in  the  presence  of  God  and  is  always 
ready  to  give  Him  an  account  of  his  actions  will 
never  be  separated  from  Him  by  sin."  They  were 
his  last  words.  Shortly  after  he  fell  into  his 
agony  and  peacefully  expired,  March  7tli,  1274, 
not  having  yet  completed  his  50th  year. 

On  that  same  day,  Blessed  Albert,  then  at 
Cologne,  burst  into  tears  in  the  presence  of  the 
community,  and  exclaimed :  "  Brother  Thomas 
Aquinas,  my  son  in  Christ,  who  was  the  light  of 
the  Church,  is  dead.     God  has  revealed  it  to  me." 

At  Naples,  too,  God  was  pleased  to  make  known 


ST.  THOMAS  AgaiNAS. 


375 


the  death  of  the  Saint  in  a  miraculous  manner. 
One  of  the  Friars,  whilst  praying  in  the  church, 
fell  into  an  ecstasy,  in  which  he  seemed  to  behold 
the  Holy  Doctor  teaching  in  the  schools,  surrounded 
by  a  vast  multitude  of  disciples.  St.  Paul  the 
Apostle  then  appeared,  with  a  company  of  Saints, 
and  St.  Thomas  asked  him  if  he  had  interpreted  his 
Epistles  rightly.  "  Yes,"  replied  the  Apostle,  "  as 
far  as  any  one  still  in  the  flesh  can  understand 
them  ;  but  come  with  me ;  I  will  lead  you  to  a  place 
where  you  will  have  a  clearer  understanding  of  all 
things."  The  Apostle  then  seemed  to  lay  his  hand 
on  St.  Thomas's  mantle  and  to  lead  him  away  ;  and 
the  Friar  who  beheld  the  vision,  startled  the  com- 
munity by  crying  out  three  times  in  a  loud  voice : 
"  Alas  !  Alas  !  our  Doctor  is  being  taken  away  from 
us ! " 

St.  Thomas's  funeral  was  celebrated  at  the  Abbey 
with  great  solemnity.  Brother  Reginald  made  a 
short  address,  often  interrupted  by  his  own  sobs 
and  those  of  his  hearers.  He  declared  that,  having 
been  for  many  years  St.  Thomas's  confessor,  he 
could  solemnly  attest  that  the  holy  Doctor  had 
never  lost  his  baptismal  innocence,  and  had  died  as 
pure  and  free  from  stain  as  a  child  of  five  years  old. 
He  then  mentioned  some  particular  favors  which 
St.  Thomas  had  forbidden  him  to  reveal  during  his 
life-time. 

Several  revelations  of  the  Saint's  glory  were 
made  after  his  death,  of  which  the  following  is 
perhaps  one  of  the  most  interesting.  A  fervent 
disciple  of  his  prayed  earnestly  that  he  might  know 
the  rank  to  which  his  beloved  Master  had  been 
raised  in  glory.  One  day,  as  he  was  making  his 
usual  petition  before  the  Altar  of  Our  Lady,  two 
venerable  personages,  encompassed  with  a  marvel- 


lous light,  suddenly  stood  before  him.  One  of  them 
was  arrayed  as  a  Bishop ;  the  other  wore  the  habit 
of  a  Friar  Preacher,  but  it  was  resplendent  with 
precious  stones ;  on  his  head  was  a  crown  of  gold 
and  diamonds ;  from  his  neck  hung  two  chains  of 
gold  and  silver ;  and  an  immense  carbuncle,  in  the 
form  of  a  sun,  shone  upon  his  breast,  shedding 
forth  rays  of  light  all  around.  "  God  has  heard 
your  prayer,"  said  the  former ;  "  I  am  Augustine, 
Doctor  of  the  Church,  sent  to  acquaint  you  with  the 
glory  of  Thomas  Aquinas,  who  reigns  with  me  and 
who  has  illuminated  the  Church  with  his  knowledge. 
This  is  signified  by  the  precious  stones  with  which 
he  is  covered.  That  which  shines  on  his  breast  sig- 
nifies the  right  intention  with  which  he  has  defended 
the  faith  ;  the  others  denote  the  books  and  writings 
he  has  composed.  Thomas  is  my  equal  in  glory : 
but  he  has  surpassed  me  by  the  aureola  of  virginity." 

St.  Thomas  was  canonized  by  Pope  John  XXII. 
at  Avignon,  1323.  It  was  not  until  A.  D.  1367  that 
the  Dominicans  succeeded  in  obtaining  his  body, 
which  they  conveyed  to  their  convent  at  Toulouse, 
where  it  was  received  with  every  demonstration  of 
honor.  An  annual  festival  is  kept  in  the  Order  on 
January  28th,  in  memory  of  this  translation,  which 
was  accompanied  by  many  miracles.  Valuable  relics 
of  the  Saint  have  been  given  to  various  convents  of 
the  Order.  At  the  time  of  the  French  Revolution, 
the  Saint's  remains  were  removed  to  the  crypt  of 
the  Church  of  St.  Sernin  at  Toulouse,  where  they 
still  repose. 

In  1567,  St.  Pius  V.  conferred  on  St.  Thomas  the 
title  of  Doctor  of  the  Church;  and  Pope  Leo  XIII., 
by  a  Brief  of  August  4th,  1880,  instituted  him 
Patron  of  all  Catholic  Universities,  Academies, 
Colleges,  and  Schools. 


FATHER  DAMIEN, 

THE  APOSTLE  OF  THE  LEPERS. 


(1840-1889.) 


"Greater  love  than  this  no  man  hath,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friend." — Si.  John  xv.  13. 


Introduction.     Early  Life  and  Entrance  into 
Religion  (1840-1889). 

The  sacrifice  of  life,  which  Jesus  Christ  declares 
to  be  the  test  of  the  most  perfect  human  love,  has 
been  willingly  offered  over  and  over  again  by  those 
who  from  mere  human  motives  have  laid  down  their 
lives  for  country  or  for  friends.  The  brave  man 
fears  not  death  in  a  good  cause ;  and  though  it  is 
the  greatest  proof  that  he  can  give  of  his  devotion, 
yet  we  need  not  look  to  the  supernatural  to  furnish 
a  sufficient  incentive  for  it. 

But  there  are  forms  of  death  from  which  human 
heroism  has  ever  shrunk ;  there  is  a  living  death, 
lingering,  painful,  ghastly,  repulsive,  which  is  too 
great  a  demand  on  mere  earthly  enthusiasm.  To 
accept  a  leper's  death  requires  some  higher  motive. 
Still  more  impossible  is  it  for  human  nature,  apart 
from  supernatural  charity,  to  undertake  a  life  of 
exile,  discomfort,  obscurity,  among  lepers,  and  none 
but  lepers,  and  with  the  moral  certainty  that  the 
foul  disease  which  is  eating  away  the  lives  of  all 
around  will,  before  many  years  have  passed,  reduce 
him  who  dwells  among  them  to  the  same  loathsome 
condition,  and  that  in  the  end  he  will  perish  like 
them,  a  rotting  mass  of  corruption  even  before  his 
death.  Such  a  life  of  death,  such  an  end  of  misery, 
is  reserved  for  the  heroes  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
One  of  these  has  recently  passed  away,  and  we  pro- 
pose to  record  a  few  details  of  his  career. 

Joseph  (Damien)  de  Veuster  was  born  on  January 
3,  1840,  at  Tremeloo,  in  Belgium,  a  village  situated 
six  miles  north  of  Louvain,  and  lying  between  the 
towns  of  Malines  and  Aerschot.  His  parents  were 
of  the  middle  class,  and  good  and  earnest  Catholics. 
They  early  instilled  into  their  children  those  prin- 
376 


ciples  of  piety  and  love  of  God  which  were  to  show 
themselves  so  markedly  in  their  after  careers.  Of 
their  three  sons,  two  afterwards  became  priests,  the 
eldest,  Pere  Pamphile,  to  v/hose  kindness  we  owe 
many  of  the  details  of  this  biography,  and  Joseph, 
whom  we  know  and  love  under  the  name  of  Father 
Damien. 

When  still  a  babj'  in  the  cradle,  and  while  his 
parents  were  as  yet  undecided  as  to  the  name  by 
which  their  little  son  should  be  called,  a  circum- 
stance happened  which  influenced  their  final  selec- 
tion. In  the  midst  of  their  uncertainty,  a  soldier 
cousin  of  the  family,  a  man  of  most  upright  and 
pious  character,  chanced  to  visit  them.  In  the 
course  of  conversation  he  was  requested  by  the 
family  to  stand  godfather  for  the  newly-born  child. 
"  Certainly,"  said  the  good  soldier,  "  with  all  my 
heart,  nothing  could  please  me  more ;  but  still 
only  on  one  condition,  that  you  call  him  Joseph, 
after  my  patron  Saint."  The  condition  was  gladly 
consented  to,  and  Joseph,  accordingly,  was  his 
name. 

His  mother,  a  woman  remarkable  for  her  earnest 
and  simple  piety,  had  great  influence  over  her  little 
son,  and  by  her  motherly  precepts  tutored  his  youth- 
ful mind  to  love  the  ways  of  God,  and  all  that  is 
high  and  noble.  Her  name  was  ever  loved  and 
venerated  by  her  worthy  son,  whose  noble  work 
she  lived  to  witness,  and  almost  to  see  completed, 
as  she  died  about  two  years  before  him,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-three.  His  father,  however,  a  man  of 
strong  religious  principles,  and  of  that  earnest  and 
solid  character  for  which  the  Belgian  Catholic  is  so 
well  known,  had  not  the  same  happiness,  for  he 
went  to  his  well-earned  rest  shortly  after  Father 


\ 


FATHER    DAMIEN. 


377 


Damien's  arrival  iu  1873  at  tlie  leper  settlements 
of  Molokai. 

As  the  little  Joseph  grew  older,  he  gave  early 
signs  of  the  love  he  had  for  purity,  simplicity,  and 
for  all  that  savored  of  religion.  Unlike  his  com- 
panions, the  ordinary  rough  games  of  boyhood  did 
not  engross  his  attention  and  claim  his  affections. 
Instead  of  joining  other  boys  at  their  play,  he 
loved  to  roam  about  in  the  fields  which  encircled 
his  country  home.  The  neighboring  shepherds 
knew  him  well,  and  it  was  little  Joseph's  delight 
to  follow  the  sheep  with  them  to  the  pastures.  He 
would  play  whole  hours  together  with  the  lambs  in 
innocent  glee.  So  well  was  this  known  by  his  com- 
panions, and  by  his  family,  that  he  was  familiarly 
called  by  them  on  this  account  "  the  little  shep- 
herd " — le  petit  berger.  He  also,  even  at  the  early 
age  of  four  years,  gave  signs  of  that  wonderful 
earnest  love  of  prayer,  and  of  the  service  of  God, 
which  ran  through  his  whole  life  afterwards. 

His  brother,  who  was  two  years  his  senior,  and 
is  now  a  priest,  living  near  the  old  home  of  their 
childhood,  well  remembers  how,  on  the  occasion  of 
a  kermesse,  or  fair,  being  held  in  the  neighboring 
village  at  Whitsuntide,  his  little  brother  was  missed 
from  home  even  from  early  morning.  As  he  did 
not  return  home,  the  family  grew  naturally  anxious 
for  their  little  Joseph.  No  one  knew  where  he  was 
to  be  found,  until  at  last  his  old  grandfather,  who 
well  knew  the  ways  of  his  "  dear  little  shepherd," 
thought  that  the  church  of  the  village  where  the 
fair  was  going  on  was  the  likeliest  place  to  find  the 
wanderer.  Accordingly  he  set  off  in  search  of  him, 
and  there  he  found  the  child  in  the  evening,  all 
alone,  praying  under  the  pulpit  with  an  air  of 
simple  piety  and  edifying  recollection. 

As  the  years  of  childhood  ripened  into  those  of 
boyhood,  and  then  into  the  bright  days  of  early 
youth,  Joseph  de  Veuster  was  always  known  and 
respected  by  his  companions.  Whatever  he  did — 
and  he  was  always  very  enterprising,  and  ready  to 
contribute  to  the  happiness  of  others — he  threw 
his  whole  heart  into  it.  Besides  being  of  a  frank 
and  brave  disposition,  he  was  also  endowed  with 
great  vigor  of  mind  and  of  body,  and  a  capacity  for 
putting  his  hand  to  anything  that  the  urgency  of 
the  case  required.     Yet  though  of  such  a  noble 


character,  still  so  far  the  idea  of  becoming  a  priest 
had  not  as  yet  dawned  upon  him ;  nor  did  any  of 
his  family  think  of  it  for  him.  He  had  been  sent 
to  the  "  Cours  Moyen  "  at  Braine-le-Comte,  where 
he  received  a  commercial  education  suitable  for  the 
business  man  he  was  intended  to  be. 

While  he  was  in  his  eighteenth  year,  and  still  at 
this  school,  the  Redemptorist  Fathers  gave  a  mis- 
sion at  which  Joseph  attended.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  the  first  call  to  a  higher  life  came  to  him. 
"  One  night,"  says  his  cousin,  a  school-fellow  of 
the  same  age,  "  Joseph  came  home  from  the  mis- 
sion evidently  struck  by  something  that  had  been 
said,  for  instead  of  retiring  to  rest  he  stayed  up  the 
entire  night  pra3dng  earnestly  to  God."  Here  evi- 
dently was  the  call  for  which  Almighty  God  had 
prepared  his  soul  from  the  early  age  of  infancy,  by 
endowing  it  with  an  ardent  love  of  Him  for  Him- 
self, and  a  generosity  in  His  service  which  had 
only  to  know  the  first  inclination  of  the  will  of 
God  to  be  ready  thoroughly  and  entirely  to  put  it 
into  execution.  It  was  doubtless  this  idea  that 
had  pervaded  the  youth's  fervent  prayer  during 
that  whole  night  of  meditation  and  reflection. 
From  that  moment  his  whole  soul  longed  to  put 
his  resolution  to  serve  God  in  the  religious  state 
into  immediate  execution.  Noble  spirit !  It  was 
this  that  pervaded  his  life. 

Up  to  the  moment  of  that  heaven-sent  mission, 
Joseph  had  been  leading  the  life  of  a  good  Catholic 
boy.  He  had  probably  his  faults,  like  others  of 
his  age,  and  so  far  from  having  any  aspiration  for 
the  dignity  of  the  priesthood,  he  was,  as  we  have 
seen,  being  educated  for  a  business  career.  But 
now  that  he  received  his  call,  all  ideas  of  the  latter 
course  were  entirely  banished  from  his  mind,  and 
the  only  thought  that  possessed  him  was  the 
manner  in  which  this  sacrifice  could  best  be  made. 
The  earnestness  and  thoroughness  of  his  soul  sug- 
gested at  once  the  Order  of  the  Trappists,  as  that 
which  would  best  suit  his  generous  disposition. 

But  providentially  before  he  took  any  step 
towards  carrying  out  this  first  impulse,  Almighty 
God,  who  disposes,  all  things  sweetly  to  His  own 
ends,  prompted  the  young  man  to  take  the  advice 
of  his  elder  brother,  his  senior,  as  we  have  seen, 
by  two  years.     This  brother,  who  is  now  known  as 


378 


FATHER   DAMIEN. 


P6re  Pamphile,  was  then  already  an  ecclesiastical 
student  of  the  religious  Congregation  which  was 
approved  by  the  Holy  See  in  1817,  entitled  the 
Society  of  the  Sacred  Hearts  of  Jesus  and  Mary, 
better  known  as  "  Picpus  Fathers,"  so  called  from 
the  name  of  the  house  in  the  Faubourg  St.  Antoine 
in  Paris,  where  they  had  the  iirst  establishment. 

The  result  of  the  conversation  between  the  two 
brothers  was  that  Joseph  gave  up  the  idea  of 
becoming  a  Trappist  in  favor  of  joining  his  brother 
in  the  "  Picpus  "  Congregation.  But  as  yet  Joseph 
had  not  disclosed  his  wish  in  'ts  entirety  to  either 
of  his  parents.  On  his  nineteenth  birthday,  in 
the  year  1859,  his  father  happened  to  take  him 
to  pay  a  visit  to  Pamphile,  and  as  he  had  some 
business  that  required  his  attention  in  a  neighbor- 
ing town,  he  left  Joseph  to  dine  with  his  brother. 
Here  was  the  opportunity  for  the  step  which  he  had 
been  long  desiring  to  take,  and  accordinglyj  when 
his  father  came  back  in  the  evening,  he  told  him 
that  he  wished  to  return  home  no  more,  and  that 
it  would  be  better  thus  to  miss  the  pain  of  farewell. 
His  father,  who  was  not  altogether  prepared  for 
this,  consented  at  first  with  some  unwillingness ; 
but  as  the  conveyance  that  was  to  take  him  home 
was  on  the  point  of  departure,  he  was  prevented 
from  making  any  further  demur,  and  they  parted 
at  the  station. 

The  two  brothers  returned  to  the  house,  and  Jo- 
seph (who  took  the  name  of  Damien  in  religion) 
presented  himself  for  admission  to  the  Congregation 
of  which  his  brother  was  already  a  member.  The 
frank,  ingenuous  youth  pleased  the  Superiors.  His 
strong,  manly  character  could  not  but  be  admired, 
and  the  look  of  intelligence  that  was  so  marked  on 
his  countenance  at  once  decided  them  to  admit  their 
new  postulant.  But,  owing  to  the  exclusively  busi- 
ness education  which  he  had  received,  Joseph  was 
completely  ignorant  even  of  the  most  elementary 
knowledge  of  Latin,  and  thus  he  was  unfitted  to  join 
those  who  were  intended  for  the  sacred  ministry, 
and  for  the  present  at  least  he  was  only  received 
for  the  humble  position  of  a  lay-brother. 

Joseph's  joy  was  none  the  less  great.  To  him 
the  service  of  God  was  all  in  all.  His  sole  thought 
in  offering  himself  to  the  "  Picpus  Fathers  "  was  to 
complete  the  resolution  he  had  formed  during  his 


long  night  of  prayer.  Ever  since  that  moment  he 
had  been  yearning  for  something  higher  and  more 
perfect,  and  his  desire  had  increased  day  by  day  till 
it  reached  the  climax  by  his  offering  himself  to  the 
Congregation  towards  which  he  felt  his  vocation 
lay. 

Priesthood  and  Early  Labors. 

(1859-1873). 

Thus  settled  in  his  vocation.  Brother  Damien  set 
himself  at  once  with  ardor  to  perform  the  duties  of 
his  state.  His  natural  earnestness  of  character 
enabled  him  to  overcome  the  first  trials  of  religious 
life,  and  the  great  interest  he  took  in  his  work  made 
him  a  subject  of  joy  to  his  Superiors.  While  exer- 
cised in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  and  for  other 
reasons,  he  had  many  occasions  of  conferring  with 
his  elder  brother,  who  was  engaged  in  his  studies 
for  the  priesthood. 

Noticing  the  extraordinary  ability  his  brother 
possessed,  and  the  wonderful  knack  he  had  of  pick- 
ing up  all  kinds  of  useful  knowledge,  Pamphile 
began  to  teach  him  a  few  disjointed  sentences  and 
words  in  Latin,  which  the  youth  eagerly  treasured 
up  in  his  memory. 

Pamphile  had  only  begun  in  joke,  but  wishing, 
perhaps,  to  encourage  him  in  the  pursuit  of  useful 
knowledge,  he  continued  his  quasi-lessons,  so  that 
in  a  very  short  time  Damien  was  master  of  a  good 
many  sentences,  besides  the  knowledge  of  some  of 
the  elementary  rules  of  syntax.  His  success  was 
so  wonderful  that  Pamphile  now  began  to  help  him 
in  earnest,  probably  with  a  view  towards  assisting 
his  brother  by  this  means  to  become  a  priest  some 
day  or  other,  if  God  should  so  will  it. 

Joseph,  or  Brother  Damien,  as  he  must  now  be 
called,  threw  his  whole  heart  into  his  new  study ; 
and  incredible  as  it  may  appear,  within  six  months 
he  was  so  far  acquainted  and  familiar  with  the  Latin 
language  that  he  was  able  to  translate  at  sight  any 
part  of  Cornelius  Nepos  quite  fluently.  By  this 
time  his  Superiors  had  got  to  know  of  his  great 
faculty  for  study,  and  consequently  they  advanced 
him  to  the  rank  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  their 
studies  preparatory  to  the  priesthood. 

The  hand  of  God  was  evident  in  this  change  of 
state ;  for  had  it  not  been  through  this  incident, 
which  we  have  just  related,  Molokai  would  never 


i 


FATHER    DAMIEN. 


379 


have  seen  its  future  Apostle,  and  the  Church  would 
have  lost  a  bright  jewel  in  her  diadem.  But  a 
circumstance  which  shows  still  more  clearly  the 
interposition  of  Divine  Providence,  and  which  con- 
tributed still  more  towards  the  finding  of  that  voca- 
in  which  Pere  Damien's  name  is  so  closely  bound 
up,  has  yet  to  be  narrated. 

In  1863,  when  Brother  Damien  was  as  yet  in 
minor  orders,  his  brother  Pamphile,  now  a  theo- 
logical student,  received  orders  from  his  Superiors 
to  prepare  for  an  early  departure  for  the  South  Sea 
Islands.  These  islands,  lying  in  the  midst  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  one  of  the  principal  groups  of  which 
is  known  by  the  name  of  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
had  been  assigned  in  1825  by  Pope  Leo  XII.  to 
the  Fathers  of  the  "  Picpus  Congregation,"  for  the 
carrying  out  one  of  the  fundamental  objects  of  their 
Institute,  viz.,  the  preaching  of  the  vk)spel  to  the 
heathen. 

Pamphile  had  long  been  desirous  of  being  sent 
to  this  mission,  and  he  received  the  news  with 
great  joy.  But  alas  I  just  as  he  had  made  all  the 
necessary  preparations  for  the  voyage,  and  had 
secured  his  berth  in  the  outward-bound  vessel,  the 
hand  of  God  fell  upon  him  and  he  was  laid  low  by 
an  attack  of  typhus  fever.  To  his  bitter  disappoint- 
ment, he  was  thus  forbidden  to  go.  His  brother, 
however,  as  though  struck  by  a  sudden  inspira- 
tion, went  to  the  sick  man's  bedside ;  and  inquiring 
whether  it  would  be  a  consolation  to  '  Ji  if  he 
should  go  in  his  place,  he  resolved,  on  reviving  an 
eager  answer  in  the  affirmative,  to  make  an  instant 
application  for  the  appointment. 

Accordingly,  in  his  impetuosity,  without  taking 
the  advice  of  the  Superiors  of  the  house  in  which 
he  was  then  residing,  and  without  showing  his 
letter  to  them,  he  wrote  at  once  to  the  Superior- 
General  in  Paris,  asking  him  for  his  brother's 
place,  and  begging  him  "  not  to  throw  the  passage- 
money  away."  Much  therefore  to  the  surprise  and 
astonishment  of  his  immediate  Superiors,  Damien 
received  a  mandate  for  departure. 

When  the  welcome  communication  was  made  to 
him,  he  was  so  overcome  with  joy  that  he  danced 
about  like  one  deranged,  so  that  his  fellow-students 
doubted  whether  he  had  not  lost  his  senses.  Having 
communicated  his  happy  future  to  his  brother,  he 


set  about  making  his  preparations,  which  had  now 
necessarily  to  be  hastened. 

How  like  is  this  evident  manifestation  of  the 
will  of  God,  which  secured  for  Molokai  an  apostle 
in  Father  Damien  to  that  which  sent  St.  Francis 
Xavier  to  those  wonderful  successes  in  India  and 
Japan  !  In  both  cases  it  was  merely  by  accident, 
if  we  may  say  so,  that  these  noble  workers  in 
Christ's  vineyard  found  their  vocation  opened  to 
them.  Had  it  not  been  through  the  sudden  illness 
which  prevented  Father  Rodriguez  from  going  to 
India,  and  Pere  Pamphile  to  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
we  should  in  all  probability  never  have  had  these 
two  wonders  of  charity  to  edify  the  Church. 

Before  starting  on  his  journey.  Brother  Damien 
paid  a  hurried  visit  to  his  parents  at  Tremeloo,  to 
bid  them  "  good-bye,"  and  then  made  his  last  visit 
to  Our  Lady  of  Montaigu.  To  those  familiar  with 
the  life  of  St.  John  Berchmans,  Montaigu  will  be 
rich  in  holy  memories.  This  holy  shrine,  situated 
some  few  miles  from  the  place  of  Joseph's  birth,  is 
the  chief  sanctuary  of  Belgium,  and  has  long  been 
the  centre  of  a  constant  pilgrimage  for  all  nations. 
He  returned  the  same  day  to  Louvain,  and  set  out 
for  Paris  on  his  way  to  the  port  of  embarkation. 
Here  he  had  his  photograph  taken.  A  copy  of 
this  photograph,  now  in  his  brother's  possession, 
gives  us  an  insight  into  his  character,  as  he  was  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three.  In  the  photograph  you 
have,  looking  you  straight  in  the  face,  a  strong, 
manly  countenance,  plain,  and  of  a  very  Flemish 
cast,  every  lineament  of  which  speaks  of  a  solid 
character.  Clasped  close  to  his  breast  he  holds  a 
large  crucifix  with  an  earnestness  that  speaks  out 
his  whole  soul. 

Having  now  made  all  the  necessary  preparations, 
Brother  Damien  in  the  autumn  of  1863  left  Bremer- 
haven  in  a  German  sailing  vessel.  Writing  after- 
wards to  his  brother  Pamphile,  he  describes  his 
voyage  as  "  an  awful  one."  When  doubling  Cape 
Horn,  the  violence  of  the  storm  became  so  great 
that  the  vessel  was  in  imminent  danger  of  being 
lost.  For  several  days  they  were  beaten  about  at 
the  mercy  of  the  fierce  winds  and  currents  that  are 
so  well  known  for  their  violence,  and  for  the  many 
disasters  that  they  have  caused  round  this  promon- 
tory.    Other  vessels  seem  to  have  suffered,  for  he 


380 


FATHER   DAMIEN. 


saw  quantities  of  wreckage  floating  by.  To  ensure 
the  safety  of  the  vessel,  Damieu  began  a  novena  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  ending  on  the  Feast  of  her 
Purification,  February  2,  1864.  Hardly  had  he 
concluded  this  novena  than  the  storm  began  to 
abate,  and  they  made  their  way,  without  any  more 
danger,  out  of  the  dreaded  straits. 

But  he  was  not  to  reach  the  scene  of  his  labors 
till  he  had  experienced  another  storm  lasting  for 
twenty-four  hours,  which  took  place  in  the  middle 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Writing  afterwards  to  his 
brother,  he  playfully  calls  in  question  the  appro- 
priateness of  its  title,  thinking  that  a  less  pacific 
name  would  better  suit  it.  At  last  to  his  delight 
he  reached  Honolulu,  the  capital  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  on  the  feast  of  his  patron,  St.  Joseph, 
March  19,  1864. 

The  Hawaiian  or  Sandwich  Islands,  a  group  of 
eight  inhabited  and  four  uninhabited  islands  lying, 
as  has  been  said,  in  the  North  Pacific  Ocean,  at  a 
distance  of  nearly  2,cxx)  miles  from  the  nearest 
point  of  mainland,  were  discovered  in  1778  by  the 
English  sailor.  Captain  Cook,  who  was  unfortu- 
nately slain  by  the  natives  on  his  return  in  the  fol- 
lowing year.  The  principal  is  Hawaii,  which  some- 
times gives  its  name  to  the  whole  group,  though 
their  discoverer  called  them  "  the  Sandwich  Is- 
lands." A  mutilated  form  of  Christianity  had  been 
introduced,  mainly  through  American  Protestant 
missionaries,  early  in  this  century ;  and  in  1825 
Pope  Leo  XII.  gave  the  charge  of  bringing  in  the 
true  religion  to  the  "  Picpus  Fathers,  "  as  has  been 
already  mentioned. 

These  good  Fathers  had  been  thirty-eight  years 
at  work  in  this  mission  when  their  new  helper 
arrived.  Before  he  could  actually  assist  in  evan- 
gelizing the  natives,  it  was  necessary  that  he 
should  be  ordained  priest,  for  hitherto  he  had  onl}' 
received  minor  orders,  having  been  interrupted  in 
ihe  course  of  his  studies  to  join  the  South  Sea  Mis- 
sion. The  new  priest  was  soon  set  to  work  in  the 
laborious  and  fatiguing  toil  that  invariably  falls  to 
the  lot  of  the  Catholic  missionary. 

In  his  letters  to  his  brother  at  this  period,  he 
says  :  "  Truly  I  ought  to  be  proud  of  my  district, 
for  it  is  as  large  as  the  whole  diocese  of  Malines." 
The  labor  that  this  large  parish  put  on  his  shoul- 


ders was  very  great,  and  consequently  he  found  it 
necessary  to  do  most  of  his  missionary  work  on 
horseback.  At  first  he  had  not  this  large  district 
to  manage,  which  contained  seven  churches  with 
their  corresponding  districts,  but  a  much  smaller 
and  easier  one  adjoining  it.  But  seeing  that  the 
Father  who  was  in  charge  of  it  was  weaker  than 
himself,  and  less  able  to  cope  with  so  immense  a 
task,  he  generously  offered  to  exchange  his  lighter 
burden  for  his  heavy  and  laborious  one. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  fatigue  that  fell  to  his 
share,  we  will  relate  the  following  instance.  One 
day  he  arrived  on  horseback  at  the  foot  of  a  higli 
and  steep  mountain,  behind  which  he  remembered 
that  there  was  a  Christian  settlement  not  yet  visited 
by  him.  Determining  to  visit  it  now,  he  tethered 
his  horse  and  began  the  ascent,  climbing  up  on  his 
hands  and  feet,  owing  to  the  steep  nature  of  the 
path.  The  summit  reached,  he  found  himself  on 
one  side  of  a  precipitous  ravine,  which  lay  yawning 
at  his  feet.  No  human  habitation  could  he  see,  but 
in  the  distance  a  second  mountain  as  high  as  the 
first  one  met  his  undaunted  gaze.  Without  hesita- 
tion he  commenced  the  descent,  and  courageously 
began  to  make  his  way  up  to  the  second  hill  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  former. 

But  what  was  his  disappointment  when  he  had 
gained  the  summit !  Still  there  was  no  sign  of  a 
church  or  village  to  encourage  him.  Below  him  he 
saw  a  large  piece  of  flat  country,  and  then  beyond 
that  still  another  hill.  An  ordinary  man  would  have 
turned  back  in  despair,  but  one  with  a  spirit  like 
his,  whose  only  aim  was  the  saving  of  souls,  could 
not  be  so  easily  daunted.  So  with  a  prayer  of 
resignation  and  patience  be  persevered  in  his  jour- 
ney over  the  third  mountain  and  then  another 
ravine,  till  he  had  to  stop  through  sheer  fatigue. 
His  hands  were  now  torn  and  lacerated,  and  the 
blood  flowed  freely  ;  his  feet,  too,  were  wounded, 
for  the  boots  that  should  have  protected  them  were 
cut,  and  rendered  almost  useless  by  the  hard  treat- 
ment they  had  received.  As  he  looked  upon  his 
blood-stained  hands  and  feet,  he  gained  new  cour- 
age, and  calling  to  mind  the  suflTerings  of  our  Lord, 
he  said :  "  Courage !  the  good  God  also  has  shed 
His  Blood  for  those  souls  yonder !  " 

He  started  again  on  his  labor  of  love,  and  when 


FATHER   DAMIEN. 


381 


at  last,  travci-wom  and  exhausted,  he  reached  his 
destination,  he  was  well  repaid  for  his  sufferings  by 
the  joy  of  the  Christians,  who  welcomed  for  the 
first  time  their  new-found  apostle.  They  told  him 
they  had  long  been  deprived  of  the  consolations  of 
religion,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the  tomb  of  their 
late  pastor.  Father  Eustace. 

Another  instance  of  the  wonderful  energy  of  the 
missioner  will  do  much  towards  giving  a  good 
idea  of  the  character  of  Father  Damien,  and  shows 
the  inborn  genius  he  had  for  organization,  which 
he  displayed  so  well  afterwards  at  Molokai. 
While  still  at  Hawaii  he  wrote  to  his  brother  as 
follows  :  "  Our  Christians  here  cannot  all  have 
Sunday  Mass,  so  do  you  know  what  we  do  ?  When 
we  find  a  young  man  that  shows  any  aptitude,  we 
give  him  a  special  training.  He  is  taught  the 
Epistles  and  Gospels  of  the  Sunday,  and  then  he 
is  commissioned  to  preside  in  the  capacity  of 
prayer-leader,  over  some  Christian  settlement,  to 
which  the  priest  cannot  come.  They  sing  hymns 
and  have  public  prayers,  and  then  my  young  '  lec- 
tor '  addresses  them  in  burning  words.  This  plan 
has  an  evident  blessing  from  God." 

While  engaged  in  the  work  that  fell  to  his  lot, 
he  had  ample  opportunity  for  noticing  the  ravages 
that  leprosy,  the  bane  of  the  islands,  was  making 
amidst  their  inhabitants.  His  heart  had  often  been 
touched  at  the  sad  sights  he  saw  around  him,  and 
he  longed  to  be  able  to  do  something  to  alleviate 
the  sufferings  of  the  victims  of  its  cruel  rage. 

It  is  more  than  half  a  century  ago  since  leprosy 
was  introduced  into  the  islands.  How  it  got  there 
remains  still  a  mystery.  Various  theories  have 
been  held  respecting  it,  but  it  is  generally  thought 
that  it  was  brought  over  from  Asia  by  some  ill- 
fated  foreigner.  Once  planted  among  the  unfor- 
tunate islanders,  its  seeds  were  scattered  far  and 
wide,  and  in  a  very  short  time  leprosy  had  gained 
great  ground.  The  peculiar  character  of  the  Ha- 
waiians  helped  greatly  in  the  spreading  of  the  pes- 
tilence. Sociable  to  the  utmost  degree,  all  they 
have  is  yours  ;  you  have  but  to  enter  their  house, 
even  as  a  stranger,  and  you  are  henceforth  their 
bosom  friend.  They  live  in  the  closest  intimacy, 
and  their  hospitality  is  generous  to  a  fault. 

At  the  first  approach  of  leprosy  much  might  have 


been  done  to  prevent  its  contagion,  but  the  natives, 
having  no  fear  of  its  slow  growth,  continued  still 
to  take  no  precautions.  The  affectionate  sociability 
led  them  to  eat  from  the  same  dish,  sleep  on  the 
same  mat,  and  even  smoke  from  the  same  pipe. 
They  did  not  take  the  most  oi'dinary  precautions, 
and  sick  and  sound  alike  would  share  their  clothes 
one  with  another.  What  wonder  then  that  the 
pestilence  got  such  a  hold  upon  them  !  In  1865 
the  Hawaiian  Government  thought  it  high  time  to 
take  some  step  towards  isolating  the  infected  ;  so, 
though  rather  late,  an  Act  was  passed  which  made 
the  north  coast  of  Molokai  the  future  home  of  all 
those  tainted  with  the  disease. 

The  law  once  passed,  the  difficulty  now  was  to 
put  it  into  execution.  The  lepers  were  scattered 
over  the  islands,  and  their  friends  clung  to  them 
with  a  tenacity  that  was  truly  painful  to  behold. 
They  hid  them  in  their  homes  and  even  in  the 
depths  of  the  wood,  and  thus  the  law  was  not 
speedily  put  in  force.  But,  nevertheless,  many  were 
taken  to  the  leper  island. 

With  the  advent  of  a  new  King  in  1873,  the 
Government  showed  new  zeal,  aud  every  means 
was  taken  to  separate  the  infected  persons  from  the 
community.  No  exemption  was  made,  even  for  the 
persons  of  the  highest  rank,  and  the  Queen's  own 
cousin  was  conveyed  to  the  leper  island.  The  law 
was  rigorous,  and  in  spite  of  all  remonstrance,  and 
in  spite  of  sympathetic  tears,  it  was  determined  to 
root  every  trace  of  leprosy  from  the  other  islands 
and  transfer  it  all  to  Molokai. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  that  came  under 
Father  Damien's  personal  observation,  and  his 
heart  burnt  with  pity  for  the  poor  banished  lepers. 
The  constant,  pitiable  scenes  of  misery  that  he  wit- 
nessed at  the  harbor  of  Honolulu,  where  the  wail- 
ings  and  tears  of  the  emigrant  lepers  was  a  daily 
occurrence,  so  moved  him  that  he  resolved  he 
would  take  the  first  opportunity  that  presented 
itself  of  lightening  their  sad  fate. 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1873,  the  long-desired 
occasion  offered  itself.  At  a  meeting  that  was  held 
to  celebrate  the  dedication  of  a  chapel  just  com- 
pleted by  a  Father  Leonor  at  Wailuku  in  the 
Island  of  Maui,  Father  Damien  chanced  to  be  pres- 
ent, together  with  the   Bishop  of  Honolulu  and 


382 


FATHER   DAMIEN. 


others  of  his  clery.  Among  them  were  present 
some  young  priests  of  the  Congregation,  who  had 
just  arrived  at  Honolulu  to  supply  the  increasing 
'needs  of  the  mission.  During  the  conversation 
Mgr,  Maigret  expressed  deep  regret  that  owing  to 
the  scarcity  of  his  missioners  he  was  unable  to  do 
anything  for  the  poor  lepers  of  Molokai,  and  espe- 
cially did  he  regret  that  he  was  unable  to  provide 
them  with  a  fixed  pastor. 

Already  his  lordship  had  from  time  to  time  sent 
one  of  the  missionaries  to  confess  and  administer 
the  sacraments  to  the  dying ;  but  this  only  hap- 
pened rarely,  and  there  was  no  guarantee  of  its 
being  continued.  Hearing  the  Bishop's  lament. 
Father  Damien  took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance, 
and  eagerly  offered  himself  to  supply  the  long-felt 
necessity.  "  Monseigneur,"  said  he,  "  here  are 
your  new  missioners  ;  one  of  them  could  take  my 
district,  and  if  you  will  be  kind  enough  to  allow  it, 
I  will  go  to  Molokai  and  labor  for  the  poor  lepers, 
whose  wretched  state  of  bodily  and  spiritual  mis- 
fortune has  often  made  my  heart  bleed  within  me." 
This  generous  offer  was  gladly  accepted,  and  that 
very  day,  without  even  saying  good-bye  to  his 
friends,  he  embarked  with  the  Bishop  on  a  vessel 
that  was  just  leaving  the  harbor  of  Honolulu  with 
a  consignment  of  fifty  lepers. 

On  their  arrival,  after  consoling  them,  the  venei^ 
able  Bishop  addressed  the  assembled  lepers  in  a 
simple  and  touching  manner.  "  So  far,  my  chil- 
dren," said  he  in  a  voice  that  shook  with  emotion, 
"  you  have  been  left  alone  and  uucared  for.  But 
you  shall  be  so  no  longer.  Behold,  I  have  brought 
you  one  who  will  be  a  father  to  you,  and  who  loves 
you  so  much  that  for  your  welfare  and  for  the  sake 
of  your  immortal  souls,  he  does  not  hesitate  to 
become  one  of  you,  to  live  and  die  with  you." 

Such  was  the  step  which  this  brave  hero  of  charity 
took,  without  a  thought  of  himself  and  without  the 
least  motive  of  human  considerations  to  prompt 
him.  Such  is  the  action  which  has  astonished  the 
wisdom  of  the  world,  and  gained  its  admiration  and 
applause. 

The  Bishop  returned  to  Honolulu,  and  Father 
Damien  was  left  behind,  without  a  house,  without 
a  friend,  and,  owing  to  his  hasty  departure  from 
Honolulu,  without  even  a  change  of  linen. 


Once  on  the  island,  he  resolved  with  the  resolu» 
tion  of  a  man  who,  having  made  up  his  mind,  will 
let  no  difficulty  stand  in  his  way,  that  come  what 
might,  now  that  he  had  attained  the  fondest  desire 
of  his  heart,  he  would  never  abandon  his  poor 
lejjers,  till  the  foul  disease  should  strike  him  too 
with  its  sure  but  certain  hand,  and  bear  him  away 
from  them  to  his  last  and  heavenly  home. 

Molokai :  the  Leper  Island. 
(1873-1886.) 

Now  began  for  the  holy  missionary  a  new  work 
for  God,  a  new  kind  of  existence.  It  was  in  the 
year  1873  that  Molokai  first  saw  its  apostle,  who 
was  to  shed  so  bright  a  ray  of  hope  and  comfort 
upon  the  scenes  of  misery  to  which  it  had  long 
been  a  witness.  Henceforth  this  spot  was  to  be  the 
only  scene  of  his  labors,  until  God  pleased  to  call 
him  to  Himself 

Of  the  twelve  Hawaiian  islands,  Molokai  is  one 
of  the  smallest,  being  some  thirty  or  forty  miles  by 
seven  in  extent.  The  island  ascends  from  south  to 
north  in  a  gradual  rise,  which  ends  abruptly  in  a 
precipitous  and  all  but  vertical  cliff  extending  the 
whole  length  of  the  island.  At  the  foot  of  this  cliff 
lies  a  low  peninsula  of  some  6,000  acres,  running 
out  on  the  north  side  into  the  sea,  and  consequently 
cut  off  from  all  land  communication  with  the  rest 
of  the  island  by  the  natural  barrier.  It  is  on  this 
isolated  peninsula,  whose  surface  is  covered  with  a 
grassy  plain  that  the  two  leper  villages  of  Kalawao 
and  Kalaupapa  are  established ;  the  former  lying 
close  under  the  shadow  of  the  precipice,  while  the 
latter  and  larger  is  situated  on  the  northern  shore. 
To  this  spot  the  Hawaiian  Government,  in  1865, 
banished  the  lepers  scattered  through  the  kingdom, 
in  order  to  prevent  the  further  spreading  of  this  ter- 
rible malady.  Here  they  were  doomed  to  live  while 
life  should  last ;  here  they  were  doomed  to  die. 

This  feeling  of  complete  despair  naturally  had 
the  very  worst  effect  on  their  moral  state.  With 
scarcely  anything  they  could  call  a  home,  almost 
destitute  of  clothing  and  scarcely  able  to  obtain  the 
bare  necessaries  of  life,  all  crushed  down  by  the 
weight  of  their  loathsome  disease,  they  in  many 
cases  gave  themselves  up  to  all  the  depravity  that 
can    be    found    among    those   whom    poverty    has 


FATHER    DAMIEN. 


383 


reduced  to  the  lowest  depths  of  misery  and  squalor. 
In  their  wretched  huts  of  grass  they  passed  their 
days,  drinking  a  vile  alcohol  of  their  own  distilling, 
called  "  ki-root  beer ;"  without  decent  employment, 
without  government  of  any  kind,  and,  what  was 
worse,  without  religion.  Nor  could  we  expect  them 
to  escape  the  consequences  of  such  an  existence  as 
this.  Every  kind  of  vice  and  lawlessness  was  ram- 
pant in  this  land  of  disease  and  sin ;  and  in  this 
condition  they  lived,  until  the  turn  for  each  one 
came  to  die. 

And  this  was  the  field  of  labor  to  which  Father 
Damien  had  been  called.  This  was  the  state  of 
Molokai  when  he  first  began  his  work  of  regenera- 
tion, sixteen  years  ago.  As  soon  as  he  set  his  foot 
upon  the  island  he  exclaimed  :  "  This  is  your  life's 
work,  Joseph !"  and  without  delay  he  set  about  it 
in  right  good  earnest.  He  was  now  about  thirty- 
three  years  old.  A  thick-set  and  strongly-built 
man,  he  was  physically  most  eminently  fitted  for 
his  self-imposed  labor.  The  buoyancy  of  youth 
was  in  his  step  and  the  flush  of  health  in  his 
cheek. 

Father  Damien  did  not  know  what  it  was  to  be 
ill.  But  it  was  indeed  high  time  for  him  to  begin 
his  work.  Aggravated  by  the  misery  in  which 
they  lived,  the  leprosy  was  increasing  in  violence 
every  day.  As  many  as  eight  or  twelve  were  dying 
every  week ;  many  from  want  of  care  and  medical 
assistance,  for  at  this  time  Molokai  never  saw  the 
face  of  a  doctor,  and  the  only  help  they  got  from 
without  was  the  utterly  inadequate  supply  of  cloth- 
ing which  was  sent  by  the  Hawaiian  Government 
every  year. 

He  commenced  his  wonderful  work  of  charity  by 
at  once  endeavoring  to  improve  the  condition  of  his 
unhappy  flock  and  to  alleviate  in  some  measure 
their  many  and  great  miseries.  He  never  thought 
of  himself  or  his  own  convenience.  All  his  sym- 
pathies were  for  those  whom  he  had  come  to  help. 
During  the  commencement  of  his  apostolate  his 
only  roof  was  the  shelter  which  the  branch  of  a 
tree  afforded  him.  He  had  no  time  to  build  him- 
self a  hut,  for  all  was  given  to  his  suffering  fellow- 
creatures  ;  and  even  if  he  had  had  the  time,  he 
would  have  looked  in  vain  for  the  material.  And 
so,  regardless  of  the  wind  and  rain  to  which  he  was 


exposed,  he  slept  in  the  open  air,  that  is,  when  he 
slept  at  all. 

For  the  most  part  he  was  engaged  in  comforting 
and  soothing  and  encouraging  those  whom  want 
and  misery  had  driven  to  the  verge  of  desperation. 
To  bring  back  these  poor  wandering  souls  to  some 
sort  of  appreciation  of  the  goodness  of  God  and  the 
beauty  of  religion  was  indeed  a  hard,  up-hill,  weary 
task.  Their  sensibilities  had  been  blunted  by  their 
sufferings,  and  their  hearts  much  hardened.  But 
nothing  could  resist  the  bright  influence  of  the 
holy  priest.  His  cheerful  bearing  brought  com- 
fort where  misery  was  before,  while  his  charity  and 
goodness  could  not  fail  to  awake  a  corresponding 
chord  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  listened  to  his 
kind  voice  and  saw  his  bright  smile. 

Some  time  after  the  beginning  of  his  labors  he 
received  a  letter  of  congratulation  from  the  white 
residents  of  Honolulu — for  the  most  part  Protest- 
ants, together  with  some  goods,  and,  what  was  still 
more  acceptable,  a  purse  containing  ;^i20.  He 
was  at  length  enabled  to  build  himself  a  permanent 
residence,  a  small  wooden  house,  two  stories  high, 
with  a  staircase  leading  to  the  upper  verandah. 

DiflBculties,  however,  were  not  wanting  to  the 
good  Father  in  his  work  of  charity,  and  they  came 
at  times  from  unexpected  quarters.  After  he  had 
passed  some  weeks  on  the  island,  and  had  alle- 
viated the  more  pressing  necessities  of  the  poor 
lepers,  he  set  out  for  Honolulu,  the  capital  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  as  there  was  no  priest  nearer  to 
whom  he  could  go  for  confession.  He  naturally 
called  on  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Health, 
who  seemed  surprised,  and  received  him  with  cold 
politeness.  On  the  Father  asking  leave  to  return 
to  Molokai,  he  curtly  informed  him  that  he  might 
return  indeed,  but  in  that  case  he  must  remain  for 
good.  The  Father  explained  the  necessity  he  was 
under  of  occasionally  visiting  his  Bishop,  and 
pleaded  the  privilege  of  physicians  and  priests. 
But  the  Board  of  Health,  in  their  zeal  for  isolation, 
absolutely  refused  permission. 

He  returned  to  Molokai,  and  shortly  afterwards 
received  an  official  notice,  informing  him  that  if  he 
attempted  to  leave,  or  even  visit  any  other  portion 
of  the  island,  he  would  be  put  under  immediate 
arrest.     Father  Damien  cared  little  about  his  own 


384 


FATHER    DAMIEN. 


convenience,  but  where  God  was  concerned,  and 
the  comfort  of  his  beloved  lepers,  the  aspect  of 
things  was  changed.  With  characteristic  firmness 
and  frankness  he  replied :  "I  shall  come.  You 
must  not  prevent  me  from  visiting  my  Bishop." 

When  it  became  necessary  to  see  a  neighboring 
priest  he  did  so,  asking  no  leave  of  any  man  ;  nor 
could  anything  prevent  him  from  attending  to  the 
wants  of  his  people.  Six  months  later  he  received 
a  permit  to  come  and  go  as  he  pleased,  yet  seldom, 
in  sixteen  years,  did  he  care  to  use  it.  Nay,  so 
much  did  their  ideas  change,  that  later  on  when- 
ever he  visited  Hawaii  he  was  invited  to  dine  at  the 
royal  table  and  lodge  in  the  palace.  However,  in- 
stead of  using  the  grand  bed  which  was  prepared 
for  him,  he  used  to  sleep  on  the  floor  in  a  rug — 
"  to  prevent  infection,"  he  said  ;  but  mortification 
had  much  more  to  do  with  it. 

One  of  the  first  objects  to  which  Father  Damien 
turned  his  attention  was  the  water  supply.  This 
had  hitherto  been  exceedingly  bad,  and  had  greatly 
increased  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  people.  To  say 
nothing  of  the  filth  and  dirt,  which  of  itself  had 
helped  to  make  their  existence  more  wretched, 
the  scarcity  was  such  as  to  leave  them  at  times 
destitute  of  what  was  absolutely  necessary.  He 
forthwith  set  to  work  and  prevailed  upon  the  Gov- 
ernment to  second  his  efforts.  In  a  short  time 
water  from  a  never-failing  supply  was  brought 
down  from  a  distance  both  in  abundance  and  of 
excellent  quality. 

Having  remedied  this  evil,  he  then  set  about  the  re- 
moving of  another.  The  dwellings  of  the  lepers  had 
hitherto  been  of  a  most  miserable  description.  They 
consisted  of  small  huts,  built  on  the  ground  ;  and 
such  a  word  as  house  could  never  apply  to  them.  The 
houses  were  bad  in  themselves,  squalid  and  filthy  ; 
but  this  was  rendered  worse  by  the  habits  of  those 
who  lived  in  them.  They  had  no  separate  abodes, 
but  were  all  huddled  together  indiscriminately  ;  and 
it  was  to  these  vile,  fetid  dens  that  Father  Damien 
had,  at  the  beginning  of  his  work,  borne  his  mes- 
sage of  charity.  It  was  here  he  calmed  the  closing 
hour  of  those  whose  end  was  drawing  near.  It  was 
from  places  of  this  description  that  he  oftentimes 
bore  out  in  his  own  arms  the  corpses  of  those  whose 
sufferings  had  been  ended  by  death. 


To  remedy  this  was  now  his  principal  aim,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  he  accomplished  his  purpose. 
The  Father  seems  to  have  a  knack  of  inspiring 
others  with  something  of  the  fire  of  zeal  and  energy 
which  burnt  in  his  own  bosom.  Through  his  rep- 
resentations, a  supply  of  material  was  shipped  to 
the  island  and  dealt  out  to  the  inhabitants  by  the 
Government,  by  means  of  which  healthy  wooden 
cottages,  built  on  trestles  to  raise  them  above  the 
ground,  took  the  place  of  the  former  miserable 
hovels,  with  their  grass-thatched  roofs.  This  work, 
which  was  begun  in  1874,  is  not  yet  fully  com- 
pleted :  but  we  can  obtain  some  idea  of  Father 
Damien's  energy,  when  we  learn  that  by  1886  no 
less  than  three  hundred  cottages,  large  and  small, 
had  been  erected,  and  formed  the  two  leper  settle- 
ments of  Kalawao  and  Kalaupapa.  Nothing  better 
could  have  been  done  to  lessen  the  sufferings  of 
these  unfortunates,  for  it  stayed  the  rapid  progress 
of  the  disease,  and,  as  a  natural  result,  reduced  in 
no  small  degree  the  death-rate  on  the  island. 

Father  Damien's  next  move  regarded  the  supply 
of  food.  Although  the  condition  of  the  lepers  in 
this  respect  had  improved,  it  was  nevertheless 
lamentable.  The  Government  had  started  on  a 
theory  that  if  they  provided  them  with  a  few 
horses,  heifers,  carts,  etc.,  the  lepers  would  in  a 
short  time  form  a  self-supporting  colony,  and 
strange  though  it  may  seem,  it  was  some  time 
before  they  discovered  their  error.  Then  came  a 
tardy  reformation  in  the  way  of  a  scanty  supply  of 
food  and  clothing,  but  it  was  not  until  Father 
Damien's  arrival  that  any  material  improvement 
was  visible.  Through  his  intervention  a  regular 
supply  was  secured,  and  soon  after  it  was  increased 
in  quantity.  In  1878,  a  committee  visited  the 
island  to  inquire  into  the  commissariat,  and  through 
the  Father's  representations  some  slight  improve- 
ments were  made. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  this,  when  the  Queen  of  the 
Islands  and  her  daughter  visited  the  place  in  1884, 
there  was  still  much  to  be  done;  and  as  late  as 
1886  we  find  Father  Damien  renewing,  or  perhaps 
we  should  say  continuing,  his  efforts,  in  a  letter  of 
complaint  to  the  "  Board  of  Health,"  in  which  he 
states  that  not  one-tenth  of  those  outside  the  hos- 
pital had  tasted  milk  for  several  years.     Yet  this 


FATHER   DAMIEN. 


385 


is  a  strong  proof  how  universally  things  had  im- 
proved since  the  Father's  advent,  for  we  now  hear 
him  seeking,  not  for  necessities,  but  for  some  com- 
forts and  luxuries  for  his  poor  lepers. 

There  was  another  thing  of  which  the  lepers  were 
sadly  in  want  on  Father  Damien's  arrival.  Cloth- 
ing was  miserably  deficient.  Some,  it  is  true,  were 
supplied  by  their  friends,  but  the  friends  could  not 
afford  all  that  was  needed.  Father  Damien  could 
not  work  reform  by  magic,  but  after  his  arrival 
improvement  in  this  respect  soon  began.  He 
trected  a  store  for  the  sale  of  clothing,  and  in  place 
of  a  yearly  grant  of  garments,  six  dollars  a  year 
were  allowed  to  each  leper.  This  was  an  improve- 
ment, but  in  1886  we  find  the  energetic  Father 
declaring  the  allowance  still  too  small  and  applying 
for  assistance. 

But  the  catalogue  of  the  numerous  external 
labors  for  the  temporal  comforts  of  the  inmates  of 
Molokai  is  not  yet  completed.  It  is  true  there  was 
a  hospital  but  the  name  was  a  mockery  :  it  was  a 
hospital  without  doctors,  or  sisters,  or  nurses. 
Father  Damien  was  not  satisfied  till  there  was  a 
resident  doctor,  a  dispensary,  and  all  necessaries  for 
alleviating  the  disease  which  they  could  not  cure, 
and  above  all,  excellently  arranged  hospitals  for  the 
most  extreme  cases.  Yet  so  well  do  the  lepers 
remember  the  old  mockery  in  Kalawao,  they  dread 
the  name  of  hospital.  And  no  wonder !  For  in 
former  days  the  same  conveyance  that  bore  the 
patient  to  the  hospital,  brought  his  coflEn  also. 

And  thus  it  was,  by  attending  to  the  corporal 
necessities  of  those  he  had  come  to  help,  that 
Father  Damien  found  his  way  to  the  hearts  of  the 
poor,  neglected  lepers.  For  they,  on  their  side, 
naturally  amiable,  generous,  and  light-hearted,  ren- 
dered the  task  an  easier  one  than  might  have  been 
expected.  It  would  have  been  strange,  indeed, 
under  these  circumstances,  if  such  disinterested 
and  heroic  charity  had  failed  to  have  its  full  efiect. 
The  very  fact  that  a  man  was  found  to  come  and 
live  there,  voluntarily,  for  their  sakes,  was  itself 
sufiBcient  to  touch  the  heart  of  even  the  most  reck- 
less and  abandoned. 

Let  us  now  consider  Father  Damien's  labors  in 
what  was  more  directly  their  spiritual  welfare. 
After  attending  to  their  corporal  necessities  as  a 


preliminary  step,  he  then  threw  himself  heart  and 
soul  into  the  work  of  regeneration.  This  was  the 
object  of  the  sacrifice — the  salvation  of  their  souls. 

When  he  first  arrived  at  the  settlement  there  was 
only  one  place  of  worship,  a  Protestant  church, 
served  by  a  native  minister,  himself  a  leper.  So 
as  soon  as  he  had  relieved  their  more  pressing  cor- 
poral needs  and  could  obtain  sufficient  money  and 
materials.  Father  Damien  set  to  work  to  build  a 
church.  He  was  himself  at  once  surveyor,  archi- 
tect, clerk  of  the  works  and  head  mason.  In  a 
short  time,  with  the  help  of  some  of  the  more  able- 
bodied  of  the  lepers,  he  succeeded  in  erecting  a 
tolerably  commodious  building,  sufficient  for  the 
Catholics  then  on  the  island.  But  small  as  the 
settlement  is,  he  was  not  satisfied  until  he  had 
built  a  second  at  Kalaupapa,  in  order  that  all  his 
flock,  even  the  feeblest,  might  find  a  church  within 
reach.  Before  very  long,  however,  the  numbers  of 
the  lepers  so  greatly  increased,  and  the  effect  of  the 
Father's  work  amongst  them  became  so  manifest 
in  the  ever-increasing  number  of  Catholics,  as  to 
render  it  necessary  to  make  some  other  pirovision. 
Under  these  circumstances,  with  the  aid  of  the 
lepers,  he  built  another  church,  of  which  the  first 
formed  the  transept. 

He  afterwards  painted  it  without  and  decorated 
it  within  in  accordance  with  the  Hawaiian  taste, 
which  is  scarcely  aesthetic,  and  here  he  gave  most 
of  his  instructions.  He  also  built  an  orphanage. 
It  consists  of  two  buildings,  one  for  the  boys,  the 
other  for  the  girls,  and  is  situated  close  to  Father 
Damien's  own  house.  Forty  orphan  children  were 
under  his  immediate  direction.  Here  they  are 
instructed  in  such  useful  arts  and  duties  as  they 
are  able  to  perform,  the  girls  devoting  themselves 
to  needlework  and  other  similar  useful  employ- 
ments. Nor  was  anything  left  undone  in  regard  to 
the  instruction  of  the  leper  children  in  general, 
living  with  their  parents  in  the  settlement.  At  first 
his  instructions  were  given  in  the  open  air,  as 
chance  might  offer.  But  before  long  he  managed 
to  erect  a  school,  and  in  1880  another  had  to  be 
built  to  accommodate  the  increasing  number  of 
pupils. 

Another  of  the  Father's  good  works  was  to 
provide  for  the  decent  interment  of  the  dead.     As 


25 


386 


FATHER   DAMIEN. 


tlie  Government  did  not  supply  money  to  buy 
cofl&ns,  the  price  of  which  was  two  dollars  a 
piece,  those  who  died  penniless  were  often  buried 
without  them.  In  order  to  prevent  this  in  future 
"the  Father  formed  a  "  cofl&n  association"  among 
the  lepers,  and  also  made  a  large,  well-inclosed 
cemetery,  adjoining  one  of  his  churches.  Before 
1879,  sixteen  hundred  lepers  had  been  buried 
under  his  ministration,  and  he  often  had  to  act 
as  undertaker  and  grave-digger  as  well  as  pastor. 
In  a  letter  to  his  brother,  Pere  Pamphile,  he  says, 
"  I  am  grave-digger  and  carpenter.  If  time  allows, 
I  make  the  coffin,  otherwise  I  bury  them  in  their 
clothes." 

The  Father's  day  was  spent  in  looking  after  the 
different  institutions  he  had  founded,  and  in  all  the 
other  duties  of  his  toilsome  ministry.  It  began 
with  a  very  early  Mass,  at  which  those  of  the  lepers 
who  were  not  too  feeble  assisted  ;  and  this  was  the 
Father's  support  for  the  day's  hard  work.  Then 
followed  the  arduous  duties  of  the  day.  Besides 
visiting  his  orphanage  and  schools,  there  were  the 
Sacraments  to  administer  to  endless  sick,  calls  to 
be  made,  and  the  hospitals  to  visit.  There  were 
children  to  be  baptized  and  marriages  to  be  solemn- 
ized ;  for  the  lepers  marry  and  give  in  marriage. 
It  was  indeed  a  strange  sight  to  see  the  bridal  pair 
united  in  the  midst  of  festivity  and  rejoicing,  prob- 
ably with  only  three  or  four  more  years  to  live. 
Then  on  fixed  days  there  were  confessions  to  hear, 
besides  ceaseless  summonses  to  bring  the  last  Sac- 
raments to  those  who  are  going  to  be  freed  from 
their  life  of  pain :  dying  now,  not  in  despair,  as 
was  oftentimes  the  case  before  the  Father  came, 
but  in  calm  and  perfect  peace. 

But  Father  Damien's  time  was  mostly  spent  in 
the  hospitals.  In  addition  to  his  work  in  the 
ministry  which  so  often  called  him  there.  Father 
Damien  had  fixed  days  for  what  we  may  call 
official  visits,  in  order  to  see  that  the  sufferers  had 
everything  that  was  in  their  power  to  give  them. 
And  it  was  in  this  work  that  his  heroism  is  brought 
more  forcibly  before  us.  The  inmates  were  tended 
by  friends  who  were  not  as  yet  too  much  crippled 
by  the  ravages  of  the  disease. 

The  hospital  formed  two  sides  of  a  square,  and 
in  this  latter  the  patients  could  enjoy  the  fresh  air 


and  sunshine.  Father  Damien's  visit  brought  a 
two-fold  comfort.  He  cared  for  their  bodies  as 
well  as  their  souls,  for  among  his  many  branches 
of  knowledge  he  numbered  medicine.  He  would 
himself  feed  them,  putting  the  food  into  their 
mouths  when  the  terrible  malady  had  deprived 
them  of  their  hands,  and  bring  little  sweetmeats 
and  delicacies  which,  as  he  says  in  a  letter  to 
his  brother,  he  "  received  in  great  abundance, 
especially  from  the  Sisters  of  Honolulu."  These 
last  had  charge  of  the  hospitals  there,  to  which 
doubtful  cases  of  leprosy  were  sent,  before  dooming 
them  to  perpetual  banishment. 

Father  Damien  in  his  own  hospitals  at  Molokai 
had  ever  a  word  of  consolation  to  speak  or  a  con- 
fession to  hear ;  now  he  was  at  the  bedside  of  the 
dying,  administering  the  last  rites  of  the  Church. 
There  they  lay  in  the  last  stage  of  that  horrible 
disease  unable  to  take  food  or  drink,  almost  with- 
out drawing  breath,  curled  up  in  a  heap  of  cor- 
ruption, equal  to,  if  not  surpassing,  that  of  the 
grave.  Listen  to  this  description  of  a  leprous  child 
from  the.  pen  of  an  eye-witness  :  "  A  corner  of  the 
blanket  was  raised  cautiously ;  a  breathing  object 
lay  beneath ;  a  face,  a  human  face  turned  slowly 
towards  us ;  a  face  on  which  scarcely  a  trace  of 
humanity  remained !  The  dark  skin  was  puffed 
up  and  blackened,  a  kind  of  moss,  gummy  and 
glistening,  covered  it ;  the  muscles  of  the  mouth 
had  contracted  and  laid  bare  the  grinning  teeth ; 
the  thickened  tongue  lay  like  a  fig  between  them  ; 
the  eyelids  curled  tightly  back,  exposing  the  inner 
surface  and  the  protruding  eyeballs,  now  shapeless 
and  broken,  looked  not  unlike  burst  grapes."  And 
these  were  the  objects  of  Father  Damien's  charity. 
It  was  in  the  care  of  cases  such  as  this  that  the  last 
sixteen  years  of  his  life  were  spent.  But  let  as 
pass  on  to  more  cheerful  and  pleasant  sights. 

On  Sundays  and  festivals  Father  Damien  sang 
Mass  at  Kalawao,  after  which  he  hastened  off  to 
Kalaupapa,  there  again  to  offer  the  Holy  Sacrifice. 
Then  he  had  to  be  back  to  Kalawao  for  Vespers 
and  Benediction  and  instructions  in  the  church, 
after  which  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  Kalaupapa, 
to  perform  the  same  services.  Everything  con- 
nected with  his  church  was  perfect  in  its  way. 
The  sanctuary  boys,  though  in  many  cases  dis- 


FATHER    DAMIEN. 


387 


figtired  witli  disease,  looked  clean  and  neat  in  their 
plain  white  cottas.  The  altar  vessels  of  richly 
wrought  gold  were  given  to  Father  Damien  by  the 
Superior  of  St.  Roch  in  Paris.  With  simple  de- 
votion the  lepers  sang  short  refrains  as  the  service 
proceeded. 

Father  Damien  speaking  of  this  himself,  says : 
"  My  lepers  are  very  fervent.  They  fill  the 
churches  from  morning  till  night,  and  pour  forth 
their  prayers  to  God  with  an  ardor  that  would 
make  some  religious  blush."  And  these  were  the 
people  of  whom  it  was  said,  "  They  had  no  law." 
It  might  have  been  added  that  they  had  also  little 
religion  worth  the  name  ;  for  though  in  the  other 
islands  idolatry  had  been  abolished,  here  in  Molo- 
kai,  till  Father  Damain  came,  paganism  with  all 
its  horrors  reigned  supreme.  Under  him  it  became 
a  peaceful,  law-abiding  community,  with  a  happy 
cheerfulness  that  nothing  on  earth  could  destroy. 

Hitherto  the  Father  had  worked  single-handed, 
but  now  at  length  his  burden  was  to  be  somewhat 
lightened.  In  the  year  1879,  another  member  of 
his  Congregation  came  to  share  his  labors.  Father 
Albert  had  long  been  a  missioner  in  another  group 
of  Pacific  islands,  but  was  obliged  by  his  failing 
health  to  return  to  France.  After  recruiting  him- 
self in  his  native  country,  when  he  thought  of  re- 
turning to  his  mission,  the  doctors  would  only  per- 
mit him  to  go  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  he 
arrived  in  1874,  and  five  years  later  he  came  to 
join  Father  Damien.  He  took  charge  of  the  Kal- 
aupapa  settlement,  and  for  upwards  of  six  years 
labored  with  untiring  energy. 

Father  Damien  took  advantage  of  his  assistance 
to  devote  himself,  if  possible,  with  still  greater 
energy  to  the  care  of  souls.  So  great  was  the  in- 
fluence which  the  holy  man  had  obtained  among 
the  lepers,  that  day  after  day  he  obtained  fresh 
souls  to  God.  Thus  he  writes  to  his  brother  with 
frank  simplicity  :  "  There  are  a  fair  number  of 
Protestants  here.  Almost  all  end  by  seeing  the 
truth  ;  and  I  have  the  great  consolation  of  behold- 
ing them  die  in  the  bosom  of  the  Catholic  Church." 

The  following  extraordinary  incident  shall  be 
told  in  the  Father's  own  words  written  to  his 
brother : 

"  Among  the  lepers  was  a  Calvinist  woman,  as 


she  called  herself,  who  remained  obstinate  in  spite 
of  all  my  efforts  to  reclaim  her.  To  all  I  said  she 
would  reply  jokingly,  and  turn  my  words  aside. 
One  day  I  was  summoned  to  her  bedside,  and  soon 
perceived  that  she  was  possessed  by  a  spirit  not  her 
own.  As  she  made  signs  of  a  wish  to  write,  I 
handed  her  a  pencil  and  a  piece  of  paper.  She 
wrote  thus  :  '  I  am  not  an  evil  spirit ;  I  am  the 
angel-guardian  of  this  women.  For  six  months  I 
have  been  urging  her  to  be  converted :  now  I  am 
using  this  violent  means.  To-morrow  she  will  be 
herself  again,  and  will  be  converted.'  I  could 
hardly  believe  my  eyes  ;  but  on  my  return  the 
next  day,  I  found  her  completely  changed  from  her 
old  obstinacy.  She  declared  that  she  wished  to  be 
a  Catholic,  and  asked  for  Baptism.  I  showed  her 
the  writing.  '  Do  you  recognize  that  ?  '  I  asked. 
'  No,'  she  said.  '  Have  you  felt  anything  lately  ? ' 
'  For  the  last  six  months,  every  night,  I  have  heard 
an  interior  voice  telling  me  to  become  a  Catholic. 
I  always  resisted,  but  now  I  am  conquered.'  She 
was  instructed  and  baptized,  and  shows  a  fervor 
that  edifies  us  all." 

One  thing  more  has  yet  to  be  mentioned  as  illus- 
trating at  once  the  devotion  of  the  poor  lepers  and 
the  eflfect  of  their  holy  pastor's  teaching.  There 
was  nothing  in  which  the  lepers  took  more  pleasure 
than  in  the  processions  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 
Of  all  the  beautiful  and  touching  sights  in  Molo- 
kai  this  held  the  foremost  place.  "  I  myself," 
says  Father  Damien,  writing  to  his  brother, 
"  strong,  healthy  and  vigorous,  bearing  in  my 
hands  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  was  followed  and 
preceded  by  one  long  line  of  lepers,  some  deprived 
of  their  hands,  others  of  feet,  crawling  along  on 
their  knees  as  well  as  they  could,  joining  in  the 
great  act  of  adoration." 

Another  most  touching  thing  was  Father  Da- 
mien's  way  of  speaking  to  his  lepers.  "  Whenever 
I  preach  to  my  people,"  he  says,  "  I  do  not  say 
'  My  Brethren,'  as  you  do,  but  '  We  lepers.'  .  .  . 
People  pity  me  and  think  me  unfortunate,  but  I 
think  myself  the  happiest  of  missionaries." 

One  short  glance  now  at  Father  Damien  in  his 
own  little  house.  The  only  kind  of  recreation  the 
Father  allowed  himself  was  the  care  of  his  fowls. 
They  were  his  pets,  his  playthings,  and  at  his  call 


388 


FATHER   DAMIEN. 


they  would  flock  around  him,  lighting  on  his  out- 
stretched arms  and  feeding  from  his  hand.  But, 
like  everything  about  Father  Damien,  they  were 
destined  for  practical  purposes.  When  the  need 
came  they  were  willingly  sacrificed  for  the  bene- 
fit of  his  lepers,  or  the  entertainment  of  his 
friends. 

If  he  had  a  few  moments  to  himself  it  was  spent 
\n  the  garden,  or  with  hammers  and  nails  on  some 
bit  of  carpentering,  at  which  he  was  very  skillful. 
■  He  performed  all  his  own  cooking  and  housework 
and  whatever  was  necessary  to  be  done  in  the 
chapel,  which  added  to  his  other  duties  that  of 
sacristan.  A  native,  not  a  leper,  mended  his 
clothes  and  washed  for  him.  Yet  in  spite  of  such 
precautions  as  these,  his  escape  for  eleven  years 
seems  almost  miraculous.  The  tools  he  used  daily 
were  continually  handled  by  lepers,  while  his  house 
was  scarcely  ever  free  of  them.  But  it  was  God's 
will  that  he  should  not  go  entirely  free.  The  title 
which  he  loved  so  much,  and  of  which  he  was  so 
proud,  he  was  soon  to  have  the  right  to  call  his 
own.  Who  knows  whether  it  was  not  perhaps  an 
answer  to  his  prayers  ? 

His  Last  Years  and  Death  (X885-1889.) 

Father  Damien  had  never  had  the  least  dread  of 
leprosy.  From  the  first  moment  of  his  sacrifice  he 
had  daily  expected  to  find  the  signs  of  it  showing 
themselves  in  him.  It  was  not,  however,  till  the 
year  1884  that  he  began  to  suspect  its  presence. 
In  1885  he  was  made  certain  of  it  in  the  following 
manner.  One  day  after  his  return  from  a  visit  to 
Hawaii,  feeling  unwell,  he  determined  to  take  a  hot 
foot-bath.  The  water  brought  to  him  was  scalding, 
hut  he  plunged  his  feet  into  it,  and  did  not  discover 
that  it  was  almost  boiling  till  he  saw  the  effects  of 
the  scald.  Father  Damien  knew  at  once  the  mean- 
ing of  his  insensibility  to  pain.  One  of  the  first 
symptoms  of  the  presence  of  the  disease  is  a  loss 
or  lessening  of  sensation  in  the  part  affected.  A 
numbness  of  some  fresh  joint  or  limb  was  of  daily 
occurrence  among  the  lepers.  They  would  some- 
times seriously  bum  themselves  in  an  infected  part 
without  being  aware  of  it.  To  such  an  extent  does 
the  ravage  of  leprosy  make  them  insensible  to  pain 
that  many  have  been  known  to  take  a  knife  and 


cut  off  a  dead  joint  of  the  finger  or  toe  before  it 
dropped  off  of  its  own  accord. 

The  doctors'  examination  pronounced  that  anaes- 
thesia had  set  in  as  a  preliminary  symptom,  and 
Dr.  Aming  announced  to  the  Father  the  result  of 
their  diagnosis.  Father  Damien  was  by  no  means 
distressed.  He  now  felt  that  he  was  still  more 
closely  united  to  his  flock.  The  lepers  became 
nearer  and  dearer  to  him.  It  was  a  real  satisfac- 
tion to  know  that  he  was  to  lay  down  his  life  for 
them.  He  still  continued  his  laborious  work  with- 
out in  the  least  relaxing  his  exertions.  We  learn 
the  spirit  in  which  he  accepts  the  will  of  God. from 
the  letters  which  he  wrote  at  this  time  to  his  friends. 

"  Having  no  doubt  myself  of  the  true  character 
of  my  disease,  I  feel  calm,  resigned,  and  happier 
among  my  people.  God  alone  knows  what  is  best 
for  my  own  sanctification,  and  with  that  conviction 
I  say  daily  a  good  fiat  voluntas  tria.  Please  pray 
for  your  aflSicted  friend,  and  recommend  me  and 
my  luckless  people  to  all  servants  of  the  Lord." 

Admirable  sentiments  !  every  word  breathes  forth 
a  spirit  of  intense  resignation  and  patience  He 
had  given  himself  to  the  lepers,  he  had  counted  the 
cost.  He  was  theirs  to  live  and  die  for  them  as 
God  should  please.  The  most  perfect  health  and 
strength  away  from  his  dear  lepers  would  have 
been  no  boon  in  his  eyes.  To  one  of  those  who 
visited  him  lately,  he  said,  "  I  would  not  be  cured 
if  the  price  of  my  cure  was  that  I  must  leave  the 
island  and  give  up  my  work." 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  charity  of  Father 
Damien  prompted  others  to  imitate  his  glorious 
example  of  self-sacrifice,  and  accordingly  the  ad- 
vent of  Fathers  Conradi  and  Wendolen,  in  company 
with  two  lay  brothers  of  the  same  Order,  Brother 
Joseph  and  Brother  James,  brought  joy  to  the  grate- 
ful hearts  of  the  suffering  islanders.  These  latter 
remained  with  Father  Conradi  at  Kalawac  to  assist 
Father  Damien,  who  was  now  getting  very  weak 
and  required  all  their  assistance.  Later  on  three 
Fraciscan  Sisters  from  Honolulu  came  to  share  in 
the  good  work,  and  they  were  appointed  to  assist 
Father  Wendolen  at  Kalaupapa,  the  residence  of 
Father  Albert,  who  had  lately  been  removed  from 
Molokai  by  his  Superiors,  and  sent  on  the  recovery 
of  his  health  to  his  former  mission.     This  good 


FATHER   DAMIEN. 


389 


fortune  for  the  lepers  brought  others  quickly  in 
its  rear. 

It  was  mainly  owing  to  the  visit  of  Mr.  Charles 
Warren  Stoddart  to  the  island  in  1884,  and  of  Mr. 
Edward  Clifford  in  1888,  that  the  outside  world 
heard  of  the  wonderful  heroism  that  was  being  dis- 
played in  that  melancholy  island  of  the  Pacific. 
Their  writings  had  stirred  up  the  sympathies  of 
the  English  people.  England  at  once  generously 
came  forward  to  the  relief  of  the  suffering  priest 
and  his  afflicted  children,  and  in  1886  the  Rev. 
Hugh  Chapman,  an  Anglican  clergyman  who  has 
shown  a  remarkable  enthusiasm  on  behalf  of  the 
martyr-priest  of  Molokai,  collected  for  him  and  his 
lepers  a  sum  of  nearly  ;^i,C)00,  In  December  of 
1888  Father  Damien  received  other  assistance  from 
Mr,  Clifford,  an  English  artist,  who  paid  a  visit  to 
the  island  and  brought  many  valuable  presents 
from  England. 

Father  Damien's  energies  were  not  yet  ex- 
hausted. He  set  about  a  new  work  before  he 
passed  away  to  his  reward.  In  the  last  year  of 
his  life  he  was  busily  engaged  in  building  a  new 
church.  But  he  was  daily  wasting  away  with 
leprosy,  and  the  fine  strong  man  of  old  was  now 
disfigured  and  in  gradual  decay.  Yet  he  worked 
on  to  the  end,  calmly  awaiting  the  moment  of  his 
deliverance.  The  last  letter  he  wrote  to  his  brother, 
dated  February  19,  1889,  reveals  his  state  of  mind 
admirably. 

"  ....  I  am  still  happy  and  contented,  and 
though  I  am  so  grievously  sick,  still  I  desire 
nothing   but   the   accomplishment  of   the  will   of 

God I  am  still  able  to  go  every  day  to  the 

altar,  though,  however,  with  some  difficulty.     I  do 


not  forget  any  of  you  in  my  prayers,  and  so  do  you 
pray,  and  get  others  to  do  the  same,  for  me,  who 
am  being  drawn  gently  towards  the  tomb.  May 
the  good  God  strengthen  me  and  give  me  the  grace 
of  perseverance  and  of  a  good  death. 
"  Your  devoted  brother 

"  Damien  de  Veuster." 

He  had  not  to  wait  long  for  the  end  to  come. 
On  the  loth  of  April,  less  than  two  months  from 
the  date  of  this  letter,  the  martyr  of  charity  suc- 
cumbed to  the  malady  and  passed  to  the  high  place 
in  heaven  that  his  charity  had  won  for  him. 

He  was  indeed  a  martyr  of  charity,  one  of  whom 
we  may  well  be  proud  as  an  example  of  the  heroism 
of  our  Catholic  clergy.  He  is  at  present  justly 
the  object  of  generous  admiration  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  England.  To  those  outside 
the  Church  such  a  life  appears  more  wonderful 
than  to  us  who  are  its  members.  We  know  that 
there  are  hundreds  and  thousands  of  priests  and 
Religious  whose  sacrifice  is  no  less  perfect  than 
Father  Damien's  and  whose  complete  surrender  of 
earthly  comforts  and  joys  is  as  great  as  his.  But 
God  from  time  to  time  puts  such  a  man  in  the  fore- 
part of  the  battle,  that  the  world  may  have  before 
it  a  type  of  heroism  that  even  men  of  the  world 
cannot  fail  to  appreciate. 

But  though  Father  Damien  is  gone,  we  must 
remember  that  he  has  left  behind  him  a  little  band 
on  whom  his  mantle  has  fallen,  and  who  are  carry- 
ing on  his  work.  May  God  grant  that  they  may 
be  preserved  from  the  fell  disease  that  laid  him 
low ;  or  if  it  is  God's  will  that  they  too  should  die 
as  martyrs  of  charity,  that  for  the  sake  of  the  poor 
lepers  they  may  at  least  be  long  spared  I 


FATHER  MATHEW. 

THE  APOSTLE  OF  TEMPERANCE. 


(1790-1856.) 
BY  THE  REV.  W.  H.  COLOGAN. 


His  Birth  and  Early  Years. 

Theobald  Mathew  was  bom  at  Thomastown, 
County  Tipperary,  on  October  loth,  1790.  His 
father  was  James  Mathew,  a  getleman  of  good 
family,  and  closely  related  to  the  Earl  of  LlandaflF; 
his  mother  was  Anne,  daughter  of  George  Whj^te, 
Esq.,  of  Cappawhyte,  a  lady  of  singular  personal 
beauty  and  of  great  delicacy  of  character.  James 
Mathew  had  been  adopted  by  his  relative,  George 
Mathew,  first  Earl  of  Llandafl,  and  spent  a  great 
part  of  his  life  at  the  residence  of  the  Earl, 
Thomastown  Castle,  a  fine  mansion  surrounded  by 
a  well-wooded  park,  situated  in  the  Golden  Vale, 
and  within  a  very  few  miles  of  the  historic  town  of 
Cashel.  Here  it  was  that  Theobald,  the  fourth  son 
of  a  large  family,  was  bom.  A  few  years  later, 
James  Mathew  left  Thomastown  Castle  and  settled 
on  a  large  farm,  called  Rathcloheen,  close  by ;  still 
retaining  the  affection  and  the  patronage  of  his 
noble  kinsman.  Rathcloheen  continued  to  be  for 
many  years  the  home  of  this  branch  of  the  Mathew 
family,  and  it  was  hither  that  the  "  reverend  uncle  " 
(as  Theobald  was  afterwards  called),  worn  out  by 
his  missionary  labors,  would  spend  once  a  year  a 
few  days  in  rest. 

Theobald's  early  years  were  spent  at  his  mother's 
side,  and  from  her  he  received  much  of  that  sweet- 
ness of  disposition  for  which,  quite  as  much  as  for 
zeal  and  enthusiasm,  the  future  apostle  was  so 
greatly  distinguished.  Whilst  his  brothers  were 
engaged  at  their  sports  and  games,  Theobald  was 
in  attendance  upon  his  mother,  helping  her  to  the 
best  of  his  power  and  entertaining  her  with  affec- 
tionate conversation.  He  was  the  favorite,  and  the 
other  children  knew  it ;  yet  there  was  no  jealousy, 
for  the  power  he  acquired  with  his  parents  was 
used  in  his  brothers'  and  sisters'  favor,  and  many 
390 


a  time  when  the  others  returned  home  from  a 
ramble  or  from  a  romp  in  the  fields  they  would 
find  some  little  treat  awaiting  them,  the  result  of 
Theobald's  solicitation  in  their  behalf. 

Even  at  this  early  age  his  pleasure  consisted  in 
doing  good ;  and  he  was  never  so  happy  as  when 
presiding  over  some  feast  which  he  had  procured 
for  his  brothers  and  sisters  or  compatiions,  or  when 
allowed  to  distribute  his  mother's  charities  to  the 
poor  of  the  neighborhood.  This  loving  and  lovable 
disposition,  this  eagerness  for  the  good  of  those 
around  him,  caused  him  to  be  respected  and  even 
obeyed  by  his  own  circle  and  to  be  beloved  by  the 
neighbors,  rich  and  poor,  and  was  the  origin  of  that 
extraordinary  power  which  he  afterwards  wielded 
over  multitudes. 

In  his  twelfth  year  he  was  sent,  through  the 
means  of  Lady  Elizabeth  Mathew,  daughter  of  the 
Earl  of  Llandaff,  to  a  good  school  at  Kilkenny. 
Here,  though  his  talents  were  not  brilliant,  by  con- 
stant application  and  attention  he  made  great  pro- 
gress in  his  studies ;  and  by  his  unvarying  good 
conduct,  by  his  gentleness  and  amiability,  and  by 
his  readiness  to  do  a  good  service  whenever  the 
opportunity  offered,  he  soon  gained  the  esteem 
both  of  masters  and  scholars.  One  of  his  school- 
fellows, writing  in  after  years,  in  the  Dublin  Re- 
view^ says  of  Theobald  Mathew  at  this  period  of 
his  life : 

"  Incapable  of  anger  or  resentment,  utterly  free 
from  selfishness,  always  anxious  to  share  with 
others  whatever  he  possessed,  jealous  of  the  affec- 
tions of  those  to  whom  he  was  particularly  attached, 
remarkably  gentle  in  his  manners,  fond  of  express- 
ing himself  in  smiles  rather  than  in  language,  averse 
from  the  boisterous  amusements  to  which  boys  in 
general  are  prone,  and  preferring  to  them  quiet  walks 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


391 


by  the  banks  of  a  river,  by  the  side  of  green  hedges, 
in  company  with  two  or  three  select  associates,  and 
yet  very  far  from  being  of  a  pensive  disposition — 
on  the  contrary,  so  cheerful  that  the  slightest 
ludicrous  occurrence  turned  the  smile  he  generally 
wore  into  hearty  laughter — he  grew  up  esteemed 
by  everybody  who  knew  him.  Even  in  his  boy- 
hood he  seemed  never  to  live  for  himself ;  and  yet 
by  not  seeking  it  he  exercised  an  influence  upon 
those  around  him,  which  they  never  thought  of 
questioning.  Such  was  his  character  in  his  early 
days." 

His  Ordination  and  Missionary  Life. 

He  had  already  anounced  his  desire  of  becoming 
a  priest,  so  after  completing  his  course  at  Kilkenny 
he  was  sent,  in  September,  1807,  to  the  seminary 
of  Maynooth.  But  he  did  not  remain  there  long, 
for  in  the  following  year,  yielding  to  his  inclina- 
tion of  affording  pleasure  to  those  around  him,  he 
gave  a  party  in  his  room  to  his  fellow-students. 
This  was  a  grave  violation  of  the  rules,  and  on 
hearing  that  his  fault  was  to  be  brought  before  the 
Sttperiors,  without  waiting  for  the  inquiry  to  be 
held,  he  resigned  his  place  and  left  the  college. 

Then,  influenced  by  the  example  of  two  holy 
Capuchin  Fathers  with  whom  he  became  acquainted, 
he  joined  the  Franciscan  Order,  and  proceeding  to 
Dublin  he  placed  himself  under  the  direction  of 
Father  Celestine  Corcoran,  the  Superior.  From 
this  holy  man  Theobald  Mathew  received  his  eccle- 
siastical training,  and  on  Holy  Saturday,  18 14,  he 
was  ordained  priest  by  Dr.  Murray,  then  Arch- 
bishop of  Dublin.  After  spending  a  short  while 
at  home,  during  which  he  helped  the  neighboring 
clergy,  preaching  his  first  sermon  in  the  little 
chapel  at  Kilfeacle,  he  was  sent  to  Kilkenny,  to 
serve  the  Capuchin  mission  in  a  very  poor  quarter 
of  that  town.  Here,  by  his  zealous  application  to 
his  missionary  duties,  and  especially  by  close  at- 
tendance in  the  confessional,  and  by  his  charity, 
he  soon  rose  to  a  very  prominent  position  and  was 
much  sought  after  as  a  director. 

But,  owing  to  an  unfortunate  misunderstanding, 
his  stay  at  Kilkenny  was  but  brief.  The  Bishop, 
Dr.  Marum,  acting  upon  some  information  he  had 
received,  sent  Father  Mathew  a  peremptory  order 


to  cease  hearing  confessions.  Father  Mathew 
obeyed  the  order  the  very  instant  he  received  it ; 
and,  though  explanations  were  given  and  the  pro- 
hibition was  entirely  withdrawn,  he  resolved  to  quit 
the  diocese. 

He  was  sent  to  the  "  Little  Friary  "  at  Cork,  and 
this  city — "  the  city  of  my  adoption,"  as  he  after- 
wards called  it — was,  for  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
the  centre  of  his  labors  as  a  missioner  and  reformer. 
His  Superior  at  the  Little  Friary — a  small  and 
poor  chapel  served  by  two  Capuchins — was  Father 
Daniel  Donovan,  a  priest  of  rough  exterior  and  a 
somewhat  hasty  disposition,  but  of  sterling  worth 
and  of  tender-hearted  charity.  He  had  been  chap- 
lain to  a  noble  family  in  France  at  the  time  of  the 
revolution,  and  on  the  flight  of  his  patron  was  him- 
self taken  and  condemned  to  death,  being  rescued 
on  the  very  planks  of  the  guillotine  by  the  tact  of 
an  Irish  ofi&cer  in  the  French  army. 

Father  Donovan  and  Father  Mathew — the  one 
so  rough  and  heedless,  the  other  polished  and 
measured  in  words  and  actions,  yet  genuine  dia- 
monds both — soon  became  deeply  attached  to  each 
other.  Father  Donovan  treated  his  younger  coad- 
jutor as  a  son,  watched  over  him  with  affectionate 
care,  and  to  the  best  of  his  power  supplied  his 
wants.  Father  Mathew  reverenced  his  Superior 
with  a  truly  filial  affection,  and  when,  a  few  years 
later.  Father  Donovan  was  taken  from  him  by 
death,  his  grief  was  so  intense  as  to  be  a  source  of 
temptation  to  him. 

A  zealous  priest  like  Theobald  Mathew  would 
soon  find  plenty  to  do  in  a  busy  city  like  Cork. 
He  was  heart  and  soul  devoted  to  the  poor.  He 
visited  them  in  their  houses,  consoled  them  in  their 
troubles,  counselled  them  in  their  doubts,  strength- 
ened them  and  prayed  for  them  at  their  death-beds  ; 
he  cared  for  their  bodies  as  well  as  their  souls,  and 
was  profuse  in  his  charities  ;  he  was  at  their  service 
night  and  day.  No  wonder  then  that,  devoted  as 
the  Irish  people  are  to  all  priests,  the  poor  of  Cork 
looked  upon  Father  Mathew  in  a  special  manner 
as  their  own,  and  in  consequence  he  had  a  great 
influence  over  them.  Numbers  sought  him  as  a 
director,  and  he  was  in  his  confessional  for  many 
hours  each  day,  on  the  eves  of  great  feasts  and  on 
Saturdays,  not  unfrequently  sitting  there  as  long 


392 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


as  fifteen  hours.  Nor  were  his  duties  in  the  con- 
fessional confined  to  penitents  of  his  own  parish ; 
as  soon  as  Father  Mathew's  ability  as  a  director 
and  his  kindness  towards  those  who  were  troubled 
in  conscience  became  known,  people  flocked  to  him 
not  only  from  all  parts  of  the  city,  but  also  from 
the  surrounding  country. 

It  used  to  be  said  that  if  a  firkin  of  butter  were 
brought  to  Cork  market,  the  bearer  of  it  would 
not  return  home  till  he  had  been  to  confession  to 
Father  Mathew.  His  character  as  a  confessor  was 
thus  summed  up  by  a  servant  who  was  asked  by 
her  mistress  how  she  liked  Father  Mathew  as  a 
director.  "  Indeed,  ma'am,  he's  a  beautiful  director, 
not  a  doubt  about  it ;  but " —  "  Well,  what  do  you 
mean  by  '  but  ?'  "  "  Well,  ma'am,  the  worse  you 
are  in  the  beginning  the  more  he'd  like  you,  and 
the  better  he'd  use  you  ;  but  if  you  didn't  improve 
very  soon,  there's  no  usage  too  bad  for  you." 

But  it  was  not  as  a  confessor  only  that  Father 
Mathew  was  sdPaght  after.  Those  who  attended 
the  services  at  the  Little  Friary— few  at  first,  but 
afterwards  in  such  numbers  that  the  little  chapel 
was  unable  to  contain  the  worshippers — found 
themselves  deeply  moved  by  the  words  which  fell 
from  the  lips  of  the  young  priest.  His  power  in 
the  pulpit  soon  became  more  widely  known,  and  in 
a  few  years  after  his  coming  to  Cork  he  was  in  as 
high  esteem  as  a  popular  preacher  as  any  priest 
in  the  city.  And  yet  if  we  look  back  on  the  frag- 
ments of  his  sermons  that  remain,  we  shall  not 
find  in  them  any  flights  of  oratory,  nor  any  in- 
stances of  a  polished  style ;  indeed  those  who  have 
heard  him  frequently  tell  us  that,  in  his  younger 
days  especially,  he  violated  many  of  the  rules  of 
rhetoric  and  even  of  what  would  be  considered 
good  taste. 

But  his  hearers  came  to  be  taught  and  to  be 
moved,  not  to  criticize ;  and  the  young  preacher 
was  thoroughly  in  touch  with  the  feelings  of  his 
audience.  He  had  the  talent  of  describing  sacred 
incidents,  with  their  minute  details,  in  a  manner 
entirely  in  harmony  with  the  poetry  of  the  Irish 
character;  and  his  listeners,  feeling  the  scenes 
which  were  pictured  to  them  as  if  actually  present, 
would  break  out  into  sobs  and  cries.  He  had  par- 
ticular success  in  his  sermons  on  the  Sacred  Pas- 


sion and  in  behalf  of  the  charities  for  which  he  was 
frequently  called  upon  to  appeal ;  the  former  sub- 
ject allowed  free  scope  to  his  descriptive  power  of 
the  pathetic,  and  he  himself  was  moved  as  deeply 
as  any  of  his  hearers ;  the  other  was  congenial  to 
his  own  generous  disposition  and  to  his  deep-seated 
love  for  the  poor. 

The  great  secret  of  his  power  as  a  preacher  was 
undoubtedly  his  earnestness ;  however  much  one 
might  have  been  disposed  to  criticize,  one  could 
not  help  feeling  that  the  preacher  was  himself 
deeply  impressed  with  the  truth  or  maxim  which 
he  sought  to  impart,  and  this  more  than  atoned 
for  any  rhetorical  faults  there  might  be  in  his 
discourse.  As  years  went  on,  and  he  acquired 
more  experience,  his  st3de  improved ;  and  his  voice, 
which  was  for  some  years  thin  and  weak,  gained 
greatly  in  quality  and  in  power.  But  even  at  the 
period  of  his  highest  fame,  when  he  was  most 
sought  after,  and  when  he  had  to  speak  several 
times  a  day,  it  was  still  his  straightforward  earnest- 
ness that  forced  persuasion. 

His  personal  appearance  at  this  time — while  he 
was  still  young — was  of  great  advantage  to  him, 
which  was  perhaps  increased  by  the  fact  that  he 
was  unaware  of  it.  His  face  was  round,  his  fea- 
tures exquisitely  modelled,  and  his  head,  fringed 
with  heavy  black  hair,  gracefully  set  upon  his 
shoulders ;  his  dark,  bright  eye  gave  an  air  of 
intelligence  and  animation  to  his  whole  counte- 
nance ;  his  nose  was  somewhat  large,  yet  not  out 
of  proportion,  and  finely  formed  ;  the  mouth  was 
of  singular  beauty  and  seemed  to  indicate  at  once 
benevolence  and  strength  of  will.  Though  short 
of  stature  and  of  full  figure,  slightly  inclined  to 
corpulence,  there  was  grace  and  dignity  in  his 
movements,  a  natural  nobility  which  was  in  no 
way  lessened  by  the  modesty  of  his  demeanor  and 
the  affability  of  his  manners. 

He  was  well  fitted  by  nature — or  rather  by 
Divine  Providence — to  be  a  popular  leader.  A 
foreign  writer,  M.  Kohl,  who  saw  Father  Mathew 
when  care  and  incessant  work  had  left  its  traces  on 
the  once  beautiful  features,  perceived  a  striking 
likeness  to  Napoleon  the  Great ;  there  was  in  truth 
a  resemblance,  but  the  comparison  is  greatly  to  the 
advantage  of  the  Capuchin  friar.     In  Napoleon  we 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


393 


may  recognize  the  giant  intelligence  and  strength 
of  will,  but  the  great  conqueror  looks  upon  us  with 
a  haughty  glance  that  tells  of  self-seeking  and 
pride ;  Father  Mathew's  bright  and  cheerful  face  is 
all  smiles  and  good  will. 

Father  Mathew  came  to  Cork  in  1814,  fifteen 
years  before  Emancipation  was  passed,  and  priests 
were  still  living  and  working  in  the  city  who  had 
received  their  education  in  the  "  hedge  schools,"  in 
which  the  scholars,  besides  learning  their  lessons, 
had  to  be  constantly  on  the  watch  to  protect  the  life 
of  their  teachers  from  spies  or  the  soldiery.  As  a 
natural  consequence,  religion  was  not  in  a  flourishing 
state;  and,  though  the  people  had  jealously  guarded 
their  faith  and  were  firmly  attached  to  the  Church,  yet 
by  the  state  of  the  times  they  had  to  be  content  with 
the  essentials  of  religion  and  were  deprived  of  many 
of  the  spiritual  helps  which  came  to  them  later  on. 

But  Theobald  Mathew  was  not  of  a  character  to 
let  the  grass  grow  under  his  feet,  or  to  allow  the 
needs  of  the  poor  to  be  unsupplied  if  he  could  pos- 
sibly help  it.  He  had  great  opportunities  for  doing 
good  afforded  him  through  the  large  numbers  that 
attended  the  Little  Friary — attracted  mainly  through 
Father  Mathew's  preaching  and  through  his  repu- 
tation as  a  confessor — and  he  lost.no  time  in  mak- 
ing use  of  these  opportunities.  His  intention  was 
in  the  first  place  given  to  educating  poor  children, 
numbers  of  whom  wandered  about  the  streets  grow- 
ing up  in  idleness  and  in  gross  ignorance.  With 
the  assistance  of  some  ladies,  he  opened  a  girls' 
school  in  a  barn  close  to  the  chapel  of  the  Friary  ; 
this  school  was  attended  from  the  first,  and  by  the 
time  that  Father  Mathew  became  known  to  the 
outer  world  there  were  five  hundred  girls  being 
educated  within  its  walls. 

A  boys'  school  was  also  opened  later ;  and  the 
young  Arabs,  ragged,  barefooted,  and  ignorant  in 
the  extreme  when  they  first  attended  the  school, 
were  not  only  taught,  receiving  a  good  secular  and 
religious  education,  but  were  also  clothed  and 
turned  into  respectable  members  of  society.  The 
boys  ser\^ed  at  the  altar  and  took  part  in  the  ser- 
vices, and  the  chapel  of  the  Little  Friary  was  soon 
distinguished  among  the  churches  of  Cork  for  the 
solemnity  with  which  the  ceremonies  were  per- 
formed.    As  the  boys  grew  up,  they  were  invited  to 


impart  to  others  the  education  they  had  themselves 
received,  and  the  young  men  were  emplo3'ed  as 
catechists  and  as  assistants  to  the  regular  teachers. 

They  also  assisted  in  visiting  the  sick  and  poor, 
and  Father  Mathew  may  be  credited  with  organiz- 
ing a  society  which  was  doing  the  work  of  the 
society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  even  before  Ozanam 
had  established  his  brotherhood  in  France.  A  good 
lending  library  was  another  of  Father  Mathew's 
foundations  ;  and,  finally,  but  by  no  means  least  in 
importance,  in  1830  he  took  on  long  lease  the 
Botanic  Gardens  of  Cork  and  laid  them  out  as 
a  cemetery ;  the  place  is  still  known  as  "  Father 
Mathew's  Cemetery." 

In  1832  Cork  was  subjected  to  a  severe  visitation 
of  Asiatic  cholera.  The  plague  raged  with  fearful 
intensity  in  all  parts  of  the  city,  but  particularly 
in  the  close  and  squalid  quarters  of  the  poor.  The 
hospitals  were  crowded,  and  numbers  were  stricken 
and  dying  in  their  homes ;  and  with-  illness,  and 
the  death  of  the  bread-winner,  came  poverty  and 
want.  At  this  critical  time  Father  Mathew's  un- 
tiring energy  was  displayed  in  a  marvellous  man- 
ner. Not  only  did  he  give  constant  attention  to 
the  sick  of  his  own  parish,  but  he  also  rendered 
great  assistance  to  the  neighboring  clergy,  many 
of  whom  were  overworked ;  he  was  also  most 
assiduous  in  visiting  the  large  hospital  in  his 
district,  not  only  providing  for  the  spiritual  and 
temporal  wants  of  the  individual  patients,  but  also 
seeing  that  the  nurses  and  servants  were  very  exact 
in  performing  their  duties. 

He  even  took  to  himself  as  a  favor  the  greater 
share  of  the  night  work  at  the  hospital,  thus  allow- 
ing the  other  clergy  to  have  a  better  chance  of  rest 
after  the  day's  exertions.  He  also  organized  a 
system  of  relief  for  the  sufferers,  himself  sending 
large  contributions  not  only  to  the  poor  in  their 
homes,  but  also  to  the  hospitals.  For  many  years 
Father  Mathew's  wonderful  energy  and  open-handed 
charity  during  the  time  of  the  cholera  was  spoken 
of  with  gratitude  and  admiration. 

The  Temperance   Movement  and   Its 
Progress  in  Cork. 

While  Father  Mathew  was  thus  busy  in  Cork,  a 
movement  which  had  been  started  in  America  was 


394 


FATHER   MATHEW. 


steadily  gaining  a  firm  footing  in  the  Old  World. 
In  1829  temperance  societies  were  formed  at  New 
Ross,  County  Wexford,  and  at  Belfast,  and  by  the 
end  of  the  year  there  were  sixty  temperance  so- 
cieties in  Ireland,  though  the  number  of  those  who 
joined  was  comparatively  small.  In  Scotland  the 
number  of  temperance  advocates,  though  some- 
what higher,  was  still  but  trifling  compared  to  the 
whole  population.  In  England  itself  the  advance 
was  on  a  similar  scale.  So  far  the  movement  was 
directed  almost  entirely  against  the  use  of  spirits, 
wine  and  malt  liquors  being  allowed  in  moderation 
to  the  members.  But  it  was  soon  discovered  that 
these  half  measures  were  powerless  to  attain  the 
object  aimed  at — the  cure  and  prevention  of  intem- 
perance— and  in  1832  John  Livesey  and  a  few 
others  started,  at  Preston,  a  society  on  total  absti- 
nence principles. 

In  Cork  there  was  a  small  temperance  society, 
of  which  the  most  prominent  member  was  William 
Martin — or,  as  he  was  popularly  called,  "  Billy  " 
Martin — a  Quaker;  a  man  enthusiastic  in  the 
cause  of  temperance,  advocating  it  in  season  and 
out  of  season,  thundering  out  from  the  platform  in 
plain-spoken  and  fervent,  if  not  very  rhetorical  lan- 
guage, the  evils  of  intemperance  and  the  blessings  of 
teetotalism,  or  insinuating  the  same  to  any  listener 
whom  he  could  "button-hole" — yet  the  temperance 
cause  made  little  or  no  progress  in  Cork. 

Among  those  on  whom  Mr.  Martin  tried  the 
force  of  his  persuasion  was  Father  Mathew.  The 
priest  and  the  Quaker  were  both  guardians — or 
governors,  as  they  were  then  called — of  the  House 
of  Industry  or  Workhouse,  and  Mr.  Martin  would 
never  fail  on  meeting  an  unusual  case  of  distress 
or  of  crime  to  point  his  moral,  and  to  assert  that  it 
was  drink  that  had  brought  the  poor  sufiferers  to 
such  a  state  of  misery,  and,  as  if  with  a  prophet's 
eye,  he  would  appeal  to  Father  Mathew  for  help. 
"O,  Theobald  Mathew,  if  thou  wouldst  take  the 
cause  in  hand,  thou  couldst  do  such  good  to  these 
poor  creatures  I"  Day  after  day  were  these  scenes 
of  misery  repeated  in  the  Cork  Workhouse,  and 
day  after  day  did  Martin  appeal  to  the  good  priest's 
charity. 

Theobald  Mathew  was  now  in  his  forty-seventh 
year.      Some   twenty   years   of  incessant,   zealous 


labor  among  the  poor,  his  great  and  generous 
efforts  in  their  behalf,  together  with  his  reputation 
as  a  preacher,  and  his  daily  work  of  many  hours 
in  the  confessional,  had  not  only  raised  him  to  a 
position  of  influence  beyond  that  of  any  priest  in 
the  south  of  Ireland,  but  had  also  enriched  him 
with  an  experience  and  a  knowledge  of  the  life  of 
the  poor  such  as  is  rarely  obtained.  He  knew — 
none  better — the  ravages  caused  by  intemperance 
to  the  spiritual  and  temporal  life  of  those  to  whom 
he  was  so  devoted.  He  knew  also  that  the  people 
trusted  him  and  looked  to  him  as  to  a  father  for 
advice ;  consequently,  Mr.  Martin's  appeal  was  not 
made  to  a  deaf  ear. 

But  for  a  considerable  time  Father  Mathew  did 
not  see  his  way.  The  temperance  body  was  very 
small  in  numbers,  and  though  the  promoters  were 
individually  much  respected,  the  movement  itself 
was  looked  upon  with  no  little  ridicule.  As  it  had 
hitherto  been  confined  to  those  outside  the  Church, 
there  was  in  those  days  no  little  danger  of  the 
movement  being  viewed  with  positive  disfavor  by  a 
Catholic  people  still  smarting  from  a  cruel  religious 
persecution.  He  could  not  see  his  way  to  taking 
part  in  the  movement ;  yet  the  words  "  If  thou 
wouldst  but  take  the  cause  in  hand  "  haunted  him, 
and  in  his  doubt  he  took  refuge  in  long  and  fervent 
prayer. 

At  last  he  sent  for  William  Martin,  and  the  two 
arranged  that  a  temperance  meeting  should  be 
held  under  Father  Mathew's  auspices.  On  the 
loth  of  April,  1838,  the  first  Catholic  temperance 
meeting  was  held  in  Father  Mathew's  school-room. 
Father  Mathew  presided ;  Mr.  Martin  and  a  few 
others  were  on  the  platform,  and  there  was  a  fair 
number  of  respectable  people,  but  those  for  whose 
benefit  the  meeting  was  chiefly  held  were  conspicu- 
ous by  their  absence.  Father  Mathew  explained 
the  object  of  the  meeting,  dwelt  on  the  benefits  of 
temperance  and  on  the  influence  of  good  example, 
told  them  that  he  himself  would  take  the  pledge 
and  invited  those  present  to  do  the  same.  Then 
taking  the  pen,  he  said :  "  Here  goes,  in  the  Name 
of  God !  "  and  wrote  in  a  large  book  lying  on  the 
table,  "  Rev.  Theobald  Mathew,  C.  C,  i  Cove 
Street,  Cork."  About  sixty  others  signed  the  book 
that  night. 


FATHER   MATHEW. 


395 


Meetings  were  tten  held  twice  a  week  in  the 
evenings  and  after  Mass  on  Sundays,  and  each 
meeting  added  largely  to  the  roll  of  pledged 
abstainers.  The  movement  spread  not  merely 
with  unusual  rapidity,  but  like  wildfire.  "  Father 
Mathew  had  got  a  society  of  his  own,"  and  there 
was  magic  in  Father  Mathew's  name.  The  meet- 
ings in  the  school-room  had  to  be  abandoned,  the 
crowds  being  now  too  great  for  the  room ;  but  the 
Horse  Bazaar,  a  building  capable  of  holding  four 
thousand  people,  was  placed  at  Father  Mathew's 
disposal,  and  this  became  the  home  and  centre  of 
the  temperance  cause. 

Night  after  night  Father  Mathew  and  those  who 
were  helping  him  spoke  to  densely-crowded  audi- 
ences ;  the  speakers  appealing  sometimes  in  impas- 
sioned language  with  all  the  fervor  of  natural  but 
untutored  eloquence,  sometimes  with  a  laugh-pro- 
voking anecdote,  sometimes  with  the  picture  of  a 
temperate  home,  sometimes  with  the  vivid  descrip- 
tion of  some  scene  of  misery,  the  result  of  drunk- 
enness— but  always  was  the  same  lesson  enforced — 
the  evils  of  intemperance,  the  blessing  of  teetotal- 
ism.  In  three  months  from  the  day  on  which 
Father  Mathew  had  taken  the  pledge,  25,000  per- 
sons had  followed  his  example ;  in  five  months  the 
number  had  increased  to  130,000 ;  and  before  the 
close  of  the  year  there  was  156,000  names  on  the 
roll. 

Besides  the  meetings  at  the  Horse  Bazaar,  the 
house  in  Cove  Street  had  come  to  be  a  constant 
place  of  resort  for  those  who  would  take  the  pledge. 
Indeed,  a  great  number  who  would  never  have 
attended  a  meeting  were  induced  by  their  friends  to 
pay  a  visit  to  "Father  Mathew's  parlor."  This 
"  parlor  " — an  apartment  poorly  furnished  and  of 
very  modest  dimensions — became  before  long  im- 
pregnated with  the  smell  of  whisky  and  other 
drink,  and  many  a  strange  and,  perhaps,  heart- 
rending scene  was  enacted  there. 

At  one  time  a  strong,  drunken,  ruffianly-looking 
man  might  be  seen  struggling  with  a  careworn 
wife,  she  clinging  to  him  and  begging  him  to  "  wait 
for  the  holy  priest,"  he  casting  her  off  and  endeav- 
oring to  break  from  others  who  sought  to  stay 
him,  until  at  last  Father  Mathew's  strong  hand  was 
laid  upon   his   shoulder,  and,  half  yielding,   half 


forced,  he  was  brought  upon  his  knees  and  repeated 
the  formula  of  the  pledge,  rising  up  an  altered  man. 

At  another  time  some  poor  creature  would  throw 
herself  on  her  knees  before  the  Father  begging  him 
for  the  love  of  heaven  to  save  her  from  the  devil 
that  was  dragging  her  to  hell.  Saturday  and  Mon- 
day nights  always  brought  a  rich  harvest  to  "  the 
parlor,"  and  Father  Mathew — who  meanwhile 
remitted  none  of  his  other  parochial  duties — was 
always  ready  to  receive  poor  drunkards  and  welcome 
recruits,  administering  the  pledge  and  giving  good 
advice  and  dismissing  each  with  his  blessing,  and,  in 
many  cases  with  substantial  assistance.  In  this 
work  he  was  constantly  employed  for  several  hours 
a  day. 

The  long  roll  of  pledged  abstainers  was  not  made 
up  of  the  inhabitants  of  Cork  alone.  As  Father 
Mathew's  fame  as  a  parish  priest  had  spread  far 
and  wide,  so  also  the  success  of  the  temperance 
movement  was  noised  abroad.  People  read  the 
accounts  of  the  meetings  that  were  being  held, 
presided  over  by  the  priest  whom  all  esteemed ; 
they  heard  how  great  numbers  had  taken  the 
pledge  in  Cork  and  how  a  great  reformation  was 
being  effected,  and  then  from  all  parts  of  Ire- 
land people  came  to  take  the  pledge  from  Father 
Mathew  and  receive  his  blessing.  Men  and  women 
were  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  of  Cork,  with  their 
bundles  in  their  hands,  weary  and  footsore  after  a 
journey  of  several  days  on  foot,  making  their  way 
to  Cove  Street,  and  there  joining  in  the  batches  of 
ten,  twenty,  or  thirty  who  knelt  before  the  "  Apostle 
of  Temperance  "  and  solemnly  promised  to  abstain 
from  strong  drink  for  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Temperance  Missions  in  Ireland. 

Invitations  now  came  pouring  in  upon  Father 
Mathew,  begging  that  he  would  visit  various  towns 
to  preach  the  new  crusade  and  organize  local  tem- 
perance societies.  For  some  time  he  resisted,  loth 
to  quit  his  own  city  ;  but  after  a  while  he  became 
convinced  of  the  immense  benefit  that  would  be 
derived  from  a  temperance  campaign.  And  now 
began  a  new  phase  in  the  movement  and  a  series 
of  extraordinary  triumphs  such  as  has  seldom  at- 
tended the  eflforts  of  any  reformer. 

Limerick  was  the  first  place  he  visited,  having 


396 


FATHER   MATHEW. 


been  invited  by  the  Bisbop,  the  Right  Rev.  Dr. 
Ryan.  He  came  in  the  first  week  of  December, 
1839,  and  remained  there  four  days.  The  crowd 
which  flocked  to  the  town  from  the  surrounding 
neighborhood  and  the  adjoining  counties  was  so 
great  that  the  authorities  threw  open  the  public 
buildings  to  afford  the  strangers  shelter  for  the 
night,  and  the  food  supply  ran  short.  The  people 
fought  and  struggled  till  they  found  themselves  in 
his  presence ;  the  iron  railings  in  front  of  the  house 
where  he  was  staying  were  carried  away  by  the 
presence  of  the  crowd ;  it  is  even  asserted  by  eye- 
witnesses that  the  horses  of  the  Scots  Grey,  who 
were  present  to  keep  order,  were  not  unfrequently 
lifted  from  the  ground  with  their  riders,  and  car- 
ried for  some  distance  by  the  rushing  multitude. 
During  these  four  days  Father  Mathew  labored  in- 
cessantly, preaching,  exhorting,  administering  the 
pledge,  and  the  result  was  an  increase  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  to  the  cause  of  temperance. 

The  same  month  he  went  to  Waterford,  where  a 
like  reception  was  accorded  him ;  and  whereas  it 
had  been  expected  that  he  might  gain  over  some 
three  or  four  thousand,  in  three  days  not  less  than 
eighty  thousand  received  the  pledge  at  his  hands. 

He  returned  to  Cork  for  Christmas,  and  was  for 
a  short  time  engaged  at  the  Little  Friary  in  his 
duties  as  parish  priest,  and  in  fowarding  the  tem- 
perance cause  in  his  own  town.  But  the  state  of 
affairs  had  changed  even  there ;  for  though  the 
Horse  Bazaar  was  still  the  centre  of  teetotalism, 
and  Father  Mathew's  parlor  continued  to  be  be- 
sieged when  he  was  at  home,  yet  other  societies 
had  sprung  up  in  the  neighborhood  and  temper- 
ance rooms,  where  the  men  could  meet  to  read  and 
chat  or  play  at  harmless  games,  had  been  opened  ; 
these  had  to  be  visited  from  time  to  time,  and 
brought  additional  work  to  the  apostle. 

After  a  short  stay— it  cannot  be  called  "  rest " — 
at  Cork,  Father  Mathew  again  set  out  on  his  mis- 
sion, meeting  everywhere  with  the  most  enthusi- 
astic reception.  The  scene  at  Parsontown  is  thus 
described  by  a  priest  who  was  present : 

"  In  front  of  the  chapel  was  stationed  a  large 
body  of  police,  presenting  a  very  fine  and  well- 
disciplined  force ;  outside  these  were  the  rifles  on 
bended   knee,   with    bayonets   fixed    and    pointed, 


forming  a  barrier  to  oppose  the  rushing  multi- 
tudes, whilst  within  and  without  this  barrier,  to 
keep  the  passage  clear,  the  cavalry  in  all  the  pomp 
and  circumstance  of  glorious  war,  with  flags  waving 
to  the  wind,  moved  up  and  down  in  slow  and  meas- 
ured pace.  Beyond  and  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach  were  the  congregated  masses  waving  to  and 
fro  with  every  new  impulse,  and  by  their  united 
voices  producing  a  deep,  indistinct  sound  like  the 
murmur  of  the  ruffled  waters  of  the  sea.  Within  the 
vicarial  residence,  and  in  strong  contrast  to  the  stir- 
ring scene  without,  sat  the  mild,  unassuming,  but 
extraordinary  man,  round  whom  had  collected  this 
display  of  martial  and  numerical  force.  He  seemed 
perfectly  unconscious  of  the  excitement  he  had 
produced,  and  spoke  and  acted  as  if  he  regarded 
himself  as  the  least  remarkable  man  of  the  age." 

i)ublin  was  visited  in  March,  1840,  and  Father 
Mathew  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  Arch- 
bishop Murray.  Day  after  day  open-air  meetings 
were  held  in  Beresford  Place  ;  addresses  were  con- 
stantly delivered,  and  the  pledge  was  administered 
to  thousands.  At  one  of  these  meetings  Father 
Mathew  alluded  to  the  immense  benefits  which 
would  arise  were  ladies  to  join  in  the  movement. 
Word  was  brought  to  him  that  if  a  meeting  for 
ladies  were  organized,  a  good  number  would  prob- 
ably take  the  pledge ;  a  meeting  was  accordingly 
held  in  the  Royal  Exchange,  and  500  ladies 
enrolled  themselves  as  total  abstainers. 

His  next  visit  of  importance  was  to  Maynooth, 
the  college  for  the  Irish  priesthood.  Father  Mathew 
delivered  addresses  to  the  two  divisions  of  the  house 
— junior  and  senior — addresses  which  were  more 
than  usually  soul-stirring  and  persuasive,  with  the 
result  that  eight  professors  and  250  students  took 
the  pledge  at  his  hands.  He  also  delivered  ad- 
dresses to  the  people  of  the  town  and  neighborhood, 
and  administered  36,000  pledges  on  the  occasion  of 
this  visit.  Later  on  in  the  same  year  Carlow  was 
added  to  the  long  list  of  places  visited  by  Father 
Mathew,  and  a  number  of  students  in  the  ecclesias- 
tical college  of  that  town  were  enrolled. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  give  anything  like  a 
complete  record  of  Father  Mathew's  labors  for  the 
cause  of  temperance  in  Ireland.  Touni  after  town 
was  visited,  some  of  them,  as  Limerick  and  Dublin, 


FATHER   MATHEW. 


39> 


more  than  once,  and  not  the  towns  merely,  but 
villages  and  hamlets  ;  in  fact,  by  the  time  that  his 
strength  had  failed  and  the  long  hours,  day  after 
day,  of  standing,  fasting,  and  speaking,  together 
with  the  tremendous  mental  strain,  had  left  that 
once  robust  constitution  a  mere  wreck,  there  was 
scarcely  a  parish  in  Ireland  where  Father  Mathew 
was  not  well  known  and  where  he  had  not  numer- 
ous adherents.  His  mission  had  begun  in  1838, 
and  by  the  summer  of  1843  ^^  ^^^.d  administered 
5,000,000  pledges.  Temperance  societies  sprung 
up  everywhere.  Reading  rooms,  coffee  taverns, 
and  above  all  bands,  noisy  if  not  musical,  were 
started  to  keep  alive  and  to  spread  the  movement. 
With  the  spread  of  temperance  came  a  correspond- 
ing diminution  of  crime,  as  the  following  figures 
will  show : 

Convictions  in  1839 12*049 

"  1840 11,194 

"  1841 9,287 

"  1842 9,87s 

"  1843 8,620 

"  1844 8,042 

"  1845 7,101 

The  number  of  death  sentences  decreased  from 
66  in  1839  to  13  in  1845  5  ^^^  number  of  sentences 
to  transportation  were  966  in  1839,  ^^^  428  in 
1845. 

There  was  a  like  decrease  in  the  consumption  of 
spirits  throughout  the  country.  In  1839,  ;^i,434,- 
573  of  duty  were  paid  on  12,296,000  gallons  of 
spirits;  in  1845,  ;^86o,i5i  were  paid  on  6,451,237 
gallons.  Indeed,  so  greatly  did  the  consumption 
of  spirits  and  malt  liquors  decrease  that  many  dis- 
tillers and  publicans — some  of  Father  Mathew's 
near  relations  among  the  former — had  to  close  their 
premises.  Yet,  in  many  cases,  these  were  not 
ruined,  but  changed  their  trade,  and,  until  the  time 
of  the  famine,  bakers,  grocers  and  dairymen  did  a 
much  brisker  business  than  before. 

Innumerable  were  the  testimonies  in  favor  of  the 
good  results  of  the  temperance  movement.  In 
July,  1840,  the  following  passage  was  read  in  a 
proclamation  issued  by  the  Lord  Lieutenant,  Lord 
Ebrington : 

"  To  the  benefits  which  the  temperance  pledge 
has  conferred  upon  Ireland,  in  the  improved  habits 


of  the  people,  and  in  the  diminution  of  outrage,  his 
Excellency  bears  a  willing  and  a  grateful  testi- 
mony." This  gave  rise  to  some  discussion  in  the 
House  of  Lords  and  several  peers  spoke  strongly 
in  favor  of  the  temperance  movement  and  of 
Father  Mathew  himself.  The  Secretary  for  Ire- 
land, Lord  Morpeth,  also  bore  testimony  both  in 
the  House  and  at  the  annual  dinner  at  the  Man- 
sion House,  Dublin,  to  the  greatly  improved  con- 
dition of  the  people  owing  to  Father  Mathew's 
influence.  Besides  these,  a  host  of  other  witnesses, 
persons  of  position  and  of  talent,  referred  to  the 
temperance  movement  as  the  great  reformation  of 
the  age. 

Father  Mathew's  labors  were  wonderful.  He 
travelled,  with  marvellous  rapidity  for  those  days, 
when  all  journeys  of  any  length  had  to  be  per- 
formed by  stage-coach,  visiting  some  distant  part 
of  the  island  and  returning  a  few  days  after  to 
Cork  to  find  fresh  work  awaiting  him  ;  then  again 
off  to  some  other  district,  returning  home  directly 
the  mission  was  over.  His  correspondence  was 
enormous,  and  kept  five  or  six  secretaries  con- 
stantly employed. 

Home  was  not  a  place  of  rest  to  him,  for  his 
little  parlor  in  Cove  Street  was  beset  from  morn- 
ing to  night  with  parties,  frequently  from  a  dis- 
tance, wanting  to  take  the  pledge,  or  with  visitors 
who  came  to  inquire  into  the  progress  of  the  move- 
ment, or  with  priests  or  others  coming  to  organize 
a  fresh  mission  ;  and  Father  Mathew  always  man- 
aged to  find  time  for  them  all.  Up  early  and  in 
bed  late,  punctual,  methodical,  always  busy,  yet 
never  hurried  and  never  put  out.  Father  Mathew 
got  through  each  day  an  incredible  amount  of  work. 

Temperance  Missions  in  Great  Britain. 

As  has  already  been  mentioned,  the  temper- 
ance movement  had  already  been  started  in  Great 
Britain  when  Father  Mathew  began  his  apostle- 
ship  in  Ireland.  But  it  was  making  little  or  no 
progress  among  Catholics,  the  number  of  whom 
was  day  by  day  increasing  both  in  England  and 
in  Scotland,  owing  chiefly  to  the  immigration  of 
Irish.  As  the  work  was  now  fully  established  in 
Ireland,  Father  Mathew  turned  his  attention  to 
the  sister  countries  where  so  many  of  his  com- 


398 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


patriots  had  settled,  many  of  them  under  the  bane- 
ful influence  of  intemperance.  Pressing  invitations 
were  sent  to  him  begging  him  to  visit  the  large 
towns  of  Great  Britain  and  raise  the  Irish  popula- 
tains  there  from  the  drunkenness,  with  its  conse- 
quent misery,  to  which  so  many  were  addicted,  to 
sobriety,  thrift,  and  respectability. 

Glasgow  was  the  place  chosen  for  his  first  mis- 
sion, and  the  choice  was  a  good  one.  He  landed 
in  Scotland  August  13,  1842,  arriving  at  Glasgow 
the  same  evening ;  and  received  a  hearty  welcome 
not  only  from  the  Catholic  clergy  and  laity,  but 
also  from  the  various  non-Catholic  temperance 
bodies.  As  usual,  he  lost  no  time  in  setting  to 
work ;  the  morning  after  his  arrival  he  preached  in 
the  Cathedral  to  an  immense  congregation,  and 
afterwards  spent  a  considerable  time  in  administer- 
ing the  pledge.  Monday  was  spent  much  in  the 
same  way ;  and  on  Tuesday  Father  Mathew's  ad- 
vent was  celebrated  by  a  procession  and  a  large 
public  meeting,  together  with  a  banquet  in  the 
City  Hall,  at  which  representatives  from  temper- 
ance societies  of  all  parts  of  Scotland  were  present 
to  do  honor  to  the  apostle  of  the  cause. 

Father  Mathew's  stay  in  Glasgow  was  short — a 
little  over  a  week — but  was  very  fruitful  in  its  re- 
sults. On  the  day  of  the  great  public  meeting 
some  12,000  people  took  the  pledge,  but  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  the  number  was  so  great  that  the 
attempt  to  count  them  was  abandoned.  A  Presby- 
terian clergyman  speaks  as  follows  of  the  effects 
of  the  mission : 

"We  seldom  met  with  a  person  from  Ireland 
either  charged  with  intemperance  or  theft.  But 
( he  result  of  the  good  man's  labors  were  still  more 
/isibly  seen  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  city.  In  the 
district  we  visited,  for  example,  as  a  city  missionary, 
there  was  a  close  off  High  Street  which  contained 
about  eighty  families,  the  majority  of  whom  were 
Catholics.  The  people  were  so  uproarious  that  they 
almost  required  a  policeman  constantly  with  them. 
On  a  Wednesday  morning,  however,  most  of  the 
adults  and  a  number  of  the  juveniles  set  off  in  a 
body  to  the  Cattle  Market  and  took  the  pledge 
from  Father  Mathew.  From  that  day  till  May, 
1845,  when  we  left  the  district,  there  was  not  a 
quieter  close,  considering  the  number  of  inhabit- 


ants, in  the  city.  A  number  are  still  adhering  to 
the  pledge,  and  their  orderly  demeanor  is  an  agree- 
able contrast  to  several  of  their  tippling  Protestant 
neighbors." 

His  rrturn  to  Cork,  on  August  23rd  was  the 
occasion  of  a  splendid  public  reception  by  his  fellow- 
townsmen,  the  population  turning  out  in  thousands, 
decked  in  their  best,  most  of  them  wearing  temper- 
ance medals  and  ribbons,  and  escorted  by  numerous 
bands.  Father  Mathew  was  greeted  with  hearty 
acclamations  as  he  arrived  in  the  town ;  then  enter- 
ing the  mayor's  carriage  he  was  led  home  in 
procession,  and  an  address  of  welcome  was  presented, 
to  which  he  made  an  earnest  and  affectionate  reply. 

In  the  beginning  of  July,  1843,. Father  Mathew 
commenced  his  memorable  campaign  in  England. 
He  landed  at  Liverpool  and  opened  his  mission 
there.  Visiting  all  the  Catholic  Churches  and 
schools,  he  preached,  lectured  and  administered  the 
pledge.  He  held  open-air  and  public  meetings 
which  were  attended  not  only  by  Catholics  but  also 
by  a  number  of  Protestants.  Frequently  he  was 
invited  to  speak  in  factories  and  induce  the  hands 
to  take  the  pledge.  From  Liverpool  he  went  to 
Manchester  and  Salford,  where  the  same  work  lay 
before  him  ;  and  scarcely  a  day  passed  without 
several  hours  being  spent  at  public  meetings, 
speaking  incessantly  and  administering  the  pledge. 

After  visiting  the  chief  towns  of  Lancashire  he 
went  to  Yorkshire,  and  was  received  with  the 
greatest  enthusiasm  in  York,  Leeds,  Wakefield  and 
other  places.  At  Wakefield  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends  had  recourse  to  an  ingenious 
device  in  order  to  secure  the  honor  of  having  Father 
Mathew  in  his  house.  The  good  Quaker  invited 
Father  Mathew  to  stay  with  him,  but  the  Father 
invariably  declined  such  invitations,  preferring  to 
put  up  at  an  hotel,  so  that  he  might  be  more  at 
liberty  in  his  movements  and  in  the  reception  of 
those  who  wished  to  see  him.  A  reply  to  this  effect 
was  sent  to  the  would-be  host,  who  then  wrote 
insinuating  that  his  house  was  an  hotel ;  Father 
Mathew  thereupon  agreed  to  stay  there  during  his 
visit  at  Wakefield.  On  Father  Mathew's  arrival 
there  was  indeed  a  board,  with  "  Hotel "  in  large 
characters  upon  it,  on  the  front  of  the  house,  and 
Father  Mathew  was  without  the  least  restraint  in 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


39  & 


going  '!n  or  out  and  receiving  whom  lie  pleased  and 
when  he  pleased ;  bnt  the  so-called  hotel  differed 
very  materially  from  other  houses  of  this  class,  and 
it  was  only  at  the  close  of  his  stay  that  his  kindly 
host  acquainted  him  with  the  ruse  by  which  he  had 
been  enticed  into  accepting  the  proffered  hospitality. 

Father  Mathew  was  much  gratified  by  his  visit 
to  Yorkshire.  Not  only  was  he  most  warmly 
received  by  persons  of  all  creeds  and  classes,  but 
the  great  army  of  teetotallers  was  increased  by  the 
addition  of  nearly  200,000  recruits. 

From  Yorkshire  he  came  to  London,  and  on 
Monday,  July  31st,  he  addressed  his  first  audience 
in  the  metropolis.  The  place  chosen  for  the  first 
meetings  was  a  large  open  space  in  the  Commercial 
Road  East,  the  site  of  the  present  Church  of  SS. 
Mary  and  Michael.  Father  Mathew,  accompanied 
by  several  of  the  Catholic  clergy,  arrived  on  the 
ground  about  10  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  found 
several  thousand  persons  awaiting  him.  After  his 
own  speech,  in  which  he  explained  the  object  of  his 
mission  and  the  advantages  of  the  pledge,  the 
meeting  was  addressed  by  the  local  clergy  and  also 
by  Lord  Stanhope,  a  warm  admirer  of  Father 
Mathew's,  who  stated  that  he  had  been  a  teetotaller 
for  several  years  and  invited  all  present  to  take  the 
pledge  from  Father  Mathew.  About  50,000  persons 
were  present  during  the  day,  3,000  taking  the 
pledge.  Father  Mathew  remained  on  the  ground 
till  dusk.  The  following  day  was  a  repetition  of 
this  ;  about  the  same  number  attended  but  a  larger 
number  took  the  pledge.  Father  Mathew's  speech 
on  this  occasion  was  remarkable :  we  reproduce  a 
portion  of  it.  After  Earl  Stanhope  had  referred  to 
the  absurd  statement  circulated  that  Father  Mathew 
was  making  money  by  the  movement,  and  had 
completely  vindicated  the  apostle  from  the  charge, 
Father  Mathew  said : 

"  The  people  of  Yorkshire,  where  he  had  admin- 
istered the  pledge  to  over  100,000  persons,  wished 
to  pay  him  for  his  services,  and  presents  were 
offered  to  him  from  persons  of  wealth  and  high- 
standing  in  society,  but  he  would  not  accept  one 
single  farthing.  He  had  expended  ;^300  of  his 
own  money  since  he  had  been  in  England,  but  he 
did  not  regret  it ;  and,  if  he  had  been  disposed  to 
favor  himself  and  his  family,  he  would  not  have 


been  a  temperance  advocate  and  converted  millions 
of  his  own  countrymen  from  intemperance  to 
sobriety.  A  brother  he  dearly  loved  was  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  large  distillery  in  Ireland,  the  bare 
walls  of  which  cost  ;^30,ooo,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  close  it  and  was  almost  ruined  by  the  temperance 
movement  in  the  country,  and  the  pledge  which  the 
people  had  taken  to  abstain  from  intoxicating 
drinks  and  to  leave  off  drinking  whisky  which  had 
caused  so  much  disorder  in  his  native  land.  The 
husband  of  his  only  sister  was  a  distiller,  and 
became  a  bankrupt  from  the  same  cause.  He  was 
sorry  to  speak  of  these  things,  but  when  he  was 
accused  of  being  instigated  to  do  what  he  had  done 
in  order  to  enrich  himself,  he  felt  compelled  to  deny 
the  charge.  It  had  also  been  intimated  that  he  was 
making  a  large  profit  by  the  sale  of  medals — he 
had  never  profited  a  shilling  and  never  would.". 

The  mission  at  Commercial  Road  continued  for  a 
week,  Father  Mathew  arriving  early  each  day  and 
remaining  till  the  evening.  At  one  of  the  meet- 
ings a  curious  batch  was  formed  :  a  Spanish  priest 
("  Catholic  like  myself,"  as  Father  Mathew  said), 
an  Englishman  and  his  wife,  both  belonging  to  the 
Church  of  England,  a  Scotch  piper,  a  Presbyterian, 
and  two  police  constables.  Irishmen,  The  piper 
had  his  bagpipes  with  him  and  struck  up  a  merry 
tune  immediately  after  taking  the  pledge.  This 
batch  had  been  preceded  by  others  containing 
clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England  and  Univer- 
sity men,  while  another  later  on  was  honored  by  the 
presence  of  a  German  bishop. 

On  the  following  Monday  Father  Mathew  went 
in  procession  from  Hart's  Temperance  Hotel, 
Aldersgate  Street,  where  he  was  staying  during  his 
visit  to  London — accompanied  by  several  non- 
Catholic  temperance  bodies  and  by  an  enormous 
crowd  which  completely  stopped  the  traffic  along 
the  route — to  Kennington  Common,  Here  he 
opened  a  week's  mission  to  the  south  of  London, 
It  was  computed  that  100,000  persons  were  present 
throughout  the  day,  and  5,000  persons  took  the 
pledge. 

The  above  are  fair  samples  of  Father  Mathew's 
work  in  London,  He  also  held  missions  in  the 
city,  at  Westminster,  Chelsea,  Paddington,  Mill- 
bank,   St,   Giles's,   Bermondsey,  Hackney,  Black- 


400 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


heath,  Enfield  and  other  places.  On  the  whole, 
Father  Mathew  was  not  satisfied  with  his  visit  to 
London.  Speaking  at  Hall's  Riding  School,  Re- 
gent's Park,  he  said  that  he  was  sorry  to  find  that 
in  this  vast  metropolis  so  much  apathy  existed  in 
taking  the  pledge,  and  that  the  beautiful  addresses 
delivered  to  the  people,  instead  of  inducing  them  to 
do  so,  only  appeared  to  harden  their  hearts — in 
Manchester  it  was  not  so. 

Nevertheless,  the  pledge  was  taken  not  only  by 
the  poor,  and  by  several  thousands  of  children, 
chiefly  Catholics,  but  also  by  many  persons  of  high 
position  ;  and  at  the  last  meeting  held  September 
5th,  in  a  court  near  Orchard  Street,  Portman 
Square,  the  result  of  the  mission  in  London  was 
stated  to  be  68,000  pledges  taken  publicly,  and 
6,000  taken  privately  in  schools  and  factories. 

The  formula  of  the  pledge  was  as  follows :  "  I 
promise  with  the  Divine  assistance  to  abstain  from 
all  intoxicating  drinks  and  to  prevent  as  much  as 
possible,  by  advice  and  example,  intemperance  in 
others."  Father  Mathew  usually  administered  it 
by  getting  the  people  to  come  forward  in  batches, 
or  parties  of  from  ten  to  thirty  kneeling  before  the 
platform ;  he  would  then  recite  the  formula  in  a 
loud  voice — often  saying  it  also  in  Irish  when  many 
of  his  countrymen  were  present — the  batches  re- 
peating the  words  after  him  ;  then  going  down  from 
the  platform  he  would  lay  his  hands  on  the  head  of 
each  person  in  the  batch,  making  the  sign  of  the 
cross  over  him  and  invoking  a  blessing  that  he 
might  be  faithful  to  the  pledge. 

Father  Mathew  and  his  day's  work  ar^  ■^hus  de- 
scribed in  the  Times  of  August  3d,  1843  :  '  J)uring 
the  whole  day  Father  Mathew  neither  tasted  food 
nor  drank  anything,  and  he  was  hard  at  work 
talking  and  administering  the  pledge  the  whole  of 
the  time.  His  speeches  were  temperate  and  im- 
bued with  kindly  feeling,  and  he  took  great  pains 
to  convince  his  hearers  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
advance  the  interest  of  any  particular  party  either 
in  religion*  or  politics,  and  declared  that  the  Prot- 

*  Father  Mathew  was  every  inch  a  priest,  and  would  never 
say  or  do  anything  in  the  least  derogatory  to  his  sacerdotal 
character.  On  the  platform,  before  the  most  Protestant  audi- 
ences, he  proclaimed  himself  a  priest  and  a  friar,  and  he  always 
appeared  in  the  ordinary  costume,  with  black  coat,  white  cravat 


estants  of  Ireland  had  received  him  with  the  same 
cordiality  as  the  members  of  his  own  church. 
Father  Mathew  has  won  golden  opinions  from  all 
men  by  his  affability  and  simple  manner,  and  he 
is  an  example  in  his  own  person  that  cheerfulness 
and  good  humor  can  be  reconciled  with  total  absti- 
nence from  all  intoxicating  drinks." 

Though,  on  the  whole.  Father  Mathew  was  re- 
ceived everywhere  with  the  greatest  respect,  and 
the  proceedings  were  generally  free  from  interrup- 
tions, yet  on  a  few  occasions  a  determined  opposi- 
tion was  offered  by  persons  interested  in  the  liquor 
traffic.  At  Bermondsey,  for  instance,  the  platform 
was  taken  possession  of  by  a  crowd  of  sixty  or 
seventy  roughs  who  had  been  plied  with  drink  and 
sent  by  the  brewers  in  order  to  upset  the  meeting, 
and  it  was  only  after  a  strong  body  of  police  had 
been  sent  for,  and  the  ringleaders  removed  iu 
custody,  that  quiet  was  restored. 

At  the  last  meeting,  also,  two  huge  draymen, 
carrying  a  large  barrel  of  beer  on  a  pole,  were  sent 
into  the  court  where  the  meeting  was  being  held 
in  order  to  create  a  disturbance.  In  this  they  suc- 
ceeded, and  in  a  short  while,  remonstrance  proving 
futile,  a  fight  ensued ;  the  big  draymen  dealt  fearful 
havoc  with  their  fists,  but  eventually  the  superior 
numbers  of  the  water  drinkers  were  too  much  for 
them,  the  brewers'  men  were  ejected,  the  barrel  was 
staved,  and  the  beer  spilled. 

From  London  he  went  to  Norwich,  where  he  was 
warmly  supported  by  the  Protestant  bishop.  Dr. 
Stanley,  who  not  only  passed  a  splendid  eulogium 
upon  Father  Mathew  at  the  great  meeting  in  St. 
Andrew's  Hall,  but  also  earnestly  exhorted  the 
thousands  present  to  take  the  pledge.  Thence  he 
went  to  Birmingham,  where  he  was  publicly  en- 
tertained by  the  Mayor,  and  then  to  Liverpool 
again,  and  after  a  short  stay  there  he  returned  to 
Ireland. 

It  is  computed  that  during  his  three  months'  mis- 
sion in  England  he  administered  600,000  pledges. 

and  jack  boots,  of  the  Irish  priest  of  the  time.  On  all  his  mis- 
sions he  preached  on  Sundays,  and  frequently  on  other  days,  in 
aid  of  the  local  Catholic  churches  and  charities.  But  he  was  no 
controversialist,  and  he  treated  the  temperance  movement  as  a 
question  distinct  in  itself  from  all  others ;  by  so  doing  he  was 
able  to  obtain  a  favorable  hearing  from  all  parties. 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


401 


The  Famine. — ^Mission  in  America. 

The  years  1846  and  1847  ^^^  ^^^1  remembered  in 
Ireland  as  the  years  of  the  famine.  Here  we  can 
only  give  a  brief  sketch  of  Father  Mathew's  labors 
in  behalf  of  the  poor  during  that  truly  awful 
period.  The  apostle  of  temperance  was  one  of  the 
first  to  warn  the  Government  of  the  approaching 
calamity.  No  man  knew  the  country  so  well  as 
he  ;  no  one  was  so  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
condition  of  each  district,  its  prospects,  its  resources 
and  its  probable  requirements  as  he.  The  Govern- 
ment were  well  aware  of  this,  and  readily  availed 
themselves  of  the  information  that  he  was  able  to 
afford  them.  He  was  in  constant  correspondence 
with  Mr.  Trevelyan,  the  Secretary  to  the  Treasury, 
Mr.  Redington,  the  Under-Secretary  for  Ireland, 
and  other  ofl&cials,  communicating  to  them  the 
results  of  the  observations,  made  during  his  in- 
cessant journeys  through  the  country,  and  urging 
them  to  prompt  and  energetic  measures  for  relief. 
Many  of  his  suggestions  were  embodied  in  the 
system  which  was  adopted. 

In  Cork  itself  Father  Mathew  set  up  three  huge 
boilers  for  providing  soup  for  the  distressed,  and 
also  organized  societies  for  collecting  and  dis- 
tributing food  supplies.  He  undertook,  at  much 
inconvenience,  the  personal  supervision  of  these 
stores  in  the  southern  divison  of  the  town,  and  for 
a  considerable  time  expended  ^600  a  month  in 
relief,  part  of  the  money  coming  from  his  own  pri- 
vate resources,  part  from  contributions  which  he 
collected  from  his  friends  and  followers.  William 
Rathbone,  a  wealthy  merchant  of  London,  sent 
large  sums,  at  various  times,  to  Father  Mathew  to 
be  distributed  as  he  considered  best ;  the  Govern- 
ment spent  ;^i,5C)0,C)CX)  in  relief,  and  very  large 
sums  were  collected  from  private  sources  in  Eng- 
land ;  America,  through  the  good  priest's  influence, 
sent  some  ship-loads  of  maize  and  other  food. 

But  the  distress,  owing  to  "  the  hunger,"  poverty, 
disease,  and  death,  was  on  such  a  gigantic  scale 
that  even  these  splendid  efforts  of  charity  were 
quite  unable  to  cope  with  it,  and  what  with  starva- 
tion and  emigration,  Ireland  lost  during  those  two 
years  not  less  than  2,000,000  of  inhabitants.  The 
famine  inflicted  a  terrible  blow  to  the  temperance 
cause ;  for  during  the  time  of  distress  many  who 

26 


had  hitherto  kept  the  pledge  strictly,  lost  heart  and 
spent  what  little  they  had  in  drink  to  drive  away 
the  thought  of  impending  misery. 

Here  and  there,  too,  riots  occurred,  and  the 
people  breaking  into  the  public  houses  got  maddened 
with  drink  and  committed  many  excesses.  Father 
Mathew,  however,  had  the  consolation  of  being  able 
to  show  that  these  riots  occured  in  districts  where 
the  temperance  movement  had  not  been  taken  up, 
while  where  the  cause  had  been  successful  the 
people  were  quiet,  orderly,  and  patient. 

In  April,  1849,  Dr.  Murphy,  Bishop  of  Cork,  died, 
and  shortly  after,  the  clergy  proceeded  to  elect  his 
successor.  Father  Mathew's  name  was  placed  first 
on  the  list  to  be  sent  to  Rome,  and,  as  it  was  usual 
for  the  Holy  See  to  confirm  the  choice  of  the  clergy, 
Father  Mathew's  appointment  as  Bishop  of  Cork 
was  taken  for  granted,  and  an  address  of  congratu- 
lation was  presented  to  him.  But  the  Holy  See — 
taking  into  consideration  Father  Mathew's  pecu- 
niary difficulties,  of  which  more  will  be  said  pres- 
ently— passed  him  over  and  appointed  Dr.  Delaney. 
The  decision  was  a  wise  one,  but  it  was  a  great  dis- 
appointment to  Father  Mathew,  who  thought  that 
the  temperance  cause  might  be  furthered  were  he 
in  so  high  a  position  of  authority ;  though  he 
submitted  without  giving  the  slightest  sign  of 
annoyance. 

In  the  same  year  Father  Mathew's  services  to 
Ireland  were  brought  directly  under  the  notice  of 
the  English  Government,  with  the  result  that  he 
was  awarded  a  pension  of  ;^300  from  the  Civil  List 
— an  honor  which  met  with  universal  approval. 

During  the  spring  of  1848  came  the  first  signs 
of  the  breaking  up  of  his  constitution.  The  many 
years  of  excessive  labor  and  of  anxiety  had  told 
upon  him,  though  hitherto  he  had  not  perceived  it. 
One  morning,  on  attempting  to  rise  as  usual,  he 
fell  to  the  ground.  His  secretary  hearing  the  fall, 
rushed  in,  and  sent  for  the  doctor ;  and  on  his 
arrival  Father  Mathew  announced  calmly  that  he 
was  paralyzed  on  one  side.  The  grief  in  Cork  was 
exceedingly  great,  and  crowds  remained  outside  his 
house  waiting  for  information.  He  recovered,  how- 
ever, within  a  few  weeks,  to  the  great  joy  of  his 
numberless  friends,  and  set  to  work  as  busily  as 
before. 


402 


FATHER    MATHEW. 


During  the  time  of  the  famine,  America  had,  as 
has  already  been  stated,  contributed  most  gener- 
ously to  the  relief  of  the  Irish,  and  the  captains  of 
the  vessels,  conveying  the  food  supplies,  brought 
to  Father  Mathew  pressing  invitations  to  visit 
America.  Father  Mathew  thought  that  it  would 
be  ungrateful  of  him  to  decline  and  promised  that 
he  would  go  as  soon  as  he  was  at  liberty.  In  1849 
he  announced  his  intention  of  fulfilling  his  promise, 
and  notwithstanding  the  strong  opposition  of  his 
doctors  and  the  earnest  entreaties  of  his  friends,  he 
set  sail  for  America  in  the  early  part  of  the 
summer  of  that  year.  He  was  accompanied  by 
two  secretaries,  Messrs.  O'Meara  and  Mahony. 

The  voyage  was  a  long  one  in  those  days,  but 
Father  Mathew  found  plenty  of  employment  in 
instructing  and  attending  to  the  large  number  of 
Irish  emigrants  in  the  vessel.  As  they  neared 
New  York,  they  were  met  by  a  steamer  carrying  a 
deputation  sent  out  to  conduct  Father  Mathew  to 
Castle  Garden.  There  he  received  a  public  wel- 
come— on  a  larger  scale,  perhaps,  than  had  hitherto 
been  accorded  to  any  other  stranger — and  was  en- 
tertained, in  the  evening,  at  a  public  dinner  by  the 
Common  Council.  He  remained  a  fortnight  at 
New  York,  his  time  being  fully  occupied  in  hold- 
ing levees  which  were  so  numerously  attended  that 
certain  da3^s  had  to  be  set  apart  for  ladies  and 
others  for  gentlemen — preaching  and  lecturing, 
and  administering  the  pledge  to  a  great  number, 
especially  to  those  of  his  own  country. 

We  have  not  space  to  give  more  than  a  few  lines 
to  the  mission  in  the  United  States.  He  visited 
New  Orleans,  Washington,  Charlestown,  Mobile, 
Boston,  Little  Rock,  and  a  great  number  of  other 
towns.  On  his  arrival  in  Washington  the  Senate 
voted  him  a  seat  within  the  bar  of  the  house — an 
honor  which  had  previously  been  accorded  to  La- 
fayette alone — and  the  President  of  the  Republic 
entertained  him  at  a  dinner  at  which  fifty  members 
were  present. 

At  the  large  naval  dockyard  of  Pensacola,  Father 
Mathew  was  received  by  the  commodore  and  ofi&cers 
in  full  uniform,  the  large  hall  of  the  hospital  was 
turned  into  a  Catholic  chapel  for  the  occasion,  and 
Father  Mathew  preached  after  Mass  to  a  large 
congregation,  amongst  whom  were  the  oflBcers  and 


officials  again  in  full  uniform.     At  St.  Louis  9,000 
persons  took  the  pledge,  at  New  Orleans  13,000. 

But  Father  Mathew  was  not  what  he  had  been. 
The  recent  stroke  had  left  him  shattered  and  en- 
feebled, a  mere  wreck  of  his  former  self  At  times 
indeed  the  excitement  stimulated  him  and  gave  him 
strength  to  go  through  great  exertions,  and  occa- 
sionally he  preached  and  lectured  with  an  earnest- 
ness and  ability  which  surpassed  his  best  efforts  at 
home ;  yet,  as  a  rule,  his  power  and  animation  were 
gone.  Besides  this,  he  was  weighed  down  by  the 
thought  of  his  liabilities,  and  many  of  the  letters 
from  Ireland  showed  that  he  was  getting  more  and 
more  deeply  involved,  with  little  prospect  of  pay- 
ment of  his  debts.  A  short  rest  at  the  Sulphur 
Springs  of  Arkansas  did  not  do  much  to  restore 
him,  but  he  set  out  again  on  his  mission  and  con- 
tinued work  till  November,  1851,  when  he  em- 
barked for  Ireland. 

The  following  passage  from  the  New  York  Herald 
gives  a  good  summary  of  Father  Mathew's  work 
during  the  two  years  he  was  in  America : 

"  On  reviewing  his  exertions  for  the  past  two 
years  and  a  half,  we  are  forcibly  struck  with  the 
vast  amount  of  physical  fatigue  which  he  must 
have  undergone  in  the  discharge  of  his  onerous 
duties.  Over  sixty  years  of  age,  enfeebled  in 
health  and  shattered  in  constitution,  he  yet,  with 
all  the  ardor  of  his  former  zeal,  vigorously  prose- 
cuted his  labor  of  love.  He  has  visited,  since  his 
arrival  in  America,  twenty-five  States  of  the  Union, 
he  has  administered  the  temperance  pledge  in  over 
three  hundred  of  our  principal  towns  and  cities, 
has  added  more  than  half  a  million  of  our  popula- 
tion to  the  long  muster-roll  of  his  disciples,  and 
in  accomplishing  this  praiseworthy  object,  has 
travelled  thirty-seven  thousand  miles,  which,  added 
to  two  voyages  across  the  Atlantic,  would  make  a 
total  distance  nearly  equal  to  twice  the  circumnavi- 
gation of  the  globe.  Though  laboring  under  a  dis- 
ease which  the  slightest  undue  excitement  may 
render  fatal,  never  has  he  shrunk  from  his  work  of 
benevolence  and  love." 

His  Liabilities. — His  Death. 

In  1839,  before  Father  Mathew  had  started  on 
his  first  mission  outside  Cork,  he  had  incurred,  by 


FATHER   MATHEW. 


403 


his  charities  and  by  the  printing  expenses  for  the 
cause,  a  debt  of  _;^  1,500.  The  debt  kept  steadily 
increasing,  and  Father  Mathew  was  pressed  to  un- 
dertake the  sale  of  temperance  medals  as  means  of 
paying  it  off.  With  much  reluctance,  he  consented, 
but  the  medals,  instead  of  lessening  his  burden, 
rendered  it  far  more  heavy.  They  were  only  a 
source  of  additional  expense,  for  Father  Mathew, 
with  his  open-handed  generosity,  would  not  sell 
but  gave  the  medals.  At  the  meeting  at  Maynooth 
alone  silver  medals  to  the  value  of  X^oo  were  given 
away,  and  up  to  the  year  1844  he  had  distributed 
gratuitously  medals  costing  him  _;^i,5oo.  All  this 
while  the  tale  was  circulated  that  he  was  amassing 
a  large  fortune.  At  last  the  truth  became  known 
that  he  was  in  debt  to  the  amount  of  ^7,000,  and 
in  1844  a  subscription  list  was  opened  and  suf- 
ficient funds  were  obtained  to  set  Father  Mathew 
entirely  free  from  his  embarrassments. 

But  not  long  after  came  the  famine,  and  by  his 
extraordinary  charity  during  these  two  years,  to- 
gether with  the  subsequent  expenses  in  the  temper- 
ance cause.  Father  Mathew  again  became  deeply 
involved.  One  day  after  his  return  from  America 
he  was  arrested  at  the  suit  of  a  medal  merchant. 
The  bailiff,  approaching  the  Father  as  he  was  giv- 
ing the  pledge,  knelt  before  him  and  asked  his 
blessing  and  then  said,  quietly :  "  Father,  I  now 

arrest   you   for  the   debt   to   Mr.   ."     Father 

Mathew  kept  his  self-possession  and  took  no  notice 
of  the  arrest  at  the  moment,  and  his  calmness 
saved  the  bailiff  from  ill-usage.  A  compromise  was 
effected  with  his  creditors,  and  Father  Mathew  was 
again  free. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1852,  he  had  a  stroke  of 
apoplexy,  but  he  recovered  rather  rapidly  ;  and  was 
soon  at  work  again.  Not  for  long;  a  few  months 
of  labor  brought  on  an  increase  of  his  malady,  and 
he  at  last  yielded  to  the  advice  of  his  friends,  and 
in  October,  1854,  he  went  to  Madeira,  remaining 
there  till  the  summer  of  the  following  year.  But 
all  was  in  vain.  On  his  return  to  Ireland  he  had 
to  take  up  his  abode  at  Lehenagh,  the  residence  of 
his  brother,  totally  unfit  for  work,  and  getting  more 
and  more  feeble  each  day.  He  knew  that  the  end 
was  not  far  off,  and  his  time  at  L-ehenagh  was  spent 
in  preparation  for  death.     For  some  months  before 


his  death  he  was  unable  to  say  Mass — a  great  pri- 
vation for  so  saintly  a  priest — and  he  endeavored 
to  make  up  for  it  by  spending  hours  in  silent 
prayer. 

Even  in  the  summer  he  felt  the  cold  at  Lehe- 
nagh, and  in  the  autumn  of  1856  he  resolved, 
much  to  the  distress  of  his  friends,  to  go  to  Queens- 
town.  The  ostensible  reason  was  that  Queenstown 
might  be  warmer,  but  it  was  believed  that  Father 
Mathew  chiefly  desired  to  save  his  brother  and  his 
family  from  the  trouble  of  attending  to  him. 

Here  he  spent  the  last  months  of  his  life.  The 
last  stroke  came  one  morning  as  he  was  dressing. 
He  was  raised  from  the  floor  where  he  had  fallen 
and  placed  in  bed,  and  his  friends  as  well  as  the 
priest  and  doctor  were  summoned.  For  several 
days  he  lay,  unable  to  speak,  but  free  from  pain  ; 
conscious  and  desirous  of  doing  good  to  the  last. 
All  that  wished  to  see  him  were  admitted,  and,  as 
some  took  the  pledge  at  his  bedside,  the  dying 
priest  with  difficulty  placed  his  hand  on  their  head 
and  signed  the  cross  on  their  forehead. 

The  end  came  as  it  were  in  sleep,  and  on  the  8th 
of  December,  1856,  Theobald  Mathew,  the  Apostle 
of  Temperance,  the  zealous  missioner,  the  bene- 
factor of  his  country,  passed  to  his  reward.  In 
accordance  with  his  own  desire  he  was  buried  under 
the  Cross  in  "  Father  Mathew's  Cemetery,"  fifty 
thousand  persons  attending  the  funeral. 

On  the  loth  of  October,  1864,  a  handsome  bronze 
statue  of  Father  Mathew,  executed  by  Foley,  and 
erected  at  the  foot  of  Patrick  Bridge,  was  unveiled 
by  Mr.  J.  Francis  Maguire,  M.P.,  in  the  presence 
of  one  hundred  thousand  people.  But  the  brewer 
and  the  distiller,  whose  power  the  Apostle  of  Tem- 
perance had  crushed  for  a  time,  were  not  long  in 
regaining  their  former  position ;  and  not  many 
years  passed  from  the  day  on  which  the  crowds 
had  stood  weeping  around  the  cross  in  Father 
Mathew's  Cemetery,  before  three  comers  of  the 
square,  in  which  the  apostle's  statue  was  erected, 
were  occupied  by  public  houses. 

Let  us  hope  that  the  efforts  now  being  made 
to  promote  sobriety  may  revive  the  enthusiasm  for 
the  cause  to  which  he  was  so  devoted,  and  may 
extend  the  spiritual  and  temporal  blessings  which 
follow  in  the  train  of  temperance. 


TOTAL  ABSTINENCE. 

BY  THE  REV.  W.  H.  COLOGAN. 


HAVE  endeavored  in  this  little  work  to 
put  forward  the  teaching  of  the  Catholic 
Church  with  regard  to  total  abstinence. 
My  object  in  doing  this  has  been  two- 
fold :  first,  to  furnish  Catholic  abstainers 
with  correct  notions  of  the  cause  which 
they  defend,  and  thus  to  guard  them  from  the 
errors  into  which  many  outside  the  Church  have 
fcillen  ;  and  secondly,  to  disarm  the  prejudice  of  the 
opponents  of  total  abstinence,  and,  if  possible,  to 
Milist  their  sympathy  and  co-operation. 

What  Total  Abstinence  Is  Not,  and  What  It  Is. 

The  total  abstinence  cause  is  not  a  war  against 
drink.     The  Catholic  total  abstainer  does  not — may 
not — say  that  strong  drink  is  in  itself  an  evil  or 
the  creation  of  the  devil.     Long  ago  there  was  a 
religious  sect  called  the  Manicheans.     These  men 
held  that  God  made  that  part  of  the  world  which 
was  good,  and  the  devil  made  the  rest,  which  was 
bad,  and  wine  and  strong  drink,  they  said,  was  bad, 
and  created  by  the  devil.     All  this  was  condemned 
by  the  Church  as  a  heresy ;  for  there  is  but  one 
Creator  of  all  things — the  one  Eternal  God  ;  "  and 
God  saw  all  the  things  that  He  had  made  and  they 
were  very  good."     (Genesis  i.  31.)     "  Nor,"  as  Car- 
dinal Manning  said  in  his  speech  at  the  Crystal 
Palace,  1884,  "  is  there  sin  in  these  harmless,  inno- 
cent things,  for  this  reason :  that  there  can  be  sin 
in  nothing  or  in  nobody  who  has  not  a  will  and  a 
conscience  to  know  right  from  wrong.     Therefore, 
if  this  room  were  full  of  beer-barrels,  and  barrels  of 
wine,  and  puncheons  of  brandy,  there  would  be  no 
sin  in  these  things  of  themselves.     We  could  set 
fire  to  them  and  make  an  end  of  them.     They  are 
not  the  sinners — it  is  we  ourselves  who  are  the  sin- 
ners ;  the  men  and  women  who  abuse  these  things, 
violating  their  conscience  by  their  own  free  will — 
they  are  the  sinners." 
404 


No,  there  is  no  moral  evil,  no  sin,  in  these  things, 
wine,  beer,  and  spirits.  In  themselves  they  are 
good,  and  given  to  us  by  God  for  our  good — 
although  we  may  say  with  truth  that  inasmuch  as 
a  great  part  of  the  strong  drink  of  the  present  day 
is  "  made  up "  and  adulterated,  and  this  inferior 
adulteration  is  passed  off  as  a  better  article,  in  this 
sense  such  wines,  etc.,  are  bad — they  are  not  what 
they  are  said  to  be ;  but  still  there  is  no  sin  in 
them.  Listen  to  St.  John  Chrysostom  on  this 
point :  "I  hear  men  say  when  these  excesses  hap- 
pen, '  Would  there  were  no  wine  !'  O  folly  !  O 
madness !  When  men  sin  in  other  ways,  dost  thou 
then  find  fault  with  the  gifts  of  God  ?  But  what  mad- 
ness is  this  !  What !  did  the  wine,  O  man,  produce 
this  evil  ?  Not  the  wine,  but  the  intemperance  of 
such  as  take  an  evil  delight  in  it.  Say,  then, 
'  would  there  were  no  drunkenness,  no  luxury ;' 
but  if  thou  sayest,  '  would  there  were  no  wine,' 
thou  wilt  by  degrees  go  on  to  say,  '  would  there 
were  no  steel,  because  of  the  murderers  ;  no  night, 
because  of  the  thieves.'  ...  In  a  word,  thou  wilt 
destroy  all  things,  since  they  may  all  be  abused  ?" 

Nor  can  the  Catholic  total  abstainer  condemn 
the  moderate  drinker  as  guilty  of  sin.  There  is 
no  sin  in  taking  a  glass  of  wine  or  a  glass  of 
spirits,  or  in  taking  a  really  moderate  quantity  of 
them ;  and  we  have  no  right  to  condemn  as  sinful 
a  practice  against  which  there  is  no  law,  divine  or 
human.  St.  Thomas  and  all  Catholic  theologians 
teach  that  the  use  of  wine  or  of  any  intoxicating 
drink  is  not  in  itself  unlawful ;  although  it  may 
become  so  for  certain  reasons,  such  as  danger  to 
the  drinker,  scandal,  a  vow  not  to  take  wine,  etc. 

Cardinal  Manning,  in  his  address  to  the  Holy 
Family  Confraternity  of  Commercial  Road,  1875, 
says :  "  I  will  go  to  my  grave  without  tasting  in- 
toxicating liquors,  but  I  repeat  distinctly  that  any 
man  who  should  say  that  the  use  of  wine  or  any 


TOTAL   ABSTINENCE. 


405 


other  like  thing  is  sinful  when  it  does  not  lead  to 
drunkenness,  that  man  is  a  heretic  condemned  by 
the  Catholic  Church.  With  that  man  I  will  never 
work.  Now,  I  desire  to  promote  total  abstinence 
in  every  way  that  I  can ;  I  will  encourage  all  so- 
cieties of  total  abstainers.  But  the  moment  I  see 
men,  not  charitable,  attempting  to  trample  down 
those  who  do  not  belong  to  the  total  abstainers, 
from  that  moment  I  will  not  work  with  those  men." 

We  wish  to  gain  over  the  moderate  drinker  to 
our  cause,  but  we  must  not  gainsay  truth  even 
with  a  good  purpose.  There  are  other  motives  (to 
which  I  will  refer  later  on),  as  strong  as  they  are 
correct,  and  on  these  we  must  ground  our  appeal. 

Total  abstinence  is  not  in  any  sense  a  new  re- 
ligion. It  does  not  alter  any  point  of  Catholic  doc- 
trine, it  does  not  bring  forward  any  new  doctrine ; 
its  principles  are  as  old  as  the  Church  itself.  It 
merely  applies  these  principles  to  a  special  need, 
and  organizes  and  extends  the  practice  of  total 
abstinence,  which  has  had  in  all  ages  a  vast  num- 
ber of  honored  and  saintly  adherents. 

We  are  sometimes  told  that  total  abstainers  would 
do  without  the  Sacraments,  and  would  make  tem- 
perance take  the  place  of  all  other  virtues.  Of 
course,  this  cannot  be.  We  cannot  be  holy  with- 
out the  g^ace  of  God,  and  to  obtain  this  we  must 
make  use  of  the  appointed  means.  One  virtue 
alone  does  not  make  us  holy ;  nor  will  any  one 
virtue  alone  get  us  to  heaven.  To  be  holy  we 
must  be  not  only  sober,  but  also  pure,  meek,  pious, 
just,  charitable,  obedient  to  God's  Church  and  to 
our  lawful  superiors.  "  Drunkards  shall  not  pos- 
sess the  kingdom  of  God,"  (i  Cor.  vi.  lo.)  but 
neither  shall  "  unbelievers,  nor  thieves,  nor  the 
covetous." 

We  must  lead  a  good  life  and  fulfill  all  our  duties 
towards  God  and  man.  To  do  this,  God's  grace  is 
necessary ;  and  to  obtain  God's  grace  we  must 
make  use  of  the  appointed  means  of  grace — prayer 
and  the  Holy  Sacraments.  For  this  reason  the 
members  of  the  League  of  the  Cross,  and  of  most 
Catholic  temperance  societies,  are  recommended  to 
approach  the  Sacraments  at  least  once  a  month. 
Hence,  total  abstinence  practiced  in  a  truly  Catho- 
lic manner  not  only  makes  a  man  a  better  father, 
a  better  husband,  and  a  better  citizen,  but  also  it 


makes  him  a  better  Catholic.  The  drunkard  is 
too  often  out  of  the  Church — the  pledge  lands  him 
on  its  threshold  and  leads  him  to  the  Sacraments. 

What  then  is  total  abstinence?  Total  absti- 
nence is  the  practice  of  abstaining  from  intoxi- 
cating drink — from  "  whatever  may  make  a  man 
drunk."  A  total  abstinence  society  is  a  society  of 
persons  who  have  pledged  themselves — promised — 
to  abstain  entirely  from  all  intoxicating  drink,  and 
are  banded  together  to  suppress  the  vice  of  intem- 
perance and  promote  its  opposite  virtue. 

In  every-day  aflPairs  we  have  societies  and  leagues. 
If  there  be  an  evil  in  the  law,  we  combine — for 
union  is  strength — and  agitate,  and  influence  public 
and  private  opinion,  and  we  do  not  rest  till  we  have 
removed  that  evil.  Why,  then,  should  we  not 
combine  and  agitate  and  influence  opinion — and 
work,  too,  with  a  will — to  remove  the  evil  of  drunk- 
enness. 

I  cannot  do  better  than  quote  from  the  letter  of 
Cardinal  Manning  to  Fr.  Bridgett.  His  Eminence 
says  :  "  To  meet  the  invasion  of  so  widely  extended 
an  evil  [intemperance],  it  appears  to  me,  that  a 
widely  extended  organization,  specifically  created 
for  the  purpose  of  drunkenness,  and  of  giving  the 
mutal  support  of  numbers  and  of  sympathy  to  those 
who  are  in  danger,  is  not  only  a  wise  mode  of 
counteraction,  but,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  also  a 
necessary  provision.  It  affords  external  encourage- 
ment and  support  to  multitudes  who  cannot  stand 
alone  ...  I  feel  that  temperance  and  total  abstin- 
ence ought  to  be  familiar  thoughts  in  the  mind  even 
of  those  who  have  never  in  all  their  life  been 
tempted  to  excess.  If  they  would  consciously  unite 
by  example,  by  word,  and  by  influence,  to  save 
those  who  are  perishing  in  the  dangers  from  which 
they  are  happily  safe,  many  a  soul  and  many  a 
home  now  hopelessly  wrecked,  would,  I  believe,  be 
saved." 

From  this  letter  of  His  Eminence  we  see  the 
object  of  a  Total  Abstinence  Society,  viz  :  to  arrest 
drunkenness  ;  to  reclaim  those  who  have  fallen  into 
this  vice ;  to  rescue  those  in  danger ;  to  place  as 
far  as  possible  out  of  temptation  those  even  who  are 
not  in  danger — our  children ;  and  so  to  influence 
society  that  people  may  be  awakened  to  the  havoc 
which  intemperance  is  working,  and  that  this  vice 


406 


TOTAL   ABSTINENCE. 


may  no  longer  be  winked  at  and  even  encouraged, 

but  may  be  branded  with  tbe  disgrace  whicb  it 

deserves,  and  that  society  itself  may  take  measures 

against  it.     Now  it  is  evident  that  to  carry  out  this 

object  some  organization  is  necessary — a  union  not 

merely  to  those  to  whom  intoxicating  drink  is  a 

source  of  danger,  or  of  those  who  cannot  keep  sober 

without  the  pledge,  for  if  this  were  proposed  few  if 

any  could  be  induced  to  join  such  a  society,  the 

members   of  which  would   be   at  once  known   as 

"  reformed   drunkards ; "  but  also  of  those  whose 

sobriety  cannot  be  called  in  question,  who  would 

give  an  air  of  respectability  to  the  society,  and  throw 

the  shield  of  their  own  character  over  its  fallen  but 

repentant  and  amending  members.     This  union  of 

the  temperate  with  those  who  have  been  victims  of 

intemperance,  and  the  pledge,  are  the  great  means 

by  which  the  total  abstinence  society  aims  at  its 

object. 

What  is  the  Pledge  ? 

The  pledge  is  a  promise — not  a  vow,  nor  an  oath, 
but  none  the  less  a  real  binding  promise — to  abstain 
from  all  intoxicating  drinks.  In  other  words,  he 
who  takes  the  pledge  promises  not  to  drink  wine, 
beer,  spirits,  or  anything  intoxicating  during  the 
whole  time — whether  for  life,  or  for  a  certain 
number  of  weeks,  months,  or  years — for  which  he 
pledges  himself. 

The  following  is  the  pledge  taken  before  a  priest 
by  those  who  join  the  League  of  the  Cross  : 

"  I  promise  to  you,  Father,  and  to  the  League  of 
the  Holy  Cross,  by  the  help  of  God's  grace,  to 
abstain  from  all  intoxicating  drinks." 

The  pledge  does  not  prevent  the  taking  of  intoxi- 
cating drinks  by  medical  advice  if  this  becomes 
necessary  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  necessity  ceases,  the 
total  abstinence  must  be  resumed  by  any  one  who 
wishes  to  remain  a  member  of  the  League. 

Prevalence  of  Intemperance. 

But,  it  may  be  asked.  Why  make  this  stir? 
Why  try  to  influence  public  opinion?  Why  agi- 
tate? What  necessity  is  there  for  any  total  absti- 
nence society  or  for  any  special  opposition  to 
intemperance  ?  It  is  because  intemperance  is  the 
great  vice  of  the  day  ;  because  it  is  the  great  cause 
of  social  and  moral  ruin.    It  is  the  mother  of  crimes, 


of  wretched  and  desolate  homes,  of  ruined  fortunes, 
of  shattered  intellects,  of  half-emptied  churches,  of 
lost  seats  in  heaven. 

Here  are  a  few — only  a  few — proofs  of  the  preva- 
lence of  intemperance. 

On  the  prevalence  of  drink  and  its  effect  on  crime 
none  are  so  competent  to  speak  as  the  judges.  And 
this  is  what  they  say  : 

"  Men  go  into  public  houses  respectable  and  come 
out  felons  "  (Mr.  Justice  Grove).  "  The  crying  and 
besetting  crime  of  intemperance  is  a  crime  leading 
to  all  other  crimes  ;  a  crime  which  you  may  very 
well  say  leads  to  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  crimes 
of  this  country"  (Mr.  Justice  Fizgerald,  Dublin 
Assizes,  1878).  In  1881,  Lord  Chief  Justice  Cole- 
ridge stated  from  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court 
that  judges  were  weary  with  calling  attention  to 
drink  as  the  principal  cause  of  crime,  but  he  could 
not  refrain  from  saying  that  if  they  could  make 
England  sober,  they  would  shut  up  nine-tenths  of 
the  prisons.  In  1883,  Mr.  Justice  Hawkins,  in 
charging  the  Grand  Jury  of  the  Chester  Spring 
Assizes,  said :  "  It  was  almost  always  the  case, 
according  to  his  experince,  that  drink  was  at  the 
root  of  crime.  Nine  out  of  ten  of  the  crimes  of 
violence  that  had  come  before  him  were  in  one  way 
or  another  attributable  to  drink."  Similar  evidence 
is  given  by  many  other  judges. 

Intemperance  is  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  in- 
sanity. In  1877,  the  late  Lord  Shaftsbury,  in 
giving  his  evidence  before  the  Lunacy  Commis- 
sion of  the  House  of  Commons,  stated  that  "  in- 
temperance is  the  cause  of  fully  two-thirds  of  the 
insanity  that  prevails  either  in  the  drunkards  or  in 
their  children ;"  and  Dr.  Shepherd,  Dr.  Pritchard 
Davies,  Dr.  Coulston,  Mr.  W.  J.  Corbet,  M.  P.,  and 
others  agree  that  intemperance  is  one  of  the  chief 
causes  of  insanity. 

Intemperance  is  the  root  of  poverty.  Mr.  George 
R.  Sims  writes :  "  It  is  not  fair  to  prove  by  facts 
and  statistics  the  evil  of  over-population  and  the 
evil  of  low  wages,  and  to  shrink  from  revealing 
the  evil  of  drink.  .  .  .  Much  as  I  have  seen  of 
the  drink  evil,  it  was  not  until  I  came  to  study  one 
special  district,  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  how  far 
the  charge  of  drunkenness  could  be  maintained 
against  the  poor  as  a  body,  that  I  had  any  idea  0/ 


TOTAL   ABSTINENCE. 


407 


the  terrible  extent  to  which  this  cause  of  poverty 
prevails."  In  the  Bitter  Cry  of  Outcast  London 
we  read :  "  The  misery  and  sin  caused  by  drink  in 
these  districts "  (the  low  parts  of  London)  "  have 
often  been  told,  but  these  horrors  can  never  be  set 
forth  by  pen  or  artist's  pencil." 

The  Canterbury  Convocation,  in  their  report  on 
drink,  state :  "  It  appears,  indeed,  that  at  least 
seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  occupants  of  our  work- 
houses, and  a  large  proportion  of  those  receiving 
out-door  relief,  have  become  pensioners  on  the 
public  directly  or  indirectly  through  drunken- 
ness." Finally,  the  Royal  Commission  on  the 
Dwellings  of  the  Poor,  1885,  state  in  their  report 
that  drink  leads  to  poverty  and  poverty  leads  to 
drink.  We  may  well  conclude,  with  Dr.  Daw- 
son Bums :  "  If  all  testimony  is  not  fallacious, 
the  main-spring  of  pauperism  and  of  all  destitution 
is  drinking." 

Intemperance  is  a  fruitful  source  of  disease  and 
death.  Sir  Andrew  Clark  says :  "  I  do  not  desire 
to  make  out  a  strong  case.  I  am  speaking  solemnly 
and  carefully  in  the  presence  of  truth,  and  I  tell 
you  that  I  am  considerably  within  the  mark  when 
I  say  to  you,  that  going  the  rounds  of  my  hospital 
wards  to-day,  seven  out  of  every  ten  there  owed 
their  ill-health  to  alcohol.  Now  what  does  this 
mean  ?  That  out  of  every  hundred  patients  that  I 
have  charge  of  at  the  London  Hospital,  seventy 
per  cent,  of  them  directly  owe  their  ill-health  to 
alcohol.  To  the  abuse  ?  I  do  not  say  that  these 
seventy  per  cent,  were  drunkards,  but  to  the  exces- 
sive use.  ...  I  am  not  saying,  because  I  have 
no  means  of  saying,  in  human  ilfe,  in  society  at 
large,  what  is  the  percentage  of  victims  which 
alcohol  seizes  upon  as  its  rightful  prey.  I  do  not 
know,  I  have  no  method  of  coming  accurately  to 
the  conclusion  ;  but  I  know  this,  that  not  only  does 
a  large  percentage  of  such  diseases  as  I  have 
mentioned,  but  a  great  mass,  certainly  more  than 
three-fourths  of  the  disorders  in  what  we  call 
'  fashionable  life,'  arise  from  the  use  of  this  very 
drug  (alcohol)  of  which  we  are  now  speaking." 

With  this  evidence  as  to  the  effect  of  intemper- 
ance on  health,  we  shall  not  be  surprised  to  find 
Dr.  Norman  Kerr  stating  that  60,000  drunkards 
die  every  year  in  the  United  Kingdom,  and  that 


1 20,000  of  our  population  annually  lose  their  lives, 
directly  or  indirectly,  through  excessive  drinking. 
Yet  these  figures,  high  as  they  are,  do  not  take  in 
deaths  from  the  greater  part  of  the  mass  of  dis- 
eases, alluded  to  by  Sir  A.  Clark,  which  arise  from 
a  use  of  alcohol,  excessive  in  itself,  yet  not  such  as 
to  cause  the  victims  to  be  classed  among  drunkards. 

The  following  was  stated  by  M.  Frere-Orban,  in 
his  report  on  drink  laid  before  the  Belgian  House 
of  Parliament,  1868,  to  be  the  summary  of  the  re- 
sults of  drink  in  England :  i.  Nine-tenths  of  the 
paupers.  2.  Three-fourths  of  the  criminals.  3.  One- 
half  of  the  diseases.  4.  One-third  of  the  insanity. 
5.  Three-fourths  of  the  depravity  of  children  and 
young  people.     6.  One-third  of  the  shipwrecks. 

Nor  are  Catholics  by  any  means  free  from  this 
plague — would,  indeed,  that  they  were !  Every 
priest  or  brother  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  every 
visitor  of  the  courts  and  alleys — every  one,  in  fact, 
who  has  any  acquaintance  with  our  people,  must 
know  that  their  besetting  sin,  and  the  sin  which  is 
the  cause  of  so  many  other  sins,  is  drunkenness. 

The  chaplain  to  one  of  our  largest  reformatories 
writes  to  me  as  follows  :  "  Drink  is  not  directly  the 
cause  of  the  majority  of  our  inmates ;  yet  if  one 
examine  the  matter  iu  detail,  he  will  find  that  their 
misfortune  has  its  origin  from  drink  ;  that  is,  their 
parents  drink  hard,  take  no  care  of  their  children, 
the  homes  are  badly  kept,  and  the  children,  not 
finding  their  homes  comfortable,  are  driven  in  de- 
spair into  the  streets.  .  .  .  Vanity  of  dress  I 
have  known  to  be  the  cause  of  the  fall  of  many, 
and  with  this  spirit  in  them  they  are  soon  picked 
up  by  some  one,  who  after  a  while  might  take  them 
to  a  bar,  and  they  soon  fall  into  sin,  and  drink  is 
the  only  thing  to  keep  them  in  it,  until  they  get 
disgusted  and  seek  for  peace  iu  the  confessional. 
This  is  the  case  especially  with  the  younger  ones. 
But  with  the  married,  drink  is  perhaps  the  great 
source  of  their  ruin.  Directly  or  indirectly,  I 
should  say  that  drink  is  the  foundation  of  their 
misfortune." 

The  eleventh  Westminster  Synod  calls  the  at- 
tention of  the  clergy  to  "  the  dreadful  vice  of 
drunkenness  which  we  see  running  riot  every- 
where with  a  fearful  loss  of  souls,  whence  it  comes 
to  pass  that  men  and  women,  parents  and  children, 


408 


TOTAL  ABSTINENCE. 


are  involved  in  the  same  destruction,  and  perish 
miserably." 

The  Bishop  of  Salford  says  :  "  Ofl&cial  statistics 
prove  the  havoc  drink  is  making  throughout  the 
country,  and  information  from  the  jails  corrobo- 
rates our  experience  as  pastors  as  to  its  havoc 
among  our  own  people  ;"  and  many  other  English 
and  Irish  Bishops,  as  well  as  the  Cardinal  Arch- 
bishop (some  of  whose  words  I  have  already  quoted 
on  this  point),  have  called  attention  in  their  pas- 
torals to  the  widespread  evils  of  intemperance. 

The  following  striking  passage  is  taken  from  the 
pastoral  letter  of  the  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of 
Ireland,  at  the  close  of  the  National  Synod  of  May- 
nooth,  1875  •  "  With  deepest  pain,  and,  after  the 
example  of  the  apostle,  weeping,  we  say  that  the 
abominable  vice  of  intempei-ance  still  continues  to 
work  dreadful  havoc  among  our  people,  marring 
in  their  souls  the  work  of  religion,  and  in  spite 
of  their  rare  natural  and  supernatural  virtues, 
changing  many  among  them  into  '  enemies  of  the 
Cross  of  Christ,  whose  end  is  destruction ;  whose 
God  is  their  belly,  and  whose  glory  is  in  their 
shame.'  (Philip  iii.  18,  19.)  Drunkenness  has 
wrecked  more  homes,  once  happy,  than  ever  fell 
beneath  the  crowbar  in  the  worst  days  of  eviction  ; 
it  has  filled  more  graves  and  made  more  widows 
and  orphans  than  did  the  famine ;  it  has  broken 
more  hearts,  blighted  more  hopes,  and  rent  asunder 
family  ties  more  ruthlessly  than  the  enforced 
exile  to  which  their  misery  has  condemned  emi- 
grants." 

Dr.  Norman  Kerr — a  specialist  in  this  matter — 
while  admitting  that  there  is  a  greater  proportion 
of  drunkenness  among  Protestants  than  among 
Catholics,  adds:  "At  the  same  time,  I  have  ob- 
served of  recent  years  an  alarming  rate  of  increase 
of  inebriety  among  Roman  Catholics,  especially 
among  females,  which,  if  not  arrested,  will  ere  long 
secure  them  an  equal,  if  not  greater,  proportion  of 
inebriates  with  their  Protestant  brethren." 

With  this  evidence  before  us  of  the  destruction 
wrought  by  drunkenness,  it  is  surely  our  duty  to 
take  the  best  means  we  can  to  arrest  the  progress 
of  this  vice  —  even  to  exert  ourselves  to  the 
utmost  to  banish  it  altogether  from  amongst  our 
people. 


Is  the  Pledge  a  Remedy  Against  Intemperance? 

But  is  the  means  employed  by  total  abstinence 
societies  the  right  means— does  the  pledge  really 
offer  a  barrier  to  the  progress  of  intemperance? 
Does  it  really  reclaim  drunkards  ?  Does  it  keep 
the  weak  out  of  danger  ?  There  are  two  ways  of 
deciding  this  question :  firstly,  by  the  light  of 
experience — for  total  abstinence  has  now  been  tried 
for  some  years,  sufl&ciently  long  for  us  to  know 
whether  it  is  a  success  or  a  failure — and  secondly, 
by  the  very  nature  of  the  pledge. 

I.  What  light  then  does  experience  throw  upon 
the  subject?  Cardinal  Manning,  in  a  letter  pub- 
lished in  the  Weekly  Register  June  6th,  1885,  says : 
"  The  League  of  the  Cross  has  brought  me  many 
consolations  in  the  happiness  and  Christian  life  of 
my  people.  .  .  .  What  homes  we  should  have  had  at 
this  day  if  the  last  generation  had  abstained  from 
all  intoxicating  drinks ;"  and  again :  "  If  we  had 
begun  the  League  of  the  Cross  twenty-five  years 
ago,  we  should  have  a  hundred  thousand  more 
Catholics  in  London  ;  if  twenty-five  years  ago  men 
and  women  had  been  sober,  there  would  have  been 
that  number  of  Catholics  more  to-day  than  there 
is." 

The  Bishop  of  Salford  says  :  "  Experience  abun- 
dantly proves  that  for  a  Catholic  the  pledge,  with- 
out the  Sacraments,  is  worthless,  but  that  with  the 
grace  of  the  Sacraments,  it  is  of  much  avail." 
Father  Rooke,  speaking  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  on 
the  occasion  of  the  festival  of  the  League  of  the 
Cross,  1884,  said  that  in  his  short  experience  of  the 
work  of  the  League  he  could  tell  of  the  rescue  of  in- 
dividuals and  of  families  who  were  a  short  time  ago 
sunken  in  the  degrading  vice  of  intemperance,  whose 
homes  had  been  more  like  pigsties  than  Christian 
dwellings — people  with  no  decent  clothes  because 
of  the  pawnshops ;  people  neglecting  their  most 
sacred  religious  duties.  By  the  blessing  of  God 
these  people  had  now  cast  aside  their  habits  of 
intemperance  and  they  were  now  happy,  well  fed, 
and  well  clothed. 

A  priest  of  high  position  and  of  great  experience 
in  the  North  of  Eugland  writes  :  "  Total  abstinence 
reclaims  drunkards,  undoubtedly,  whether  as  mem- 
bers of  the  League  of  the  Cross  or  otherwise.  The 
League  members  cannot  become  drunkards  so  long 


TOTAL  ABSTINENCE. 


409 


as  they  keep  to  the  League.  The  League  gives  a 
halo  of  religion  to  total  abstinence,  and  keeps  the 
members  in  the  paths  of  virtue ;  for  the  mere 
observance  of  total  abstinence  does  not  keep  a  man 
from  impurity,  pride,  etc." 

The  Total  Abstinence  Union  of  America  com- 
prises amongst  its  members  a  great  number  of  the 
clergy  and  several  bishops — a  proof  in  itself  of 
their  opinion  as  to  the  benefits  resulting  from  total 
abstinence. 

The  Third  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore,  1887, 
says :  "  Let  the  exertions  of  Catholic  temperance 
societies  meet  the  hearty  co-operation  of  pastor  and 
people,  and  they  will  go  far  towards  strangling  the 
monstrous  evil  of  intemperance."  The  archbishops 
and  bishops  of  Australia,  in  their  pastoral  letter 
drawn  up  at  the  Plenary  Council  of  1888,  "  earn- 
estly recommend  the  formation  in  every  parish  of 
temperance  societies  under  the  charge  of  the  local 
pastor." 

All  this  shows  that  the  pledge  has  been  found  to 
be  on  the  whole  a  useful  remedy  against  intemper- 
ance. 

II.  From  the  very  nature  of  the  pledge  it  follows 
that,  as  long  as  it  is  kept,  it  must  prevent  drunk- 
enness. For  the  pledge  is  a  promise  to  abstain 
from  intoxicating  drinks — but  without  intoxicating 
drinks  one  cannot  get  intoxicated ;  this  is  self-evi- 
dent :  so,  as  long  as  the  abstainer  keeps  his  prom- 
ise, his  pledge,  so  long  must  he  of  necessity  be  a 
sober  man.  But  is  not  the  pledge  often  broken  ? 
Certainly,  the  pledge  is  often  broken :  for  though 
a  drunkard  may  make  the  promise  in  all  sincerity, 
and  may,  at  the  time  he  makes  it,  have  the  firm 
resolve  to  keep  it,  yet,  when  temptation  comes,  he 
may  not  have  strength  of  will,  or  may  not  have 
prayed  for  grace  to  keep  the  promise,  and  so  he 
falls;  and  he  may  pledge  himself  again,  and  may 
again  fall.  But  all  this  is  nothing  against  the 
pledge.  It  only  proves  that  man  of  himself  is 
weak,  and  the  power  of  a  bad  habit  very  strong. 
The  same  thing  takes  place  with  the  Sacraments ; 
persons  go  to  Confession,  and  after  Confession  fall 
into  the  same  sins.  Does  this  prove  that  Confes- 
sion is  useless  ?  No,  for  numberless  souls  reap 
the  greatest  benefit  from  Confession  ;  it  proves  that 
their  own  efforts  have  been  weak,  and  that  they 


have  not  sufficiently  answered  to  the  grace  that 
has  been  given  them.  So  with  the  pledge.  Num- 
bers even  of  the  most  intemperate  take  it  once,  and 
keep  it  through  life ;  others  take  it  and  fall  back 
into  their  sins,  and  take  it  again  and  fall  anew ; 
but  at  last  the  supreme  effort  is  made  ;  the  pledge, 
with  grace,  has  the  best  of  it,  and  a  complete 
reformation  follows.  Of  course,  there  are  some 
who  live  on  to  the  end  in  their  sin,  because  they 
do  not  choose  to  be  reclaimed — but  they,  and  not 
the  pledge,  are  to  blame  for  that. 

Holy  Scripture  and  Total  Abstinence. 

We  have  now  to  discuss  an  important  question : 
What  is  the  teaching  of  Holy  Scripture  on  total 
abstinence  ?  Does  it  command  total  abstinence,  or 
forbid  it  ?  The  truth  is  that  Holy  Scripture  does 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other,  as  a  rule  for  general 
observance ;  it  did  not  legislate,  on  this  point,  for 
the  present  state  of  society,  so  different  from  that 
of  the  period  when  the  Scriptures  were  written. 
Hence  many  of  the  passages  of  Holy  Writ  com- 
monly brought  forward  have  no  direct  bearing 
upon  the  question.  The  chief  of  these  passages  I 
propose  now  to  consider. 

Wine  is  spoken  of  as  "  cheering  the  heart  of 
man"  (Psalm  ciii,  15),  and:  "Wine  was  created 
from  the  beginning  to  make  men  joyful  and  not  to 
make  them  drunk  ;  wine  drunken  with  moderation 
is  the  joy  of  the  soul  and  the  heart.  Sober  drink- 
ing is  health  to  soul  and  body.  Wine  drunken 
with  excess  raiseth  quarrels  and  wrath  and  many 
ruins."  (Ecclesiasticus  xxxi,  35-38.)  Yes,  wine, 
or  the  knowledge  of  making  wine,  was  given  to  us 
as  a  source  of  joy  and  cheerfulness — a  gift  from 
the  good  Creator,  who  gladdens  our  ears  with  the 
music  of  the  birds  and  our  eyes  with  the  beauty  of 
the  flowers  and  the  landscape.  But  this  gift  has, 
by  the  wickedness  of  man,  been  abused,  and  at  the 
present  time  is,  for  a  great  number,  a  source  of  evil 
rather  than  of  good ;  now^  wine,  i.  e.,  strong  drink, 
is  "  drunken  with  excess  and  raiseth  many  ruins," 
it  is  "  bitterness  of  the  soul."  (Ecclesiasticus  xxxi, 
38,  39.)  This  being  the  case,  we  are  not  obliged 
to  use  this  gift ;  there  is  no  command  that  we  use 
wine,  any  more  than  there  is  a  command  to  use  prus- 
sic  acid,  which  is  a  gift  of  God  just  as  much  as  wine. 


410 


TOTAL  ABSTINENCE. 


A  word  or  two,  now,  on  the  word  "  wine."  That 
which  in  our  translation  of  the  Bible  is  rendered 
"  wine  "  exists  in  the  Hebrew  under  several  names, 
•with  various  meanings.  What  were  the  wines  of 
the  Jews  ?  They  had  no  spirits,  probably  no  beer ; 
they  knew  nothing  of  distilling  and  could  not 
"  doctor "  their  wines  with  brandy,  etc.  Their 
wines  were  pure,  as  a  rule ;  most  of  them  were,  it 
would  seem,  fermented  and  intoxicating,  but,  un- 
less "  mixed "  with  spices  or  something  similar, 
only  slightly  so,  not  like  our  heavy  and  strong 
wines.  Undoubtedly  from  time  to  time  there  was 
much  drunkenness — though  this  could  scarcely 
have  been  the  common  and  constant  vice  it  is  now- 
a-days,  for  the  people  had  not  then  the  opportunity 
of  excessive  drinking  which  they  have  now ;  rather, 
it  was  the  accompaniment  of  festivities.  The  holy 
text  is  full  of  warnings  against  wine,  not  merely 
against  excess,  but  warnings  of  danger  in  the  use 
of  strong  drink :  "  wine  is  a  luxurious  thing " 
(compare  "  wine  wherein  is  luxury,"  Eph.  v,  i8) 
"  and  drunkenness  riotous ;  whosoever  delighteth 
therein  shall  not  be  wise."  (Proverbs  xx,  i.)  "  He 
that  loveth  wine  .  .  .  shall  not  be  rich."  (Proverbs 
17.)  "  Look  not  upon  the  wine  when  it  is  yel- 
the  color  thereof  shineth  in  the  glass ; 
it  goeth  in  pleasantly,  but  in  the  end  it  will  bite 
like  a  snake  and  will  spread  abroad  poison  like  a 
basilisk."  (Proverbs  xxiii,  31.)  "Give  not  wine 
to  kings  ;  because  there  is  no  secret  where  drunk- 
enness reigneth  "  (Proverbs  xxxi,  6) :  "  wine  takes 
away  the  understanding."  (Osee  vi,  2.)  These 
are  some  of  the  warnings  against  the  danger  of 
wine.  But  still  there  is  no  law  bearing  on  the 
point,  one  way  or  the  other ;  nothing  forbidding 
us  to  take  wine  provided  we  do  not  exceed  ;  nothing 
obliging  us  to  take  it  even  in  moderation. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  clear  evidence  that 
total  abstinence  was  pleasing  to  God — more  pleas- 
ing than  even  the  moderate  use  of  strong  drink. 
This  is  shown  by  the  vow  of  the  Nazarites.  "  The 
Lord  spoke  to  Moses,  saying :  Speak  to  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  and  thou  shalt  say  to  them :  When 
a  man  or  woman  shall  make  a  vow  to  be  sanctified 
and  will  consecrate  themselves  to  the  Lord,  they 
shall  abstain  from  wine  and  from  everything  that 
will  make   a   man   drunk."      (Numbers   vi,   1-3.) 


XXI, 


low,  when 


Thus  the  Nazarites  were  pledged  abstainers.  They 
were  of  two  kinds:  Nazarites  for  life,  amongst 
whom  were  Samson,  Samuel,  St.  John  the  Baptist 
(of  whom  the  angel  foretold  "  he  shall  not  drink 
wine  nor  strong  drink"),  and  St.  James  the  Apostle, 
Bishop  of  Jerusalem ;  and  Nazarites  "  of  days," 
for  a  length  of  time  according  to  choice,  during 
which  time  they  had  to  abstain. 

Samson  and  Samuel  were  Nazarites  by  divine 
command.  The  latter  founded  the  great  schools  of 
prophets,  the  members  of  which  were  Nazarites, 
and  out  of  these  schools  arose  most,  or  all,  of  the 
prophets  during  the  kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel. 
Jeremias,  bewailing  the  desolation  of  Sion,  says : 
"  Her  Nazarites  were  whiter  than  snow,  purer  than 
milk,  more  ruddy  than  the  old  ivory,  fairer  than 
the  sapphire."     (Lamentations  iv,  7.) 

Daniel  and  his  three  companions  in  Babylon 
were  abstainers,  and  refused  the  meat  and  wine 
which  were  brought  to  them,  and  asked :  "  Let 
pulse  be  given  to  us  to  eat  and  water  to  drink,  .  .  . 
and  after  ten  days  their  faces  appeared  fairer  and 
fatter  than  all  the  children  that  eat  of  the  king's 
meat."     (Daniel  i,  12,  15.) 

Moreover,  abstinence  from  wine  formed  part  of 
the  Jewish  fast ;  on  fast  days  water  was  the  only 
drink-offering  made  at  the  holy  place,  and  the  Jew- 
ish priests  were  forbidden  to  touch  "  wine  or  any 
thing  that  may  make  drunk  "  during  the  time  of 
the  service  in  the  temple.  (Leviticus  x,  9 ;  Eze- 
chiel  xliv,  21.) 

If  we  turn  to  the  New  Testament,  we  find  the 
principles  of  total  abstinence  clearly  laid  down. 

We  tell  the  drunkard  that,  no  matter  how  dearly 
he  loves  his  glass,  he  should  give  it  up  to  save  his 
soul,  because  to  him  even  a  very  little  intoxicating 
drink  is  likely  to  lead  to  excess.  Our  Blessed  Lord 
says  :  "If  thine  eye  scandalize  thee,  pluck  it  out. 
It  is  better  for  thee  with  one  eye  to  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  than  having  two  eyes  to  be  cast 
into  the  hell  of  fire  "  (St.  Mark  ix,  46) ;  that  is  to 
say,  if  anything  be  an  occasion  of  sin  to  us,  as 
drink  is  to  the  drunkard  and  to  those  in  danger  of 
becoming  drunkards,  it  is  better  for  us,  and  it  is 
even  our  duty,  to  give  it  up  rather  than  risk  that  it 
should  bring  us  into  hell. 

As  for  those  to  whom  intoxicating  drink  is  not 


TOTAL   ABSTINENCE. 


411 


an  occasion  of  sin,  to  them  we  appeal  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  charity  and  zeal  for  the  good  of  our  neigh- 
bor ;  and  we  ask  that  for  the  sake  of  their  weaker 
brethren,  to  give  them  example  and  encourage- 
ment, they  would  forego  what  is  perfectly  lawful. 
This  is  quite  according  to  the  teaching  of  St.  Paul : 
"  If  because  of  thy  meat  thy  brother  be  grieved, 
thou  walkest  not  now  according  to  charity.  Destroy 
not  him  with  thy  meat  for  whom  Christ  died.  .  .  . 
All  things  indeed  are  clean  :  but  it  is  evil  for  that 
man  who  eateth  with  offence "  (so,  as  mentioned 
above,  there  is  no  sin  in  strong  drink  itself,  the  sin 
is  in  those  who  misuse  it)  ;  "  it  is  good  not  to  eat 
flesh  and  not  to  drink  wine  nor  any  thing  whereby 
thy  brother  is  offended  or  scandalized  ox  made 
weak."     (Romans  xiv,  21.) 

And  again,  "  if  meat  scandalize  "  (be  an  occasion 
of  sin  to)  "  my  brother,  I  will  never  eat  flesh  lest  I 
should  scandalize  my  brother."  ( i  Corinthians 
viii,  13.)  From  this  it  is  clear  that  if  wine  be  a 
source  of  danger  to  our  brethren,  as  indeed  it  is, 
we  do  a  good  and  virtuous  act  in  abstaining  from  it 
for  their  sakes. 

It  is  probable,  judging  from  the  part  he  took  in 
the  purification  of  the  Nazarites  (a.  d.  58) ,  that  St. 
Paul  himself  was  a  total  abstainer ;  at  all  events, 
this  is  the  opinion  of  the  learned  Baronius.  With 
regard  to  his  advice  to  his  disciple  Timothy,  the 
latter  had  long  been  a  water-drinker  (as  is  implied 
in  the  Greek  text),  and  not  without  the  knowledge 
and  approval  of  his  teacher ;  later  on,  as  his  health 
declined,  St.  Paul  advised  him  "  to  use  a  little  wine, 
for  thy  stomach's  sake  and  thy  frequent  infirmities!''' 
(i  Timothy  v,  23.)  On  this  text  St.  Chrysostom 
remarks  :  "  He  does  not  allow  him  to  indulge  freely 
in  wine,  but  as  much  as  was  for  his  health  and  not 
for  luxury  ;"  and  St.  Jerome  says  :  "  See  for  what 
reasons  the  draught  of  wine  is  granted ;  that  relief 
may  be  afibrded  to  the  aching  stomach  and  the  fre- 
quent infirmity,  and  lest  we  should  make  an  excuse 
of  our  illness  he  orders  that  a  little  should  be 
taken,  and  rather  by  the  advice  of  a  physician  than 
of  the  Apostle,  though  the  Apostle  is  indeed  a  spir- 
itual physician." 

But  did  not  our  Blessed  Lord  take  wine  ?  Did 
He  not  change  the  water  into  wine  at  the  marriage 
feast  ?     Did  He  not  use  it  and  ordaAp.  its  constant 


use  iu  the  Blessed  Eucharist,  where  it  is  changed 
into  His  Precious  Blood  ?  All  this  is  quite  true — 
but  what  follows  from  it  ?  that  we  are  bound  to 
take  wine  and  may  not  give  up  our  liberty  if  we 
choose  ?  Certainly  not ;  else  how  could  the  Holy 
Baptist  and  St.  James  have  been  total  abstainers  ? 
Indeed,  according  to  Baronius,  not  only  St.  James 
and  St.  Paul,  but  most  of  the  other  Apostles  also 
were  abstainers,  and  they,  best  of  all,  knew  the 
teaching  of  the  Great  Master.  "  The  kingdom  of 
God  is  not  in  eating  and  drinking  "  (Romans  xiv, 
17) ;  that  is  to  say,  perfection  does  not  consist  solely 
and  entirely  in  th^  use  or  non-use  of  certain  kinds 
of  food. 

Our  Blessed  Lord,  who  entered  into  society  of  all 
classes,  took  the  ordinary  food  placed  before  Him. 
Whatever  He  did  was  perfect.  His  mode  of  life, 
though  after  the  common  way  of  men,  was  more 
perfect  than  the  severe  and  penitential  life  of  St. 
John,  His  forerunner — not  because  it  was  such  in 
itself  and  would  be  so  no  matter  who  practiced  that 
mode  of  life,  but  because  it  was  practiced  by  Him 
whose  every  act  was  of  infinite  value.  If  we  look 
to  the  motive  why  our  Lord  chose  to  eat  and  drink 
according  to  the  customs  of  the  time  and  of  the 
people  with  whom  He  lived,  we  may  say  that  His 
motive  was  that  by  leading  a  life  such  as  their  own 
He  might  the  more  easily  win  their  hearts.  There 
was  no  special  reason  why  at  that  time  the  people 
should  be  led  to  total  abstinence ;  they  were  not 
then  given  to  drunkenness  and  probably  used 
intoxicating  drink  only  on  festive  occasions.  And 
so  our  Lord,  who  became  "all  things  to  all  that  He 
might  gain  all,"  did  not  refuse  that  kind  of  drink, 
the  moderate  use  of  which  was  perfectly  innocent ; 
and  did  not  disdain  in  answer  to  His  Mother's 
request  to  gladden  the  marriage  festivities,  and  to 
spare  His  host  the  shame  of  falling  short  in  their 
provisions,  by  changing  the  water  into  wine. 

This  miracle  and  our  Lord's  use  of  wine  show 
the  falsity  of  those  who  taught  that  wine  and 
strong  drink  were  evil  in  themselves  and  the  work 
of  the  evil  one  ;  but  it  is  no  argument  against  total 
abstinence  rightly  understood.  For  though  the 
moderate  use  of  wine  at  the  time  of  our  Lord  was 
perfectly  lawful  and  innocent,  and  is  so  still,  yet 
owing  to  the  altered  state  of  society,  it  cannot  be 


412 


TOTAL   ABSTINENCE. 


denied,  that  it  may  be  more  perfect,  at  the  present 
time,  to  abstain  from  wine  and  strong  drink  that 
we  may  encourage  those  to  whom  total  abstinence 
is  necessary.  In  any  case  there  is  no  command  to 
follow  our  Lord  in  the  use  of  wine  ;  we  are  free  to 
give  up  our  liberty  for  His  sake  if  we  choose. 

The  same  remarks  apply  to  the  Blessed  Euchar- 
ist. A  sect  called  Aquarians  once  held  that  water, 
not  wine,  was  the  matter  of  the  Eucharist ;  but 
they  were  condemned  by  the  Church.  There  are 
many  reasons  why  wine  is  the  "  matter  "  used  in 
the  Eucharist :  it  very  fitly  represents  the  Precious 
Blood,  and  also  inasmuch  as  it  is  made  from  many 
grapes,  as  bread  from  many  grains  of  wheat,  it 
represents  the  union  of  the  many  members  of  the 
Church.  The  chief  reason  is  that  Christ  willed  it 
so.  But  still  no  command  can  be  drawn  therefrom 
that  we  should  use  wine  as  ordinary  food,  no  hint 
that  if  we  choose  to  pledge  ourselves  to  abstain,  we 
may  not  do  so. 

To  sum  up  the  teaching  of  Holy  Scripture :  (i) 
Total  abstinence  is  not  forbidden ;  (2)  neither  is  it 
commanded  to  be  practiced  by  all ;  (3)  it  was  com- 
manded under  certain  circumstances,  was  practiced 
by  many  of  the  Scripture  Saints,  and  the  exhorta- 
tion to  practice  total  abstinence  as  a  means  of  pre- 
servation from  danger  and  an  exercise  of  zeal  and 
charity  is  sanctioned  by  Gospel  principles. 

Total  Abstinence  and  the  Church. 

"What  has  been  the  attitude  of  the  Church  towards 
total  abstinence?  Much  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  There  has  not  been  any  general 
law  enforcing  it,  nor  any  general  law  forbidding  it, 
though  special  laws  have  ordered  the  use  of  wine 
and  abstinence  from  it  in  special  cases.  During 
the  period  of  the  Manichean  heresy,  referred  to 
above,  Pope  Leo  the  Great  ordered  that  Holy  Com- 
munion should  be  received  under  both  forms, 
namely,  of  bread  and  of  wine.  The  special  cases 
in  which  wine  was  forbidden  will  be  mentioned 
presently. 

But  though  there  was  no  general  law  prescribing 
total  abstinence,  yet  this  was  observed  by  a  great 
number  of  Christians,  who  on  account  of  their 
holiness — and  in  many  cases  for  their  learning 
also — are  entitled  to  our  veneration. 


The  monks  of  the  East,  of  whom  there  were 
many  and  large  communities,  were  all  total  ab- 
stainers. Among  them  were  St.  Antony,  their 
founder,  St.  Pachomius,  St.  Hilarion,  St.  Arsenius, 
St.  Basil,  etc.  In  the  time  of  St.  Jerome  and  St. 
Augustine  there  were  many  monasteries  in  Italy 
with  the  same  rule,  and  St.  Augustine  brings  for- 
ward these  monks  of  the  East  and  West  as  models 
of  Christian  perfection,  making  special  mention  of 
their  total  abstinence.  St.  Jerome  was  himself  an 
abstainer,  and  for  some  time  a  monk  ;  he  founded  a 
monastery  and  convent  at  Bethlehem,  whose  mem- 
bers, amongst  whom  were  SS.  Paula,  Eustochium 
and  Lseta,  were  abstainers  ;  so  were  also  the  nuns 
under  St.  Marcella. 

The  British,  Irish,  and  Welsh  monks  followed 
the  Eastern  rules  and  were  abstainers  ;  amongst 
them  were  St.  Gildas,  St.  Columban,  St.  David, 
St.  Aidan,  St.  Winwalve. 

In  the  sixth  century  the  great  order  of  St.  Bene- 
dict was  instituted,  and  as  its  rules  were  less  severe 
than  those  of  the  religious  orders  of  the  East,  it 
was  soon  widely  spread  throughout  Europe.  Its 
founder  allowed  the  moderate  use  of  wine,  but  in 
doing  so,  departed,  as  he  himself  expressly  de- 
clares, from  the  universal  custom  in  monasteries 
before  his  time.  In  England,  after  the  coming  of 
St.  Augustine,  A.  D.  596,  each  convent  or  monas- 
tery followed  its  own  rule  as  to  the  use  of  wine ;  in 
several  of  them,  as  at  Rievaulx,  in  Yorkshire, 
where  in  1143  St.  ^Ired  was  Abbot  over  three 
hundred  monks,  total  abstinence  was  observed. 

The  monks  were  preceded  by  the  "Ascetics,"  or, 
as  they  were  sometimes  called,  "  Abstainers,"  who, 
while  living  in  the  world,  aimed  at  a  strict  and  per- 
fect life ;  they  all  abstained  from  meat  and  strong 
drink. 

The  hermits,  after  the  example  of  their  founder, 
St.  Paul  of  Thebais  (a.  d.  342),  were  all  abstainers. 
St.  Neot,  St.  Guthlac  of  Croyland,  St.  Henry  of 
Cocket,  St.  Simon  Stock,  who  afterwards  joined 
the  Carmelite  Order,  were  English  hermits ;  St. 
Caradoc  was  a  Welsh  hermit,  and  St.  Psalmodius 
was  an  Irish  hermit — all  total  abstainers. 

In  addition  to  those  already  mentioned,  the  fol- 
lowing canonized  Saints  were  total  abstainers  :  St. 
Mary  Magdalen  during  the  latter  part  of  her  life ; 


TOTAL   ABSTINENCE. 


413 


St.  Germanus,  who  in  the  fourth  century  preached 
to  the  Britons  ;  St.  John  Chrysostom  ;  St.  Ambrose, 
and  his  sister  St.  Marcellina;  St.  Paul  of  Corn- 
wall; St.  Cuthbert;  St.  Bonaventure;  St.  Peter 
Damien  ;  St.  Bernard  (except  at  times  of  illness) ; 
St.  Finian ;  St.  Francis ;  St.  Vincent  Ferrer ;  St. 
Richard  of  Chichester ;  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury  ; 
St.  Charles  Borromeo ;  St.  Francis  Xavier;  St. 
Aloysius. 

Abstinence  from  strong  drink  was  a  necessary 
part  of  the  ecclesiastical  fast  as  observed  in  the 
East ;  this  was  not,  it  appears,  of  obligation  in  the 
West,  but  in  early  times  it  was  the  common  prac- 
tice, and  is  mentioned  by  St.  Augustine  and  other 
writers.  It  was  also  a  part  of  the  penitential  fast 
imposed  by  the  Church  for  public  sins ;  though, 
when  this  penance  was  imposed  for  a  long  period, 
a  little  wine — in  England,  beer — was  allowed 
occasionally. 

A  few  passages  from  the  Fathers  on  .otal  absti- 
nence will  be  interesting.  St.  Clement  of  Alex- 
andria (a.  d.  195)  says  :  "  I  praise  and  admire  those 
who  have  chosen  an  austere  life  and  who  take  water 
as  the  preserver  of  moderation^  and  flee  wine  like  a 
threatening  fire."  He  wishes  that  all  young  people 
should  drink  water  only,  but  allows  wine  mixed 
mth  water  to  the  aged. 

St.  Jerome,  writing  to  Eustochium,  a  lady  under 
his  spiritual  direction  (a.  d.  384)  says  :  "  This  is 
my  chief  advice  to  you,  this  I  implore,  that  the 
Spouse  of  Christ  fly  wine  like  poison.  This  is  the 
first  weapon  of  the  devil  against  youth.  Not  thus 
does  avarice  disturb  us,  pride  swell  us,  ambition 
gratify  us ;  we  may  easily  be  without  other  vices, 
but  this  enemy  is  shut  up  within  us.  Wherever 
Tve  go,  we  carry  with  us  an  adversary — wine  and 
youth,  the  double  fire  of  pleasure.  Why  do  we 
add  oil  to  the  flame  ?"  To  Nepotianus  he  writes : 
"Avoid,  equally  with  wine,  everything  that  can 
intoxicate  or  disturb  the  mind.  I  do  not  say  this 
as  though  a  creature  of  God  were  condemned  by 
us  ;  for  the  Lord  was  even  called  a  wine-bibber,  and 
a  drink  of  wine  was  allowed  to  Timothy  when  in 
suffering ;  but  we  require  a  measure  in  drinking 
according  to  age,  health  and  the  state  of  the  body. 
And  if,  without  wine,  I  am  on  fire,  with  youth,  and 
if  I  am  inflamed  with  the  heat  of  the  blood  and  am 


of  healthy  constitution,  I  will  willingly  do  without 
the  cup  in  which  there  is  a  taint  of  poison." 
Among  the  counsels  which  he  gave  to  Laeta  on 
the  education  of  her  child  was  this :  "  Let  her 
learn  now  not  to  drink  wine,  in  which  is  luxury," 
though  until  she  had  grown  to  her  full  strength  he 
would  allow  the  girl  "  a  little  wine  if  necessity 
should  require  it." 

The  teaching  of  St.  Thomas  is  quite  in  harmony 
with  the  above.  He  says  that  though  the  use  of 
wine  (or  strong  drink)  is  not  in  itself  unlawful,  yet 
it  may  be  so  under  certain  circumstances ;  for  in- 
stance, if  a  person  be  easily  overcome  by  wine,  or 
if  he  drink  to  excess,  then  the  use  of  it  is  unlaw- 
ful ;  and  he  says,  moreover,  that  "  for  some  per- 
sons, in  order  to  arrive  at  perfection,  it  is  necessary 
that  they  should  abstain  from  wine,  according  to 
the  circumstances  of  persons  and  places,"  and, 
'"  Christ  withdraws  us  from  some  things  not  alto- 
gether unlawful,  and  from  some  others  as  hin- 
drances to  perfection ;  and  in  this  way  He  with- 
draws some  persons  from  wine  on  account  of  an 
earnest  desire  for  perfection." 

It  may  be  said  that  total  abstinence,  as  we  find  it 
in  the  lives  and  writings  of  the  saints,  is  not  a 
remedy  against  drunkenness,  but  a  means  of  per- 
fection and  practice  of  mortification ;  that  they 
were  exceptional  persons,  and,  therefore,  what  they 
did  cannot  be  put  forward  as  a  model  for  ordinary 
persons.  This  is  partly  true.  The  pledge  was 
unknown  to  the  saints  and  early  Christians ;  and 
they,  in  opposing  the  vice  of  drunkenness,  used 
other  means  than  total  abstinence,  though  we  do 
read  of  some  who  state  that  those  who  cannot  drink 
in  moderation  should  abstain  altogether.  Why 
was  not  total  abstinence  proposed  ?  Because  the 
state  of  society,  the  nature  of  the  intoxicating 
drink,  the  temptations  to  intemperance  were  differ- 
ent from  those  of  the  present  day. 

The  use  of  distilled  liquors,  which  in  one  way  or 
another  is  the  chief  cause  of  the  intoxicating  power 
of  drink  now,  was  not  common  till  the  17th  cen- 
tury ;  public  houses  were  not  put  in  the  people's 
way  as  they  are  now ;  the  temptations  to  intemper- 
ance were  not  then  a  daily  peril — with  a  double 
strength  on  a  Saturday ;  the  danger  lay  rather  in 
fairs    and   festive   gatherings,    and    against   these 


414 


TOTAL   ABSTINENCE. 


chiefly  were  -warnings  directed.  Now,  however, 
that  intemperance  has  terribly  increased,  some  new 
and  special  remedy  is  required.  Total  abstinence 
has  been  tried  and  has  been  judged  successful  by 
many  entitled  to  give  an  opinion,  and  it  would  ill 
become  us  to  reject  or  oppose  such  a  remedy,  with 
the  plea  that  its  supporters  are  aiming  at  too  high 
a  standard  and  are  proposing  to  the  general  public 
that  which  was  the  practice  of  the  saints.  This  is 
rather  like  saying  that  a  remedy  is  to  be  rejected 
if  it  is  found  to  be  very  good  and  much  usci  by 
persons  qualified  to  judge. 

As  regards  the  action  of  the  Church  in  our  own 
days  towards  total  abstinence,  the  late  Holy  Father, 
Pius  IX.,  showed  his  approval  of  the  temperance 
movement  by  granting  several  Indulgences  to  the 
League  of  the  Cross ;  and  the  present  Pope,  Leo 
XIII. ,  has  confirmed  these,  and  has  issued  a  brief 
or  letter  to  the  League  of  the  Cross  of  America, 
where  many  of  the  Bishops  and  of  the  clergy  are 
abstainers,  encouraging  the  League  in  its  efibrts  to 
suppress  intemperance. 

On  more  than  one  occasion  the  Holy  Father  has 
signified  his  approval  of  the  total  abstinence  move- 
ment in  America,  and,  in  concluding,  we  cannot 
do  better  than  reproduce  His  Holiness's  letter  to 
Bishop  Ireland : 

"  To  Our  Venerable  Brother,  John  Ireland, 
Bishop  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  Leo  XIII. ,  Pope. 
Venerable  Brother,  Health  and  Apostolic  Benedic- 
tion. The  admirable  works  of  piety  and  charity, 
by  which  our  faithful  children  in  the  United  States 
labor  to  promote  not  only  their  own  temporal  and 
eternal  welfare,  but  also  that  of  their  fellow-citizens, 
and  which  you  have  recently  related  to  Us,  give  to 
Us  exceeding  great  consolation.  And  above  all. 
We  have  rejoiced  to  learn  with  what  energy  and 
zeal,  by  means  of  various  excellent  associations, 
and  especially  through  the  Catholic  Total  Absti- 
nence Union,  you  combat  the  destructive  vice  of 
intemperance.  For  it  is  well  known  to  Us  how 
ruinous,  how  deplorable,  is  the  injury,  both  to  faith 
and  to  morals,  that  is  to  be  feared  from  intemper- 


ance in  drink.  Nor  can  We  sufficiently  praise  the 
Prelates  of  the  United  States,  who  recently  in  the 
Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore  with  weightiest  words 
condemned  this  abuse,  declaring  it  to  be  a  per- 
petual incentive  to  sin,  and  a  fruitful  root  of  all 
evils,  plunging  the  families  of  the  intemperate  into 
direst  ruin,  and  drawing  numberless  souls  down  to 
everlasting  perdition,  declaring  moreover  that  the 
faithful  who  yield  to  this  vice  of  intemperance  be- 
come thereby  a  scandal  to  non-Catholics,  and  a  great 
hindrance  to  the  propagation  of  the  true  religion. 

"  Hence  We  esteem  worthy  of  commendation  the 
noble  resolve  of  our  pious  associations,  by  which 
they  pledge  themselves  to  abstain  totally  from 
every  kind  of  intoxicating  drink.  Nor  can  it  at  all 
be  doubted  that  this  determination  is  the  proper  and 
the  truly  efficacious  remedy  for  this  very  great  evil ; 
and  that  so  mcuh  the  more  strongly  will  all  be  in- 
duced to  put  this  bridle  upon  appetite,  by  how  much 
the  greater  are  the  dignity  and  influence  of  those 
who  give  the  example.  But  greatest  of  all  in  this 
matter  should  be  the  zeal  of  priests,  who,  as  they 
are  called  to  instruct  the  people  in  the  word  of  life, 
and  to  mould  them  to  Christian  morality,  should 
also,  and  above  all,  walk  before  them  in  the  prac- 
tice of  virtue.  Let  pastors,  therefore,  do  their  best 
to  drive  the  plague  of  intemperance  from  the  fold 
of  Christ,  by  assiduous  preaching  and  exhortation, 
and  to  shine  before  all  as  models  of  abstinence, 
and  so  the  many  calamities  with  which  this  vice 
threatens  both  Church  and  State  may,  by  their 
strenuous  endeavors,  be  averted. 

"  And  We  most  earnestly  beseech  Almighty  God 
that,  in  this  important  matter.  He  may  graciously 
favor  your  desires,  direct  your  counsels,  and  assist 
your  endeavors ;  and  as  a  pledge  of  the  Divine 
protection,  and  a  testimony  of  our  paternal  afiec- 
tion.  We  most  lovingly  bestow  upon  you,  vener- 
able brother,  and  upon  all  your  associates  in  this 
holy  league,  the  Apostolic  Benediction. 

"  Given  at  Rome,  from  St.  Peter's,  this  27th  day 
of  March,  in  the  year  1887,  the  tenth  year  of  Our 
Pontificate.  Leo  XIIL,  Pope." 


The  Little  Sisters  o^the  Poor, 

{From  ike  French  of  M.  Leon  Aubineaui) 
BY   THK   RKV.  JAIVIES   CONNKl^IvY. 


The  Birthplace  of  the  Institute. 

The  work  of  the  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor  began 
in  the  year  1840  at  St.  Servan,  a  small  town  on  the 
coast  of  Brittany,  opposite  to  St.  Malo,  from  which 
it  is  divided  by  an  arm  of  the  sea.  The  coast  is 
largely  inhabited  by  a  seafaring  population,  and 
to  the  havoc  made  by  storms  and  shipwrecks  is 
attributed  the  considerable  number  of  destitute 
widows  to  be  found  there.  These  poor  creatures 
have  no  means  of  livelihood  but  begging,  and  they 
are  infected  with  all  the  vices  to  which  this  occupa- 
tion gives  rise.  Theirs  is  a  deplorable,  vagabond 
life.  Lingering  about  the  church  doors,  without 
ever  crossing  the  threshold,  or  knowing  aught  of 
the  Sacred  Mysteries  which  are  therein  enacted, 
they  live  and  die  in  complete  ignorance  of  all  that 
concerns  the  salvation  of  their  souls. 

The  needs  of  these  poor  women,  their  spiritual 
destitution  far  more  pitiful  than  their  physical  mis- 
eries, which  at  least  brought  some  alms,  had  for 
some  time  past  been  weighing  heavily  upon  the 
heart  of  one  of  the  priests  of  St.  Servan. 

The  Founder. 

The  Abbe  Le  Pailleur  was  not  more  than  twentj'- 
five  years  of  age  when  circumstances  providentially 
called  him  to  St.  Servan.  He  went  there  to  hold 
the  position  of  lowest  vicaire  of  the  parish.*  His 
ardent  and  persevering  desire  was  to  devote  himself 
body  and  soul  to  the  service  of  God  and  His  suffer- 
ing poor.  The  failure  of  several  attempts  which 
he  had  made  for  their  relief  had  by  no  means 
shaken  his  resolution  or  daunted  his  courage. 

Betaking  himself  to  the  post  to  which  his  bishop 

*  In  France  the  title  Abbe  (from  a  Syriac  word  xrx.'xmng  father) 
is  applied  to  all  the  secular  clergy.     A  parish  priest  is  called 
Cure,  that  is,  one  who  has  the  curi  or  care  of  souls ;  a  priest 
who  assists  him  is  called  a  Vicaire,  or  one  who  acts  in  place  of 
another,  as  the  Pope  is  called  the  Vicar  of  Christ. 


had  appointed  him,  the  young  priest  had  no  sooner 
set  foot  in  the  parish  than  he  felt  himself  seized 
and,  as  it  were,  carried  away  by  a  strong  impulse, 
under  which  all  the  powers  of  his  soul  were  ab- 
sorbed. Entering  the  church  he  cast  himself 
down  before  the  tabernacle  and  offered  himself  to 
God,  renewing  his  promise  to  accomplish  the  Divine 
will  entirely  and  absolutely  in  all  things.  While 
making  this  offering  he  became  convinced  that 
God  demanded  of  him  the  foundation  of  a  work  of 
charity,  of  self-devotion,  and  of  prayer,  which  was 
to  begin  in  the  very  parish  to  which  he  had  just 
come.  He  did  not  know,  he  could  not  discern  the 
precise  form  which  this  work  was  to  take  ;  but  he 
understood  that  its  object  would  be  the  salvation  of 
the  souls  of  the  aged  poor. 

Born  at  St.  Malo,  the  Abbe  Le  Pailleur  had  long 
known  the  destitution  of  the  aged  poor  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  his  loving  heart  had  gone  out 
in  sympathy  towards  them.  He  was  deeply  grieved 
to  see  how  absolute  their  destitution  was  in  the 
parish  to  which  he  had  been  sent.  In  the  young 
priest's  mind,  or  rather  in  the  designs  with  which 
he  had  been  inspired,  the  ideas  of  a  home  and  of 
spiritual  aid  for  the  poor,  were  inseparably  united. 
He  would  fain  have  undertaken  at  once  some  meas- 
ure for  their  relief,  but  he  knew  full  well  how  slow 
and  peaceful  are  the  ways  of  God.  Although  fully 
determined  upon  his  project,  he  was  entirely  desti- 
tute of  means  for  its  accomplishment. 

The  First  Sisters. 

No   long   time,   however,    elapsed   before    God's 

providence   pointed    out   to    him   whom    He    had 

chosen  for  the  work.     Shortly  after  his  arrival  at 

St.  Servan,  there  came  one  day  to  his  confessional 

a  young  girl  (Marie  Jamet)  whom  he  did  not  know, 

and  who  has  never  been  able  to  explain  why  she 

went  there. 

415 


416 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 


The  priest  at  once  recognized  in  his  penitent  a 
soul  eminently  fitted  for  the  great  work  which  he 
had  ia  view,  while  she,  on  her  part,  felt  that  peace 
and  confidence  which  God  gives  to  souls  under  the 
direction  for  which  He  destines  them.  She  earned 
her  living  by  needlework,  and  had  nothing  but  her 
own  labor  to  depend  on.  She  had  had  a  great 
desire  to  become  a  nun,  but  no  prospect  of  being 
able  to  carry  out  her  wish  had  as  yet  appeared. 
Her  new  confessor  confirmed  her  in  this  desire, 
and  already  foresaw  the  day  when  his  own  plans 
for  succoring  the  aged  poor  would  begin  to  be 
realized.  Among  those  whom  he  directed  he  had 
noticed  another  young  girl,  Virginie  Tredaniel,  an 
orphan,  of  much  the  same  condition  of  life  as  the 
first.  He  advised  them  to  become  friends,  and, 
without  as  yet  dropping  a  hint  of  his  scheme, 
assured  them  that  God  desired  both  of  them  to 
give  themselves  entirely  to  His  service.  At  this 
time  the  elder,  Marie  Jamet,  was  not  quite  eigh- 
teen ;  the  younger,  Virginie  Tredaniel,  was  hardly 
sixteen.  Their  confessor  told  them  that  they  would 
both  serve  God  in  the  same  community.  They 
believed  him,  and  inquired  no  further.  He  urged 
them  to  prepare  themselves  for  this  happiness  by 
endeavoring  to  overcome  the  wayward  inclinations 
of  nature,  and  they  addressed  themselves  gener- 
ously to  the  task.  The  younger  he  enjoined  to 
look  upon  the  elder  as  a  superior  and  a  mother. 

Each  was  busy  about  her  own  work  during  the 
week,  but  the  Sundays  they  spent  together.  Before 
the  abbe  had  brought  them  together  they  had  not 
known  each  other ;  but  from  that  day  they  were 
united  by  one  of  those  powerful,  loving  bonds 
which  God  forms  between  souls  which  are  His — 
bonds  of  which  the  world  with  its  frivolous  friend- 
ships knows  nothing. 

Every  Sunday  after  the  parish  Mass,  the  two 
girls  used  to  go  to  the  seashore.  They  had  appro- 
priated to  themselves  a  certain  cavern  in  the  rocks, 
under  the  shelter  of  which  they  spent  the  afternoon 
in  intercourse  with  God,  in  telling  one  another 
what  was  passing  within  their  hearts,  and  in  ac- 
knowledging to  each  other  their  little  infidelities  to 
the  rule  of  life  which  had  been  given  to  them.  In 
this  way  they  accustomed  themselves  in  all  sim- 
plicity to  that  exercise  of  the  religious  life  which 


is  called  spiritual  conferences.  Much  of  their  time 
was  spent  over  their  rule.  One  sentence  especially 
struck  them,  but  they  were  quite  unable  to  guess 
its  meaning :  "  We  will  above  all  things  strive  to 
be  kind  to  the  sick  and  aged  poor.  We  will  never 
deny  them  our  services  when  occasion  offers,  but 
we  must  be  very  careful  not  to  meddle  in  what  does 
not  concern  us." 

They  weighed  every  word  without  being  able  to 
discover  the  designs  of  him  whom  we  may  already 
call  their  father.  He  treated  them  as  St.  Francis 
treated  St.  Jane  Frances  de  Chantal,  speaking  to 
them  of  their  vocation,  proposing  certain  commu- 
nities, then  changing  his  mind,  urging  them  to 
offer  themselves  where  he  knew  they  would  not  be 
received ;  in  a  word,  exercising  their  patience  and 
moulding  their  wills  in  various  ways  for  the  space  of 
two  years. 

A  Small  Beginning. 

During  the  last  months  of  this  time  of  probation 
the  abbe  opened  his  mind  a  little  further  to  them. 
He  recommended  them  to  undertake  the  care  of  a 
blind  old  woman  living  in  their  neighborhood.  The 
girls  obeyed ;  they  gave  all  their  spare  time  to  this 
poor  invalid ;  they  comforted  her  to  the  best  of 
their  power,  spent  their  little  savings  on  her,  did 
her  housework,  led  her  to  Mass  on  Sunday ;  in  a 
word,  did  for  her  anything  and  everything  that 
charity  could  suggest. 

Meanwhile,  God's  providence  so  arranged  things 
that  it  was  possible  to  make  a  small  beginning  of 
the  work.  They  came  across  an  old  servant,  whose 
name  is  now  known  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  France — Jeanne  Jugan — who  eagerly 
entered  into  the  plans  which  were  disclosed  to  her. 
She  was  forty-eight  years  of  age.  Her  savings 
amounted  to  about  six  hundred  francs  ($120), 
which,  with  what  she  earned,  was  sufficient  for  her 
needs.  To  save  expenses,  she  lived  with  another 
good  woman,  Fanchon  Aubert,  who  seemed  des- 
tined in  the  designs  of  Providence  to  play  the  part 
of  first  benefactress  to  the  new-bom  institute. 
Fanchon  was  about  sixty  years  of  age  ;  she  had  a 
small  sum  of  money,  a  little  furniture,  and  plenty 
of  clothing.  She  gave  all  she  had,  and  we  may 
say  she  gave  herself.  She  shared  the  Sisters' 
labors  and  privations ;    she  lived  with  them  and 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 


417 


never  left  them ;  she  died  in  their  arms.  It  had 
been  suggested  to  her  to  bind  herself  by  vows,  as 
her  companions  had  done,  but  she  thought  herself 
too  old ;  she  wished  to  remain  with  them  just  as 
she  had  been  from  the  first. 

Into  the  little  attic  which  she  occupied  with 
Jeanne  she  had  gladly  received  Virginie  Tredaniel, 
who,  being  an  orphan,  was  obliged  to  seek  for  a 
home.  Marie  Jamet  spent  with  her  friends  all  the 
time  at  her  disposal.  The  little  community  at  this 
time  consisted  of  the  following  members :  Sister 
Mary  Augustine  (Marie  Jamet,  the  elder  of  the  two 
girls),  who,  at  this  writing,  was  Mother  General  of 
the  Institute ;  Sister  Mary  Teresa  (Virginie  Tre- 
daniel, the  younger),  who  became  first  Assistant- 
General,  and  died  in  the  year  1853  ;  Sister  Mary  of 
the  Cross  (Jeanne  Jugan,  the  old  servant),  who 
died  in  1879  ;  and  their  old  friend  and  benefactress, 
Fanchon  Aubert. 

Fanchon  had  not  been  told  of  the  plans  which 
the  Sisters  were  maturing.  They  were  unwilling 
to  announce  publicly  that  they  were  about  to  found 
a  new  institute ;  indeed,  they  were  hardly  yet  aware 
of  the  fact  themselves.  Their  father  had  bid  them 
abandon  themselves  entirely  to  God ;  leave  all  to 
Him  ;  trouble  themselves  about  nothing  but  loving 
and  serving  Him^  with  their  whole  heart,  and  devot- 
ing themselves  to  the  welfare  and  salvation  of  their 
neighbor. 

The  First  Inmates. 

When  Sister  Mary  Teresa  came  to  live  in  the 
attic  she  did  not  come  alone.  She  brought  with 
her  our  Lord  in  the  person  of  His  poor.  On  the 
Feast  of  St.  Teresa,  the  15th  October,  1840,  Sisters 
Mary  Augustine  and  Mary  Teresa  carried  in  their 
arms  to  Fanchon's  attic  the  poor  blind  old  woman 
of  eighty  years,  of  whom  they  had  been  taking 
care  for  some  months,  and  the  blessing  of  God 
entered  with  her  into  that  little  family.  As  there 
was  still  a  vacant  corner,  they  took  in  another  old 
woman.     The  room  was  then  full. 

There  was  no  change,  however,  in  the  manner 
of  life  of  the  little  houshold  over  which  Fanchon 
presided.  Sisters  Mary  Augustine  and  Mary 
Teresa  worked  at  their  sewing,  and  Sister  Mary 
of  the  Cross  at  her  spinning.  From  time  to  time 
they  interrupted  their  labors  to  attend  their  two 

27 


old  patients.  They  did  for  them  all  that  loving 
daughters  could  do  for  a  mother,  relieving  their 
sufferings,  enlivening  their  faith,  kindling  their 
piety.  The  abbe  helped  the  little  community  to 
the  utmost  of  his  power,  and  with  God's  blessing 
there  was  enough  for  all. 

A  fourth  servant  of  the  poor  joined  the  first 
three.  She  was  sick  and  at  the  point  of  death,  but 
she  wished  to  die  consecrated  to  God.  Carried  to 
Fanchon's  attic,  she  there  in  a  wonderful  way 
recovered  her  health.  That  life  which  she  had 
given  to  God,  and  which  He  had  given  back  to 
her,  she  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  sick  and  aged 
poor.  They  remained  for  about  ten  months  in  the 
attic.  It  was  their  time  of  probation — their  noviti- 
ate, so  to  speak.  But  the  care  of  the  two  old 
women  was  not  to  be  the  only  fruit  which  the 
Church  was  to  gather  from  the  self-sacrifice  of 
these  devoted  servants  of  God. 

In  their  councils  it  was  resolved  that  there  must 
be  an  extension  of  the  work.  When  we  speak  of 
councils  we  must  explain  what  we  mean.  The 
father  bade  his  children  to  pray ;  he  prayed  him- 
self, and  when  he  thought  that  he  had  discerned 
the  will  of  God,  he  made  it  known  to  them,  leaving 
to  them  the  merit  of  obedience,  that  virtue  of  great 
price,  which  shines  forth  in  all  the  great  works  of 
the  Church.  It  was  decided  that  Fanchon,  the  only 
one  of  the  little  household  who  had  any  credit  in 
the  town,  should  leave  her  humble  lodgings,  to 
which  no  doubt  she  was  much  attached,  and  should 
rent  a  low-pitched  and  damp  ground-floor  roomj 
which  had  been  used  for  a  long  time  as  a  tavern. 
There  was  accommodation  in  it  for  twelve  beds, 
which  were  soon  provided  and  as  soon  occupied. 

The  four  servants  of  the  poor,  notwithstanding 
the  help  of  their  good  old  friend  Fanchon,  had 
their  hands  full  with  their  patients.  To  make  a 
a  livelihood  for  themselves  and  their  proteges  by 
working  was  now  out  of  the  question.  It  was  all 
they  could  do  to  give  their  beloved  poor  the  services 
which  their  age  and  infirmity  demanded.  They 
dressed  their  wounds,  washed  them,  got  them  up 
and  put  them  to  bed,  meanwhile  instructing  and 
comforting  them.  The  relief  committee  continued 
to  give  bread  and  to  lend  linen  to  the  old  women, 
as  it  had  done  before  they  entered  the  home.     To 


418 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 


supply  what  was  still  wanting,  and  it  was  not  a 
little,  those  of  them  who  could  walk  went  out 
every  day  to  beg. 

The  Sisters  prepared  the  meals,  and  partook  of 
the  food  obtained  by  their  old  women's  begging, 
and  thus  with  the  help  of  unexpected  alms  it  was 
possible  to  make  shift. 

Beggars  for  Christ's  Sake. 

But  to  share  the  bread  of  begging  was  not 
enough.  God  called  for  a  new  sacrifice,  and  a 
lower  abasement.  The  old  women's  going  a-beg- 
ging had  this  inconvenience,  it  took  them  con- 
stantly into  the  danger  of  relapsing  into  their  evil 
habits — into  intemperance,  for  example,  a  vice  to 
which  many  of  them  were  sadly  addicted.  Above 
all  things  solicitous  for  their  eternal  salvation,  the 
Sisters  longed  to  keep  their  poor  people  away  from 
this  temptation.  Their  father  proposed  to  his  chil- 
dren to  be  not  only  the  servants  of  the  poor,  but 
for  love  of  them  to  become  beggars.  The  sacrifice 
was  no  sooner  suggested  than  it  was  accepted. 
Without  a  moment's  hesitation  they  became  beg- 
gars. Basket  in  hand,  they  went  about  collecting 
alms.  They  boldly  presented  themselves  at  all 
the  houses  at  which  their  old  women  had  been 
accustomed  to  receive  relief,  and  humbly  and  grate- 
fully received  the  crusts  of  bread  and  the  half-pence 
which  people  were  willing  to  give.  Thus  accident- 
ally, as  it  were,  God's  providence  had  discovered  to 
the  "  Little  Family  "  an  unfailing  and  inexhausti- 
ble source  of  income  and  support. 

The  Sisters  soon  extended  their  begging  beyond 
the  narrow  circle  within  which  their  poor  people 
had  been  accustomed  to  present  themselves.  They 
collected  in  all  directions,  and  to  this  day  they  pro- 
cure their  daily  bread  by  means  of  this  noble  and 
holy  begging.  As  long  as  her  strength  allowed  it, 
Sister  Mary  of  the  Cross  (Jeanne Jugan)  continued 
to  devote  herself  to  the  work,  in  so  much  that  she 
came  to  be  regarded  as  the  chartered  beggar  to  the 
little  family,  and  in  this  capacity,  in  spite  of  mod- 
ern anti-religious  prejudices,  she  was  crowned  by 
the  French  Academy.* 

*The  French  Academy,  founded  by  Cardinal  Richelieu  in 
1635,  is  an  association  consisting  of  forty  of  the  most  distin- 
guished literary  men  of  France.     Every  year  this  body  awards 


From  the  first  this  devotion  of  the  Sisters  touched 
many  hearts.  Alms  were  given  more  abundantly 
to  them  than  to  the  old  people.  Nearly  every  one 
added  something  to  the  usual  pence  or  scraps  of 
broken  food.  Before  long  not  a  few  were  before- 
hand with  them,  and  begged  them  not  to  forget 
to  knock  at  their  doors.  Clothes,  furniture,  pro- 
visions of  all  kinds,  were  placed  at  their  disposal, 
and  thus  their  poor  people  fared  better  than  before. 

Our  Blessed  Lady  to  the  Rescue. 

There  had  always  been  a  deficiency  of  linen,  and 
the  want  became  extreme  when  the  relief  commit- 
tee, having  urgent  demands  from  elsewhere,  was 
obliged  to  withdraw  the  linen  which  they  had 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Little  Sisters  for  the 
use  of  the  old  people.  In  their  anxiety,  the  Sisters 
betook  them  to  their  usual  resource.  They  "  fell  to 
their  prayers,"  and  addressed  themselves  especially 
to  our  Blessed  Lady,  imploring  her  to  come  to  their 
aid.  On  the  feast  of  the  Assumption  a  gendarme 
(soldier-policeman)  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
home,  touched  with  what  he  saw  going  on  there 
day  by  day,  undertook  to  build  and  to  decorate  a 
little  altar  for  them.  The  Sisters  spread  out  be- 
fore it  all  the  poor  linen  which  their  proteges  pos- 
sessed. Five  or  six  old  garments  comprised  their 
whole  stock.  There  were  no  sheets.  The  Blessed 
Virgin  was  moved  to  compassion.  Who,  indeed, 
would  not  have  been  moved  at  the  sight  of  such 
poverty  ?  Many  came  to  visit  the  altar  during  the 
next  few  days ;  our  Blessed  Lady  touched  their 
hearts  ;  every  one  was  eager  to  relieve  the  distress. 
Poor  servants,  who  had  nothing  else  to  give,  took 
off"  their  ornaments  and  put  them  on  the  neck  of 
the  Infant  Jesus,  whom  the  Virgin  Mother  held  in 
her  arms.  By  this  charity  the  poor  people  were 
well  provided  with  sheets  and  other  necessary  linen. 

Progress  Slow,  Obstacles  Many. 

Thus  everything  was  going  on  well ;  but  yet  no 
vocations  were  decided  by  the  sight  of  the  self-devo- 
tion of  the  first  Sisters.     Three  years  had  gone  by 

what  is  called  "  a  prize  for  virtue,"  i.  e.,  a  grant  of  3000  francs 
(j6oo)  to  the  person  who  is  judged  to  have  surpassed  all  others 
in  works  of  charity.  The  recipient  of  this  distinction  is  said  to 
be  ' '  crowned  by  the  French  Academy. ' ' 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF  THE   POOR. 


4x1) 


since  the  founder  first  spoke  of  his  plans  to  Mary 
Augustine  and  Mary  Teresa  ;  since  he  gave  them  a 
rule  of  life  and  placed  them  under  the  patronage  of 
Mary  Immaculate,  of  St.  Joseph,  and  of  St.  Augus- 
tine. It  was  more  than  eighteen  months  since  the 
work  of  succoring  the  poor  had  begun,  and  yet  no 
one  had  been  willing  to  join  the  first  four  Sisters. 
If  true  sympathy  had  been  aroused,  if  alms  had 
come  in  abundantly,  the  devil  was  putting  all 
manner  of  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  holy  enter- 
prise. God  doubtless  permitted  all  this  to  prove 
the  constancy  of  his  servants  and  to  consolidate 
their  work. 

All  the  works  of  God  are  subjected  to  contradic- 
tion. The  Little  Sisters  experienced  difl&culties  of 
various  kinds.  The  cure  of  St.  Servan  had  ap- 
proved of  their  charitable  enterprise ;  but  for  all 
that,  many  objections  were  raised  against  it.  The 
undertaking  was  so  new  and  so  strange — it  was  so 
contrary  to  the  maxims  of  human  prudence.  It 
was  not  merely  the  feeding  and  housing  of  the 
poor  in  an  unusual  way.  Was  it  not  an  unheard-of 
thing  to  attempt  to  form  a  community  out  of  poor 
work-girls  without  education  ?  Who,  people  asked, 
was  to  train  them  ?  Who  would  teach  them  to  love 
and  to  conform  to  the  practices  of  the  religious  life  ? 
Would  it  not  have  been  better  to  have  first  formed 
them  in  some  old-established  and  well-known  com- 
munity ?  At  any  rate,  before  setting  to  work,  they 
ought  to  have  been  placed  under  the  care  of  some 
mistress  of  novices,  long  accustomed  to  live  by 
rule,  skillful  in  forming  and  in  discerning  voca- 
tions. All  this  was  perfectly  just  and  reasonable  ; 
but  the  spirit  of  God  breatheth.  where  He  will,  and 
the  founder  felt  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  that  he 
was  undertaking  a  new  work,  and  that  for  a  new 
work  there  was  need  of  new  methods. 

However  excellent  religious  institutes  may  be, 
they  should  confine  themselves  to  the  work  for 
which  they  were  founded.  It  is  unreasonable  to 
call  upon  them  to  make  sacrifices  and  to  undertake 
works  which  their  founders  did  not  contemplate. 
The  ruin  of  religious  congregations  has  not  unfre- 
quently  been  the  outcome  of  such  departures  from  | 
their  rule  and  from  their  original  object.  Possibly  | 
the  founder  of  the  work  of  which,  we  are  speaking 
did  not  see  so  far  ahead ;  he  was  merely  following  I 


the  inspiration  of  God,  and  nothing  appeared  to 
him  simpler  than  to  act  as  he  had  done. 

Ridicule  and  Contempt. 

Meanwhile,  in  addition  to  these  arguments,  which 
might  have  been  reasonably  and  prudently  urged, 
the  devil  craftily  raised  various  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  the  good  work.  The  Sisters  were  subjected 
in  all  directions  to  ridicule  and  contempt.  They 
were  pointed  at,  laughed  at,  and  scouted  in  the 
streets  of  St.  Servan.  Their  former  school-fellows 
and  work-mates  hardly  dared  speak  to  them.  Those 
who  were  attracted  by  their  example,  who  admired 
their  self-devotion,  and  who  felt  drawn  to  imitate 
them,  were,  nevertheless,  repelled  by  all  the  stir 
and  the  scandal  which  their  enterprise  was  making. 
One  only  of  the  four  Sisters,  Mary  Augustine,  had 
any  near  relations,  and  they  by  no  means  spared 
her  their  reproaches.  Her  younger  sister,  who 
has  been  Assistant-General,  when  she  met  her  on 
her  rounds  going  a-begging  used  to  say  :  "  Go  along 
with  you,  do !  Don't  speak  to  me ;  I'm  perfectly 
ashamed  of  3'ou,  with  your  basket  on  your  arm." 

Sister  Marie  lyouise,  who  has  been  Superior  of 
one  of  the  houses  in  Paris,  was  deeply  moved,  and 
would  have  wished  to  imitate  the  zeal  of  the  Little 
Sisters,  but  on  seeing  the  contempt  in  which  they 
were  held,  she  was  altogether  disheartened,  and 
turning  to  God,  she  said  within  herself:  "  No,  my 
God  ;  no,  I  cannot !     You  do  not  expect  this  of  me." 

Sister  Felicite,  who  died  Superior  at  Angers, 
burning  with  a  desire  to  consecrate  herself  to  God, 
used  to  pray  to  St.  Joseph  to  obtain  for  her  the 
grace  to  be  a  nun ;  but  she  artlessly  added,  "  not 
with  the  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor." 

The  Work  Expands. 

The  first  to  break  the  spell,  after  these  four  hard 
years  of  isolation,  had  no  idea  of  staying  when  she 
entered  the  house ;  she  merely  came  to  help  the 
Sisters  at  a  time  of  unusual  pressure.  But  when 
she  had  tasted  of  the  peace  which  they  enjoyed, 
that  peace  which.  God  gives  to  them  who  love  Him 
and  devote  themselves  to  His  service,  she  begged 
to  be  admitted  into  their  holy  company.  She  was 
not  the  only  one  who  joined  them  in  this  wa}-. 
Another  went  to  visit  one  of  her  companions  who 


h. 


420 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE    POOR. 


had  lately  been  admitted  among  the  Little  Sisters, 
and  she  found  them  so  light-hearted  and  joyful 
that  she  longed  to  remain  with  them  and  share 
their  happiness. 

In  another  house,  which  was  afterwards  founded, 
two  needlewomen  offered  one  day  to  mend  the  linen. 
One  of  the  Sisters  had  gone  to  their  village  on  a 
begging  expedition,  and  had  told  them  of  the  good 
work.  Finding  themselves  out  of  employment, 
they  thought  they  could  not  spend  their  time 
better  than  in  looking  over  the  clothes  and  linen 
of  the  Sisters  and  old  people.  To  do  them  this 
little  service  they  came  twelve  miles.  After  some 
days  they  left,  embracing  the  Sisters  with  tears, 
and  promising  to  come  again.  They  came  again, 
not  to  give  to  God  their  spare  time,  but  to  devote 
their  whole  lives  and  their  whole  strength  to  the 
service  of  Him  and  of  His  poor. 

Though  the  first  Sisters  of  the  Institute  were 
still  so  few,  they  went  gn  receiving  more  and  more 
poor  people.  When  their  ground-floor  was  full,  they 
did  not  hesitate  to  buy  a  large  house,  which  had 
been  previously  occupied  by  a  religious  commu- 
nity. It  is  true  they  had  nothing  wherewith  to 
pay  for  it.  Abbe  Le  Pailleur  sold  his  gold  watch 
silver  church-plate,  and  some  other  eflfects  ;  Sister 
Mary  of  the  Cross  had  a  small  sum,  and  another 
of  her  companions  had  some  little  savings.  Fan- 
chon  added  the  remainder  of  what  she  possessed. 
But  all  told,  it  was  hardly  enough  to  pay  the 
lawyer's  expenses.  They  trusted  to  Providence  to 
find  the  balance,  and  they  did  not  trust  in  vain. 
Before  a  twelvemonth  had  passed  the  house,  which 
had  cost  $4400,  was  entirely  paid  for.  At  this 
time  they  received  the  humble  and  beautiful  name 
of  the  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor. 

The  Vow  of  Hospitality. 

In  addition  to  their  vows  of  poverty,  chastity, 
and  obedience,  their  pious  founder,  who  developed 
the  constitutions  as  time  went  on,  wished  to  bind 
them  also  by  a  vow  of  hospitality,  so  as  to  give  to 
that  virtue  which  they  had  long  practiced  in  so 
wonderful  a  way  that  infinitely  great  reward  with 
which  God's  goodness  recompenses  every  service 
done  in  the  name  of  a  particular  engagement  en- 
tered into  with  Him.     By  their  constitutions,  and 


in  virtue  of  their  vow  of  hospitality,  the  Little 
Sisters  are  obliged  to  provide  in  the  first  place  for 
the  wants  of  their  old  people.  If  the  inmates' 
meals  have  always  been  sufficient,  and  even  abun- 
dant, the  Sisters  have  at  times  had  to  put  up  with 
short  commons.  One  winter  evening  the  old  peo- 
ple had  gone  to  bed,  and  there  was  nothing  in  the 
house  but  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  bread.  The 
Sisters  sat  down  to  table  cheerfully,  said  their 
grace,  and  heartily  thanked  God  for  leaving  them 
this  morsel.  Each  of  them  passed  it  on  to  another, 
maintaining  that  she  had  no  claim  to  and,  indeed, 
no  need  of  it.  While  this  friendly  little  contest 
was  going  on,  notwithstanding  the  lateness  of  the 
hour,  the  door-bell  rang.  God  had  sent  them  an 
abundant  supply  of  bread  and  meat  from  the 
priest's  house. 

The  more  they  devoted  themselves  to  the  service 
of  the  poor,  the  better  they  came  to  understand  the 
importance  of  the  work  which  God  had  entrusted 
to  them.  The  poor  creatures  whom  they  had  got 
together  could  not  resist  the  appeal  of  the  blessings 
which  they  were  receiving  at  the  hands  of  the  Sis- 
ters. Previously  lost  in  vice  and  ignorance,  they 
began  to  live  and  to  hope  again.  They  learned  to 
love  and  to  bless  God,  who  had  sent  them  in  their 
misery  Sisters  so  devoted  and  compassionate.  It 
would  be  easy  to  mention  many  beautiful  examples 
of  virtue,  of  courage,  of  resignation,  of  piety  prac- 
ticed by  these  poor  people,  who  for  the  most  part 
were,  before  their  admission  to  the  home,  degraded 
by  all  manner  of  vice  and  misery. 

First  Experience  in  Building. 

At  the  sight  of  the  happy  results  with  which 
their  labors  were  crowned,  the  Sisters'  thoughts 
turned  to  all  the  souls  redeemed  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  which  were  in  danger  of  perishing, 
and  which  a  place  in  their  home  might  save. 
Their  zeal  became  more  and  more  burning,  and 
they  yearned  to  extend  their  work.  But  how  was 
it  to  be  done  ?  Their  house  was  already  quite  full. 
To  make  room  for  more  old  people,  the  Sisters  had 
gone  up  into  the  loft,  and  yet  there  was  not  room 
enough.  There  was  still  poor  people  in  the  town 
and  neighborhood  to  be  provided  for.  They  thought 
of   building.     They  had  a  site,  and  there  was  a 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 


421 


I 


five-penny  piece  in  the  cash  box.  This  coin  was 
put  under  the  feet  of  a  statue  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, and  they  boldly  began.  They  were  already 
familiar  with  the  marvels  of  God's  goodness  in 
their  behalf.  Previously  used  to  washing  and  sew- 
ing, they  set  about  the  building  with  their  own 
weak  hands.  They  cleared  the  ground,  dug  out 
the  foundations,  and  endeavored  to  collect  the  ma- 
terials. Once  more  this  was  all  God  asked.  He 
abundantly  rewarded  this  confidence  which  wavered 
at  nothing. 

The  workmen  of  St.  Servan,  seeing  the  Sisters 
at  work,  freely  offered  to  do  the  building  for  them. 
The  carting  was  all  done  for  nothing,  and  contribu- 
tions to  the  expenses  were  given  in  abundance.  A 
legacy  of  $1400  from  an  inhabitant  of  Jersey  came 
in  opportunely  at  this  time.  The  "  prize  for  vir- 
tue "  (3000  francs  or  $600),  awarded  by  the  French 
Academy  to  Sister  Mary  of  the  Cross,  was  applied 
to  the  same  object.  The  new  building  was  no 
sooner  finished  than  the  number  of  Sisters  began 
to  increase.  At  length  God  was  to  repay  the  con- 
stancy of  the  founder  and  of  his  children. 

The  First  Offshoots. 

The  four  Sisters  were  able  only  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  to  meet  the  demands  made  upon  them  by 
their  house  at  St.  Servan,  and  yet  their  boldness 
had  gone  so  far  as  to  think  of  founding  other 
houses.  They  resolved  not  to  let  this  little  town 
alone  enjoy  the  benefit  of  their  undertaking.  As 
soon  as  their  numbers  were  sufficiently  increased, 
the  founder,  without  resources  in  hand,  but  full  of 
the  spirit  of  God,  and  quite  in  harmony  with  the 
plans  which  he  had  had  in  mind  from  the  first, 
sent  Sister  Mary  Augustine  ( Marie  Jamet )  to 
Rennes.  She  went  to  attempt  a  second  time  the 
marvels  of  which  she  had  been  the  instrument  at 
St.  Servan.  She  set  out  alone  (1846),  armed  solely 
with  obedience,  but  full  of  courage,  and  perfectly 
confident  that  God  was  guiding  her  steps.  At 
Rennes  her  first  care  was  not  to  collect  money,  but 
to  find  out  the  old  people.  She  established  herself 
temporarily  in  some  poor  premises  in  a  suburb 
crowded  with  taverns  and  public-houses.  There, 
as  elsewhere,  she  was  met  with  the  warmest  sym- 
pathy, and  some  little  help. 


It  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the  work  of  the 
Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor  to  accept  help  of  all 
kinds ;  the  offerings  of  the  humblest  are  as  pre- 
cious to  them  as  those  of  the  rich.  They  counted, 
however,  so  confidently  on  the  latter  that  they  did 
not  hesitate  to  buy  a  house  in  Rennes.  When 
they  were  leaving  the  neighborhood  where  they 
had  lived  for  a  time,  the  soldiers  who  frequented 
the  taverns  of  which  we  have  spoken  helped  them 
to  transfer  the  poor  women  to  their  new  quarters. 
To  carry  on  this  new  foundation  the  good  Mother 
Mary  Augustine,  whom  we  may  now  call  the 
Superioress-General,  left  four  Sisters  whom  she 
had  sent  for  from  St.  Servan. 

The  next  foundation  was  at  Dinan,  a  small  town 
in  the  diocese  of  St.  Brieuc.  With  the  consent  of 
the  two  cures  and  the  approbation  of  the  bishop, 
the  Little  Sisters  repaired  thither.  As  at  Rennes, 
their  first  care  was  to  come  to  the  rescue  of  the 
aged  poor.  They  installed  themselves  provision- 
ally in  a  building  which  had  been  a  prison.  It 
was  a  damp  and  infected  spot,  under  which  the 
drains  of  the  town  passed,  and  exhaled  fumes 
which  had  been  thought  too  foul  for  the  prisoners. 
The  Sisters,  however,  were  by  no  means  alarmed. 
The  more  wholesome  of  the  two  rooms  was  assigned 
to  the  old  people,  while  the  Sisters  contented  them- 
selves with  the  other.  It  is  their  practice  to  give 
always  the  better  part  to  their  guests  :  both  charity 
and  their  vow  of  hospitality  demand  this.  The 
disused  prison  had  another  peculiarity :  the  doors 
could  not  be  fastened  except  from  the  outside. 
Thus  for  some  months  the  Sisters  were  obliged  to 
lie  down  to  rest  trusting  to  the  good  faith  of  the 
public.  Some  months  elapsed  before  they  were 
able  to  find  a  suitable  house  in  which  to  lodge 
their  old  people ;  and  with  the  house  they  found 
also  all  that  was  needed  for  their  support. 

We  have  seen  with  how  much  difficulty  the  in- 
stitute was  established.  The  time  was  now  at  hand 
when  the  work  was  about  to  be  rapidly  and  won- 
derfully extended.  The  Sisters  found  themselves 
at  the  end  of  the  year  1846  with  three  houses, 
which  were  self-supporting,  and  were  served  by 
sixteen  Sisters.  They  were  thinking  of  a  fourth 
foundation.  This  time  it  was  a  question  of  going 
beyond  the  little  circle  to  which  they  had  hitherto 


422 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE    POOR. 


confined  themselves  ;  they  were  asked  to  establish 
themselves  at  Tours,  a  town  two  hundred  miles 
from  St.  Servan. 

Going  Further  Afield. 

In  spite  of  the  distance  the  Sisters  did  not  reject 
these  overtures.  They  asked  for  no  more  than  they 
had  asked  for  at  Rennes  and  at  Dinan — a  little  spot 
in  which  to  take  shelter  when  they  arrived,  and 
their  liberty  of  action.  M.  Leon  Papin-Dupoiit, 
the  well-known  zealous  promoter  of  devotion  to  the 
Holy  Face,  and  of  various  works  of  reparation,  pro- 
vided them  with  the  money  for  their  journe}?,  and 
deemed  it  an  honor  to  have  these  servants  of  the 
poor  under  his  roof  for  a  few  days.  When  they 
reached  Tours  in  the  early  part  of  January,  1847, 
they  had  a  few  pence  left  in  their  pockets.  They 
first  took  a  small  lodging,  in  which  they  were  able 
to  receive  a  dozen  old  people  ,  later  on  they  rented 
a  whole  house  to  themselves ;  and  at  last,  in  the 
month  of  February,  1S48,  they  acquired  a  consider- 
able property  at  a  cost  of  $16,000,  capable  of  accom- 
modating one  hundred  and  fifty  persons. 

But  how  was  all  this  paid  for  ?  How  was  food 
found  for  so  many  mouths  from  day  to  day  ?  The 
marvel  is  still  the  same.  Broken  victuals  and 
other  alms,  collected  daily,  sufficed  for  all  pur- 
poses. What  others  rejected  with  scorn  became, 
in  the  hands  of  the  Little  Sisters,  a  considerable 
resource.  At  the  present  day,  in  all  their  houses, 
coffee-grounds  form  the  basis  of  a  beverage  which 
is  esteemed  a  delicacy  by  their  old  people.  The 
most  thrifty  housewife  will  not  refuse  to  let  them 
have  her  coffee-grounds ;  to  what  little  flavor  can 
still  be  extracted  from  them  they  add  a  drop  of 
milk ;  scraps  of  bread  gathered  in  all  directions  from 
boarding-schools,  from  colleges,  from  hotels,  com- 
plete the  breakfast.  From  these  two  resources  a 
hundred,  two  hundred,  sometimes  three  hundred, 
old  people  in  a  single  town  are  provided  daily  with 
a  wholesome  meal. 

The  Tours  foundation  was  one  of  the  most  diffi- 
cult that  had  been  undertaken.  By  reason  of  the 
small  number  of  Sisters  in  the  Institute  at  that 
time,  and  of  the  distance  of  Tours  from  the  mother 
house,  the  three  sisters  who  arrived  there  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1847,  remained  alone  for  some  five  months. 


They  had,  however,  got  together  eighteen  old 
women.  They  had  to  provide  food  foi  them,  to 
get  up  and  dress  those  who  were  ill,  to  instruct 
them,  and  to  keep  them  all  cheerful  and  happy,  a 
matter  of  which  the  Little  Sisters  make  a  great 
point.  They  had  to  do  the  work  of  three  times 
their  number. 

Hard  work,  it  is  true,  is  not  inconsistent  with 
happiness.  The  Sisters  used  to  set  out  in  the 
morning,  carrying  two  large  tin  cans,  divided  into 
compartments,  into  which  were  put  pieces  of  meat, 
soup,  vegetables — in  a  word,  all  the  odds  and  ends 
which  are  picked  up  on  one  of  their  begging  rounds. 
At  home  the  care  of  so  many  old  people  obliged 
them  to  work  hard,  as  may  be  easily  imagined. 
Among  the  inmates  of  their  house  miseries  of 
every  kind  were  represented.  But  upon  this  heart- 
rending poverty  and  these  manifold  afflictions  there 
shone,  as  it  were,  a  bright  ray  of  dignity,  of  happi- 
ness, and  of  contentment.  Their  souls  were  at  rest ; 
they  knew  and  tasted  how  sweet  God  was.  The 
Sisters  honored  God  in  His  poor ;  the  poor  loved 
and  cherished  Him  in  their  Sisters ;  and  nothing 
was  more  beautiful  and  touching  than  the  opening 
of  these  poor  hearts — happy,  at  rest,  full  of  hope, 
and  of  gratitude — in  response  to  the  love,  with 
which  they  were  treated. 

At  one  time  at  their  house  at  Tours  the  three 
Sisters  had  only  two  straw  mattresses  between 
them.  In  virtue  of  their  vow  of  hospitality,  when 
a  poor  person  comes  to  one  of  their  houses,  and 
there  is  no  bed  to  spare,  one  of  the  Sisters  gives 
up  heis,  and  accommodates  herself  as  she  best  can. 
The  two  mattresses  were  put  close  together,  and 
being  covered  with  a  single  sheet,  formed  the  bed 
of  the  three  Sisters.  Seven  poor  old  women  had 
already  been  taken  in,  when  an  eighth  arrived. 
She  had  her  bed,  but  no  sheets.  The  good  Mother 
said  to  the  Sisters :  "  Children,  we  must  cut  our 
sheet  in  two  for  this  poor  woman  whom  the  good 
God  hiis  sent  us."  It  was  no  sooner  said  than 
done.  Two  Sisters  held  the  sheet,  the  third  took 
the  scissors  and  was  on  the  point  of  cutting  it  in 
half  when  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door.  One  of 
the  Sisters  went  to  open  it.  She  found  there  a 
young  man,  who  hurriedly  handed  her  six  pairs  of 
sheets  and  went  away.    When  the  Sister  took  them 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 


423 


to  her  companions  they  went  on  their  knees,  and 
with  tears  returned  thanks  to  God.  It  would  be 
easy  to  mention  hundreds  of  such  instances  of 
God's  loving  goodness  which  have  occurred  in 
every  house  of  the  Institute. 

In  the  spring  of  1849  the  Mother-General  and 
Mother  Marie  Louise  went  to  establish  a  house  at 
Paris.  Weeks  and  months  passed  without  their 
being  able  to  find  anything  suitable  for  the  purpose. 
Meanwhile  how  were  they  to  live  ?  The  Nuns  of 
the  Visitation  sent  them  some  provisions  from  time 
to  time.  Oftentimes  they  were  obliged  to  go  to 
the  soup-kitchens  kept  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity, 
to  get  some  of  the  soup  and  vegetables  which  were 
there  distributed  to  the  poorest  beggars.  Unknown 
and  lost  in  the  crowd,  they  waited  their  turn  with 
the  rest,  and  handed  in  their  jug  at  the  window, 
and  on  payment  of  a  penny  received  their  dinner. 
The  Mother-General  being  called  away  by  other 
duties.  Mother  Marie  Louise  occupied  her  time  in 
attending  on  the  cholera  patients,  and  fell  a  victim 
to  this  disease,  which  completely  shattered  her 
already  enfeebled  health.  After  five  months'  wait- 
ing she  found  at  length  a  house  in  the  Rue  Saint- 
Jacques,  of  which  she  afterwards  became  Superior, 
and  which  now  affords  shelter  to  150  old  people. 

How  the  Poor  Helped. 

In  most  of  the  towns  the  Little  Sisters  were  in 
the  habit  of  going  to  the  markets  to  collect  alms. 
On  their  first  arrival  at  Nantes  one  of  them  went 
to  the  vegetable  market,  where  she  asked  the  deal- 
ers for  the  love  of  God  to  give  her  something  for 
their  poor  old  women.  "  With  all  my  heart,"  an- 
swered the  first  good  woman  to  whom  she  spoke ; 
"  with  all  my  heart ;  for  it's  a  beautiful  work  you're 
doing."  "  By  all  means,  Sister,"  replied  a  second ; 
"  for  when  I'm  old  I  shall  want  to  go  to  your  home 
myself."  Others  made  similar  answers.  Between 
them  they  filled  three  sacks  with  their  offerings, 
and  the  Sister  was  hoisting  one  of  the  sacks  on 
to  her  shoulders  when  they  all  exclaimed,  "  You 
mustn't  carry  that.  Sister.  We'll  manage  that  for 
you."  Between  them  they  carried  the  sacks  to  the 
home,  and  when  taking  their  leave  said,  "  Come 
and  see  us  every  Wednesday  and  Saturday,  and 
remember  us  in  your  prayers." 


At  Besan9on  when  the  Sisters  called  to  ask  his 
blessing  on  their  work,  the  archbishop  emptied  his 
purse  into  their  hands.  We  are  bound  to  say  that 
the  purse  contained  only  a  few  shillings,  but  it  was 
all  he  had.  Placing  this  modest  sum  before  a 
statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  the  good  archbishop 
knelt  with  the  Sisters  to  offer  a  prayer  to  the  Com- 
forter of  the  AfHicted,  and  when  they  were  leaving 
he  bade  them  call  twice  a  week  for  the  pieces  from 
his  frugal  table. 

In  1850  houses  were  opened  at  Angers,  at  Bor- 
deaux, and  at  Rouen,  but  we  need  not  give  details 
of  these  foundations.  The  offerings  of  the  rich 
were,  of  course,  an  important  aid  in  carrying  out 
these  extensions,  but  the  distinctive  characteristic 
of  the  Little  Sisters'  work  is  that  it  depends  on  the 
sympathy  of  the  people.  What  took  place  in  the 
market  at  Nantes  was  repeated  over  and  over  again 
elsewhere.  At  Bordeaux  the  butchers  and  other 
provision  dealers  were  most  generous.  At  St.  Ser- 
van  the  workmen  did  not  content  themselves  with 
helping  in  the  building ;  at  one  of  the  timber  yards 
some  five  hundred  men  agreed  to  subscribe  a  half- 
penny a  week  each  to  the  work  of  the  Little  Sisters. 
Every  Sunday  the  sum  thus  collected  was  taken  to 
the  home.  Elsewhere  soldiers  would  deprive  them- 
selves of  a  portion  of  their  soup  and  bread  to  put 
them  into  the  Little  Sisters'  cans  for  their  old 
people. 

The  first  time  Sisters  appeared  at  the  market- 
place in  Rouen  there  was  almost  a  riot.  Every 
one  was  calling  them,  every  one  was  rushing  to 
give  them  some  contribution.  The  police  were  on 
the  point  of  expelling  the  creators  of  this  disorder 
from  the  market.  When  they  found  what  was  the 
matter,  they  made  the  regulation  that  the  Sisters 
were  to  go  the  round  of  the  market,  and  receive 
the  offerings  of  each  in  turn.  In  future  the  onl}' 
ground  of  complaint  was  that  some  were  not  visited 
as  regularly  as  others.  It  was  at  Rouen,  too,  that 
the  Sisters  first  made  use  of  a  donkey  with  two 
panniers  on  his  back  to  collect  the  offerings  of  the 
charitable.  One  day  as  the  poor  beast  was  trudg- 
ing along  a  narrow  street  a  carriage  crushed  the 
baskets  and  tumbled  all  their  contents  into  the 
mud.  A  workman  who  saw  what  had  happened, 
lent  a  hand  to  put  things  right,  and  on  returning 


424 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS    OF   THE   POOR. 


to  his  worksliop  spoke  of  the  disaster  which  had 
befallen  the  Little  Sisters.  His  mates  at  once 
made  a  collection  among  themselves,  and  presented 
the  Sisters  with  two  beautiful  new  panniers. 

More  Blessed  to  Give  than  to  Receive. 

The  Sisters'  charity  was  a  source  of  blessing  to 
others  besides  their  poor  people.  At  Rouen  the 
founder  was  thanking  one  of  the  manufacturers  of 
the  town  who  had  been  extremely  generous  in  con- 
tributing to  their  work.  The  good  man  replied, 
with  tears  in  his  eyes  :  "  It  is  I  who  ought  to  thank 
you.  Before  I  knew  your  Sisters  I  did  not  know 
God.  They  have  taught  me  to  know  Him  and  to 
love  Him."  A  rich,  avaricious,  and  worldly  man, 
who  was  altogether  indifferent  to  the  claims  of  faith 
and  of  charity,  was  taken  one  day  by  his  ■^•ife  and 
daughter  to  see  one  of  the  homes.  He  was  quite 
touched  at  the  sight  of  the  Sisters'  self-devotion 
and  of  the  old  people's  happiness.  On  leaving,  he 
put  a  five-franc  piece  into  the  alms-box.  On  the 
following  day  he  sent  a  hundred  francs,  and  after- 
wards became  a  constant  benefactor.  One  day  he 
said  to  the  Superior :  "  Look  here,  my  good  Mother, 
you,  with  your  poor  people,  have  opened  to  me  the 
gates  of  heaven.  Before  I  knew  you  I  had  no  love 
for  the  poor.  Now,  thank  God,  I  love  them,  and  I 
love  the  good  God  who  made  both  them  and  me." 

Arrival  in  England. 

In  the  year  185 1  the  first  English  house  of  the 
Institute  was  opened  at  Portobello  Road,  Notting 
Hiil,  London ;  and  in  1853  a  second  in  the  South 
of  London,  at  Kennington.  In  1856  the  noviciate 
and  mother-house  was  established  at  La  Tour,  St. 
Joseph  en  St.  Pern.  This  house  at  the  present  day 
contains  some  600  novices,  who  came  there  from 
all  parts  of  the  world  to  be  formed  in  the  spirit  of 
their  holy  institute.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  ven- 
erable founder  and  Mother-General  to  direct  the 
work  of  their  thousands  of  Sisters,  and  the  affairs 
of  their  hundreds  of  houses  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  world,  from  this  single  centre. 

The  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor  live  according  to 
the  rule  of  St.  Augustine  and  their  own  constitu- 
tions. These  constitutions,  which  were  drawn  up 
expi  ^ssly  for  them  by  their  venerable  founder,  the 


Abbe  Le  Pailleur,  in  view  of  the  particular  manner 
of  life  which  their  special  work  entails,  received  the 
provisional  approbation  of  the  Holy  See  on  the  9th 
July,  1854,  and  were  definitively  approved  by  our 
Holy  Father  Leo  XIII.  on  the  17th  July,  1886. 

Inside  One  of  the  Sisters'  Houses. 

But  it  is  time  that  we  should  give  our  readers 
some  idea  of  what  goes  on  inside  the  houses  of  the 
"  Little  Family."  And,  first,  as  to  the  Sisters 
themselves.  Having  overcome  a  quite  natural  dis- 
taste for  a  fare  composed  of  scraps  of  food  collected 
from  all  quarters,  they  have  still  to  put  up  with  a 
want  of  the  most  ordinary  furniture  and  neces- 
saries of  life.  Not  only  have  new  foundations  to 
dispense  with  such  things  as  bedsteads,  mattresses 
and  sheets,  but  even  some  old-established  house? 
have  not  more  than  enough  chairs,  for  instance,  foi 
the  old  people's  use,  so  the  Sisters  have  to  do  with- 
out. This  want  has  been  so  general  that  it  has 
become  a  common  practice  among  them  to  sit  on 
the  ground.  They  voluntarily  assume  this  humblo 
posture  when  listening  to  the  instructions  of  the 
"  good  Father,"  or  of  the  Reverend  Mother  in  their 
community  rooms.  But  in  the  midst  of  these  priva- 
tions they  are  animated  with  an  unclouded  joy  and 
happiness. 

The  happiness  of  the  Sisters  is  perhaps  intelli- 
gible. They  have  deliberately  made  their  choice 
of  abjection,  poverty,  humility,  and  self-sacrifice. 
But  these  poor  creatures  whom  they  shelter — sub- 
ject  to  miseries  of  every  kind — how  can  they  be 
made  cheerful  and  contented?  There  is  no  sad- 
ness in  the  homes  of  the  Little  Sisters.  Every- 
where peace  and  contentment  reign.  Besides  shel- 
tering, clothing,  feeding,  and  caring  for  the  aged 
poor,  the  Sisters  find  a  thousand  opportunities  of 
affording  them  little  gratifications,  to  which  the 
poor  people  respond  by  all  sorts  of  endearments. 
They  are  treated  like  children,  and  they  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  the  thing,  and  become  childlike  in 
their  carelessness,  frankness,  and  joyous  sim- 
plicity. The  Sisters  sing  to  them  and  make  them 
sing ;  they  dance  for  them  and  make  them  dance ; 
but  this  is  only  on  great  occasions. 

But,  above  all,  care  is  taken  to  make  the  religious 
ceremonies  as  attractive  as  possible.     In  the  pro- 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 


425 


cessions  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  all  tlie  good  old 
men  and  women  walk  round  and  round  the  narrow 
paths  of  the  little  garden ;  the  Sisters  sing  their 
hymns,  and  the  old  people,  while  hobbling  along 
and  coughing,  with  tremulous  voices  take  up  the 
refrain.  At  various  intervals  along  the  route,  those 
who  are  unable  to  walk  in  the  procession  are  de- 
voutly kneeling  or  seated.  At  the  windows  are  all 
the  poor  invalids  who  cannot  leave  their  bed  or 
chair,  with  clasped  hands  waiting  to  receive  the 
blessing  of  God,  whose  delight  is  to  be  among  His 
poor.  Thus  tenderly  cared  for  and  caressed,  thus 
at  peace,  these  poor  creatures  learn  to  love  God  and 
to  find  their  happiness  in  Him.  Amid  this  calm 
and  joy  they  prepare  themselves  for  a  happy  eter- 
nity, and  look  for  its  approach  with  untroubled 
serenity. 

A  poor  old  woman  who  had  just  received  the  last 
Sacraments  was  asked  how  she  was.  "  Happy,  very 
happy,"  she  replied ;  "  I  trust  that  God  will  give 
me  a  place  in  His  holy  paradise,  and  that  I  shall 
soon  be  there."  She  begged  the  bystanders  to 
pray  for  her.  There,  in  her  spotless  bed,  with  her 
hands  joined,  her  beads  twined  about  them,  looking 
so  venerable  and  so  peaceful,  one  might  well  envy 
her  the  grace  of  such  a  death.  Received  into  the 
home  just  after  she  had  been  turned  out  of  doors 
by  her  own  children,  for  a  long  while  she  could  not 
be  got  to  forgive  them  for  this  unnatural  cruelty. 
But  among  the  Little  Sisters  she  learned  the  les- 
sons of  our  Divine  Master.  Pardoning  them  from 
her  heart,  patient  and  peaceful,  with  joy  and  hope 
upon  her  lips,  she  fell  asleep  in  our  Lord. 

The  work  which  began  so  humbly  half  a  century 
ago  at  St.  Servan  has  become  one  of  the  most  im- 
posing and  important  manifestations  of  charity  of 
the  present  day.  There  are  more  than  four  thou- 
sand Sisters  of  the  Institute  of  the  Abbe  le  Pail- 
leur.  They  occupy  two  hundred  and  fifty-three 
houses,  and  have  under  their  care  no  fewer  than 
thirty  thousand  old  men  and  women.  The  mar- 
vels of  their  first  beginnings  are  still  being  renewed 
from  day  to  day.  The  little  grain  of  mustard  seed 
which  that  humble  priest  sowed  forty-nine  years 
ago  has  grown  up  and  become  a  tree,  and  its 
branches  have  spread  over  not  France  alone,  but 
the  four  quarters  of  the  globe. 


Of  the  Little  Sisters  and  their  work  it  may  be 
said,  as  was  said  of  the  holy  Apostles,  "Their 
sound  hath  gone  forth  into  all  the  earth  :  and  their 
words  unto  the  ends  of  the  world."  (Ps.  xviii,  5.) 
"  This  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  wonderful  in 
our  eyes."     (Ps.  cxvii,  23.) 

Who  will  not  count  it  a  happiness  and  a  privilege 
to  have  some  small  share  in  a  work  so  noble  and 
holy  ?  Who  will  not  feel  ashamed  to  grudge  a  few 
shillings  for  a  cause  to  which  the  Little  Sisters 
have  given  their  lives  ?  "  Give  alms  of  thy  sub- 
stance, and  turn  not  away  thy  face  from  the  poor ; 
for  so  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  face  of  our 
Lord  shall  not  be  turned  away  from  thee.  If 
thou  have  much,  give  abundantly ;  if  thou  have 
little,  take  care  even  so  to  give  willingly  a  little." 
(Tobias  iv,  7). 

HOUSES   OF  THE   LITTLE  SISTERS   OF 
THE  POOR. 

Established. 

1.  St.  Servan France  1840 

2.  Rennes "  1846 

3.  Dinan "  " 

4.  Tours "  1847 

5.  Nantes "  1849 

6.  Paris,  Rue  St.  Jacques " 

7.  Besan^on "  " 

8.  Angers "  1850 

9.  Bordeaux "  " 

10.  Rouen "  " 

11.  Nancy "  " 

12.  Paris,  Avenue  de  Breteuil "  1851 

13.  London,  Portobello  Road England      " 

14.  Laval France        " 

15.  Lyon-la-Villette "  " 

16.  Lille "  1852 

17.  Marseilles "  " 

18.  Bourges      "  " 

19.  Pau "  " 

20.  Vannes " 

21.  Colmar-Elsass-Lothringen Germany     " 

22.  LaRochelle France 

23.  Dijon 

24.  St.  Omer " 

25.  Brest "  " 

26.  Chartres "  1853 

27.  Li6ge      Belgium      " 

28.  Rolbec France 

29.  London,  South  Lambeth England      " 

30.  Paris,  Rue  Picpus France        " 

31.  Toulouse "  1854 


L 


426 


THE   LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 


32.  St.  Dizier 

33.  Le  Havre 

34.  Blois 

35.  Brussels 

3G.  Le  Mans 

37.  Tarare 

38.  Paris,  Rue  Notre-Dame  des  Champs    .    .    . 

39.  Orleans • 

40.  Strasburg-Elsass-Lothringen 

41 .  The  Noviciate  and  Mother-House,  La  Tour, 

St.  Joseph,  St.  Pern,  Ille-et-Vilaine    .    . 

42.  Caen 

43.  Saint  Etienne 

44.  Perpignan 

45.  Louvain 

46.  Montpellier 

47.  Jemmappes 

48.  Agen 

49.  Poitiers 

50.  Saint  Quentin 

61.  Lisieux 

62.  Annonay    

63.  Amiens 

54.  Roanne 

55.  Valenciennes 

56.  Grenoble 

67.  Draguignan 

68.  Chateauroux 

69.  Roubaix 

60.  Boulogne-sur-Mer 

61.  Dieppe 

62.  Beziers 

63.  Clermont  Ferraud 

64.  Lyon,  Croix  Rousse 

65.  Metz,  Lothringen 

66.  Manchester 

67.  Bruges 

68.  Nice 

69.  Lsrient 

70.  Nevers 

71.  Flers 

72.  Glasgow 

73.  Bristol 

74.  Villefranche 

75.  Cambrai 

76.  Barcelona 

77.  Dundee 

78.  Namur 

79.  Manresa 

80.  Edinburgh 

81.  Anvers 

82.  Niort      

83.  Grenada 

84.  Birmingham 


Eslablished    ! 

France      1854  j 

( i 

i  t 

Belgium 
France 

(( 

(t 

1 1 

1855 

Germany 

1856 

France 

tt 

li 

t( 

It 

tt 

a 

tt 

Belgium 
France 

it 
it 

Belgium 
France 

1857 

(t 

It 

1858 

tt 

tt 

1859 

tt 

1860 

tl 

tt 

tt 

tt 

it 

1861 

t( 

et 

tt 

Germany 

a 

England 
Belgium 
France 

1862 

tt 
tt 

tt 

ft 

i( 

tt 

tt 

tt 

Scotland 

tt 

England 
France 

1862 
1863 

tt 

Spain 
Scotland 

Belgium 

Spain 

Scotland 

Belgium 
France 

Spa 
Enj 

in 
jland 

18 

64 

Established 

85.  Paris,  Rue  Philippe  de  Girard France  1864 

86.  Lerida Spain  " 

87.  Lorca "  " 

88.  Malaga "  1865 

89.  Antequera "  " 

90.  Plymouth England  " 

91.  Les  Sables-d'Olonne France  " 

92.  Troyes " 

93.  Leeds England  " 

94.  Ostend Belgium  1866 

95.  Newcastle-on-Tyne England  " 

96.  Maubeuge France  " 

97.  Madrid Spain  1867 

98.  Nimes France  " 

99.  Toulon "  " 

100.  Jaen Spain  " 

101.  Tourcoing France  " 

102.  Cherbourg "  " 

103.  Valence "  " 

104.  Perigueux "  1868 

105.  Waterford Ireland  " 

106.  Reus Spain  " 

107.  Brooklyn America  " 

108.  Cincinnati "  " 

109.  Algiers Africa  " 

110.  New  Orleans America  " 

111.  Dunkerque France  " 

112.  Reims "  " 

113.  Baltimore America  1869 

114.  St.  Louis "  " 

115.  Vic-en-Bigorre France  " 

116.  Philadelphia America  " 

117.  Louisville "  " 

118.  Car".e= France  " 

119.  Aosta Italy  " 

120.  Boston America  1870 

121.  Cleveland " 

122.  New  York "  " 

123.  Washington •'  1871 

124.  Albany "  " 

125.  Huesca Spain  1872 

126.  Pittsburg,  Allegheny  City,  Pa America  " 

127.  Salamanca Spain  " 

128.  Indianapolis America  1873 

129.  Gand      Belgium  " 

13.0.  Grasse France  " 

131.  Troy America  " 

132.  Rochefort France  " 

133.  Chantenay "  " 

134.  Lous-le-Saulnier "  " 

135.  Detroit America  " 

136.  Saint  Pierre-16s-Calais France  1874 

137.  Charleroy Belgium  " 

138.  Mataxo Spain  " 


THE    LITTLE   SISTERS   OF   THE   POOR. 


427 


Estaoiished 

139.  Richmond America  1874 

140.  Liverpool England  " 

141.  Autun France  1875 

142.  Birkenhead England  " 

143.  Jerez -de-la-Frontera Spain  " 

144.  Limoges France  " 

145.  Cork Ireland 

146.  Saint  Denis France  " 

147.  Milwaukee America  1876 

148.  Chicago " 

149.  Ouch France  " 

150.  London,  Stoke  Newington England  " 

151.  Palma Spain  1877 

152.  Rive-de-Gier France  " 

153.  Zamora Spain  " 

154.  Tarrogona      "  " 

155.  Saintes France  " 

156.  Armentieres "  " 

167.  Vienne  en  Dauphine "  " 

158.  Cadiz Spain  " 

159.  San  Lucar  de  Barrameda "  " 

160.  Pampeluna "  1878 

161.  LaValette Malts.  " 

162.  Murcia Spain  " 

163.  Manchester England  " 

164.  Seville Spain  " 

165.  Catania Sicily  " 

166.  Medina,  Sidonia Spain  " 

167.  Newark America  " 

168.  Vitoria Spain  " 

169.  Ecija "  " 

170.  San  Sebastian "  " 

171.  Gerona '•  " 

172.  Braeza "  ' 

173.  Plasencia "  '879 

174.  Naples Italy  " 

175.  Bibao Spain  " 

176.  Lyon-Vaise France  " 

-177.  Tortosa Spain  " 

178.  Carca.ssonne France  " 

179.  Carceres Spain  " 

180.  Brooklyn,  second  house America  1880 

181.  La  Madelaine-les-Lille France  " 

182.  Brighton England  " 

183.  Germantown,  Pa America  " 

184.  Liverpool,  second  house England  " 

185.  Rome Italy  " 

186.  Carlile England  " 

187.  Toledo Spain  " 

188.  Valladolid      "  1881 

189.  Providence America  " 

190.  Aci  Reale Sicily  " 

191.  Preston England  " 

■V92.  New  York,  second  house America  " 


Esladlisked 

193.  Bona Africa       1881 

194.  Bruxelles,  second  house Belgium" 

195.  Osuna Spain  " 

196.  Turin      Italy 

197.  Barcelona,  second  house Spain  " 

198.  Dublin Ireland        " 

199.  Tunis Africa  1882 

200.  Le  Ferrol Spain  " 

201.  Carthagena "  " 

202.  Milan Italy  " 

203.  Messina Sicily  " 

204.  Cincinnati,  second  house America      " 

205.  Evansville      "  " 

206.  Alicante Spain  " 

207.  Kansas  City America      " 

208.  Sheffield England      " 

209.  Arienzo, Italy  " 

210.  Nola " 

211.  Chicago,  second  house America      " 

212.  Florence Italy  " 

213.  New  Orleans,  second  house America      " 

214.  Calcutta India  " 

215.  Sunderland England      " 

216.  Segovia Spain  " 

217.  Puerto-Santa-Maria "  1883 

218.  Ronda "  " 

219.  Charlestown America      " 

220.  Saint  Paul "  " 

221.  Verviers Belgium       " 

222.  Biarritz France         " 

223.  Gibraltar Spain 

224.  Cuneo Italy 

225.  Greenock Scotland      " 

226.  Evreux France         " 

227.  Grand  Rapids America      " 

228.  Madrid,  second  house Spain  " 

229.  Melbourne Australia     " 

230.  Granville France        " 

231.  Ubeda Spain 

232.  Cindad,  Real " 

233.  Lisbon Portugal  1884 

234.  Elbeub France        " 

235.  Modica Sicily  1885 

236.  Marseilles,  second  house France         " 

237.  Douai "  " 

238.  Oran Africa  " 

239.  Toledo America      '• 

240.  Allegheny  City "  " 

241.  Valparaiso      S.America" 

242.  Talavera Spain  " 

243.  Vails "  1886 

2 1-4.   Sydney Australia     " 

245.  Montreal Canada  1887 

246.  Colombo Ceylon  1888 


FAITH  AND  REASON. 

AN   ADDRBSS, 
BY  THE  REV.   BERNARD   VAUGHAN,   S.  J. 


HE  subject  of  my  address  at  tlie  present 
time  is,  "  Faith  and  Reason ;  or,  tte 
Reasonableness  of  Believing  in  Rev- 
elation." And  if  you  ask  me  why, 
among  the  many  burning  questions  of 
the  hour,  I  have  selected  this  particu- 
lar topic  for  discussion  before  you,  in 
whom  Faith  and  Reason  have  never,  as  yet,  quar- 
relled, my  answer  is  this : — I  have  been  led  to  make 
choice  of  this  theme  not  so  much  from  a  sense  that 
of  all  others  it  is  the  most  suited  to  yourselves,  as 
in  the  hope  that  through  you  it  may  be  helpful  to 
others,  who  are  groping  through  the  mists  of  doubt 
for  the  light  of  Faith.  It  seems  to  me  that  whilst 
the  Rationalists  are  making  it  their  business  to  try 
to  persuade  their  fellows  not  only  that  Faith  is  con- 
trary to  reason,  but  that  it  leads  to  mental  slavery, 
it  becomes  a  sacred  duty  for  Christians  to  point  out 
to  their  fellow-countrymen  that  not  only  is  Faith 
not  incompatible  with  reason,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
most  helpful  to  it,  and  especially  conducive  to 
mental  freedom. 

With  your  kind  permission,  then,  we  will  see 
whether  we  cannot  carry  out  the  bidding  of  the 
Apostle,  and  justify  what  he  terms  "  our  reason- 
able service,"  by  a  well-reasoned  account  of  that 
Faith  in  which  it  is  our  privilege  to  live,  for  which 
it  was  the  glory  of  our  martyrs  to  die. 

At  the  outset,  the  first  thing  we  have  to  do  is  to 
determine  what  we  mean  by  Faith.  By  Faith,  then,  I 
mean  believing  on  the  authority  of  another ;  that  is  to 
say,  believing  some  proposition  uttered  by  a  witness 
upon  whose  knowledge  and  veracity  it  is  safe  to  rely. 
If  the  witness  to  whose  word  the  assent  is 
given  be  invested  with  nothing  more  than  human 
authority,  then  Faith  also  will  not  rise  above 
human  or  natural  Faith.  Whereas,  if  the  witness 
to  whose  word  adherence  is  given  be  clothed  with 
divine  authority,  then  Faith  also  will  be  super- 
428 


natural  and  divine.  And,  let  us  observe,  that — 
the  formal  motive  of  Faith  in  either  case  being  not 
the  evidency  of  the  proposition  enunciated,  but  the 
authority  of  the  witness  who  propounds  it — it  fol- 
lows that  the  character  of  the  assent  given  will  in 
each  case  be  determined,  not  by  the  evident  truth 
of  the  proposition  in  itself,  but  by  the  authority 
attached  to  the  character  of  the  witness.  If  the 
witness  be  merely  human,  the  assent  will  in  most 
cases  be  conditional  and  revocable  ;  if  divine,  it  will 
be  always  absolute  and  irrevocable. 

Respecting  the  difference  between  human  and 
divine  Faith,  hear  what  Cardinal  Newman  says : 
"  Divine  Faith,"  writes  his  Eminence,  "  is  assent- 
ing to  a  doctrine  as  true  because  God  says  it  is 
true.  Who  cannot  lie.  And  further  than  this ; 
since  God  says  it  is  true,  not  with  His  own  voice, 
but  by  the  voice  of  His  messengers,  it  is  assenting 
to  what  man  says,  not  simply  viewed  as  a  man, 
but  to  what  he  is  commissioned  to  declare,  as  a 
messenger,  prophet,  or  ambassador  from  God.  In 
the  ordinary  course  of  this  world,  we  account  things 
true,  either  because  we  see  them,  or  because  we  can 
perceive  that  they  follow  and  are  deducible  from 
what  we  do  see;  that  is,  we  gain  truth  by  sight  or  by 
Reason,  not  by  Faith.  You  will  say,  indeed,  that  we 
accept  a  number  of  things  which  we  cannot  prove  or 
see  on  the  word  of  others.  Certainly ;  but  then  we 
accept  what  they  say,  only  as  the  word  of  man  ;  and 
we  have  not  commonly  that  absolute  and  unreserved 
confidence  in  them  which  nothing  can  shake. 

"  We  know  that  man  is  open  to  mistake,  and  we 
are  always  glad  to  find  some  confirmation  of  what 
he  says,  from  other  quarters,  in  any  important 
matter;  or  we  receive  his  information  with  negli- 
gence and  unconcern,  as  something  of  little  conse- 
quence, as  a  matter  of  opinion,  or,  if  we  act  tipon 
it,  it  is  as  a  matter  of  prudence,  thinking  it  best 
and  safest  to  do  so.     We  take  his  word  for  what  it 


SAINT  BERNARD 


! 


FAITH   AND    REASON. 


429 


is  worth,  and  we  use  it  either  according  to  our 
necessity  or  its  probability.  We  keep  the  decision 
in  our  own  hands,  and  reserve  to  ourselves  the 
right  of  reopening  the  question  whenever  we  please. 

"  This  is  very  different  from  divine  Faith ;  he 
who  believes  that  God  is  true,  and  that  this  is  His 
word,  which  He  has  committed  to  man,  has  no 
doubt  at  all.  He  is  as  certain  that  the  doctrine 
taught  is  true  as  that  God  is  true ;  and  he  is  cer- 
tain because  God  is  true,  because  God  has  spoken, 
not  because  he  sees  its  truth,  or  can  prove  its  truth. 
That  is,  Faith  has  two  peculiarities  ;  it  is  most  cer- 
tain, decided,  positive,  and  immovable  in  its  assent, 
not  because  it  sees  with  eye,  or  sees  with  reason, 
but  because  it  receives  the  tidings  from  one  that 
comes  from  God." 

From  what  you  have  now  heard,  you  will  easily 
understand  why  it  is  that  the  assent  given  upon 
the  sole  authority  of  man  to  unrevealed  truth  is 
not  usually  absolute  and  final;  and  why,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  is  that  the  assent  given  upon  the 
authority  of  God,  using  man  as  his  ambassador,  is 
absolute  and  irrevocable.  Man  is  liable  to  deceive 
and  be  deceived,  not  so  God. 

And  here,  at  this  stage  of  our  inquiry  into  the 
reasonableness  of  Faith,  it  may  not  be  uninterest- 
ing to  be  reminded  of  the  process  by  which  the 
mind  of  man  arrives  at  an  act  of  Faith.  Take,  for 
instance,  a  convert  to  the  Catholic  Church.  By 
what  process  does  he  come  to  believe  that  this  is 
the  Church  set  up  by  God,  and  is  the  only  one  that 
can  give  salvation  to  his  soul?  Well,  I  suppose 
he  will  start  by  examining  the  Church's  creden- 
tials;  he  weighs  what  are  called  the  "motives  of 
credibility." 

But  supposing  that  having  investigated  the 
Church's  claims,  he  becomes  satisfied  that  she,  and 
she  alone,  is  the  true  Church,  what  is  it  that  then 
prevails  upon  him  to  join  her  communion  ?  What 
persuades  him  to  act  on  his  conviction,  and  to 
say:  "Credo,"  "I  believe?"  Certainly  not  the 
bare  fact  that  the  arguments  in  her  favor  are 
cogent  and  convincing;  for,  did  he  so  will  it,  he 
might  quarrel  with  the  conclusion,  or  suspend  his 
judgment,  or  invite  diflSculties,  or  entertain  doubts, 
or  complain  that,  clear  though  their  proofs  are,  they 
are  not  clearer  still. 


The  question,  then,  I  want  to  have  answered  is 
this :  What  superhuman  power  is  it  that  then 
comes  to  his  rescue,  when,  after  having  met  with 
many  obstacles  on  the  way,  he  finds  himself  stand- 
ing before  the  gates  of  the  Temple  of  Faith,  halting 
between  conviction  and  persuasion  ?  What  is  the 
name  of  that  magic  power  which  seems  to  take  him 
by  the  hand,  and  to  enable  him,  with  the  word  upon 
his  lips, "  Credo,"  "  I  do  believe,"  to  cross  the  thresh- 
old, and  to  enter  the  Church. 

I  will  tell  you  the  name  of  the  magic  power  which 
comes  to  his  assistance,  and  enables  him  to  believe. 
It  is  the  grace  of  God.  "  To  believe,"  says  St. 
Thomas,  the  Angel  of  the  Schools,  "  is  an  act  of 
the  understanding  adhering  to  divine  truth  by 
command  of  the  will,  which  is  moved  by  the  grace 
of  God." 

With  this  explanation  before  us,  it  is  clear  that 
God,  as  well  as  man,  takes  part  in  every  act  of 
Faith ;  and  that  Faith  is  not  the  natural  outcome 
of  a  mere  process  of  reasoning,  but  the  supernatural 
result  of  man's  co-operation  with  the  grace  of  God. 
Consequently,  before  the  neophyte  can  bring  his 
mind  to  elicit  an  act  of  Faith — say  in  the  Catholic 
Church — something  over  and  above  the  mere  con- 
viction of  the  Church's  royal  descent  and  imperial 
power  is  needed  for  the  mind.  It  must  be  enlight- 
ened by  grace ;  and  then  the  will,  informed  and  for- 
tified by  grace,  must  exert  its  ruling  power  over  man, 
and  command  the  understanding  to  give  its  assent 
and  to  swear  eternal  fealty  to  the  truth  revealed. 

"  In  order  that  an  act  of  Faith  be  duly  elicited," 
says  Cardinal  Franzelin,  "  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  divine  grace  should  enlighten  the  under- 
stonding,  and  excite  and  strengthen  the  will." 
This,  then,  we  must  carefully  bear  in  mind,  that 
the  understanding,  enlightened  by  grace,  can  then 
only  elicit  an  act  of  Faith  when  it  is  positively 
moved  to  do  so  by  the  will  under  the  influence  of 
grace.  Accordingly,  the  moral  cause  of  every  act 
of  Faith  is  the  will,  and  hence  St.  Augustine  says: 
Fides  consistit  in  credentiuin  voluntaie :  Faith  de- 
pends upon  the  will  of  those  who  believe.  In  other 
words.  Faith  is  in  the  understanding  as  its  imme- 
diate subject  and  eliciting  principle,  but  in  the  will 
as  its  moral  as  well  as  its  eflBcient  cause.  The  merit 
of  Faith  consists  in  firmly  but  freely  accepting,  in 


430 


FAITH   AND    REASON. 


obedience  to  God's  word,  what  we  cannot  ourselves 
conclusively  prove. 

If,  then,  I  am  asked  how  it  comes  to  pass  that 
one  man  finds  it  quite  easy  to  believe,  and  another 
quite  impossible,  I  reply  by  asking :  "  How  does  it 
happen  that  one  man  feels  it  easy,  and  another  dif- 
ficult, to  obey?"  The  cause  of  the  difficulty  or 
impossibility  is  to  be  traced  in  both  instances  to 
man's  will.  In  neither  case  can  God  command 
what  is  impossible ;  in  either  case — in  believing  as 
in  obeying — the  difficulty  can  be  overcome  by 
willing,  and  praying  for  the  necessary  grace.  Of 
course,  without  God's  assisting  grace,  nothing  in 
the  supernatural  order  can  be  achieved  by  us. 

We  have  it  from  His  own  gracious  lips  :  "  With- 
out Me,  you  can  do  nothing ;"  but,  given  that  divine 
help  and  strength,  what  is  there  a  man  cannot  do  ? 
Do  not  imagine  that  the  expression,  "  I  can  do  all 
things  in  Him  that  strengthens  me,"  has  been 
monopolized  by  St.  Paul.  It  is  the  right  of  every 
man,  ho  matter  what  his  native  weakness,  to  repro- 
duce it,  and  with  equal  certainty  of  its  being  true 
in  his  individual  case.  Observe :  I  do  not  pretend 
to  say  that  there  are  no  intellectual  difficulties  in 
believing  or  in  obeying ;  presently  we  shall  see 
there  are  plenty.  It  would  be  strange,  indeed,  if 
there  were  none  such  in  a  communion  which  claims 
the  submission  of  man  to  a  teaching  that  embraces 
all  spiritual  and  moral  truth.  But  these  difficulties 
do  not  commonly  avail  with  such  as  have  a  real 
desire  to  know  the  truth,  and  to  obey  God's  laws, 
and  who  have  honestly  and  faithfully  weighed  the 
notes  and  evidences  of  the  Church. 

The  difficulties  which  rise  up  before  minds  of  this 
sort,  and  which  to  them  appear  impossible  to  over- 
come, are  in  reality  moral  difficulties  which  have 
their  root  in  a  disordered  will ;  at  least,  in  a  will 
which,  whatever  its  other  excellences,  is  lacking  in 
that  confiding,  clinging,  chilk-like  docility  to  the 
word  of  God  which  is  the  very  condition  of  the 
grant  of  the  gift  of  Faith.  Never  had  the  world  so 
much  need  as  now  of  studying  the  full  import  of 
the  words  :  "  Unless  you  become  as  little  children, 
you  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Yes :  let  us  be  men  with  men,  but  with  our  Father, 
God,  we  must  ever  be  as  children,  ready  to  listen, 
to  learn,  to  believe,  and  to  obey. 


These  words  will,  I  fear,  give  pain  to  some  of 
my  friends  who  are  as  yet  outside  the  Church  ;  for 
among  them  are  those  who  are  persuaded  that  their 
one  wish  in  life  is  to  do  God's  will.  Like  St.  Peter, 
they  protest  that  they  are  ready  to  lay  down  their 
very  lives  for  Him.  Yet  wait  a  little.  When,  like 
Peter's,  this  confident  assertion  is  put  to  the  test, 
when  God  points  out  to  them,  in  some  moment  of 
prayer,  what  they  must  suffer  for  His  Name's  sake, 
if  they  would  receive  that  grandest  gift  out  of 
heaven — the  gift  of  Faith — are  they  not  wont  to 
grow  sad,  to  be  heavy,  and  to  fear  ? 

Does  there  not  rise  almost  unbidden  to  their  lips 
the  prayer :  "If  it  be  possible,  let  this  chalice  pass 
from  me  ?  I  cannot  drink  it,  it  is  too  full,  too 
bitter.  The  sacrifice  asked  of  me  is  too  costly ;  I 
cannot  ignore  the  past ;  I  cannot  break  with  my 
surroundings ;  I  cannot  begin  my  life  again !  I 
am  too  poor,  or  to  weak,  or  too  busy,  or  too  old. 
If  I  were  alone  in  the  world,  ah  !  then  I  could  drink 
the  chalice  to  the  dregs  ;  but  there  is  my  wife,  there 
are  my  children.  O,  if  it  be  possible,  let  it  all  pass 
from  me!  O  send  me  Thy  angel  of  comfort,  to 
strengthen  me  with  Thy  grace,  to  breathe  into  my 
soul  Thy  love,  and  let  all  things  be  as  they  were 
before !" 

Fatal  mistake,  for  men  to  lay  down  the  conditions 
upon  which  they  will  serve  God  !  O  miserable  de- 
lusion of  men  to  fancy  they  are  pleasing  Him,  where 
they  are  only  pleasing  themselves !  Alas  for  the 
cowardice  of  the  human  heart,  which  entices  away 
the  will  from  struggling  with  the  flesh  in  prayer, 
after  the  pattern  of  Gethsemani,  till  the  blessed 
words,  "  Not  my  will  but  Thine  be  done,"  leap 
from  the  heart  to  the  lips,  and  resignation,  peace, 
joy,  and  strength  enter  in  and  take  possession  of 
the  soul ! 

It  was  because  Peter  did  not  struggle  in  pra}'^er 
with  temptation  that  he  came,  in  spite  of  his  pro- 
testations, to  deny  his  Master,  for  Whom  he  had 
protested  he  was  ready  to  die ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared 
that  there  are  many  men  and  women  in  this  coun- 
try to-day  who,  in  spite  of  their  natural  fondness 
for  our  IvOrd's  character,  beauty  and  holiness,  may 
never  come  to  acknowledge  Him,  just  as  Peter 
came  to  deny  Him,  unless  they  continue  in  prayer 
to  struggle  for  light,  not  only  to  know  Him,  but  to 


FAITH   AND    REASON. 


431 


know  His  law,  His  personal  will ;  and  for  grace  not 
only  to  love  Him,  but  to  love  and  obey  His  Cburch. 
Yes,  "  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh 
is  weak,"  and  it  is  the  flesh,  and  not  the  reason,  the 
things  of  the  flesh,  and  not  the  things  of  the  spirit, 
which  are  detaining  them  where  they  are — in  the 
outer  darkness,  where  the  light  of  Faith  is  neither 
seen  nor  understood.  "  Watch,"  then,  "  and  pray, 
lest  ye  enter  into  temptation." 

Listen  to  what  St.  Augustine  has  to  say  upon 
this  point.  In  his  "  Confessions,"  he  tells  us  that 
it  was  not  his  Reason  that  kept  him  back  from  join- 
ing the  Catholic  Church,  but  his  will  that  would 
not  struggle  with  temptation,  nor  implore  the  grace 
and  courage  he  needed  from  God. 

"  Nor  had  I  any  excuse,  such  as  I  had  formerly 
pretended  to  when  I  delayed  to  forsake  the  world 
to  serve  Thee,  as  not  having  yet  certainly  dis- 
covered the  truth  :  for  now  I  was  indeed  certain  of 
the  truth,  and  yet  my  will  was  still  fettered,  and 
refused  to  fight  under  Thy  banner :  being  as  much 
afraid  of  being  disengaged  from  all  impediments  as 
I  ought  to  have  feared  being  entangled  in  them. 
The  burden  of  the  world,  as  is  the  case  in  sleep, 
pleasingly  kept  me  down ;  and  the  thoughts  that 
prompted  me  to  arise  to  Thee  were  but  like  the 
struggling  of  such  as  would  awake,  yet  are  still 
overcome  with  drowsiness  and  fall  back  into  their 
former  slumber. 

"And  as  there  is  no  man  who  would  always 
sleep,  but  everyone's  sound  judgment  chooses  to 
be  awake,  yet  oftentimes  he  delays  to  shake  off 
sleep,  while  the  weight  of  indolence  benumbs  his 
limbs,  and  he  prefers  to  entertain  it,  though  his 
Reason  tells  him  it  is  wrong,  it  being  now  high  time 
to  get  up :  so  it  was  with  me.  For  I  was  convinced 
that  it  was  better  for  me  to  give  myself  up  to  Thy 
love  than  to  yield  to  my  own  desires :  but  though  I 
was  pleasurably  convinced  by  the  one,  I  was  still 
strongly  affected  and  captivated  by  the  other;  I 
had  nothing  now  to  answer  to  Thee,  when  Thou 
didst  say  to  me :  '  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and 
arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  will  enlighten  thee.' 
And  when  on  every  side  Thou  showedst  me  that 
Thou  didst  speak  the  truth,  I  had  nothing  at  all  to 
reply,  being  now  convinced  by  the  truth,  except 
some,  lazy,  indolent,  and  drowsy  words, '  presently,' 


'  by  and  by,'  '  stay  a  little ;'  but  that  *  presently ' 
did  not  come  presently,  and  this  '  stay  a  little '  ran 
out  to  a  long  time. 

"  In  vain  did  I  delight  in  Thy  law  according  to 
my  inward  man,  while  another  law  in  my  members 
resisted  that  law  of  my  mind,  and  led  me  captive 
to  the  law  of  sin  which  was  in  my  members.  For 
the  law  of  sin  is  the  force  of  habit,  with  which  the 
mind  is  dragged  along  and  held  against  its  will, 
yet  by  its  deserving,  because  it  willingly  fell  into 
it.  Who,  then,  should  deliver  me,  wretched  man 
that  I  was,  from  the  body  of  that  death,  but  Thy 
grace,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord?" 

In  this  passage,  St.  Augustine  professes  to  give 
the  true  account  of  what  it  was  that  kept  him 
from  following  the  example  of  his  newly-converted 
friend  Victorinus,  and  being,  like  him,  admitted 
into  the  Catholic  Church.  Would  that  others 
could  have  the  courage  to  look  into  themselves, 
and  recognize  the  true  reason  which  holds  them 
where  they  are.  Observe,  "  God  commands  nothing 
that  is  impossible." 

I  must  repeat  it,  the  will  is  at  the  root  of  their 
obstacles  to  Faith.  Surely,  "  he  who  runs  may 
read  "  the  truth,  that  there  cannot  really  be  oppo- 
sition between  truth  and  truth,  though  they  be 
truths  belonging  to  orders  so  different  fiom  each 
other  as  the  natural  and  supernatural.  No :  as  we 
shall  presently  see  more  clearly  still,  it  is  not  the 
opposition  between  Faith  and  Reason  that  is  the 
cause  of  the  unbelief,  but  the  opposition  between 
grace  and  will.  In  other  words,  which  I  now  re- 
peat, men  do  not  believe  for  the  same  reason  that 
they  do  not  obey.  And  they  do  not  obey  because 
they  have  not  the  wt'sk,  or  rather,  the  wz'l/,  to  obey. 
Their  will  is  languid  or  indolent,  or  indifferent, 
insincere,  or  inordinate.  /^///  ei  non  vult  piger : 
"  the  slothful  man  willeth  and  willeth  not." 

Consequently,  my  advice  to  one,  who,  having 
'become  convinced  of  the  claims  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  cannot  see  his  way  to  submitting  to  them, 
and  entering,  would  be  much  the  same  as  yours 
would  be  to  a  friend  who  should  say  to  you  that  he 
could  not  keep  some  commandment  of  the  moral 
law.  Your  advice,  I  imagine,  would  be  this :  you 
would  say :  You  must  keep  the  commandment . 
there  is  no  way  out  of  it.     And  if    you  say  you 


432 


FAITH   AND   REASON. 


cannot,  you  must  remember  that  obedience  is  the 
consequence  of  the  will  to  obey.  Your  will  is 
weak — pray  for  grace — pray  humbly,  pray  earn- 
estly, pray  constantly,  and  you  will  one  day  make 
the  wonderful  discovery  that  what  seemed  impossi- 
ble, so  long  as  God's  grace  was  wanting,  is  now 
made  easy  by  the  assistance  of  that  grace. 

In  like  manner  should  I  speak  to  him  who 
argued  about  the  impossibility  of  submitting  to 
Faith.  I  should  say  :  But  you  must  submit  to  it ; 
it  is  a  commandment  pressing  quite  as  close  upon 
you  as  those  of  the  Decalogue.  Do  you  not  know 
that  Faith  is  the  consequence  of  the  will  to  believe  ? 
It  is  your  will  that  is  at  fault,  you  must  pray  hum- 
bly, earnestly,  constantly  for  the  grace  to  will  to 
believe,  and  if  you  continue  to  do  so,  sooner  or  later 
you  will  be  delightedly  surprised  to  find  that  not 
only  you  wish  to  believe,  but  that  you  do  in  fact 
believe.    Note  well :  "  \}a&just  man  lives  by  Faith." 

This  then  ever  bear  in  mind,  that  Faith  is  not  a 
matter  of  strict  mathematical  demonstration,  but  a 
supernatural  virtue  by  which  we  unhesitatingly 
accept  whatever  God  has  revealed,  because  He  has 
revealed  it  who  cannot  err.  It  is  a  virtue,  because 
there  is  merit  in  believing ;  it  is  a  supernatural 
virtue,  and  consequently  the  free  gift  of  God  ;  and 
it  is  a  theological  virtue,  because  its  immediate 
object  is  God,  and  its  formal  motive  a  divine  per- 
fection, the  infinite  veracity  of  God.  If  Faith 
made  demands  upon  the  intellect  only,  if  it  were 
the  result  of  a  mere  process  of  reasoning,  there 
would  be  no  more  merit  in  accepting  the  truths  of 
revelation  than  there  is  in  arriving  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  a  proposition  in  Euclid. 

No  man  considers  he  is  doing  anything  meritori- 
ous in  assenting  to  a  demonstrated  proposition ; 
but  in  assenting  to  an  evidently  credible  proposi- 
tion of  Faith  there  is  merit,  because  it  is  a  test  of 
the  moral  character  of  a  man's  whole  being,  as  well 
as  the  make  and  temper  of  his  mental  capacity. 
The  reason  why  our  Lord  makes  so  much  of  Faith 
s  precisely  this  :  because  it  is  the  unerring  test  of 
our  good  will  and  docility.  For  the  same  reason 
St.  Paul  in  his  Epistles  writes  at  such  length  about 
the  necessity  of  Faith,  because  as  it  is  the  first  of 
virtues,  so  it  is  the  parent  of  them  all.  ^^ Nulla 
est  vera  virtus^''  writes  St.  Thomas,  "  sine  fide  " — 


there  is  no  true  virtue  without  faith.  "  Without 
faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God."  "  It  is  the 
substance  of  things  hoped  for,  and  the  argument 
of  things  that  appear  not." 

And  now,  having  told  you  what  Faith  is,  and 
how  men  come  to  believe,  we  will  let  our  adver- 
saries speak,  and  tell  how  it  is  (so  they  say)  they 
do  not  come  to  believe. 

They  say,  then,  they  cannot  believe  in  the  truths 
of  revelation,  because  to  believe,  on  the  word  of 
another,  what  we  cannot  ourselves  prove,  is  to  put 
reason  in  fetters — it  is  mental  slavery.  This  objec- 
tion against  Faith,  which  in  one  form  or  another  is 
so  often  made  to  do  duty  against  Catholic  doctrine, 
may  sound  plausible  a*-  first,  but  I  undertake  to 
show  it  ;S  very  shallow,  and  as  cowardly  as  it  is 
unfair. 

In  the  first  place,  ought  not  a  moment's  reflec- 
tion to  suggest  to  our  adversaries  this  question  :  If 
it  is  so  very  unreasonable  to  submit  to  the  word 
of  authority,  how  comes  it  that  hundreds  of  mil- 
lions of  our  fellow-beings,  quite  as  intellectually 
gifted  as  we  are,  and  quite  as  devoted  to  truth  and 
liberty,  find  no  such  opposition  between  Faith  and 
Reason  as  we  fancy  we  have  discovered  ?  Surely 
these  rationalists,  who  pride  themselves  on  their 
unbelief,  can  scarcely  delude  themselves  into  im- 
agining that  they  have  the  monopyly  of  Reason 
and  freedom. 

They  can  hardly  venture  to  persuade  themselves 
that  their  forefathers,  who  formed  their  language, 
framed  their  laws,  founded  their  universities,  faced 
their  enemies,  and  fought  their  battles,  were  of  so 
mean  an  intellectual  make  that  for  more  than  a 
thousand  years  they  bowed  before  the  tyrannical 
rule  of  Faith,  and  meekly  submitted  to  have  its 
fetters  placed  upon  their  Reason  ? 

Do  not  tell  me  that  lovers  of  freedom,  such  as 
they,  who  wrested  from  a  despotic  king  the  Magna 
Charta,  that  great  charter  of  our  liberties,  who  estab- 
lished trial  by  jury,  who  created  our  representative 
system,  who  were  up  and  ready  at  Poictiers,  Har- 
fleur,  Crecy,  and  Agincourt  to  defend  our  real  or 
imagined  rights,  were  made  of  such  poor  stuff  that 
they  were  ready,  on  the  offer  of  a  bribe,  to  barter 
away  freedom  for  slavery ! 

To  these  intellectual  giants,  who  have  made  the 


FAITH   AND    REASON. 


433 


stupendous  discovery  that  submission  to  authority 
in  matters,  of  religion  is  the  annihilation  of  Reason 
and  destruction  of  freedom,  I  should  like  to  put 
one  question.  I  would  fain  ask  them  how,  if  this 
be  so,  do  they  save  their  own  Reason  and  freedom 
from  meeting  with  a  similar  fate  ?  For  I  charge 
them,  one  and  all,  with  doing  themselves  precisely 
what  they  condemn  so  scornfully  in  others.  From 
the  cradle  to  the  grave,  are  they  not  being  anxiously 
guided  throughout  their  secular  life  by  the  leading 
strings  of  authority. 

I  put  it  to  them.  When  they  were  yet  children, 
was  it  not  on  the  autuority  of  their  mother's  word 
that  they  believed  some  things  were  good  for  them 
and  others  would  do  them  harm ;  that  one  line  of 
conduct  was  right  and  another  wrong  ?  And  when 
they  grew  to  be  of  an  age  to  leave  the  nursery 
and  go  to  school,  was  it  not  still  on  the  word  of 
authority  that  they  learned  there  was  a  right  and 
a  wrong  way  of  parsing  their  sentences  or  con- 
struing the  author  set  before  them?  Was  it  not 
to  the  authority  of  their  teacher  that  they  looked 
for  the  truth  of  all  the  multitude  of  miscellaneous 
facts  which  came  before  them  in  the  course  of  their 
studies  ?  And  did  they  innovate  upon  this  time- 
honored  practice,  when  from  school  they  passed  on 
to  the  university  ? 

Nay,  I  will  ask  them  further:  Does  the  period 
in  life  ever  arrive  when  they  can  afford  to  fling 
away  the  crutches  lent  them  by  authority,  and 
walk  by  their  own  strength  ?  When  they  are  sick, 
is  it  their  practice  to  dictate  to  the  physician  in 
attendance  upon  them  the  line  of  treatment  he 
must  prescribe  in  their  case ;  or  do  they  leave 
themselves  to  be  guided  by  his  authority?  If 
they  find  themselves  entangled  in  a  law-suit,  do 
they  quarrel  with  their  solicitor  because  they  can- 
not understand  all  the  intricacies  of  the  law;  or  do 
they  submit  to  be  ruled  by  his  judgment  ? 

Svich  instances  might  be  multiplied ;  but  surely 
these  are  enough  to  make  it  clear  that  if  Catholics 
are  to  be  condemned  as  nothing  better  than  slaves 
because  they  elect  to  be  guided  in  their  spiritual 
life  by  authority,  then  worldly  men  are  under  the 
same  condemnation  for  submitting  to  be  led  by 
authority  in  their  secular  lives. 

They  may  traverse  the  assertion,  and  deny  that 

28 


they  are  so  led.  Let  them  then  quote  in  support 
of  the  charge  what  Mr.  Gladstone  has  to  say  upon 
this  point.  He  says  :  "  The  fact  to  which  we  ought 
all  to  be  alive,  but  for  the  most  part  are  not,  is  that 
the  whole  human  family,  and  the  best  and  the 
highest  races  of  it,  and  the  best  and  highest  minds 
of  those  races,  are  to  a  great  extent  upou  the  crutches 
which  authority  has  lent  them." 

If,  then,  the  majority  of  the  human  race — the 
working  class,  the  middle  class,  as  well  as  the  pro- 
fessional class — are  so  hard  pressed  in  the  race  of 
life,  that  they  must  be  satisfied  with  book-knowl- 
edge in  place  of  source-knowledge,  and  with  what 
accredited  authorities  say  or  write,  or  are  reported 
to  say  or  write,  upon  special  subjects,  if  they  would 
have  knowledge  of  these  matters,  surely  it  is  noth- 
ing less  than  mockery  to  tell  these  same  men  that 
they  are  slaves,  if  in  the  more  difi&cult  subject  of 
religion  they  accept  any  point  of  doctrine  which 
they  have  not  themselves  proved  by  processes  of 
conclusive  reasoning.  "  Inquiry  is  a  way  to  Truth, 
and  Authority  is  a  way  to  Truth — identical  in  aim, 
diverse  in  means." 

What  say  our  objectors  to  this  ?  They  say : 
"  Ah,  but  your  religion  is  involved  in  mystery ; 
and  with  mystery,  as  men  of  light  and  leading, 
we  refuse  to  have  anything  to  do."  Faith,  then, 
it  seems,  must  be  thrust  aside  and  sent  to  the 
wall,  because  it  involves  mystery.  If  so,  upon 
what  plea,  I  ask,  do  they  retain  the  sciences  in 
their  service?  For  by  scientific  men  I  am  told 
that,  as  religion  without  mystery  is  absurd,  so 
science  without  mystery  is  unknown.  And,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  can  these  paragons  of  learning,  who 
are  so  sweeping  in  their  condemnation  of  men  of 
Faith,  tell  me  what  they  themselves  are  able  to 
know  about  the  ultimate  component  parts  of  mat- 
ter ?  Or  can  they  g^ve  me  any  reliable  information 
about  the  origin,  nature,  or  cause,  say  of  gravita- 
tion, magnetism,  or  electricity  ? 

Or  have  they  as  yet  unravelled  that  mysterious 
something  we  call  life  ?  Or  can  they  explain  why 
it  is  that  a  human  being  unconsciously  inhales  and 
exhales  breath  23,000  a  day,  or  why  the  heart  goes 
on  beating  and  never  breaks  down  like  other  en- 
gines, for  a  whole  lifetime  ?  Or  wh}'  there  are 
more   than   800,000.000  of  a.ir  cells   in  a  pair  of 


434 


FAITH   AND    REASON. 


lungs  ?  Or  why  some  of  the  plants  called  fungi 
are  so  small  that  200,000,000  of  them,  set  side  by 
side,  would  not  cover  one  square  inch  of  ground ; 
and  yet  that  each  of  them  possesses  an  inherent 
vitality  which,  under  favorable  circumstances,  will 
burst  into  life  and  reproduce  the  parent  plant  ? 

To  these  questions  the  leaders  of  modern  thought 
and  science  can  give  no  answer.  What  then  are 
achievements  of  science,  and  whither  has  the  march 
of  time  brought  them?  What  have  you  gained 
by  all  your  toil  in  the  laboratory,  dissecting-room, 
and  observatory,  with  your  telescopes,  microscopes, 
spectroscopes,  test  tubes  and  scalpels  ?  In  the 
words  of  Moignd  I  will  answer  for  you  :  '"''La  mul- 
tiplication des  inconnues  et  des  mysteresy  You  have 
but  added  to  the  catalogue  of  mysteries  which  sur- 
round you.  For  our  forefathers,  the  material  world 
was  a  quadruple  mystery  made  up  of  four  elements 
—earth,  water,  air,  fire. 

For  us,  it  is  a  mystery  involving  not  four  but 
sixty-four  other  mysteries ;  a  mystery  changing 
what  was  the  simple  mystery  of  water  into  the 
complex  mystery  of  hydrogen  and  oxygen,  con- 
verting what  was  known  as  air  into  the  mysteries 
of  nitrogen,  oxygen,  carbonic  acid,  ammonia,  car- 
buretted  and  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  hydrochloric 
acid,  carbonic  oxide,  sulphurous  and  sulphuric 
acid,  nitric  acid,  and  most  probably  iodine.  With 
an  array  of  mysteries  such  as  these  facing  the 
rationalist,  what  possible  right  has  he  to  inveigh 
against  the  mysteries  of  religion  ?  Would  it  not 
be  more  candid,  more  generous,  in  him  to  acknowl- 
edge, with  Leibnitz :  "  What  is  contrary  to  mys- 
erties  in  us  is  not  reason  or  natural  light:  it  is 
corruption,  it  is  error,  it  is  prejudice,  it  is  dark- 
ness." 

"  In  science,"  wrote  Jules  Simon,  "  as  often  we 
make  a  step  forward,  we  find  an  abyss ;  it  is  only 
weak  minds  that  believe  they  can  explain  all  and  un- 
derstand all."  "  My  life,"  said  Bayle,  "  is  passed  at 
the  bottom  of  an  abyss,  in  the  midst  of  mysteries." 
And  is  it  not  from  the  lips  of  a  scientific  man  that 
has  been  forced  the  declaration  that  "  from  the  re- 
gion of  disorderly  mystery,  which  is  the  domain  of 
ignorance,  another  vast  province  has  been  added  to 
science,  the  region  of  orderly  mystery  ?"  "  Time," 
"Space,"  "Causation,"  "Matter,"  "Spirit,"  "Light," 


"Sound,"  "Ether" — behold  here  some  samples  of 
your  orderly  mysteries ! 

There  is  an  axiom  of  the  schools  which  says: 
Qui  nimium  probata  nihil  probat :  "  he  who  proves 
too  much,  proves  nothing."  I  recommend  our  ad- 
versaries to  emblazon  this  motto  upon  the  walls  of 
their  lecture  halls  ;  it  might  serve  to  remind  them 
to  proceed  cautiously  in  their  assertions  against 
the  reasonableness  of  Faith.  Perhaps  it  might 
even  suggest  to  them  the  propriety  of  consulting 
some  authority — say  St.  Thomas  of  Aquin— as  to 
what  men  of  Faith  have  to  say  for  themselves  about 
the  truths  they  hold  so  tenaciously.  Our  scientists 
might  then  find  that  St.  Thomas  has  this  to  say  in 
the  first  instance,  that  infidelity  as  well  as  Faith  is 
in  the  understanding  in  its  immediate  subject,  but 
in  the  will  as  in  its  first  mover ;  that  it  is  the  con- 
temptuousness  of  the  will  which  causes  the  dissent 
of  the  understanding,  and  that  in  this  dissent  it  is 
that  infidelity  essentially  consists. 

Hence  the  cause  of  infidelity  is  in  the  will, 
although  infidelity  itself  is  in  the  understanding. 
Infidelity  having  its  cause  in  the  will,  is,  like 
Faith,  a  free  act.  Therefore,  it  is  imputable. 
Faith  is  a  virtue,  and  infidelity  a  vice.  Yes ; 
unbelief  now,  as  always,  is  the  outcome  of  some 
vice  of  character.  But  we  must  remember  that 
vice  is  not  always  gross.  It  may  be  very  subtle 
and  refined  in  its  character,  and  be  allied  with 
many  most  estimable  natural  virtues.  The  vice 
from  which  unbelief  issues  is  always  pride,  intel- 
lectual pride — and  this  vice  is  the  fatal  barrier 
which  hinders  Faith  from  making  its  way  in  the 
soul.  "  Pride  is  the  beginning  of  all  sin ;"  and 
"  the  beginning  of  the  pride  of  man  is.  to  fall  off 
from  God  " — i.  <?.,  Apostasy. 

The  proper  attitude  of  man  towards  God  is  that 
of  intense  humility.  It  is  not  for  him  to  lay  down 
conditions  to  God,  without  the  fulfillment  of  which 
he  will  not  submit  himself  to  divine  teaching.  He 
ought,  on  the  contrary,  even  if  God  to  him  is  as 
yet  only  a  hypothetical  God,  to  be  ever  saying  im 
his  heart :  "  O,  God,  I  accept  Thy  conditions  ;  only 
make  Thyself  known  to  me,  by  such  evidences  as 
in  Thy  estimation  are  sufficient,  and  dispose  my 
mind  and  heart  to  rest  upon  them  with  satisfaction 
and   contentment.     Domine  quid  vis  me  faceref 


FAITH    AND    REASON. 


435 


"Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  do?"  Domine 
ut  videam  :  "  Lord,  that  I  may  see."  When  this 
disposition  is  joined  with  equally  intense  earnest- 
ness to  know  the  Truth,  then  the  light  of  Faith, 
sooner  or  later,  will  shed  abroad  its  beams  within 
his  soul,  and  become  "  a  lamp  to  his  feet  and  light 
to  his  paths." 

I  think  we  may  now  say  that  we  have  satisfied 
our  own  minds,  at  least,  that  in  taking  the  author- 
ity of  Faith  for  our  guide  in  religion,  we  are  no 
more  putting  fetters  on  our  Reason  than  the  rest  of 
men,  who  claim  to  be  mentally  free ;  that  in  acting 
as  we  do,  we  are  not  out  of  joint,  but  in  harmony 
with  all  around  us.  In  a  word,  if  we  believe  in  a 
personal  God  at  all,  we  are  fully  justified  in  con- 
cluding that  as  He  has  provided  us,  upon  our 
entrance  into  this  world,  with  masters  to  teach  and 
guide  us  through  the  days  of  our  infancy  and 
youth,  with  physicians  to  treat  and  heal  us  when 
sick,  with  lawyers  to  advise  and  help  us  when  per- 
plexed, with  scientists  to  instruct  and  warn  us 
when  inquisitive,  so,  too,  that  He  has  provided,  no 
less,  for  the  wants  of  our  souls. 

We  are  justified  in  concluding  that  He  has  made 
ready  for  us  teachers  to  guide  us  through  the  days 
of  our  spiritual  life,  physicians  to  cure  us  of  our 
spiritual  sickness,  moralists  to  solve  our  difficulties 
and  doubts,  directors  to  guide  us  on  the  narrow 
way  to  life,  and  to  allay  our  scruples  and  our  fears. 
Men  who  neglect  the  authoritative  /oice  of  their 
teachers,  who  give  no  heed  to  the  advice  of  their 
physicians,  who  are  deaf  to  the  warnings  of  science, 
come  in  the  end  to  fill  our  hospitals,  crowd  our 
jails,  or  they  sicken  and  die  prematurely  from 
one  disease  or  another,  to  which  they  might  have 
been  strangers  had  they  been  less  headstrong,  less 
self-willed,  more  prudent  and  docile. 

In  like  manner,  men  who  neglect  the  warnings 
of  religion,  who  despise  the  admonitions  and  teach- 
ings of  Faith,  come  at  last  to  fall  a  prey  to  sicknesses 
from  which  there  is  no  cure,  and  to  fill  a  prison 
from  which  there  is  no  egress  ;  they  sicken  and  die 
from  the  effects  of  a  moral  disease  to  which  they, 
too,  might  have  been  strangers  had  they  been  less 
proud  and  self-willed,  and  more  humble  and  docile. 
The  fault  is  their  own.  "  You  will  not  not  come  to 
Me,"  said  our  Lord  to  the  Jews  who  neglected  His 


warnings  and  His  teachings.  Why  did  they  hold 
aloof  ?  Because  they  "  love  darkness  rather  than 
light,  for  their  works  are  evil."  "Thou  hast  ap- 
pointed darkness,  and  it  is  night;  in  it  shall  all 
the  beasts  of  the  woods  go  about." 

We  have  thus  satisfied  ourselves  that  Faith, 
rightly  understood,  can  never  quarrel  with  Reason, 
and  that  there  are  a  priori  reasons  for  coming  to 
the  conclusion  that  Faith  was  meant  by  God  not 
to  be  a  sentinel,  arresting  the  march  of  Reason, 
but  a  divine  guide,  leading  it  onwards  and  up- 
wards, to  a  land  where  no  more  shall  "  we  see 
through  a  glass  in  a  dark  manner,  but  then  face 
to  face." 

Yes,  "now  we  know  in  part,  and  prophesy  in 
part,  but  when  that  which  is  perfect  is  come,  that 
which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away."  "  The  God 
of  Gods  shall  be  seen  in  Sion ;"  we  shall  look  upon 
the  face  of  Him  Whom  we  had  pierced ;  we  shall 
gaze  upon  the  face  of  the  Triune  God,  and  shall  be 
pierced  through  and  through,  like  a  glittering  gem 
of  loveliness,  with  the  life,  the  light,  and  the  love 
of  the  living  and  loving  God,  We  shall  partake  of 
His  nature — of  His  glory  there,  as  of  His  grace 
here,  of  the  eternity  of  His  duration,  of  the  spot- 
lessness  of  His  sanctity,  of  the  tenderness  of  His 
mercy,  of  the  might  of  His  power,  of  the  wealth  of 
His  knowledge,  of  the  charms  of  His  beauty,  of 
the  bliss  of  His  love  for  ever  and  for  ever — for 
there,  in  heaven,  "the  former  things  are  passed 
away." 

It  now  only  remains  for  us  to  inquire  what  the 
voice  of  history  has  to  say  about  Faith.  What 
part  has  Faith  played  in  the  history  of  the  human 
family  ?  Well,  when  I  interrogate  history,  it  tells 
me  that,  under  the  Old  Dispensation,  the  followers 
of  Monotheism  took  the  word  of  the  patriarchs  and 
prophets,  who,  from  time  to  time,  rose  up  amongst 
them,  to  be  the  authoritative  voice  of  the  living 
God.  They  followed  it ;  and  in  so  doing  were  per- 
suaded they  were  obeying  the  Divine  Will. 

I  contemplate  the  Faith  and  obedience  of  Noe, 
who  during  many  years  toiled  at  the  Ark  of  Divine 
command  in  the  presence  of  infidel  scoffers.  I  find 
recorded  the  Faith  that  led  Abraham  out  from 
country  and  kindred  into  a  land  which  he  knew 
not.     I  then  arrive  at  the  distinct  Mosaic  revela- 


436 


FAITH   AND    REASON. 


tion.  There  I  find  multiplied  obediences,  attend- 
ing every  department  of  the  faithful  Israelite's 
existence  at  the  guidance  and  bidding  of  a  priest- 
hood representing  the  Deity.  I  find  penalties, 
even  to  death,  denounced  upon  "  those  who  be- 
lieved not,"  and  therefore  would  not  obey. 

The  earth,  which  our  men  of  science  would  have 
obedient  only  to  material  cosmic  laws,  opens  her 
mouth  opportunely  to  swallow  up  the  unbeliever 
and  the  rebel  against  God's  appointed  teachers  and 
vicegerents.  The  astronomic  laws  seem  to  be  re- 
versed, that  daylight  may  be  lengthened  for  the 
defeat  and  slaughter  of  infidel  hosts. 

And  when  the  Old  Dispensation  made  way  for 
the  New,  and  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Who,  by  the  ful- 
fillment of  prophecy  and  the  seal  of  His  miracles, 
proved  He  was  Divine  as  well  as  human,  when  He 
came  down  and  dwelt  among  us,  did  He  innovate 
upon  this  system,  established  for  the  acquisition  of 
religious  truths  ?  Did  the  Son  of  Man  at  any  time 
or  anywhere  give  out :  "  Accept  nothing  which  you 
cannot  yourselves  prove ;  believe  nothing  which 
transcends  your  powers  of  imagination  ;  hold  noth- 
ing which  involves  mystery?"  Did  He  declare 
that  His  followers  were  to  be  distinguished  from 
such  as  had  gone  before  by  substituting  private 
judgment  for  the  judgment  of  those  who  claimed 
to  teach  in  His  name  and  with  His  voice  ?  The 
very  reverse. 

Emphatically,  peremptorily,  uniformly,  He  com- 
missioned His  ambassadors,  promising  to  be  with 
them  by  His  power  and  grace  till  time  was  swal- 
lowed up  in  eternity.  He  bade  them  teach  all  re- 
ligious truth,  to  teach  the  nations,  to  teach  every 
creature,  and  to  make  disciples  of  all.  His  Church 
was  to  be  composed  of  two  parts,  each  responding  to 
the  other,  each  the  complement  of  the  other — the 
Church  teaching  and  the  Church  taught.  His 
representatives  were  to  be  teachers,  like  Himself, 
"with  authority,  and  not  as  the  Scribes;"  not 
theorists,  nor  "  guessers  at  truth,"  but  witnesses, 
ministers,  ambassadors,  clothed  with  His  authority, 
speaking  with  His  voice  :  "  As  the  Father  has  sent 
Me,  so  I  send  you."  "  Ye  shall  be  my  witnesses  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judaea,  and  Samaria,  and  even 
to  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth,"  "  He  that  heareth 
you,  heareth  Me,  and  he  that  dispiseth  you,  dis- 


piseth  Me."  "And  behold,  I  am  with  you  all  days, 
even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world."  As  He 
commissioned  some  to  teach.  He  commanded  others 
to  learn. 

Nay,  he  went  further.  He  bade  His  witnesses  to 
regard  such  as  would  not  hear  the  Church,  in  the 
light  of  heathens  and  publicans.  And  yet  more : 
against  those  who  obstinately  refused  to  receive  and 
hear  His  witnesses,  our  Lord  pronounced  an  awful 
condemnation  :  "  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  you, 
nor  hear  your  words  :  going  forth  out  of  that  house 
or  city,  shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet."  Then  He 
added  those  words  which  have  echoed  through  the 
agC3 :  "Amen,  I  say  to  you  it  shall  be  more  toler- 
able for  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, than  for  that  city."  Surely,  if  there  is  any 
meaning  in  the  words  at  all,  if  language  is  the  ex- 
pression of  thought  and  the  symbol  of  will,  no  one 
who  believes  in  the  Bible  can  say  that  the  Son  of 
Man  has  left  the  acceptance  of  authority  in  matters 
of  religion  an  open  question. 

On  the  contrary,  He  has  made  it  a  test,  and  an 
unerring  test,  of  discipleship,  and  the  very  condi- 
tion of  man's  escape  from  the  fate  of  those  who  were 
destroyed  in  the  wicked  cities  of  the  plain.  The 
words  are  unmistakable,  the  language  emphatic,  the 
tone  imperative.  And  in  this  sense  have  they  al- 
ways been  understood  by  the  Church.  St.  Paul, 
for  example,  in  none  of  his  Epistles  bases  his  teach- 
ings on  processes  of  reasoning.  On  the  contrary, 
he  distinctly  declares  :  "  To  us  God  hath  revealed 
them  by  His  Spirit.  For  the  Spirit  searcheth  all 
things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God.  For  what  man 
knoweth  the  things  of  a  man,  but  the  spirit  of  a 
man  that  is  in  him  ?  So  the  things  also  that  are  of 
God  no  man  knoweth,  but  the  Spirit  of  God.  Now 
we  have  received,  not  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the 
Spirit  that  is  of  God  :  that  we  may  know  the  things 
that  are  given  us  from  God.  Which  things  also 
we  think,  not  in  the  learned  words  of  human  wisdom, 
but  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Spirit." 

No ;  "  the  Apostles,"  as  Cardinal  Newman  ob- 
serves, "  did  not  rest  their  cause  on  argument ;  they 
did  not  rely  on  eloquence,  wisdom,  or  reputation ; 
they  did  not  resolve  Faith  into  sight  and  Reason  ; 
they  contrasted  it  with  both,  and  bade  their  hearers 
believe,  sometimes  in  spite,  sometimes  in  default, 


FAITH  AND  REASON. 


437 


sometimes  in  aid,  of  sight  and  Reason.  They  came 
as  commissioned  from  Him  *  Whom  they  [their 
hearers]  ignorantly  worshipped,'  and  declared  that 
mankind  was  a  guilty  and  outcast  race ;  that  sin 
Avas  misery  ;  that  the  world  was  a  snare  ;  that  life 
was  a  shadow ;  that  God  was  everlasting,  and  that 
His  law  was  holy  and  true,  and  its  sanction  certain 
and  terrible ;  that  He  also  was  all-merciful ;  that 
He  had  appointed  a  Mediator  between  Him  and 
them,  Who  had  removed  all  obstacles,  and  was  de- 
sirous to  restore  them  ;  and  that  He  had  sent  them- 
selves to  explain  how.  They  said  that  that  Mediator 
had  come  and  gone ;  but  had  left  behind  Him  what 
was  to  be  His  representative  till  the  end  of  all 
things,  His  mystical  body,  the  Church,  in  joining 
which  lay  the  salvation  of  the  world." 

Even  such  words  as  I  have  uttered  ought  to  satisfy 
our  adversaries  that  in  submitting  to  the  authority 
of  Faith  in  matters  of  religion.  Catholics  are  not 
necessarily  more  slavish,  or  childish,  or  irrational 
than  the  rest  of  the  human  family  ;  that  in  con- 
cluding from  their  belief  in  a  Personal  God,  from 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  a  life  hereafter  in 
the  sight  of  God,  to  the  necessity  of  some  such 
spiritual  guidance  being  provided  for  them,  they  are 
but  extending  to  the  spiritual  world  a  law  which  is 
recognized  to  exist  in  the  natural ;  and  that  in  sub- 
mitting, by  virtue  of  their  belief  in  the  Divinity  of 
Christ  and  the  Inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  to  the 
word  of  the  Catholic  Church  as  the  voice  of  God, 
they  are  but  doing  that  which  conscience  no  less 
than  Reason  points  out  to  be  their  bounden  duty  as 
logically-minded  Christian  men. 

Indeed  it  is  hard  to  discover  any  locus  standi  be- 
tween a  revealed  religion  and  no  religion  at  all ;  nor 
can  one  imagine  what  may  be  that  process  of  reason- 
ing by  which  a  man  contrives  to  justify  himself  in 
the  extremely  perilous  experiment  of  balancing 
himself  equidistant  between  Catholicity  and  infi- 
delity. Between  these  two,  what  is  there  but  a 
well-worn,  well-polished  inclined  plane,  upon  which 
he  who  is  not  struggling  upwards  must  be  gliding 
downwards  ?  Unless  he  be  possessed  of  quite  ex- 
ceptional powers  as  a  mental  acrobat,  he  shall 
hardly  find  a  standpoint  between  them.  How 
shall  he  brave  such  imminent  risk  to  the  life  of 
his  soul  ? 


Nor  am  I  alone  in  this  view  of  his  situation. 
Cardinal  Newman,  whom  Mr.  Gladstone  speaks  of 
as  "  one  of  the  world's  greatest  minds,"  has  thus 
recorded  of  himself:  "I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  there  was  no  medium  in  true  philosophy  be- 
tween atheism  and  Catholicity,  and  that  a  perfectly 
consistent  mind  under  these  circumstances  in  which 
it  finds  itself  here  below  must  embrace  either  one 
or  the  other ;  and  I  hold  this  still :  I  am  a  Catholic 
by  virtue  of  my  believing  in  One  God."  In  this 
remarkable  passage  you  have  the  candid  confession 
of  "  one  of  the  world's  greatest  minds,"  that  he  can 
discover  no  medium  between  the  Catholic  religion 
and  no  religion  at  all.  He  has  embraced  the  Cath- 
olic Faith,  and  with  what  result  ?  Does  the  Cardi- 
nal feel  his  great  intellect  to  be  in  fetters,  or  has  he 
discovered  that  he  exchanged  freedom  for  slavery, 
or  Faith  for  Reason  ? 

Hear  him  speak  again :  "  From  the  day  I  be- 
came a  Catholic,"  he  writes  in  his  Letter  to  the 
Duke  of  Norfolk^  "  now  close  upon  thirty  years,  I 
have  never  had  a  moment's  misgiving  that  the 
communion  of  Rome  is  that  Church  which  the 
Apostles  set  up  at  Pentecost,  which  alone  has  the 
adoption  of  sons,  and  the  glory  and  the  covenant, 
and  the  promises,  and  in  which  the  Anglican  com- 
munion, whatever  its  merits  and  demerits,  what- 
ever tb.e  excellence  of  individuals  in  it,  has,  as 
such,  no  part.  Nor  have  I  ever  for  a  moment 
hesitated  in  my  conviction  since  1845,  that  it  was 
my  clear  duty  to  join  the  Catholic  Church,  as  I  did 
then  join  it,  which  in  my  conscience  I  felt  to  be 
divine.  Never  for  a  moment  have  I  wished  myself 
back  ;  never  have  I  ceased  to  thank  my  Maker  for 
His  mercy  in  enabling  me  to  make  the  great 
change,  and  never  has  He  let  me  feel  forsaken  by 
Him,  or  in  distress,  or  in  any  kind  of  religious 
trouble." 

I  might  cite  other  authorities  by  hundreds  in  con- 
firmation of  the  Cardinal's  words,  but  I  will  not 
detain  you.  There  is,  however,  one  —  just  one 
more — whose  testimony  I  will  seek,  and  he  is  one 
who  tried  the  via  media.  He  was,  if  I  may  say  so, 
like  a  traveller  who,  beguiled  away  from  the  beaten 
track  along  a  treacherous  coast-line,  finds  himself 
suddenly  clinging  instinctively  to  some  chance 
ledge  of  a  steep  and  slippery  cliff.     Below,  he  could 


438 


FAITH   AND    REASON. 


hear  the  multitudinous  noise  of  waters  ;  and,  as  he 
watched  the  long  line  of  waves  sweeping  and  break- 
ing with  savage  glee  against  the  granite  cliff,  he 
thought  to  himself :  "  There  is  needed  no  assault 
of  demon  from  the  awful  deep  to  make  it  possible 
for  me  to  be  plunged  at  any  moment  into  that 
yawning  fathomless  abyss." 

But  as  he  looked  upwards  to  the  city  seated  on 
the  hill,  and  drank  in  the  music  of  its  vesper  bells, 
he  thought  to  himself:  "Ah  me  !  besides  a  mighty 
will  and  a  steady  brain,  aid  must  come  to  me  from 
above,  if  ever  I  am  to  be  safely  landt^^,  in  that 
*  City  of  Peace.'  "  That  supernatural  aid  did  come  ; 
the  struggling  man  seized  it,  and  was  drawn  out  of 
the  very  jaws  of  death,  and  safely  landed  in  the 
Catholic  Church.  And,  now,  what  has  this  voice 
from  beyond  the  Atlantic  to  say  about  his  experi- 
ence of  the  years  he  has  passed  as  a  child  of  the 
Catholic  Church  ? 

I  will  give  you  his  own  words :  "I  have  been, 
during  thirteen  years  of  my  Catholic  life,  con- 
stantly engaged  iu  the  study  of  the  Church  and 
her  doctrine,  and  especially  in  relation  to  philoso- 
phy and  natural  Reason.  I  have  had  occasion  to 
examine  and  defend  Catholicity  precisely  under 
those  points  of  view  which  are  most  odious  to  my 
non-Catholic  countrymen  and  to  the  Protestant 
miud  generally ;  but  I  have  never,  in  a  single 
instance,  found  a  single  article,  dogma,  proposition 
or  definition  of  Faith  which  embarassed  me  as  a 
logician,  and  which  I  could,  so  far  as  my  own  Rea- 
son was  concerned,  have  changed,  or  modified,  or  in 
any  respect  altered  from  what  I  found  it,  even  if  I 
had  been  free  to  do  so.  I  have  never  found  my 
Reason  struggling  against  the  teachings  of  the 
Church,  or  felt  myself  restrained,  or  felt  myself 
reduced  to  a  state  of  mental  slavery,  I  have,  as  a 
Catholic,  felt  and  enjoyed  a  mental  freedom  which 
I  never  conceived  possible  while  I  was  a  non- 
Catholic."  After  such  testimony,  who  will  not 
say,  "  It  is  worth  a  man's  while  to  storm  heaven 
and  batter  at  its  gates  for  the  gift  of  Divine  Faith  ?" 

To  Protestants  generally,  dissatisfied  with  an 
institution  concerning  which  a  modern  writer  has 
said,  "  Not  only  has  experience  proved  the  practi- 
cal incoherency  of  its  superstructure,  but  criticism 
has  washed  away  like  sand  every  vestige  of  its 


supernatural  foundatiou,"  I  earnestly  recommend 
the  careful  perusal  of  these  words  of  Cardinal  Ne-v- 
man  and  Dr.  Brownson. 

To  others,  still  lower  down  the  inclined  plane,  I 
would  say :  "If,  from  bitter  experience,  you  have 
come  to  learn  that  something  more  and  better  than 
free  schools,  free  museums,  free  lectures,  free  enter- 
tainments, free  land,  and  free  love,  together  with  free- 
dom of  thought,  and  of  speech,  and  of  writing,  and 
of  doing,  is  needed  to  satisy  the  mind's  hunger  for 
truth,  and  to  slake  the  heart's  thirst  for  happiness ; 
and  if  upon  trial  you  have  found  that  the  religion 
of  Humanity  and  Science  is  powerless  to  restrain 
evil  passion,  and  to  assuage  wearing  sorrow,  then 
in  mercy  to  yourselves  I  ask  you  to  try  what  the 
Christian  religion  can  do  for  your  restless  souls. 
And  as  you  cast  about  in  search  of  the  most  con- 
sistent form  of  Christianity,  I  ask  you  to  choose 
the  principle  laid  down  by  that  very  intelligent 
statesman,  Sir  George  Cornwall  Lewis :  '  As  a  rule, 
the  professors  of  any  science  are  trustworthy  in 
proportion  as  the  points  of  agreement  among  them 
are  numerous  and  important,  and  the  points  of  dif- 
ference few  and  unimportant.'" 

Apply  this  general  principle  to  the  science  of 
religion.  Take  your  mental  balance  and  place  in 
one  scale  of  it  the  71,000,000  of  Protestants,  along 
with  their  183  different  sects,  and  ascertain,  if  you 
can,  in  what  points  of  doctrine  they  agree  with  one 
another,  and  in  what  points  they  mutually  differ. 
Next  take  the  other  scale  and  place  iu  it  the 
250,000,000  of  Catholics  alive  at  this  very  moment 
on  earth.  Find  out  in  what  points  of  doctrine  i/iej 
agree  with  one  another,  and  in  what  points  they, 
too,  differ.  Having  thus  fairly  instituted  a  com- 
parison between  the  Faith  in  the  one  scale,  and  the 
so-called  Faith  iu  the  other,  you  will  of  necessity 
arrive  at  a  conclusion. 

You  will  say :  As  we  find  by  experience  that  the 
points  of  agreement  among  the  Protestants  are  few, 
and  the  points  of  difference  are  numerous  and  im- 
portant, whereas  the  points  of  agreement  among 
Catholics  are  numerous  and  important,  and  the 
points  of  difference  among  them  are  few  and  unim- 
portant, we  have  no  alternative  but  to  turn  our 
backs  now  and  for  ever  upon  the  so-called  National 
Religion,  and  embrace  once  and  for  ever  the  grand 


FAITH   AND    REASON. 


43d 


old  Tradition  of  trie  world-wide  Churcli,  the  Catholic 
Faith. 

We  are  all  of  us,  by  nature,  and  in  the  circum- 
stances in  which  we  find  ourselves  here  below, 
like  blind  men  in  an  unknown  region.  We  are  in 
urgent  need  of  a  guide  in  whose  hand  we  may 
safely  place  our  own,  with  confidence  that  we  shall 
not  be  misled  ;  a  guide  that  will  safely  conduct  us  to 
a  land  where  Faith  shall  pass  into  vision,  and  Hope 
be  more  than  realized  in  the  possession  of  God,  in 
"  the  city  of  perfect  beauty,"  in  "  the  kingdom  of 
perfect  peace." 

When,   out   of    ma_iy   guides    who    press   their 


services  upon  us,  we  make  choice  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  we  are  but  choosing  one  who,  while  she 
claims  to  be  the  only  guide  that  knows  the  way  to 
the  "  Better  Land,"  has  made  good  that  claim  by 
the  safe  conduct  of  souls,  "  of  all  nations,  and  tribes, 
and  peoples,  and  tongues,"  to  its  golden  gates  for 
more  than  eighteen  hundred  years. 

"  Be  ye  more  staid,  O  Christains !  Not  like 
feathers,  by  each  wind  removable ;  nor  think  to 
cleanse  yourselves  in  every  water.  Either  Testa- 
ment, the  Old  or  the  New,  is  yours ;  and  for  your 
Guide  the  Shepherd  of  the  Church.  Let  this  suf- 
fice to  save  you." — (Dante,  Paradiso,  Canto  v.) 


OUR   LORD    IN   THE   ARMS   OF    HIS   BLESSED    MOTHER. 


The  Sayings  21  Brother  Giles, 

ONE  OF  THE  FIRST  DISCIPLES  OF  ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI. 


On  Vices  and  Virtues. 

The  grace  of  God,  and  the  virtues,  are  the  way 
and  the  ladder  to  Heaven  ;  but  sins  and  vices  are 
the  way  and  the  ladder  to  the  depths  of  hell.  Sin 
and  vice  are  a  deadly  poison,  but  virtue  and  good 
works  are  a  good  medicine.  One  grace  induces  and 
draws  after  it  another ;  and  one  vice  drav.  s  another 
after  it  also.  Grace  does  not  desire  to  be  praised ; 
and  vice  cannot  suffer  to  be  blamed.  The  mind  is 
at  peace  in  humility  and  rests,  and  patience  is  its 
daughter.  Holy  purity  of  heart  sees  God,  but  true 
devotion  tastes  Him.  If  thou  lovest,  thou  shalt  be 
loved.  If  thou  servest,  thou  shalt  be  served.  If 
thou  fearest,  thou  shalt-be  feared. 

If  thou  bear  thyself  kindly  towards  others,  it  is 
meet  that  others  should  behave  themselves  kindly 
towards  thee.  But  blessed  is  he  who  loves  truly, 
and  desires  not  to  be  loved  again.  Blessed  is  he 
who  serves,  and  desires  not  to  be  served.  Blessed 
is  he  who  fears,  and  desires  not  to  be  feared.  Blessed 
is  he  who  shows  kindness  to  others,  and  desires  not 
that  others  should  show  kindness  to  him.  But  be- 
cause these  things  are  very  high  and  require  great 
perfection,  fools  cannot  know  or  acquire  them. 

Three  things  are  greatly  to  be  desired,  and  of 
great  utility  ;  he  that  acquires  them  will  never  fall. 
The  first  is,  that  thou  sustain  voluntarily,  and  with 
joy,  all  tribulations  that  befall  thee,  for  the  love  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  second,  that  thou  humble  thy- 
self daily  in  all  thou  doest,  and  all  thou  seest.  The 
third  is,  that  thou  love  faithfully  with  all  thy  heart 
that  heavenly  and  invisible  treasure,  which  cannot 
be  discerned  by  the  eyes  of  the  body. 

Those  things  which  are  the  most  despised  and 
abhorred  by  wordly  men,  of  a  truth,  are  the  most 
acceptable  and  well-pleasing  to  God  and  His  Saints  ; 
and  the  things  which  are  the  most  valued  and  de- 
sired by  the  men  of  the  world  and  the  most  pleasing 
to  them,  are  most  hateful  and  contemptible  and  dis- 
pleasing to  God  and  His  Saints.  This  unhappy 
antagonism  proceeds  from  the  ignorance  and  malice 
440 


of  human  nature  ;  inasmuch  as  man,  in  his  misery, 

loves  most  those  things  which  he  should  hate,  and 

hates  that  which  he  should  love. 

Brother  Giles  once  asked  another  Brother :  "  Tell 

me,  most  beloved,  is  thy  soul  right  with  God  ?"     To 

which  the  Brother  replied  :    "  That  I  know  not." 

And  Brother  Giles  said  to  him :  "  My  Brother,  I 

would  have  thee  to  know,  that  holy  contrition,  and 

holy  humility,  and  holy  charity,  and  holy  devotion, 

and  holy  joy,  are  those  things  which  make  the  soul 

good  and  blessed." 

On  Faith. 

All  those  things  which  can  be  conceived  in  the 
heart,  or  expressed  by  the  tongue,  or  seen  with  the 
eyes,  or  touched  with  the  hands — all  these  are 
nothing  in  respect  of  the  things  which  cannot  be 
conceived,  or  seen,  or  touched.  All  that  the  Saints 
and  wise  men  who  have  passed  away,  and  those  who 
are  now  in  this  present  life,  or  will  come  after 
us,  have  written  and  spoken,  or  will  write  or  speak 
of  God,  does  not,  and  never  can,  tell  so  much  of 
what  might  be  told  of  Him,  as  a  grain  of  millet 
compared  with  all  heaven  and  earth,  nay,  a  thousand 
times  less.  All  the  Scripture  that  speaks  of  God 
speaks  of  Him  as  it  were  lispingl}',  even  as  a  mother 
does  who  lisps  to  her  son  who  would  not  be  able  to 
understand  her  words  if  she  spoke  in  another 
fashion. 

Brother  Giles  once  said  to  a  secular  judge  :  "Dost 
thou  believe  that  the  gifts  of  God  are  great  ?"  The 
judge  aiiswere."  "  I  do  believe  it."  Then  said 
Brother  Giles  :  "  I  will  show  thee  that  thou  does  not 
believe  it  in  very  deed  ;"  and  he  said  to  him  :  "  What 
is  the  value  of  all  thou  dost  possess  in  the  world  ?" 
And  the  judge  answered  him  :  "  It  is  worth  about 
a  thousand  lire  "  ($20o).  Then  said  Brother  Giles 
again  :  "  Wouldst  thou  part  with  thy  property  for 
ten  thousand  lire  ?"  The  judge  replied,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation :  "  Certainly,  I  would  do  so 
willingly."  And  Brother  Giles  said  :  "Of  a  surety, 
all  the  possessions  of  this  world  are  nothing   in 


SAINT  AI^OYSIUS 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


441 


respect  of  heavenly  things ;  why  then  dost  thou  not 
give  up  all  thy  possessions  to  Christ,  to  obtain  those 
that  are  heavenly  and  eternal  ?" 

Then  the  judge,  learned  in  all  the  foolish  science 
of  this  world,  said  to  Brother  Giles,  pure  and  simple 
as  he  was  :  "  God  hath  filled  thee  with  the  wisdom  of 
divine  folly ;  but  tell  me.  Brother  Giles,  dost  thou 
believe  there  is  a  man  in  all  the  world,  who  would 
conform  his  exterior  actions  to  that  which  he  be- 
lieves inwardly  ?"  And  Brother  Giles  answered 
him :  "  See,  my  beloved  :  it  is  most  certain  that  all 
the  Saints  have  made  it  their  study  to  put  in  prac- 
tice, as  perfectly  as  possible,  all  that  they  knew  or 
understood  to  be  the  will  of  God ;  and  all  those 
things  which  they  could  not  actually  carry  out  ex- 
ternally, they  fulfilled  in  the  holy  desires  of  their 
will,  in  such  wise  that  the  impossibility  of  exterior 
fulfillment  was  made  up  for  by  the  desires  of  the 
soul. 

Again,  Brother  Giles  said :  "  If  there  were  a  man 
to  be  found  who  had  perfect  faith,  in  a  little  space 
of  time  he  would  arrive  at  a  state  of  perfection,  in 
which  it  would  be  given  him  to  know,  with  full  cer- 
tainty, his  salvation.  What  good  can  prosperity 
or  temporal  advantage  in  this  world  do  to  the 
miserable  man  who  expects  eternal  perdition  ? 
What  hurt  or  harm  can  any  temporal  adversity  of 
this  life  do  to  the  man  who,  with  firm  faith,  looks 
forward  to  eternal,  consummate,  and  supreme  bliss  ? 
Nevertheless,  however  great  a  sinner  a  man  may 
be,  let  him  never  despair  so  long  as  he  lives  of  the 
infinite  mercy  of  God ;  because  there  is  not  a  tree 
in  the  world  so  thorny,  or  so  knotty  and  gnarled,  but 
can  be  planed,  and  polished,  and  adorned  and  made 
beautiful  by  men  ;  and  so  also,  there  is  no  man  in 
the  world  so  iniquitous  and  sinful,  but  God  can  con- 
vert him  and  adorn  him  with  singular  graces,  and 
many  gifts  of  virtue." 

On  Holy  Humility. 

No  one  can  gain  any  knowledge  of  God,  or  inti- 
macy with  Him,  but  by  the  virtue  of  humility ; 
inasmuch  as  the  direct  way  to  ascend  is  first  to 
descend.  All  the  perils  and  the  great  falls  which 
have  taken  place  in  this  world  have  arisen  from  no 
other  cause  than  exaltation  of  the  mind  through 
pride.     This  is  seen  in  the  fall  of  the  devil,  who  was 


cast  out  of  heaven,  and  in  the  fall  of  our  first  father 
Adam,  who  was  cast  out  of  Paradise,  because  of 
the  exaltation  of  the  mind,  namely,  disobedience ; 
and  again  in  the  instance  of  the  Pharisees,  of 
whom  Christ  speaks  in  the  Gospels,  and  in  many 
other  examples. 

And  so,  on  the  contrary,  all  the  good  works 
which  have  ever  taken  place  in  this  world  have 
been  produced  entirely  by  humility  of  mind,  as  is 
proven  by  the  blessed  and  most  humble  Virgin 
Mary,  and  by  the  publican,  and  by  the  holy  thief 
on  the  cross,  and  by  many  other  examples  in  the 
Scriptures.  And  therefore  it  would  be  well  for  us, 
if  we  could  find  a  great  and  heavy  weight,  that  we 
might  carry  it  always  fastened  round  our  neck,  so 
that  it  might  always  draw  us  downwards,  that  is  to 
say,  continually  cause  us  to  humble  ourselves. 

A  Brother  once  asked  Brother  Giles:  "Tell 
me,  Father,  how  may  we  escape  from  this  pride  ?" 
To  which  Brother  Giles  replied :  "  My  Brother, 
set  this  fact  before  thee,  that  thou  canst  never 
hope  to  flee  pride,  except,  first  of  all,  thou  place 
thy  mouth  where  thy  feet  are;  but  if  thou  con- 
sider the  gifts  of  God  thou  wilt  know  well  that 
thou  owest  it  to  Him  to  bow  thy  head.  And  again, 
if  thou  consider  well  thy  defects,  and  the  many 
offences  which  thou  has  committed  against  God, 
thou  wilt  find  suflEcient  cause  to  humble  thyself. 
But  woe  to  those  who  would  be  honored  even  for 
their  sins  !  There  is  a  degree  of  humility  in  him 
who  knows  himself  to  be  the  enemy  of  his  own  wel- 
fare. There  is  a  degree  of  humility  also  in  him, 
who  renders  to  another  the  things  which  belong  to 
him,  and  does  not  attribute  them  to  himself ;  which 
is  to  say,  that  all  good,  and  all  virtue  which  man 
finds  in  himself,  he  must  not  attribute  to  himself, 
but  solely  to  God,  from  whom  proceeds  every  grace, 
every  virtue  and  every  good. 

But  all  sins  and  evil  passions  in  the  soul,  and 
whatever  vice  man  finds  in  himself,  he  must  take 
as  his  own,  considering  that  they  proceed  from  him- 
self alone,  and  from  his  own  malice,  and  not  from 
any  other.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  knows  himself, 
and  reputes  himself  vile  before  God  and  men! 
Blessed  is  he  who  judges  himself,  and  condemns 
himself,  and  not  another :  for  he  shall  not  be  judged 
in  the  great,  and  terrible  final  judgment.     Blessed 


442 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


is  lie  wKo  bears  meekly  tlie  yoke  of  obedience,  and 
submits  cO  the  guidance  of  another,  as  the  holy 
Apostles  did,  both  before  and  after  they  received  the 
Holy  Spirit !" 

And  again.  Brother  Giles  said  :  "He  who  would 
acquire  and  possess  perfect  peace  and  quiet,  must 
consider  every  man  his  superior,  and  himself  sub- 
ject and  inferior  to  all.  Blessed  is  the  man  who 
desires  not  to  be  seen  or  known,  either  in  his  deeds 
or  words,  save  in  the  pure  disposition  and  the  simple 
adornment  to  which  he  has  been  disposed,  and  by 
which  he  has  been  adorned  of  God !  Blessed  is  the 
man  who  can  keep  and  conceal  the  Divine  revela- 
tions and  consolations  :  for  there  is  nothing  so  secret 
that  God  wil\  not  reveal  it  when  it  pleases  Him.  If 
a  man  were  the  most  perfect  and  the  most  holy  upon 
earth,  and  he  should  consider  and  believe  himself  to 
be  the  most  miserable  sinner,  and  the  vilest  man  in 
the  world,  he'-ein  would  be  true  humility.  Holy  hu- 
mility knows  not  how  to  converse,  and  the  blessed 
fear  of  God  knows  not  how  to  speak." 

Brother  Giles  said  also :  "  To  me  it  seems  that 
humility  is  like  the  thunderbolt,  for  as  the  bolt 
causes  a  terrible  concussion,  breaking,  rending,  and 
burning  whatever  it  strikes,  and  yet  afterwards  there 
is  nothing  of  it  to  be  found,  thus  also  humility  ex- 
plodes, and  dissipates,  and  consumes  all  malice,  all 
vice  and  all  sin,  and  afterwards  it  seems  to  be  noth- 
ing at  all  in  itself  The  man  who  possesses  humil- 
ity, shall  through  humility  find  grace  with  God, 
and  perfect  peace  with  his  neighbor." 

On  the  Holy  Fear  of  God. 

He  who  fears  not,  shows  that  he  has  nothing  to 
lose.  The  holy  fear  of  God  orders,  governs  and 
rules  the  soul,  and  brings  it  into  a  state  of  grace. 
If  a  man  possess  any  grace  or  divine  virtue,  holy 
fear  will  preserve  it  for  him  to  the  end.  And  he 
who  has  not  yet  acquired  either  virtue  or  grace,  will 
be  enabled,  through  holy  fear,  to  acquire  them. 
The  holy  fear  of  God  is  a  channel  of  Divine  grace, 
for  it  causes  the  soul  in  which  it  dwells  to  obtain 
these  graces  and  all  holy  virtue  without  delay.  All 
who  have  fallen  into  sin  would  never  have  suc- 
cumbed, had  they  possessed  the  holy  fear  of  God. 
But  this  holy  gift  of  fear  is  given  only  to  the  perfect, 
for  the  more  perfect  a  man  is,  the  more  he  fears  and 


humbles  himself.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  knows 
himself  to  be  in  prison  in  this  world,  and  ever  re- 
members how  grievously  he  has  offended  his  Lord, 

A  man  should  always  greatly  fear  pride,  lest  it 
cause  him  to  stumble  and  fall  from  that  state  of 
grace  in  which  he  is,  for  one  can  never  stand  secure 
in  the  midst  of  enemies ;  and  our  enemies  are  the 
lusts  of  this  miserable  world  and  of  our  own  flesh, 
which,  along  with  the  devils,  are  ever  at  war  against 
our  souls.  One  must  have  still  greater  fear  lest  his 
own  malice  deceive  and  overcome  him,  than  of  all 
other  enemies.  It  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  ascend 
to  au}''  grace  or  Divine  virtue,  or  persevere  therein, 
without  holy  fear.  He  who  has  not  the  fear  of  God 
is  in  danger  of  being  lost  altogether.  The  fear  of 
God  makes  a  man  humbly  obey,  and  incline  his 
head  under  the  yoke  of  obedience ;  and  the  more 
fear  a  man  possesses,  the  more  fervently  will  he 
worship  God. 

It  is  not  a  little  matter  to  have  the  gift  of  prayer, 
and  to  him  that  feareth  it  shall  be  given.  The 
virtuous  actions  of  men,  however  much  we  may 
esteem  them,  are  not,  therefore,  rockoned  and  re- 
warded according  to  our  estimation,  but  according 
to  the  estimation  and  the  good  pleasure  of  God  ;  for 
God  looks  not  at  the  amount  of  labor,  but  at  thr 
amount  of  love  and  hixmility :  and,  therefore,  the 
safest  par.;  to  choose  is  to  love  and  fear  always 
with  humility,  and  never  to  trust  in  ourselves  for 
any  good,  but  to  distrust  the  thoughts  which  arise 
in  our  minds  under  the  appearance  of  good. 

On  Holy  Patience. 

He,  who  with  firm  patience  and  humility  suffers 
tribulation  for  the  love  of  God,  will  quickly  attain 
to  great  graces  and  virtue ;  he  shall  be  lord  of  this 
world,  and  possess  a  pledge  of  the  glorious  world 
to  come.  Everything  which  a  man  does,  whether 
of  good  or  evil,  unto  himself  he  does  it.  And, 
therefore,  be  not  scandalized  by  him  who  does  thee 
an  injury;  but  rather  have  humble  patience,  and 
grieve  only  for  his  sin,  having  compassion  and 
praying  fervently  to  God  for  him.  The  stronger  a 
man  is  to  bear  and  to  suffer  injuries  and  tribula- 
tions patiently  for  the  love  of  God,  so  much  the 
nearer  is  he  to  God,  and  no  more :  the  weaker  a 
man  is  to  sustain  sorrows  and  adversities  for  tte 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


44^ 


love  of  God,  so  mucli  is  lie  removed  from  God.  If 
any  man  praise  thee,  and  speak  well  of  thee,  render 
the  praise  solely  to  God :  and  if  any  speak  evil  of 
thee,  or  revile  thee,  do  thou  help  him  therein,  speak- 
ing yet  worse  of  thyself. 

If  thou  wouldst  do  thy  part  well,  study  to  make 
it  seem  bad,  and  that  of  thy  companion  good,  ever 
accusing  thyself,  and  ever  praising  and  sincerely 
excusing  thy  neighbor.  When  any  one  would  con- 
tend or  dispute  with  thee,  if  thou  wouldst  be  the 
winner,  lose,  and  thou  shalt  win ;  for  if  thou  wilt 
contend  in  order  to  overcome,  even  when  thou  shalt 
think  thyself  the  winner,  thou  shalt  find  that  thou 
hast  lost  greatly.  And,  therefore,  my  brother, 
believe  me  that  the  direct  way  to  save  thyself 
is  to  lose  thyself;  for  if  we  cannot  bear  well  our 
tribulations,  neither  can  we  follow  after  heavenly 
consolations. 

There  is  much  greater  consolation,  and  much 
greater  merit  in  suffering  injuries  and  insults 
patiently  for  the  love  of  God,  and  without  mur- 
muring, than  in  feeding  a  hundred  poor,  or  fasting 
continually  every  day.  For  what  profiteth  a  man, 
or  what  availeth  it  him,  to  despise  himself,  and  to 
afflict  his  body  with  much  fasting,  vigil,  and  disci- 
pline, if  he  cannot  bear  a  little  injury  from  his 
neighbor?  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  receive 
much  greater  reward,  and  greater  merit,  than  for 
all  the  afilictions  he  can  impose  on  himself  of  his 
own  will ;  since  to  endure  insults  and  injuries  from 
our  neighbor,  in  humble  patience,  purifies  from  sin 
much  more  quickly  than  a  fountain  of  msny  tears. 
Blessed  is  the  man  who  keeps  ever  before  his  mind 
the  memory  of  his  sins,  and  of  the  benefits  of 
God ;  for  he  will  bear  patiently  every  tribulation 
and  adversity,  expecting  from  them  the  greatest 
consolations. 

A  man  who  is  truly  humble  expects  from  God 
neither  merit  nor  reward ;  but  only  studies  con- 
tinually how  he  can  offer  satisfaction  in  all  things, 
knowing  himself  to  be  God's  debtor  ;  and  any  good 
thing  that  he  has  he  acknowledges  that  he  has 
it  solely  through  the  goodness  of  God,  and  not 
through  any  merit  of  his  own ;  and  any  adversity 
that  befalls  him  he  acknowledges  truly  that  he 
receives  it  for  his  own  sins. 

A  Brother  once  asked  Brother  Giles :   "  Father, 


if  in  our  time  some  great  adversity  or  tribulation 
should  befall,  what  ought  we  to  do  under  this  visi- 
tation ?"  To  which  Brother  Giles  replied  .  "  My 
Brother,  I  would  have  thee  to  know  that  if  the 
Lord  should  cause  it  to  rain  stones  and  thunder- 
bolts from  heaven,  they  could  not  do  us  any  harm 
whatever,  if  we  were  such  as  we  ought  to  be,  because 
if  only  a  man  were  what  he  ought  to  be,  all  evil  and 
all  tribulations  would  be  turned  to  his  good,  for  we 
know  that,  as  the  Apostle  has  said :  '  All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God ;' 
and  so  likewise  to  the  man  of  bad  will  all  good 
things  turn  into  evil,  and  into  chastisement.  If 
thou  wouldst  be  saved,  and  attain  celestial  glory, 
thou  needest  not  desire  any  vengeance  or  any 
justification  at  any  time  from  any  creature ;  for 
the  heritage  of  the  Saints  is  ever  to  do  good,  and 
ever  to  receive  evil.  If  thou  knewest  of  a  truth 
how  much  and  how  greatly  thou  hast  offended  thy 
Creator,  thou  would  perceive  that  it  is  meet  and 
just  that  all  creatures  should  persecute  thee,  and 
bring  thee  pain  and  tribulation,  for  thus  they  would 
but  avenge  the  offences  which  thou  hast  committed 
against  their  Creator. 

"  It  requires  great  virtue  to  overcome  one's  self,  for 
he  who  overcometh  himself  shall  overcome  all  his 
enemies,  and  attain  all  good.  Much  greater  virtue 
would  it  be,  if  a  man  should  suffer  himself  to  be 
overcome  of  every  one  ;  for  he  should  be  lord  over 
all  his  enemies,  that  is  to  say,  his  vices,  the  devils, 
the  world,  and  his  own  flesh.  If  thou  wouldst  Lc 
saved,  renounce  and  forsake  all  consolations  which 
all  the  things  in  the  world,  or  any  human  creature, 
could  give  thee  ;  because  greater  and  more  frequent 
are  the  falls  which  come  from  prosperity  and  earthly 
consolations,  than  from  adversities  and  tribula- 
tions." 

On  one  occasion,  a  Religious  murmured  against 
his  Superior,  in  the  presence  of  Brother  Giles,  on 
account  of  a  hard  command  which  had  been  given 
him  by  obedience ;  to  whom  Brother  Giles  said : 
"  Most  beloved,  the  more  thou  murmurest  the 
greater  will  be  thy  burden  and  the  more  heavy  to 
bear,  but  the  more  humbly  and  devoutly  thou 
bendest  thy  head  under  the  yoke  of  holy  obedience 
the  easier  and  the  sweeter  to  thee  will  it  be  to  bear 
that  obedience.     But   it   seems   to   me   that   thou 


444 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


wouldst  not  be  reviled  in  tbis  world  for  the  love  of 
Christ,  and  yet  wouldst  be  with  Christ  in  the  world 
to  come ;  thou  wouldst  not  be  persecuted  and  slan- 
dered in  this  world  for  Christ's  sake,  and  yet  in  the 
other  world  thou  wouldst  be  blessed  and  received 
by  Christ ;  thou  wouldst  not  labor  in  this  world, 
and  yet  wouldst  have  quiet  and  rest  hereafter.  I  say 
to  thee,  my  Brother,  my  Brother,  that  thou  dost 
greatly  deceive  thyself ;  for  by  the  way  of  dishonor 
and  shame  and  insult  shall  a  man  attain  to  the  true 
celestial  honor ;  and  by  enduring  patiently  derision 
and  insults  for  the  glory  of  Christ.  Therefore, 
well  is  it  said,  in  the  worldly  proverb.  He  who  will 
not  pay  the  cost^  shall  not  receive  what  he  desires. 

"  The  horse  is  a  noble  and  useful  animal,  but 
although  he  can  run  very  well  alone,  he  sufifers 
himself  to  be  governed,  guided,  and  driven  hither 
and  thither,  backwards  and  forwards,  according  to 
the  will  of  his  rider ;  and  thus  also  should  the  ser- 
vant of  God  suffer  himself  to  be  governed,  guided, 
turned  and  bent  according  to  the  will  of  his  Supe- 
rior, and  even  of  everyone,  for  the  love  of  Christ. 
If  thou  wouldst  be  perfect,  study  only  to  be  gracious 
and  virtuous,  and  combat  valiantly  thy  evil  inclin- 
ations, patiently  enduring  all  adversity  for  the  love 
of  thy  Lord,  persecuted,  afflicted,  insulted,  scourged, 
crucified,  and  dying  for  the  love  of  thee,  and  not 
for  sins  of  His  own,  or  for  His  own  glory,  or  for 
His  own  profit,  but  solely  for  thy  salvation.  And 
in  order  to  do  this,  above  all  things  it  is  needful 
that  thou  conquer  thyself;  for  little  doth  it  profit  a 
man  to  direct  and  bring  souls  to  God,  unless  first 
of  all  he  conquers  and  governs  himself." 

On  Sloth. 

The  slothful  man  loses  both  this  world  and  the 
next ;  for  he  neither  brings  forth  fruit  in  himself, 
nor  is  of  any  use  to  others.  It  is  impossible  for 
one  to  acquire  virtue  without  solicitude  and  great 
labor.  Therefore,  when  thou  art  able  to  stand  in  a 
secure  place,  tarry  not  in  a  doubtful  one.  He  is 
secure  who  strives  and  labors  and  toils  according 
to  God,  and  for  his  Lord's  sake,  and  not  for  the 
fear  of  punishment,  or  for  a  reward,  but  for  the 
love  of  God.  He  who  shrinks  from  working  and 
suflfering  for  the  love  of  Christ  verily  draws  back 
from  the  glory  of  Christ ;  and  even  as  this  solici- 


tude is  useful  so  is  negligence  ever  hurtful  to  us. 
As  sloth  is  the  way  to  hell,  even  so  is  holy  solicitude 
the  way  to  Heaven. 

Much  should  one  strive  to  acquire  and  to  preserve 
virtue  and  the  grace  of  God,  always  co-operating 
faithfully  with  this  grace  and  virtue  ;  for  the  man 
who  does  not  thus  co-operate  faithfully  often  sacri- 
fices the  fruit  for  the  leaves,  or  the  grain  for  the 
straw,  for  to  some  the  Lord  concedes  graciously 
good  fruit  'vith  but  few  leaves ;  to  some  others  he 
gives  fruit  together  with  the  leaves  ;  and  there  are 
some  others  who  have  neither  fruit  nor  leaves.  It 
seems  to  me  a  greater  thing  to  know  how  to  guard 
well,  and  in  secret  to  preserve  the  graces  given  by 
God,  than  to  know  how  to  acquire  them ;  because, 
however  well  a  man  knows  how  to  acquire,  yet  unless 
he  knows  well  how  to  store  and  keep,  he  will  never 
grow  rich ;  but  they  who  acquire  things  by  little 
and  little  will  enrich  themselves,  for  they  take  care 
of  their  gains  and  their  treasure. 

O  what  a  quantity  of  water  the  Tiber  would  have 
collected,  if  it  had  not  escaped  by  some  outlet ! 
Man  asks  of  God  gifts  without  measure  and  without 
end  ;  and  he  will  not  love  God  but  in  measure  and 
degree.  He  who  would  be  loved  of  God,  and  receive 
from  Him  infinite  merit  above  reckoning  or  measure, 
should  also  love  God  without  reckoning  and  with- 
out measure,  and  ever  render  Him  infinite  service. 
Blessed  is  he  who  loves  God  with  all  his  heart,  and 
with  all  his  mind,  and  always  afflicts  his  body  and 
his  mind  for  the  love  of  God,  seeking  for  no  reward 
under  Heaven,  but  acknowledging  himself  wholly 
as  God's  debtor. 

If  a  man  were  exceedingly  poor  and  needy,  and 
another  were  to  say  to  him :  "  I  will  lend  thee  a 
thing  most  precious  for  three  days  ;  and  know  that 
if  thou  use  it  well  within  this  term  of  three  days, 
thou  wilt  gain  infinite  treasure,  and  mayest  be  rich 
for  evermore :"  it  is  most  sure  that  the  poor  man 
would  be  very  solicitous  to  make  good  use  of  a  thing 
so  precious,  and  much  would  he  study  how  to  gather 
well  the  fruit  of  it.  Thus  also  I  say  to  thee,  that 
our  body  is  that  good  thing  which  we  hold  from  the 
hands  of  God  for  three  days  ;  for  all  the  years  of 
our  time  upon  earth  may  be  compared  unto  three 
days. 

Therefore,  if  thou  wilt  be  rich,  and  enjoy  eternally 


1 

I 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER    GILES. 


445 


the  Divine  sweetness,  study  to  labor  well,  and  to 
make  good  use  of  what  God  hath  lent  thee,  namely, 
thy  body,  in  this  space  of  three  days,  that  is,  in  the 
brief  space  of  this  thy  life ;  inasmuch  as,  if  thou 
strive  not  to  acquire  in  this  present  life  whilst  yet 
thou  hast  time,  thou  canst  not  hereafter  enjoy  the 
eternal  riches,  or  enter  into  the  holy  rest  of  that 
celestial  and  eternal  peace.  But  if  all  the  posses- 
sions of  the  world  belonged  to  one  person,  who 
would  not  cultivate  them,  or  cause  them  to  be  culti- 
vated by  others — what  fruit  or  what  use  would  he 
have  of  these  things  ?  Most  sure  is  it,  that  he 
would  have  neither  fruit  nor  profit.  But  it  might 
well  be,  that  a  man  having  but  few  possessions,  and 
cultivating  them  diligently,  should  have  much 
profit,  and  through  his  own  and  others'  labors, 
have  fruit  enough  and  to  spare. 

There  is  a  worldly  proverb  which  says  :  Never  put 
an  empty  pot  on  the  fire ^  hoping  from  thy  neighbor. 
And  thus  also  it  is  God's  will  that  no  grace  shall 
remain  idle ;  for  our  good  God  does  not  give  a  man 
grace  that  he  may  hold  it  in  vain,  but  He  gives  it 
that  a  man  may  do  His  will  by  performing  good 
■works ;  for  a  good  will  suffices  not,  unless  a  man 
study  to  follow  and  make  use  of  the  grace  of  God, 
by  the  practice  of  holiness. 

On  one  occasion,  a  dissipated  man  said  to  Brother 
Giles  :  "  Father,  I  pray  tliee  give  me  some  consola- 
tion." To  whom  Brother  Giles  replied :  "  My 
brother,  study  to  stand  well  with  God,  and  imme- 
diately thou  shalt  have  all  the  consolation  of  which 
thou  hast  need  ;  for  if  a  man  prepare  not  within  his 
soul  a  clean  abode  where  God  may  dwell  and  repose, 
he  will  never  find  a  resting  place  for  himself,  or  re- 
pose ;  or  true  consolation  in  any  creature.  When  a 
man  would  do  ill,  he  never  seeks  much  counsel  how 
to  do  it ;  but  to  do  well,  he  seeks  many  counsels,  and 
makes  long  delay." 

On  another  occasion.  Brother  Giles  said  to  his 
companions :  "  My  Brothers,  it  seems  to  me  that 
now-a-days  there  is  no  one  willing  to  do  that  which 
profit  him  most,  and  that  for  his  body,  as  well  as 
his  soul.  Believe  me,  my  Brothers,  that  I  could 
swear  of  a  truth,  that  the  more  a  man  seeks  to  fly 
and  to  shun  the  burden  and  the  yoke  of  Christ,  so 
much  the  harder  does  he  make  it  for  himself,  and 
the  more  difficult  and  cumbersome  he  finds  it ;  and 


the  more  ardently  a  man  submits  himself  to  it, 
voluntarily  adding  to  its  weight,  the  more  he  finds 
it  easy  and  sweet  to  carry. 

"  O,  that  it  would  please  God  that  men  would 
indeed  seek  and  procure  in  this  world  the  welfare  of 
their  bodies,  for  then  they  would  at  the  same  time 
procure  that  of  their  souls  !  inasmuch  as,  without 
doubt,  body  and  soul  must  be  agreed  to  suffer  to- 
gether, or  to  rejoice  together  everlastingly  ;  for  of  a 
truth  either  they  shall  suffer  in  hell  eternal  tor- 
ments and  immeasurable  pains,  or  they  shall  enjoy 
with  the  Saints  and  the  Angels  in  Paradise  perpetual 
joy  and  unfailing  consolation,  through  the  merit  of 
good  works.  For  if  a  man  do  well,  and  also  pardon 
others,  yet  without  humility,  his  good  will  turn  to 
evil ;  for  many  have  done  many  works  that  seemed 
good  and  praiseworthy  ;  but  because  they  had  not 
humility,  it  was  discovered  and  made  known  that 
their  works  were  done  out  of  pride,  and  the  works 
themselves  proved  it,  for  only  works  done  in  hu- 
mility never  become  corrupt." 

A  Brother  said  once  to  Brother  Giles  :  "  Father, 
it  seems  to  me,  that  we  do  not  yet  know  or  under- 
stand that  which  is  for  our  true  good."  To  whom 
Brother  Giles  replied  :  "  My  Brother,  it  is  a  sure 
thing  that  each  one  will  practice  the  art  which  he  has 
learnt,  for  none  can  rightly  practice  that  which  he 
has  not  learnt  beforehand.  Now  wouldst  thou 
know  the  noblest  art  upon  earth  ?  It  is  that  of 
working  well :  and  who  can  practice  it,  who  has  not 
first  learnt  it  ?  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  no  crea- 
ture can  misguide  ;  but  more  blessed  is  he  who,  in 
whatever  he  sees,  or  hears,  can  take  to  himself  true 
edification." 

On  Contempt  of  Worldly  Things. 

Many  sorrows  befall  the  unhappy  man  who  places 
his  desires,  his  heart  and  his  hope,  on  earthly 
things,  through  which  he  abandons  and  loses 
heavenly  things,  and  in  the  end  will  lose  the  earthly 
things  also.  The  eagle  is  much  given  to  flying 
aloft,  but  if  he  had  a  weight  tied  to  his  wings,  he 
would  not  fly  very  high ;  and  thus  man  also, 
through  the  weight  of  earthly  things,  cannot  fly 
upwards,  that  is  to  say,  cannot  attain  to  perfection. 
But  the  -wise  man,  who  binds  the  memory  of  death 
and  judgment  on  the  wings  of  his  heart,  shall  not 


446 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


be  able,  for  the  greatness  of  bis  fear,  to  run  after  or 
to  fly  amongst  the  vanities  and  the  devices  of  this 
world,  which  are  so  many  occasions  of  damnation. 
We  see  now-a-days  men  of  the  world  laboring  and 
toiling  much,  and  putting  themselves  in  much 
bodily  peril,  in  order  to  acquire  these  deceitful  riches  ; 
and  then  when  they  have  labored  and  acquired 
much,  in  a  moment  they  die,  leaving  behind  them 
all  they  have  gathered  together  in  this  life. 

And  therefore  it  is  not  meet  that  we  should  trust 
to  this  fallacious  world,  which  will  deceive  all  who 
trust  in  it,  because  the  nature  of  it  is  to  lie.  But 
he  who  would  be  great,  and  very  rich,  will  seek  and 
will  love  the  eternal  riches,  which  ever  satisfy,  and 
never  disgust,  or  grow  less.  If  we  will  not  err,  let 
us  follow  the  example  of  the  beasts  of  the  field  and 
of  the  birds,  who  when  they  have  had  enough  are 
content,  and  seek  no  more  than  to  live  from  hour  to 
hour,  according  to  their  necessities  ;  thus  should 
man  also  be  content  with  satisfying  his  temporal 
necessities,  and  not  seek  after  superfluities. 

Brother  Giles  used  to  say,  that  the  ant  was  not 
so  pleasing  to  St.  Francis  as  other  creatures,  on  ac- 
count of  the  great  solicitude  which  it  has  to  collect 
and  lay  up  a  store  of  grain  in  the  summer-time,  for 
the  winter  ;  he  said  that  the  birds  pleased  him  much 
better,  because  they  collect  nothing  on  one  day  for 
the  next.  Yet  the  ants  give  us  an  example  of  fore- 
sight in  this  summer-time  of  our  present  life,  that 
we  may  not  be  found  empty  and  fruitless  when  the 
winter  of  our  last  and  final  judgment  arrives. 

On  Holy  Chastity. 

Our  frail  and  miserable  human  flesh  resembles 
the  swine,  which  ever  delight  in  wallowing  in  the 
mire,  looking  on  the  mire  as  their  greatest  delecta- 
tion. Our  flesh  is  the  devil's  champion,  for  it  com- 
bats and  resists  in  all  things  that  which  is  accord- 
ing to  God,  and  for  our  own  salvation. 

A  Brother  once  asked  Brother  Giles  thus : 
"  Father,  teach  me  in  what  manner  we  may  guard 
against  carnal  vices ; "  to  which  Brother  Giles  re- 
plied :  "  My  Brother,  he  who  would  move  a  heavy 
weight,  or  great  stone  out  of  his  way,  must  do  so 
rather  by  skill  than  by  force.  And  thus  we  also, 
if  we  would  overcome  carnal  vices,  and  acquire  the 
virtue  of  Chastity,  shall  rather  attain  thereto  by 


humility,  and  by  a  good  and  discreet  spiritual  rule, 
than  by  our  own  presumptuous  austerities,  and  the 
weight  of  much  penance.  All  vices  trouble  and 
obscure  this  holy  and  resplendent  Chastity;  be- 
cause Chastity  is  like  to  a  clear  mirror,  which  is 
dimmed  and  obscured,  not  only  by  contact  with  un- 
clean things,  but  even  by  a  man's  breath. 

"  And  it  is  impossible  for  one  to  attain  to  any 
spiritual  grace,  so  long  as  he  finds  himself  inclined 
to  carnal  concupiscence :  and  thus,  worry  thyself  as 
thou  wilt,  thou  wilt  find  no  other  remedy  or  way  of 
attaining  spiritual  grace,  but  by  overcoming  all 
carnal  vices.  Therefore  combat  valiantly  against 
thy  sensual  and  fragile  flesh,  thy  true  enemy,  which 
would  thwart  thee  both  day  and  night ;  which  mor- 
tal enemy  of  our  flesh,  if  a  man  subdue,  of  a  surety 
all  his  other  enemies  shall  be  subdued,  and  he  shall 
quickly  attain  to  spiritual  grace,  and  to  a  state  of 
virtue  and  perfection." 

Brother  Giles  said  also :  "Amongst  all  the  other 
virtues,  I  prefer  the  virtue  of  Chastity  :  because 
most  sweet  Chastity  contains  alone  in  itself  all  per- 
fection ;  but  there  is  no  other  virtue  which  can  be 
perfect  without  Chastity."  A  Brother  once  asked 
Brother  Giles  :  "  Father,  is  not  the  virtue  of  Charity 
greater,  and  more  excellent  than  Chastity?"  To 
which  Brother  Giles  answered  :  "And  tell  me,  my 
Brother,  what  is  more  chaste  than  holy  Charity  ?  " 
Many  a  time  did  Brother  Giles  sing  this  canticle : 
"  O  Holy  Chastity,  how  good  thou  art !  Verily 
thou  art  precious,  and  such  and  so  great  is  thy 
fragrance,  that  he  who  has  not  tasted  thee  knows  not 
thy  worth.  Therefore  the  foolish  do  not  under- 
stand thy  value." 

A  Brother  asked  Brother  Giles  thus :  "  Father, 
tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  thou  who  dost  so  commend 
Chastity,  wherein  consists  Chastity  ?  "  To  whom 
Brother  Giles  replied :  "  My  Brother,  I  tell  thee, 
that  rightly  is  Chastity  called  the  careful  custody 
and  continual  guard  of  all  the  senses,  corporal  and 
spiritual,  by  which  they  are  kept  pure  and  immacu- 
late for  God  alone." 

On  Temptation. 

One  cannot  enjoy  in  peace  and  tranquility  the 
great  graces  which  he  receives  from  God  ;  for  many 
contradictions,  many  disturbances  and  adversities, 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


447 


TUti  counter  to  grace,  inasmuch,  as  the  more  a  man 
is  in  the  grace  of  God,  so  much  the  more  violently 
is  he  assaulted  by  the  devils.  Therefore  one  should 
never  cease  fighting,  if  he  would  follow  the  grace 
he  has  received  from  God ;  because,  as  the  battle  is 
fiercest,  the  crown  will  be  the  more  precious,  if  he 
overcome  in  the  fight. 

But  we  have  not  many  battles,  or  many  impedi- 
ments, or  temptations,  because  we  are  not  such  as 
we  should  be  in  the  spiritual  life.  Yet  most  true 
it  is,  that  if  a  man  will  walk  well  and  discreetly  in 
God's  way,  he  shall  have  neither  toil  nor  weariness 
in  his  journey  ;  whilst  the  man  who  goes  the  way 
of  this  world,  can  never  escape  much,  toil  and  tedi- 
ousness,  and  anguish  and  tribulation  and  sorrow, 
until  the  day  of  his  death. 

One  of  the  Brothers  said  to  Brother  Giles  :  "  My 
Father,  it  seems  to  me  that  thou  sayest  two  things, 
one  contrary  to  the  other :  for  first  thou  sayest ;  the 
more  virtuous  a  man  is,  and  the  more  in  God's 
favor,  the  more  contradictions  and  battles  he  has 
in  the  spiritual  life  ;  and  then  thou  sayest  the  oppo- 
site ;  namely,  that  the  man  who  walks  well  and 
discreetly  in  the  way  of  God,  shall  know  neither 
toil  nor  tediousness  on  his  journey." 

To  which,  Brother  Giles,  explaining  the  contra- 
diction between  these  two  sayings  of  his,  replied 
thus :  "  My  Brother,  it  is  certain  that  the  devils 
wage  the  war  of  temptations  more  fiercely  against 
those  who  have  a  good  will,  than  against  those  who 
have  not.  But  what  trouble,  or  weariness,  or  in- 
jury, can  all  the  devils  and  all  the  adversities  in  the 
world  cause  to  him  who  walks  well  and  discreetly 
in  the  way  of  God,  knowing  and  seeing,  as  he  does, 
that  the  tempter  sells  his  wares  at  a  price  a  thous- 
and times  greater  than  they  are  worth  ?  For  I  tell 
thee  of  a  truth,  that  he  who  is  enflamed  with  Divine 
love,  holds  vice  in  greater  abomination  the  more  he 
is  attacked  by  it. 

"  Most  of  the  devils  usually  hasten  to  tempt  a 
man  when  he  is  in  any  sickness,  or  weakness  of 
body,  or  when  he  is  in  any  anxiety,  or  in  much 
distress,  or  cold,  or  hungry,  or  thirsty,  or  when  he 
has  received  some  injury  or  slight,  or  any  hurt, 
whether  temporal  or  spiritual,  because,  in  their 
mali  e,  they  know  that  at  such  moments  and  in 
such   circumstances  a  man  is  more  liable  to  suc- 


cumb to  temptations.  But  I  say  to  thee,  that  by 
every  temptation,  and  every  vice  which  thou  shalt 
overcome,  thou  shalt  acquire  fresh  virtue ;  and 
through  that  very  vice  by  which  thou  wert  assaulted, 
if  thou  overcome,  thou  shalt  receive  so  much  the 
greater  grace,  and  the  brighter  crown." 

A  Brother  once  came  to  ask  counsel  of  Brother 
Giles,  saying :  "  Father,  I  am  often  assaulted  by  a 
most  grievous  temptation,  and  many  a  time  I  have 
prayed  God  to  deliver  me  from  it,  and  yet  the  Lord 
has  not  taken  it  away  ;  counsel  me.  Father,  what 
to  do."  To  whom  Brother  Giles  replied :  "  My 
Brother,  the  better  a  king  arms  his  soldiers  with 
strong  and  knightly  armor,  the  more  ardently  he 
will  have  them  fight  against  his  enemies,  for  love 
of  him." 

A  Brother  once  asked  Brother  Giles :  "  Father, 
what  remedy  shall  I  use,  that  I  may  go  to  prayer 
more  willingly,  and  with  greater  desire  and  fervor  ? 
for  when  I  go  to  my  prayers,  I  am  slothful,  tepid 
and  indevout." 

Brother  Giles  answered :  "A  king  has  two  ser- 
vants, and  one  has  arms,  that  he  may  fight,  and  the 
other  has  no  armor  for  the  combat ;  and  both  of 
them  would  enter  into  the  battle,  and  fight  against 
the  enemies  of  the  king.  The  one  who  is  armed 
will  go  into  battle  and  fight  valiantly ;  but  the 
other  who  is  unarmed,  will  say  thus  to  his  master : 
'  My  lord,  thou  seest  that  I  am  naked  and  without 
arms  ;  but  for  thy  love,  I  will  willingly  go  into  the 
battle,  and  fight  thus  unarmed.'  And  then  the 
good  king,  seeing  the  love  of  his  faithful  servant, 
will  say  to  his  ministers  :  '  Go  to  my  servant,  and 
arm  him  with  all  that  is  needful  for  the  combat, 
that  he  may  securely  enter  into  battle ;  and  seal  all 
his  arms  with  my  royal  seal,  that  all  may  know 
him  as  my  faithful  knight.' 

"And  thus  it  often  happens,  that  when  one  goes 
to  prayer,  he  finds  himself  naked,  indevout,  sloth- 
ful, and  hard  of  heart ;  but  if  he  force  himself,  for 
the  love  of  his  Lord,  to  enter  into  the  battle  of 
prayer,  then  our  merciful  King  and  Lord,  seeing 
the  effort  of  His  servant,  will  give  him,  by  the 
hands  of  His  ministering  angels,  the  fervor  of  de- 
votion and  of  a  good  will.  It  happens  sometimes, 
that  a  man  begins  some  great  work  with  much  toil, 
so  as  to  clear  and  cultivate  the  ground,  and  plant 


448 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


the  vine,  that  he  may  gather  the  fruits  of  it,  in 
season.  And  many,  because  of  the  great  labor  and 
toil,  leave  off  by  degrees,  and  repent  of  the  work 
they  have  begun  :  but  if  they  would  persevere  until 
the  vintage,  they  would  forget  all  pains,  and  be 
comforted  and  filled  with  gladness,  securely  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  their  labor. 

"  And  so  shall  a  man  also,  that  is  strong  in 
temptations,  obtain  much  consolation  ;  '  according 
to  our  tribulations,'  says  St.  Paul,  '  shall  be  the 
recompense,'  and  the  crown  of  eternal  life  that  shall 
be  given  to  us.  But  not  only  shall  the  reward  in 
heaven  be  given  to  them  who  withstand  tempta- 
tions, but  even  in  this  life  also,  as  the  Psalmist 
says :  '  Lord,  according  to  the  multitude  of  my 
temptations,  and  of  my  sorrows,  thy  consolations 
have  delighted  my  soul :'  therefore  the  greater  the 
temptation  and  the  combat,  the  more  glorious  shall 
be  the  crown." 

Another  Brother  asked  counsel  of  Brother  Giles 
on  account  of  his  temptations,  saying  :  "  O  Father, 
I  am  attacked  by  two  most  violent  temptations  :  one 
is  this :  that  as  soon  as  I  do  anything  good,  imme- 
diately I  am  tempted  to  vainglory  ;  and  the  other, 
that  when  I  do  an  evil,  I  fall  into  such  rashness  and 
bitterness  that  I  almost  despair." 

To  which  Brother  Giles  replied:  "  My  Brother, 
well  dost  thou  do  and  wisely  to  grieve  for  thy  sins, 
but  I  counsel  thee  to  grieve  discreetly  and  in  meas- 
ure, and  ever  to  remember  that  the  mercy  of  God 
is  greater  than  thy  sins.  But  if  the  infinite  mercy 
of  God  receives  to  repentance  the  man  who  is  a 
great  sinner,  and  who  sins  wilfully,  thinkest  thou 
that  this  God  will  abandon  the  good  sinner  who  sins 
not  wilfully,  seeing  him  contrite  and  penitent? 
Also,  I  counsel  thee  never  to  leave  off  doing  good 
for  the  fear  of  vainglory ;  for  if  a  man  who  was 
about  to  sow  his  com  should  say  :  '  I  will  not  sow, 
for  if  I  do,  perchance  the  birds  will  come  and  de- 
vour it,'  and  so  saying  should  leave  his  field  un- 
sown, of  a  surety  he  should  gather  in  no  harvest 
that  year. 

"  But  if  he  sow  his  seed,  though  the  birds  should 
come  and  eat  a  part  of  it,  yet  the  greater  part  shall 
remain  to  the  laborer ;  so  it  is  with  a  man  who  is 
attacked  by  vainglory,  and  who  will  not  do  good 
works  for  the  fear  of  vainglory  ;  but  if  he  continu- 


ally strive  against  it,  I  say  to  thee,  that  he  shall 
not  lose  the  merit  of  the  good  he  has  done,  for  hav- 
ing been  tempted." 

A  Brother  once  said  to  Brother  Giles  :  "  Father, 
it  is  said  that  St.  Bernard  once  said  the  seven  peni- 
tential psalms  with  such  tranquillity  of  mind  and 
devotion,  that  he  had  not  a  single  distraction,  or  a 
thought  of  aught  else  besides  each  sentence  of  the 
psalms."  To  which  Brother  Giles  replied  :  "  My 
Brother,  I  esteem  it  a  much  greater  thing  if  a 
knight,  being  assailed  by  his  enemies,  should  de- 
fend himself  so  bravely  that  he  should  not  suffer 
one  of  them  to  enter  in,  than  if  he  were  to  be  left  in 
peace,  and  without  any  trouble." 

On  Holy  Penance. 

Much  should  a  man  continually  afflict  and  mace- 
rate his  body,  and  willingly  suffer  every  injury, 
tribulation,  anguish,  sorrow,  shame,  painfulness, 
insult,  adversity  and  persecution,  for  the  3ove  of  our. 
good  Master  and  Ivord,  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  given 
us  the  example  in  Himself;  inasmuch  as,  from  the 
beginning  in  His  glorious  Nativity,  to  the  end  in 
His  most  holy  Passion,  He  ever  suffered  anguish, 
tribulation,  sorrow,  pain,  contumely,  and  persecu- 
tion, solely  for  our  salvation.  And,  therefore,  if 
we  should  attain  to  the  state  of  grace,  before  all 
things  it  is  necessary  that  we  should,  so  far  as  in 
us  lies,  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  our  good  Master, 
Jesus  Christ. 

A  secular  once  asked  Brother  Giles  :  "  Father,  in 
what  way  can  we  men  of  the  world  attain  to  the 
state  of  grace  ?"  To  whom  Brother  Giles  replied  : 
"  My  Brother,  a  man  should  first  of  all  mourn  for 
his  sins  with  great  contrition  of  heart ;  and  then  he 
should  confess  himself  sincerely  to  the  priest,  with 
bitterness  and  sorrow  of  heart,  without  concealing 
or  excusing  aught ;  and  having  done  so,  he  should 
perfectly  fulfill  the  penance  imposed  upon  him  by 
his  confession  ;  and  after  this  he  should  keep  guard 
against  every  vice,  and  every  sin,  and  every  occa- 
sion of  sin  ;  and  moreover  he  should  excite  himself 
to  good  works  of  virtue  towards  God  and  his  neigh- 
bor ;  and  thus  doing,  a  man  shall  attain  to  the  state 
of  grace  and  virtue. 

"  Blessed  is  the  man  who  shall  have  continual 
sorrow  for  sins,  continually  weeping  both  by  da} 


THE   SAYINGS   OF    BROTHER    GILES. 


4i\) 


and  by  night  in  bitterness  of  heart,  solely  for  the 
offences  which  he  has  done  against  God.  Blessed 
is  the  man  who,  having  always  before  his  mind  the 
afflictions,  and  the  pains  and  sorrows  of  Jesus  Christ, 
shall  receive  no  temporal  consolations  in  this  bitter 
and  stormy  world,  so  that  last  of  all  he  may  attain 
to  the  celestial  consolations  of  life  eternal,  where  all 
his  desires  shall  be  fulfilled  abundantly  with  ever- 
lasting joy." 

On  Holy  Prayer. 

Prayer  is  the  beginning,  the  middle  and  the  end 
of  all  good ;  prayer  illumines  the  soul,  and  enables 
it  to  discern  good  from  evil.  Every  sinful  man 
ought  to  pray  every  day  continuall}',  humbly  beg- 
ging of  God  to  give  him  a  perfect  knowledge  of  his 
own  miseries  and  of  his  sins,  and  of  all  the  benefits 
which  he  has  received  and  still  receives  from  God. 
And  the  man  who  knov/s  not  how  to  praj;-,  how  can 
he  know  God  ?  And  all  those  who  would  be  saved, 
if  they  rightly  use  their  reason,  will,  before  all 
things,  wholly  turn  themselves  unto  prayer. 

Brother  Giles  said :  "  If  a  man  had  a  son,  who 
had  been  condemned  to  death  or  to  banishment  for 
his  evil  deeds,  it  is  most  sure  that  his  father  would 
be  full  of  solicitude,  laboring  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power  both  by  day  and  by  night  to  obtain  a  reprieve 
or  to  have  the  sentence  of  banishment  removed, 
addressing  all  possible  petitions  and  making  pres- 
ents, according  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  both 
personally,  and  through  the  means  of  others.  If, 
then,  a  man  would  do  this  for  his  son's  mortal  life, 
how  much  more  should  he  be  solicitous  to  pray  God, 
and  moreover  to  get  all  good  men  in  this  world  to 
pray,  and  still  more,  in  the  other  all-  the  holy 
Saints,  for  his  soul  which  is  immortal,  when  it  is 
banished  from  the  Heavenly  City,  or  rather,  con- 
demned to  eternal  death  for  his  sins  !  " 

A  Brother  said  to  Brother  Giles :  "  Father,  it 
seems  to  me  that  a  man  should  grieve  within  him- 
self, when  he  cannot  attain  to  the  grace  of  true 
devotion  in  prayer."  To  whom  Brother  Giles  re- 
plied :  "  My  Brother,  I  counsel  thee  to  proceed  very 
gently ;  for  if  thou  hadst  a  little  good  wine  in  a  cask, 
in  which  there  still  remained  some  dregs  beneath, 
of  a  surety,  thou  wouldst  not  shake  or  move  the 
cask,  for  fear  of  mixing  the  good  wine  with  the 
dregs.     And  so  also  I  say  to  thee,  until  prayer  is 

29 


entirely  separated  from  all  carnal  concupiscence 
and  vice,  thou  canst  not  receive  Divine  consolations ; 
because  that  prayer  is  not  pure  in  the  sight  of  God 
which  is  mixed  with  the  dregs  of  carnal  things. 
And  therefore  a  man  should  bestir  himself  as  far  as 
in  him  lies  to  cast  out  all  the  dregs  of  vicious  con- 
cupiscence, that  his  prayer  may  be  pure  in  God's 
sight,  and  then  he  shall  not  want  devotion,  or  Divine 
consolations." 

A  Brother  once  asked  Brother  Giles :  "  Father, 
wherefore  is  it  that  when  a  man  is  worshipping  God, 
he  is  much  more  tempted,  disturbed  and  troubled  in 
his  mind  than  at  any  other  time?"  To  which 
Brother  Giles  answered  :  "  If  any  man  has  a  cause 
to  plead,  and  goes  before  the  judge  to  state  his 
reasons,  and  asks  his  counsel  and  aid,  immediately 
his  adversary  hears  of  it,  he  appears  also,  to  contra- 
dict and  resist  the  claims  of  the  first,  and  throw 
every  impediment  in  his  way,  seeking  to  dispiove 
all  that  he  says.  And  thus  also  it  happens  when 
a  man  betakes  himself  to  prayer ;  for  then  it  is  that 
he  seeks  aid  of  God  in  his  cause.  Immediately, 
therefore,  his  adversary,  the  devil,  appears  with  his 
temptations,  to  resist  and  to  contradict  him,  and  to 
use  all  the  force,  cunningness  and  argument  he  can 
to  frustrate  his  prayer,  and  hinder  it  from  being  ac- 
ceptable in  the  sight  of  God,  so  that  he  may  have 
neither  merit  or  consolation  from  it. 

"And  this  we  can  see  very  clearly  for  ourselves ; 
because  it  is  not  when  we  are  speaking  about  the 
things  of  this  world  that  we  have  to  suffer  tempta- 
tions or  distractions  ;  but  when  we  go  to  prayer,  in 
order  to  delight  and  comfort  our  soul  with  God,  im- 
mediately we  feel  our  minds  struck  as  with  thunder- 
bolts, which  are  the  temptations  which  the  devils 
bring  against  us,  in  order  to  make  the  mind  wander, 
so  that  the  soul  may  have  neither  delight  nor  con- 
solation in  speaking  with  God." 

Brother  Giles  said  that  a  man,  when  he  prays, 
should  be  like  a  good  knight  in  battle,  who,  if  he  be 
wounded  or  thrown  down  by  his  enemies,  does  not 
on  this  account  straightway  give  up  the  battle,  but 
rather  resists  valiantly,  that  he  may  gain  the  victory 
over  his  enemies ;  because  when  he  has  obtained 
the  victory,  he  shall  rejoice  and  be  comforted  in  the 
glory  thereof;  but  if  he  fled  from  the  field  as  soon 
as  he  was  thrown  down  or  wounded,  surely  he  should 


450 


THE   SAYINGS    OF    BROTHER   GILES. 


be  put  to  sliame  and  confusion.  And  thus  also 
should  we  do ;  that  is  to  say,  not  give  up  our  prayer 
for  every  temptation,  but  resist  courageously,  for 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  who  endureth  temptation," 
says  the  Apostle,  "  for  when  he  hath  overcome,  he 
shall  receive  the  crown  of  Eternal  Life :"  but  if  a 
man  depart  from  prayer,  because  of  temptation, 
of  a  surety,  he  shall  be  put  to  shame,  or  vanquished 
by  his  diabolical  foe. 

A  Brother  said  to  Brother  Giles  :  "  Father,  I  have 
seen  other  men  who  received  from  God  the  grace  of 
devotion  and  of  tears  in  their  prayers,  and  I  cannot 
feel  in  myself  any  such  grace,  when  I  go  to  worship 
God."  To  whom  Brother  Giles  answered :  "  My 
Brother,  I  counsel  thee  to  persevere  humbly  and 
faithfully  in  thy  prayers  ;  for  the  fruits  of  the  earth 
cannot  be  had  without  toil  and  labor  applied  before- 
hand ;  and  even  after  we  have  labored,  the  desired 
fruit  does  not  follow  immediately,  but  only  in  its 
season,  when  the  fullness  of  time  has  come. 

"And  thus  also,  God  does  not  give  these  graces 
immediately  to  a  man  in  answer  to  his  prayer ;  but 
in  the  end,  when  the  time  appointed  is  come,  as  it 
pleases  Him,  and  not  until  the  mind  is  cleansed 
from  every  carnal  aflfection  and  vice.  Therefore, 
my  Brother,  labor  humbly  in  prayer  ;  for  God,  Who 
is  all  good  and  gracious,  knoweth  all  things,  and 
discerneth  what  is  best ;  and  when  the  time  and  the 
season  has  come  He  will  graciously  give  thee  much 
fruit  of  consolation." 

Another  Brother  said  to  Brother  Giles  :  "  What 
doest  thou.  Brother  Giles,  what  doest  thou  ?"  And 
he  replied  :  "  I  do  evil."  The  Brother  said:  "  What 
evil  doest  thou  ?"  And  Brother  Giles  turned  to 
another  Brother,  and  said:  "Tell  me,  my  Brother, 
which  is  the  readiest,  our  Lord  to  give  us  His 
grace,  or  we  to  receive  it  ?  "  And  the  Brother  an- 
swered :  "  Of  a  surety,  God  is  more  in  haste  to  give 
us  His  grace  than  we  are  to  receive  it."  Then  said 
Brother  Giles  :  "  How  then,  do  we  do  well  ?  "  And 
the  same  Brother  answered  :  "  On  the  contrary,  we 
do  ill."  Then  Brother  Giles  turning  to  the  first 
Brother,  said :  "  Behold,  Brother,  it  is  clearly 
proved,  that  we  do  ill  ;  and  what  I  answered  thee 
awhile  ago  was  the  truth,  that  I  was  doing  ill." 

Brother  Giles  said  also :  "  Many  works  are 
praised  and  commended  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 


such  as  the  works  of  mercy,  and  other  holy  works  ; 
but  of  prayer,  the  Lord  says  thus  :  '  Your  Father 
in  Heaven  seeketh  men  to  adore  Him  (on  earth)  in 
spirit  and  in  truth.' "  Again  Brother  Giles  said, 
that  the  true  Religious  are  like  the  wolves,  because 
they  are  seldom  seen  in  public,  except  of  great 
necessity ;  and  with  all  haste,  they  seek  how  they 
may  return  to  their  secret  place  again,  without 
holding  much  converse  with  men. 

Good  works  adorn  the  soul,  but  prayer  adorns 
and  illumines  the  soul  more  than  all  others.  A 
Brother  who  was  an  intimate  companion  of  Brother 
Giles,  said  once :  "  Father,  how  is  it  that  thou  dost 
not  sometimes  go  forth  to  speak  of  the  things  of 
God,  and  to  procure  and  minister  to  the  salvation 
of  Christian  souls  ? ''  To  which  Brother  Giles  re- 
plied :  "  My  Brother,  I  would  edify  my  neighbor 
by  humility,  and  without  doing  hurt  to  my  own 
soul,  namely,  by  prayer."  And  the  Brother  said 
to  him  :  "At  least  thou  shouldst  visit  sometimes 
thy  family."  And  Brother  Giles  answered: 
"  Knowest  thou  not,  that  the  Lord  says  in  the  Gos- 
pel :  '  He  that  forsaketh  father  or  mother,  or 
brother,  or  sister,  or  possessions  for  My  Name's 
sake,  shall  receive  a  hundred  fold?'  " 

And  he  said  :  "A  certain  gentleman  whose  riches 
amounted  to  about  sixty  thousand  lire  ($12,000), 
entered  the  Oorder  of  Friars  Minor ;  what  great 
gifts  then  await  the  man,  who  for  the  love  of  God, 
gives  up  great  things,  seeing  that  God  will  give 
him  back  a  hundredfold  more !  But  we  in  our 
blindness  cannot  understand  the  perfection  of  a  man 
truly  virtuous  and  in  favor  with  God,  on  account  of 
our  own  imperfection  and  blindness.  But  if  a  man 
were  truly  spiritual,  hardly  would  he  ever  wish  to 
see  or  to  hear  any  one,  except  of  great  necessity ; 
because  he  who  is  truly  spiritual  desires  continually 
to  be  separated  from  all  men,  and  to  be  united  to 
God  by  contemplation." 

Then  Brother  Giles  said  to  one  of  the  Brothers : 
"  Father,  I  would  fain  know  what  manner  of  thing 
is  contemplation  ?"  And  the  Brother  answered 
him :  "  Father,  I  know  not."  And  Brother  Giles 
said:  "  It  seems  to  me  that  the  state  of  contempla- 
tion is  a  Divine  fire,  and  a  sweet  unction  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  a  rapture  and  suspension  of  the  mind, 
inebriated  by  the  contemplation  of  that  inaflfable 


THE  SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


451 


enjoyment  of  the  Divine  sweetness ;  and  a  sweet 
and  quiet  and  tender  enjoyment  of  the  soul,  which 
is  suspended  and  ravished  through  its  intense  ad- 
miration of  the  glory  of  supernal  and  heavenly 
things,  and  an  inward  burning  consciousness  of 
that  celestial  and  unspeakable  glory." 

On  Holy  Prudence. 

O  servant  of  the  Heavenly  King,  who  wouldst 
learn  the  mysteries  and  the  needful  and  holy  pre- 
cautions of  the  doctrine  of  the  spiritual  life,  open 
well  the  ears  of  thy  soul,  and  receive  with  true  de- 
sire of  heart,  and  lay  up  carefully  in  the  storehouse 
of  thy  memory,  the  precious  treasures  of  doctrine 
and  of  spiritual  warning  which  I  deliver  to  thee ! 
By  these  thou  shalt  be  illuminated  and  directed  in 
thy  way,  namely,  the  way  of  the  spiritual  life,  and 
guarded  against  the  malignant  and  subtle  assaults 
of  thine  enemies  whether  visible  or  invisible  ;  and 
with  a  humble  audacity  thou  shalt  pass  securely 
over  the  tempestuous  sea  of  this  present  life,  until 
thou  arrive  at  the  desired  haven  of  eternal  salvation. 
Therefore,  my  son,  harken,  and  give  good  heed  to 
what  I  tell  thee  ! 

If  thou  wouldst  see  well,  pluck  out  thine  eyes, 
and  be  blind  ;  if  thou  wouldst  hear  well,  be  deaf  ; 
and  if  thou  wouldst  speak  well,  become  dumb  ;  if 
thou  wouldst  advance,  stand  still,  and  advance  with 
thy  mind ;  if  thou  wouldst  work  well,  cut  off  thy 
hands,  and  work  with  thy  heart ;  if  thou  wouldst 
love  much,  hate  thyself  ;  if  thou  wouldst  live  well, 
mortify  thyself;  if  thou  wouldst  gain  much  and  be 
rich,  first  lose  all,  and  become  poor ;  and  if  thou 
wouldst  enjoy  peace,  afl9.ict  thyself,  and  be  ever  in 
fear,  and  suspect  thine  own  self;  if  thou  wouldst  be 
exalted  and  have  great  honor,  humble  and  abase 
thyself;  if  thou  wouldst  be  held  in  great  reverence, 
despise  thyself,  and  do  reverence  to  him  who  reviles 
thee ;  if  thou  wouldst  that  it  should  be  well  with 
thee,  sustain  all  evil  things  ;  and  if  thou  wouldst 
be  blessed,  desire  that  all  should  speak  ill  of  thee  ; 
and  if  thou  wouldst  have  true  and  eternal  rest,  then 
toil,  and  suffer,  and  desire  to  have  every  temporal 
affliction.  O  what  great  wisdom  it  is  to  know  how 
to  do  and  to  work  out  these  things. 
,_  But  because  these  are  very  great  and  high  things, 
■    God  giveth  the  grace  only  to  a  few.     But,  of  a  truth, 

II 


I  tell  thee,  he  who  shall  study  them  well  and  put 
them  in  practice,  shall  not  need  to  go  to  Bologna,, 
or  to  Paris,  to  learn  any  other  theology ;  for  if  a 
man  live  a  thousand  years,  and  have  nothing  ex- 
terior to  do,  and  nothing  to  say  with  his  tongue,  I 
tell  thee  that  he  will  have  enough  to  do  to  exercise 
himself  within  his  own  heart,  laboring  solely  for  the 
purification  and  the  right  direction  and  the  justifi- 
cation of  his  own  soul. 

A  man  should  neither  will,  nor  see,  nor  hear,  nor 
speak  of  anything,  save  in  so  far  as  it  be  useful  to 
his  soul.  The  man  who  does  not  know  himself,  is 
not  known  by  God.  And,  therefore,  woe  to  us,  when 
we  receive  the  gifts  and  graces  of  the  Lord  without 
knowing  their  worth  !  but  still  more  woe  to  him 
who  receiveth  them  not,  neither  knoweth  them,  nor 
yet  careth  to  acquire  them  !  Man,  who  is  made  in 
the  image  of  God,  changeth  himself  as  he  wills,  but 
the  good  God  never  changeth. 

On  Profitable  and  Unprofitable  Science. 

He  who  would  know  much  should  labor  much, 
and  should  humble  himself  much,  abasing  himself 
and  inclining  his  head  even  to  the  earth  so  that  his 
belly  goeth  along  the  ground ;  and  then  the  Lord 
would  give  him  much  science  and  wisdom.  The 
perfection  of  wisdom  is  to  act  always  virtuously,  to 
guard  well  against  all  defects  and  all  occasions  of 
defect,  always  considering  the  judgment  of  God. 

Brother  Giles  said  once  to  one  who  desired  to  go 
to  the  secular  schools  to  learn  science :  "  My 
Brother,  wherefore  wouldst  thou  seek  secular  learn- 
ing ?  For  I  would  have  thee  to  know,  that  the  sum 
of  all  science  is  to  love  and  to  fear,  and  with  these 
two  things  thou  hast  enough ;  for  so  much  wisdom 
sufiSceth  a  man  as  he  can  make  use  of  and  no  more. 
He  needeth  no  more.  Be  not  solicitous  to  study 
much  for  the  good  of  others,  but  be  solicitous,  and 
study,  aud  labor  for  the  things  that  are  profitable 
to  thyself ;  for  it  often  comes  to  pass,  that  we  desire 
to  know  much  science  for  the  sake  of  others,  and 
but  little  for  our  own  sake ;  but  I  tell  thee,  the 
Word  of  God  is  not  to  the  speakers,  or  to  the  hear- 
ers, but  to  the  true  doers  of  His  Word. 

"  There  have  been  those  who,  not  knowing  how  to 
swim,  have  gone  into  the  water  to  help  others  who 
were  drowning  ;  and  so  it  happened  that  they  were 


452 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


drowned  themselves.  If  tliou  procure  uot  the  sal- 
v-ation  of  thine  own  soul,  how  wilt  thou  procure  that 
of  thy  neighbor  ?  And  if  thou  look  not  well  to 
thine  own  affairs,  how  wilt  thou  look  to  the  affairs 
of  others  ?  For  it  is  not  to  be  believed  that  thou 
dost  love  the  soul  of  another  better  than  thine  own. 
The  preachers  of  the  Word  of  God  should  be  stand- 
ards, lights,  and  mirrors  to  the  people.  Blessed  is 
the  man  who  so  guideth  the  souls  of  others  in  the 
way  of  salvation,  that  he  himself  ceaseth  not  to  go 
in  the  same  way  !  Blessed  is  the  man  who  in  such 
wise  inviteth  others  to  run  the  race  that  he  ceaseth 
not  to  run  himself! 

"  More  blessed  is  he,  who,  in  the  same  manner, 
shall  make  others  rich,  that  he  himself  shall  not 
remain  behind  them.  I  believe  that  good  preachers 
admonish  and  preach  to  themselves  more  than  they 
do  to  any  other.  It  seemeth  to  me  that  he  who 
could  convert  and  draw  the  souls  of  sinners  into  the 
way  of  God  should  ever  be  in  fear,  lest  he  should 
be  perverted  by  them,  and  drawn  aside  into  the  way 
of  vice,  and  of  the  devil  and  hell." 

On  Speaking  Well  and  Speaking  111. 

The  man  who  speaks  good  and  useful  words  to 
the  souls  of  others  is  verily  the  mouthpiece  of  the 
Holy  Spirit :  even  as  he  who  speaks  evil  and  use- 
less words  is  certainly  the  mouthpiece  of  the  devil. 
When  good  and  spiritual  men  are  assembled  to 
confer  together,  they  should  ever  speak  of  the 
beauty  of  virtue,  because  the  more  virtue  is  pleas- 
ing to  them,  the  more  they  will  delight  in  practic- 
ing it ;  and  the  more  we  are  pleased  with  virtue 
and  delight  in  it,  the  more  we  shall  exercise  our- 
selves in  it ;  and  the  more  we  exercise  ourselves  in 
it,  the  greater  will  grow  our  love  for  it ;  and  by  this 
love  and  by  continually  exercising  ourselves  and 
taking  pleasure  in  virtue,  we  shall  grow  continually 
in  more  fervent  love  of  God,  and  ascend  to  a  higher 
state  of  perfection  ;  for  which  cause  also,  there  shall 
be  granted  to  us  from  the  Lord  greater  gifts  and 
graces. 

When  a  man  is  the  most  tempted,  so  much  the 
more  need  he  has  to  speak  of  holy  virtue ;  because 
often,  through  talking  of  sins,  a  man  is  easily 
drawn  into  sinful  acts  ;  and  thus  also,  through  con- 
versing about  virtue,  a  man  is  easily  led  and  dis- 


posed towards  the  holy  operations  of  virtue.  But 
what  shall  we  say  then  of  the  good  which  proceed- 
eth  from  virtue  ?  It  is  so  great,  that  we  cannot 
worthily  speak  of  its  excellence,  which  is  admirable 
and  infinite.  And  yet  again,  what  shall  we  say  of 
evil,  and  of  the  eternal  pains  which  follow  sin  ?  It 
is  an  abyss  so  profound  that  it  is  incomprehensible 
to  us,  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  conceive  it, 
or  to  speak  about  it. 

I  do  not  consider  it  a  lesser  virtue  to  know  well 
how  to  be  silent,  than  to  know  well  how  to  speak ; 
and  therefore  it  appears  to  me,  that  it  would  be  well 
for  a  man  were  his  neck  as  long  as  a  crane's,  so 
that,  when  he  would  speak,  his  words  would  have 
to  pass  through  many  joints  before  reaching  liis 
mouth ;  that  is  to  say,  that  when  a  man  would 
speak,  he  has  need  to  consider,  and  reconsider,  and 
examine  and  discern  right  well  the  how  and  the 
wherefore,  and  the  time  and  the  manner,  and  the 
condition  of  his  audience,  and  his  own  motive  and 
intention. 

On  Holy  Perseverance. 

What  profiteth  a  man  to  fast  and  to  pray  much, 
and  to  give  alms,  and  afflict  himself,  and  have  sub- 
lime thoughts  of  heavenly  things,  if  he  attain  not 
to  the  blessed  and  desired  haven  of  eternal  salva- 
tion, namely,  final  and  holy  perseverance  ?  Often- 
times we  have  seen  a  fair  ship  appear  upon  the  sea, 
immense  and  strong  and  new,  and  laden  with  much 
treasure  ;  and  yet,  overwhelmed  by  a  storm,  or  else 
by  the  fault  of  the  captain,  it  perishes,  and  is  sub- 
merged, and  miserably  wrecked,  and  never  attains 
the  port  for  which  it  set  out.  What  profit  is  there 
then,  in  its  beauty  and  strength  and  treasure,  since 
it  has  perished  so  miserably  in  the  depths  of  the 
sea  ?  And  yet  again,  many  a  time  we  have  seen  on 
the  sea  a  little  ship,  old,  and  carrying  but  little  mer- 
chandise, but,  having  a  good  and  skillful  captain,  it 
escaped  every  danger  of  the  sea,  and  arrived  at  the 
desired  haven  ;  and  thus  also  it  often  happens  to  us 
in  the  tempestuous  sea  of  this  world. 

And,  therefore,  Brother  Giles  said:  "A  man 
should  always  fear  ;  for  although  he  may  be  in 
great  prosperity  or  in  great  dignit}-,  or  have  at- 
tained to  a  state  of  great  perfection,  yet  if  he  have 
not  a  good  captain,  viz.,  skillful  guidance  to  rule 


THE   SAYINGS    OF    BROTHER   GILES. 


453 


him,  lie  may  perish  in  the  depths  of  vice  :  and 
therefore,  in  order  to  succeed,  we  need,  above  all 
other  things,  perseverance  ;  .for  as  the  Apostle  says  : 
'  Not  he  who  has  begun,  but  he  who  perseveres  unto 
the  end,  shall  receive  the  crown.'  When  a  tree 
first  springs  from  the  earth,  it  does  not  immediately 
grow  to  its  full  size  ;  and  when  it  is  full  grown,  it 
does  not  on  that  account  immediately  bear  fruit ; 
and  when  the  fruit  comes,  not  all  of  it  turns  out 
useful  to  the  owner ;  for  much  of  the  fruit  drops  to 
the  ground  and  decays,  and  is  not  eaten,  except  by 
the  animals  ;  but  the  fruit  that  remains  constantly 
on  the  tree,  until  the  end  of  the  season,  is,  for  the 
most  part,  gathered  by  the  owner  thereof." 

And  again.  Brother  Giles  said  :  "  What  would  it 
profit  me  to  enjoy  for  a  hundred  years  the  glory  of 
heaven,  if  I  should  not  persevere,  and  so  should  not 
make  a  good  end?"  And  yet  again  he  said:  "I 
consider  the  two  greatest  gifts  and  graces  of  God, 
which  can  be  attained  in  this  life,  to  be  loving  per- 
severance in  the  service  of  God,  and  to  ever  beware 
lest  one  fall  into  sin." 

On  True  Religion. 

Brothes  Giles  said,  speaking  of  himself :  "1  would 
rather  have  a  little  of  the  grace  of  God,  being  a 
Religious,  than  very  much  of  God's  grace,  being  a 
secular  and  living  in  the  world;  because,  in  the 
world  there  are  more  perils  and  obstacles,  and  fewer 
remedies  and  means  of  sanctity,  than  in  Religion." 
And  again  Brother  Giles  said:  "It  seems  to  me, 
that  the  sinful  man  fears  his  own  good,  more  than 
his  own  injury,  and  worst  evil.  For  he  is  afraid  to 
enter  into  the  Religious  state  and  do  penance,  but 
he  is  not  afraid  of  offending  God  and  of  losing  his 
soul  by  remaining  hard-hearted  and  obstinate  in 
the  world  awaiting  his  final  and  eternal  damnation 
in  the  filthy  mire  of  his  sins." 

A  man  of  the  world  once  asked  Brother  Giles  : 
"  Father,  which  dost  thou  counsel  me  to  do,  to  enter 
Religion,  or  to  remain  in  the  world  doing  good 
works  ?"  And  Brother  Giles  answered :  "  My 
Brother,  most  sure  it  is,  if  a  poor  man  knew  of  a 
great  treasure  hidden  in  an  open  field,  that  he  would 
ask  counsel  of  no  one  to  assure  himself  whether  it 
were  well  to  dig  it  up,  and  to  carry  it  home ;  how 
much  more  should  a  man  endeavor,  with  all  haste 


and  diligence,  to  dig  for  that  heavenly  treasure, 
which  is  to  be  found  in  the  holy  state  of  Religion, 
and  in  spiritual  congregations,  without  asking  so 
much  advice  of  others  !"  And  the  same  man  hear- 
ing this  answer,  immediately  gave  all  he  had  to  the 
poor,  and  thus  deprived  of  all  things,  forthwith  em- 
braced the  Religious  state. 

Brother  Giles  said  also  :  "  Many  enter  the  state 
of  Religion  and  afterwards  do  not  practice  what  the 
perfection  of  the  Religious  state  requires  ;  but  such 
resemble  the  ploughboy  who  arrayed  himself  in  the 
armour  of  Orlando,  and  knew  not  how  to  fight  or 
to  fence  in  it.  Not  every  one  is  able  to  ride  a  res- 
tive and  vicious  horse  ;  and  if,  nevertheless,  he  will 
ride  him,  he  shall  not  be  able  to  keep  himself  from 
falling,  when  the  horse  runs  away  with  him  or  be- 
comes restive." 

Brother  Giles  said  moreover :  "  I  do  not  esteem 
it  a  great  thing  that  a  man  should  know  how  to 
retain  any  favor  conferred  upon  him  by  the  king : 
but  the  great  thing  is,  that  he  should  know  how  to 
live  and  to  converse  in  the  court  of  the  king,  per- 
severing with  all  discretion  therein.  The  court  of 
the  great  Heavenly  King  is  the  Religious  state, 
wherein  it  is  net  hard  to  enter,  and  to  receive  many 
gifts  and  graces  from  God :  but  the  great  thing  is 
that  a  man  should  know  how  to  live  and  converse 
rightly  and  discreetly  therein,  persevering  in  the 
same,  even  until  death." 

And  again  Brother  Giles  said :  "  I  would  rather 
be  in  the  secular  state,  continually  hoping  and  de- 
voutly desiring  to  enter  the  state  of  Religion,  than 
be  clothed  with  the  holy  habit  of  Religion,  remain- 
ing in  idleness  and  negligence  and  without  practic- 
ing works  of  virtue.  And  therefore  the  Religious 
man  should  continually  constrain  himself  to  live 
well  and  virtuously,  knowing  that  he  cannot  live  in 
any  other  state  but  that  of  his  profession." 

Brother  Giles  once  said  also :  "  To  me  it  seems 
that  the  Order  of  the  Friars  Minor  was  verily  or- 
dained of  God  for  the  great  edification  of  the  people ; 
but  woe  to  us  Friars,  if  we  should  not  be  such  men 
as  we  ought  to  be  !  Most  surely  there  should  not 
be  found  in  this  life  more  blessed  men  than  we ; 
for  he  is  holy  who  follows  the  holy,  he  is  good  who 
follows  in  the  way  of  the  good,  and  he  is  rich  who 
walks  in  the  footsteps  of  the  rich  ;  and  the  Order  of 


454 


THE   SAYINGS   OF   BROTHER   GILES. 


the  Friars  Minor,  more  than  any  other  Order,  fol- 
lows in  the  way  and  the  footsteps  of  the  best,  the 
most  holy,  and  the  richest,  that  ever  was,  or  will 
be,  namely,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself." 

On  the  Remembrance  of  Death. 

If  a  man  had  ever  before  his  mind  the  remem- 
brance of  his  death,  and  of  the  final  judgment, 
and  of  the  pains  and  torments  of  lost  souls, 
most  sure  it  is  that  he  would  never  wish  to  sin, 
or  to  offend  God.  But  if  it  were  possible  that 
a  man  should  have  lived  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world  until  this  present  time,  and  during 
all  the  time  had  suffered  every  adversity,  tribu- 
lation, pain,  and  affliction  and  sorrow:  and  then 
that  he  should  die,  and  that  his  soul  should  receive 
the  eternal,  celestial  recompense  ;  what  harm  would 
all  the  evils  he  had  sustained  in  the  past  do 
him  ?  And  in  like  manner :  if  a  man  had  had, 
during  the  same  time,  consolation  in  the  world, 
and  then  dying,  his  soul  should  receive  the  sen- 
tence of  the  eternal  pains  of  hell :    how  would  it 


gOOQ 


comfort   him,   to    have    received    all   these 
things  in  the  past? 

An  idle  and  slothfuj  man  once  said  to  Brother 
Giles:  "I  tell  thee,  that  I  would  fain  live  long  in 
this  world,  and  have  great  riches  and  abundance  of 
all  things,  and  be  held  in  much  honor."  To  whom 
Brother  Giles  said :  "  My  Brother,  if  thou  wert  lord 
of  all  the  world,  and  shouldst  live  in  it  a  thousand 
years,  in  every  enjoyment,  delight,  pleasure,  and 
temporal  consolation,  tell  me  what  reward  and  what 
merit  couldst  thou  expect  to  have  of  this  miserable 
flesh,  which  thou  wouldst  so  greatly  serve  and 
please  ?  But  I  tell  thee,  that  if  a  man  live  well 
according  to  God,  and  guard  himself  from  offending 
God,  of  a  surety  he  shall  receive  from  God  the  ful- 
ness of  all  good,  an  infinite  and  eternal  recompense, 
and  great  abundance,  and  great  riches,  and  great 
honor,  and  long,  even  eternal,  life  in  the  everlasting 
glory  of  Heaven  :  to  which  may  this  good  God,  our 
Lord  and  King,  Jesus  Christ,  bring  us  also  :  to  the 
praise  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  His  poor  little  one, 
Francis. 


SCHOOL  OF  THEOLOGY.     (After  Raphael. 


M 


SAINT  CATHARINE  OF  SIENNA 


HOW  CATHOLICS  COME  TO  BE 
MISUNDERSTOOD. 

By    REV.    THOMAS    O'QORIVIAN,    D.D., 

Bishop  of  Sioux  Falls. 


HE  most  fruitful  source  of  misunder- 
standing in  religious  matters  is  pre- 
judice. By  prejudice  is  meant  a 
prejudgment,  or  a  judgment  by  antici- 
pation ;  a  judgment  whicli  is  formed 
prior  to  a  particular  question  sub- 
mitted to  us,  yet  is  made  to  bear  upon  it 
and  decide  it.  Webster's  definition  of  tbe  word  comes 
to  the  same  thing :  "An  opinion  or  decision  of  the 
mind  formed  without  due  examination ;  a  bias  or 
leaning  towards  one  side  or  the  other  of  a  question 
from  other  considerations  than  those  belonging  to 
it ;  an  unreasonable  predilection  or  prepossession 
for  or  against  anything  formed  without  proper 
grounds  or  before  suitable  knowledge."  It  is  true, 
the  past  bears  on  the  future,  and  from  what  has 
been  we  may  probably  conjecture  what  will  be.  In 
this  sense  and  to  this  extent  prejudgment  is  admis- 
sible ;  but,  mind  well,  there  is  in  this  case  a  previous 
knowledge  on  which  the  prejudgment  is  based,  and 
which  gives  it,  not;  indeed,  certainly,  but  a  kind  of 
probability. 

Such  a  prejudgment  is  vague  and  general ;  it  is 
not  more  than  an  opinion  or  an  inference  of  greater 
or  less  strength  ;  it  cannot  reasonably,  and  should 
not,  be  taken  as  infallible  ;  it  cannot  dispense  with 
the  evidence  that  is  adducible  for  the  particular  case 
or  question  presented  for  consideration.  Did  any 
man  rest  on  prej  udgment  so  entirely  as  to  refuse  to 
hear  the  other  side  and  sift  the  evidence  that  was 
brought  against  the  prejudgment,  especially  as  to 
conclude  at  once  and  without  examination  that 
nothing  could  be  said  for  the  opposite  side,  such  a 
man  would  not  act  reasonably ;  he  would  not  be 
fair-minded ;  his  prejudice  would  cease  to  be  ex- 
cusable, and  become  obstinacy  and  injustice. 

I  can  allow  for  the  force  of  prej  udice.  In  fact,  we 
approach  almost  every  question  that  concerns  us 


with  a  leaning,  and,  as  I  have  just  explained,  preju 
dice,  in  this  sense,  has  its  rightful  use,  under  con 
ditions.  Now,  persons  who  all  their  life  have  heard 
nothing  but  what  is  bad  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
naturally  entertain,  as  a  part  of  their  mental  store, 
a  settled  opinion  that  it  is  bad ;  and,  when  some  fresh 
charge  is  made  against  the  Church,  such  persons, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  are  predisposed  to  credit  the 
charge  without  stopping  to  consider  the  evidence, 
and  even  before  the  evidence  is  put  before  them. 
They  judge  of  this  particular  charge  on  the 
ground  of  that  habitual  judgment  which  they  in- 
herited as  a  tradition  and  has  become  a  part  of  their 
religious  training. 

Now,  that  this  mode  of  acting  should  be  carefully 
guarded  against  by  every  fair-minded  man,  is  a  first 
principle  in  justice ;  a  principle  that  constitutes  our 
notion  of  what  a  judge  and  a  jury  should  be  ;  a 
principle  that  is  the  palladium  of  liberty,  the  only 
shield  against  injustice  and  tyranny.  Our  non- 
Catholic  friends  should  not  pronounce  sentence  on 
us  on  the  strength  of  their  traditional  idea  of  us,but 
should  allow  the  actual  evidence  and  our  account  of 
our  case  to  have  a  fair  chance  against  their  in- 
herited prejudgment. 

Consider  the  conduct  of  the  man  who,  through 
thick  and  thin,  is  wedded  to  his  religious  prejudice. 
He  takes  it  for  granted  that  the  Catholic  is  mis- 
taken ;  that  he  is  a  knave  if  willfully  mistaken,  a 
fool  if  unwillingly.  Let  some  accusation  againt  the 
Church  come  up,  he  seizes  on  it  at  once.  Evidence 
goes  for  nothing ;  likelihood  is  everything.  What 
he  hears  is  just  what  he  expected  to  hear  ;  it  is  in 
keeping  with  all  he  has  been  told  of  the  church 
from  a  boy  up.  Suppose  there  comes  an  absolute, 
explicit,  total  denial  of  the  charge,  or  a  refutation 
on  unimpeachable  authority,  a  correcting  of  the 

misrepresentation  and  an  accurate  statement. 

455 


456 


HOW   CATHOLICS   COME   TO   BE    MISUNDERSTOOD. 


The  prejudiced  man  simply  discredits  what  we 
say  and  sets  it  aside,  not  giving  it  the  slightest  at- 
tention. Do  we  insist  so  that  he  must  attend,  he 
draws  himself  up,  looks  stem,  becomes  more  posi- 
tive and  louder  in  the  assertion  of  his  prejudgment 
and  our  g^ilt ;  or,  he  winks  and  smiles,  and  says, 
"  Sleek  fellows,  those  Catholics  ;  they  have  a  way 
out  of  every  scrape."  Ask  him  what  he  knows  of 
the  Church  by  personal  knowledge,  of  her  teaching, 
her  worship,  her  history  ;  he  blesses  his  stars  that 
he  knows  nothing  about  the  matter,  and  never  will. 
Before  such  a  disposition  of  mind  and  will  our  work 
seems  well  nigh  useless.  Often  we  may  have  said 
to  ourselves,  after  having  taken  up  and  refuted 
some  charge  or  other,  "  What  can  be  said  in  answer 
to  this,  now  at  last  the  falsehood  is  disposed  of  ?  " 
Vain  hope  !  It  is  the  nature  of  prejudice  that  it  is 
ever  reproductive,  and  comes  up  scowling  from 
every  defeat.  When  truth  makes  the  race  with 
prejudice  it  has  no  more  chance  than  when  it  makes 
the  race  with  a  lie.  The  favorite  field  in  which 
prejudice  runs  riot  is  the  past  or  the  far  distant, 
some  remote  period  in  history  or  some  remote  spot 
on  the  globe ;  because  there  is  less  danger  of  its 
being  brought  unpleasantly  face  to  face  with  actual 
facts.     I  will  give  an  instance  of  what  I  mean : 

The  Origin  of  Protestant  Prejudice. 

It  is  an  inherited  notion  with  non-Catholics  that 
Christianity,  which  was  very  pure  in  its  beginnings, 
became  very  corrupt  in  the  middle  ages,  and  is 
again  very  pure  now  in  orthodox  Protestanism. 
There  arose  in  the  middle  ages  a  tyrannical  institu- 
tion called  the  Church,  that  swallowed  up  Chris- 
tianity and  has  not  yet  disgorged  its  prey.  Then 
all  was  dark  and  horrible,  and  worse  than  paganism ; 
neither  God  nor  Christ  were  known ;  the  virgin, 
the  saints,  the  Pope,  images  and  relics  were  wor- 
shipped instead.  The  Homilies  of  the  Church  of 
England^  an  authoritative  document  in  that  church 
at  the  present  day,  says  that  "  In  the  pit  of  damna- 
ble idolatry  all  the  world  was,  as  it  were,  drowned, 
and  so  continued  until  our  age  (the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury), by  the  space  of  above  eight  hundred  years, 
so  that  laity  and  clergy,  learned  and  unlearned,  all 
ages,  sects  and  degrees,  of  men,  women  and  children 
of  whole  Christendom — a   most  horrible  thing  to 


think  of — have  been  at  once  drowned  in  abominable 
idolatry.  That  was  the  time  of  apostasy,  when  the 
Pope  was  the  man  of  sin  and  the  Church  the  mother 
of  abominations."  So  far  the  Homilies ;  turn  we 
now  to  the  Westminster  Confession. 

According  to  this  document  "  Papists  are  idola- 
ters." The  assertion  is  found  in  Section  3  of 
Chapter  XXIV.  This  section,  which  is  on  mar- 
riage and  divorce,  declares  that  "  Such  as  profess 
the  true  reformed  religion  should  not  marry  with 
infidels,  papists  or  other  idolaters."  It  is  intended 
to  strike  out  the  words  "  and  others,"  and  thus  take 
the  offense  and  sting  out  of  the  assertion.  But  if 
the  revision  is  to  be  complete,  much  more  must  be 
done.  In  Chapter  XXIX.,  on  the  "  Lord's  Supper," 
it  is  declared  that  "  The  papist  sacrifice  of  the  Mass, 
as  they  call  it,  is  most  abominably  injurious  to 
Christ's  one  and  only  sacrifice,  .  .  .  that  doc- 
trine which  maintains  a  change  of  the  substance  of 
bread  and  wine  into  the  substance  of  Christ's  body 
and  blood,  commonly  called  transubstantiation,  by 
consecration  of  a  priest,  or  by  any  other  way,  is 
repugnant,  not  to  Scripture  alone,  but  even  to  com- 
mon sense  and  reason,  overthroweth  the  nature  of 
the  sacrament  and  hath  been  and  is  the  cause  of 
manifold  superstitions,  yea,  of  gross  idolatries." 

If  this  be  true.  Catholics  would  be  and  would  re- 
main idolaters,  though  the  general  assembly  and 
all  the  presbyteries  should  drop  the  two  words  "  and 
others,"  as  above  stated.  In  the  sixth  section  of 
Chapter  XXV.  we  read  that  "  The  pope  of  Rome  is 
antichrist,  that  man  of  sin  and  son  of  perdition  that 
exalteth  himself  in  the  Church  against  Christ  and 
all  that  is  called  God."  This  also  is  to  be  stricken 
out  by  the  revisionists,  I  believe.  But  if  the  re- 
vision of  the  Confession  is  to  be  thorough  on  this 
as  on  the  preceding  point,  a  great  deal  more  will 
have  to  be  amended  or  thrown  out.  However,  I 
am  not  dealing  with  revision,  nor  with  the  proving 
or  disproving  of  the  two  charges  that  papists  are 
idolaters  and  the  Pope  antichrist.  I  am  just  now 
engaged  in  making  another  point ;  it  only  in  view 
of  this  point  I  have  quoted  from  the  Homilies  and 
the  Confession. 

The  point  is  this :  I  have  said  that  there  was  in 
Protestant  minds  a  prejudice  about  the  middle  ages, 
during  which  came  in  all  the  corruptions  of  the 


HOW   CATHOLICS    COME   TO    BE   MISUNDERSTOOD. 


457 


I 


Church,  lasting  until  this  day ;  and  you  see  how 
and  where  and  when  this  traditional  Protestant 
prejudice  against  the  Church  originated.  We  have 
arrived  in  those  authoritative  documents  at  the 
source  of  the  prejudice,  the  first  link  of  the  chain, 
the  first  title  deed  on  which  the  inheritance  rests. 
At  this  point  of  our  progress  I  have  an  important 
consideration  to  put  before  you,  to  which  I  invite 
your  serious  attention. 

Dishonest  Use  of  Protestant  Prejudice. 

Non-Catholics  have  been  taught  what  they  hold 
concerning  us  in  the  nursery,  in  the  school-room, 
in  the  lecture  class,  from  the  pulpit,  from  the  relig- 
ious publication,  often  from  the  secular  newspaper, 
in  society.  Private  judgment  in  matters  of  religion 
is  their  principle  ;  in  practice  they  go  by  tradition  ; 
they  take  their  views  of  the  Church  on  heresay. 
Now,  tradition  has  its  proper  use  as  an  initial 
means  of  gaining  notions  about  historical  or  other 
facts  ;  it  is  natural  and  necessary  to  trust  it  when  it 
has  the  proper  qualifications.  But  we  ought  not,  on 
the  score  of  mere  heresay,  to  keep  our  eyes  and  ears 
shut  against  every  other  evidence,  every  other  means 
of  proof;  we  ought  not  be  so  furiously  certain  and 
so  energetically  positive  that  we  know  all  about  the 
matter  in  question,  when  our  only  source  of  infor- 
mation is  a  partial  and  partisan  tradition. 

There  is  not,  in  such  an  inherited  tradition,  sufiE- 
cient  reason  to  make  us  absolutely  sure,  much  less 
to  make  us  angry  with  those  who  take  a  different 
view  of  the  matter.  There  was,  among  a  section  of 
the  Jewish  people,  a  tradition,  not  all  of  divine,  but 
of  human  origin,  that  their  Messiah  was  to  be  a 
great  temporal  ruler.  On  the  strength  of  that 
tradition  they  reviled,  rejected  and  crucified  their 
true  Messiah,  who  did  not  come  to  them  in  the 
guise  of  temporal  greatness.  I  consider  the  chief 
merit  of  "  Ben  Hur  "  to  be  the  bringing  out  of  this 
contrast  between  a  false  tradition  and  the  reality. 
The  source  of  the  anti-Catholic  prejudice  is  the 
secession  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

Now,  I  am  not  at  present  inquiring  whether  in 
the  sixteenth  century  there  were  or  were  not  good 
reasons  for  that  secession,  nor  consequently  whether 
the  traditions  then  originated  and  since  inherited, 
by   which    non-Catholics    prejudge    the    Catholic 


Church,  is  or  is  not  well  founded.  I  simply  state 
the  fact  that  we  are  so  prejudged  ;  and,  moreover, 
I  assert  that,  since  Protestants  recognize  i^o  teach- 
ing body  authorized  to  instruct  them  in  religion,  no 
infallible  voice  to  guide  them,  they  have  no  rational 
right  to  assume  their  tradition  to  be  sufiiciently 
grounded  so  as  to  safely  judge  and  condemn  us  on 
that  evidence  alone,  but  should  make  a  personal 
examination  of  the  value  of  such  tradition,  and  test 
it  in  its  first  link,  in  its  very  source,  or  judge  the 
Church  only  by  their  actual  knowledge  of  it.  How 
many  have  done  this  ?  Ask  any  Protestant  out  of 
the  mass  why  he  believes  that  our  religion  is 
untrue,  dangerous,  absurd ;  and  he  will  not  say, 
"  I  have  had  good  actual  proofs  of  it ;  I  know 
Catholic  teaching  too  well  to  doubt  it ;  I  am  well 
read  in  history  and  can  vouch  for  it." 

He  will  most  likely  say,  and,  if  he  is  honest,  he 
can  only  say,  "  Why  the  thing  is  too  notorious 
for  proof ;  everyone  knows  it ;  everyone  of  our 
books  asserts  it ;  it  has  been  so  ruled  long  ago, 
and  there's  an  end  of  it.  What !  am  I  to  be  told 
in  this  nineteenth  century  that  we  must  begin  his- 
tory over  again  and  have  to  reverse  our  elemen- 
tary facts  ?  To  tell  me,  at  my  time  of  life,  that 
Catholics  do  not  rate  sin  at  a  fixed  price  ;  that  they 
may  not  get  absolution  for  a  sin  in  prospect ;  that 
they  do  not  make  images  and  bread  their  God  , 
that  they  would  not  burn  Protestants  if  they  could  ; 
that  they  are  not  constantly  plotting  to  destroy 
schools  and  exterminate  education  ;  that  they  would 
not,  if  only  they  had  it  in  their  power,  bring  the 
whole  country  under  a  foreign  despotism  !  "  Why, 
he  is  perfectly  sure  of  it ;  it  must  be  true,  because 
all  the  ministers  say  so.  It  is  preached  in  all  the 
churches  every  Sunday ! 

The  Nursery  of  Protestant  Prejudice. 

Ah,  yes  !  So  it  is !  So  it  is  !  And  it  is  in  virtue 
of  a  practice  in  direct  contradiction  to  the  first  prin- 
ciples of  Protestantism  that  prejudiced  Protestants 
are  so  very  sure  of  their  prejudice,  and  believe  so 
firmly  the  traditional  account  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  Their  principle  is  private  judgment ;  their 
practice  is  implicit  faith  in  a  ministry  which,  by  its 
own  confession,  has  no  authority  to  teach.  Many, 
indeed,  in  that  ministry,  have  given  up  teaching, 


458 


HOW   CATHOLICS   COME   TO   BE   MISUNDERSTOOD. 


and  flung  to  the  winds  all  clear-cut  creed  to  practice 
with  glittering  generalities. 

But  one  mission  they  have  had  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  still  pursue  with  wonderful  perseverance 
and  success — they  keep  up  the  anti-Catholic  tradi- 
tion and  foster  prejudice.  All  forms  of  teaching 
a:id  no  form  of  teaching  are  tolerated,  and  by  the 
Protestant  ministries  of  all  denominations  ;  no  kind 
of  opinion  comes  amiss  or  fails  to  find  a  home  there  ; 
but  the  Church  it  cannot  tolerate.  Protestantism 
agrees  to  differ  with  its  children  on  a  thousand 
points  ;  but  on  one  point  all  ministers  agree  and 
stand  in  serried  ranks — "  Rome  is  false  and  Catho- 
licity is  corrupt  Christianity." 

I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  of  transcribing  a 
page  from  an  article  by  James  Parton,  "  Our  Roman 
Catholic  Brethren,"  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly^  May, 
1868.  He  got  it  from  a  work  that  was  published 
in  England  about  the  year  1867,  under  the  title, 
"  The  Comedy  of  Convocation."  Archdeacon  Jolly, 
one  of  the  speakers  at  the  imaginary  convocation, 
explains  the  operation  of  a  new  society,  which,  he 
said,  was  called  "  The  society  for  considering  the 
best  means  of  keeping  alive  the  corruptions  of 
popery  in  the  interests  of  gospel  truth."  He  had 
been  favored  with  a  copy  of  the  prospectus.  It  ap- 
peared from  this  document,  and  it  could  be  con- 
firmed from  other  sources,  that  a  deputation  was 
sent  to  Rome  in  order  to  entreat  his  holiness  not  to 
reform  a  single  popish  corruption.  A  handsome 
present  was  entrusted  to  the  deputation,  and  a 
liberal  contribution  to  the  Peter's  Pence  Fund. 

The  motives  set  forth  in  the  preamble  of  the  ad- 
dress presented  to  his  holiness  were,  in  substance, 
of  the  following  nature.  They  urged  that  a  very 
large  body  of  most  respectable  clergyman,  who  had 
no  personal  ill  will  toward  the  present  occupant  of 
the  Holy  See,  had  maintained  themselves  and  their 
families  in  comfort  for  many  years  exclusively  by 
the  abuse  of  popery ;  and,  if  popery  were  taken  away, 
they  could  not  but  contemplate  the  probable  results 
with  uneasiness  and  alarm.  Moreover,  many  emi- 
nent members  of  the  profession  had  gained  a  repu- 
tation for  evangelical  wit,  learning  and  piety,  by 
setting  forth  in  their  sermons,  with  all  their  harrow- 
ing details,  the  astounding  abominations  of  the 
Church  of  Rome. 


The  petitioners  implored  his  holiness  not  to  be  in>. 
different  to  the  position  of  these  gentlemen.  Many 
of  their  number  had  privately  requested  the  depu- 
tation to  plead  their  cause  with  the  amiable  and 
benevolent  Pius  IX.  Thus  the  great  and  good  Dr. 
McNickel  represented  respectfully  that  he  had  filled 
his  church  and  let  all  the  pews  during  three  and 
twenty  years  by  powerfully  illustrating  Romish 
superstitions.  An  eminent  canon  of  an  old  Roman 
Catholic  abbey  owed  his  distinguished  position, 
which  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  retain,  to  the  fact  of 
his  having  proved  so  clearl}^  that  the  Pope  was  anti- 
christ, and  earnestly  entreated  his  holiness  to  do 
nothing  to  forfeit  that  character. 

Finally  a  young  clergyman,  who  had  not  hitherto 
much  distinguished  himself,  having  often,  but 
vainly,  solicited  a  fair  member  of  his  congregation 
to  favor  his  evangelical  attachment,  at  length  hit 
upon  a  new  expedient,  and  preached  so  ravishing  a 
discourse  on  the  "  Matrimonial  Prohibitions  of  the 
Romish  Church,"  and  drew  so  appalling  a  picture 
of  the  domestic  infelicities  of  the  Romish  priest- 
hood, that  on  the  following  Monday  morning,  the 
lady  made  him  an  offer  of  her  hand  and  fortune. 
Would  his  holiness  please  take  all  this  into  his 
kindliest  consideration  ? 

"  Ridentem  dicere  verum  quid  vetat  ? 
But  not  to  treat  my  subject  as  in  jest ; 
Yet  may  not  truth  in  laughing  guise  be  dressed? 
As  masters  fondly  soothe  their  boys  to  read 
With  cakes  and  sweetmeats. ' ' 

It  is  the  way  with  human  nature  to  start  with 
vigor  and  then  to  flag.  Years  tell  upon  the  toughest 
frames,  time  introduces  changes,  prejudices  are 
worn  away,  asperities  are  softened,  views  opened, 
errors  are  corrected,  opponents  are  better  understood, 
the  mind  wearies  of  warfare.  So  would  it  have 
been  with  these  religious  dissensions  and  misunder- 
standings and  prejudices,  if  there  had  been  no  ac- 
tive, persistent  force  to  guard  against  and  oppose 
this  tendency  of  the  mind  and  nature  of  man. 

And  so  prejudices  against  us  live  in  spite  of 
all  we  can  do  to  put  them  down,  and  will  live 
until  the  honest  Protestant  man  refuses  to  see 
through  the  eyes  of  other  meu,  no  better  sighted 
than  himself  ;  until  he  decides  to  use  his  own  mind 
in  the  examination  of  religious  matters,  and  lay 


HOW   CATHOLICS   COME  TO   BE   MISUNDERSTOOD. 


459 


aside  his  inherited  prejudice  and  judge  the  Catho- 
lic Church  on  rational,  actual  evidence.  She  is 
here  in  our  midst ;  let  him  open  his  eyes  and  look 
at  her. 

Let  me  not  be  misunderstood.  I  do  not  assert 
that  all  that  is  said  in  disfavor  of  Catholics  is  the 
outcome  of  prejudice.  Some  accusations  there  are 
to  which  we  plead  guilty,  and  are  the  first  to  con- 
fess. They  are  accusations  against  individuals 
within  the  Church,  not  against  the  Church  as  a 
teaching  body.  In  the  Church,  good  and  bad,  the 
wheat  and  the  tares  are  mixed.  Scandals  must 
come  and  do  come,  even  within  our  own  bosom. 
We  acknowledge  it,  and  grieve  for  it.  We  get, 
however,  for  this  acknowledgment,  little  credit  from 
prejudiced  Protestantism  ;  this  is  not  what  it  wants. 
We  show  that  the  scandals  and  evils  that  arise 
among  us  are  not  in  virtue  of,  but  in  spite  of,  our 
teachings ;  prejudice  wants  them  to  be  the  direct 
and  logical  outcome  of  our  teaching  ;  the  teaching 
must  be  the  tree  that  bears  such  fruit,  so  that  preju- 
dice may  get  the  chance  to  argue  from  the  quality 
of  the  fruit  to  the  quality  of  the  tree. 

However,  the  strangest  inconsistency  that  preju- 
dice can  be  guilty  of  is  exhibited  in  this  very  mat- 
ter. When  the  scandal  and  the  scaudalizer  have 
been  expelled  from  the  Church,  as  evil  humors  are 
driven  out  of  a  healthy  body,  prejudiced  Protestant- 
ism takes  them  up  as  choice  subjects  and  morsels. 
Experience,  it  would  seem,  ought  to  teach  them  to 
be  on  their  guard  against  such  brands  plucked  from 
the  burning,  for  how  often  has  not  the  viper  turned 
against  the  bosom  that  warmed  it !  However,  there 
is  such  a  longing  for  something,  anything  from  the 
Pope's  garden,  that  even  a  weed  over  the  wall  is  as 
welcome  as  the  flowers  of  May.  I  advance  this 
point  as  evidence  of  prejudice  run  to  imprudence 
and  folly.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  instances  of  this 
kind  are  becoming  rarer  year  by  year. 

The  Daughter  of  Prejudice. 

The  Church  is  a  living  body,  world-wide,  speak- 
ing many  tongues,  one  and  the  same  everywhere ; 
she  is  here.  Well,  one  would  think  that,  if  Protest- 
ants really  wished  to  get  at  the  truth  about  us,  if 
they  would  kuow  what  we  really  teach,  why  we 
B^     practice  this  or  that  form  of  worship  and  ritual,  they 


would  come  to  us  for  information.  When  a  sensi- 
ble man  is  deeply  anxious  to  get  at  the  truth  on 
any  point,  he  simply  discards  reports  and  gossip 
and  betakes  himself  to  headquarters.  The  live  , 
newspaper  that  wants  the  correct  account  of  an 
affair  does  not  pick  up  and  dish  up  the  street  rumors, 
but  dispatches  one  of  its  best  reporters  to  the  scene 
of  the  event  to  see  and  interview  the  actors  them- 
selves or  the  immediate  eye-witnesses. 

It  is  an  axiom  that  every  one  is  to  be  trusted  in 
his  own  art,  otherwise  expressed  by,  "  Let  the  cob- 
bler stick  to  his  last."  Frenchmen  are  the  best 
masters  of  French ;  pilots  the  best  steersmen  on 
the  river.  Catholics  ought  to  know  Catholicism 
better  than  non-Catholics.  Military  men  do  not 
show  any  very  great  respect  for  the  criticism  of 
civilians,  nor  lawyers  and  physicians  for  the  crude 
notion  in  their  respective  spheres  of  laymen.  If 
you  want  to  know  and  feel  what  pure,  undiluted 
sarcasm  is,  go  try  instruct  an  old  editor  how  to  run 
his  paper  so  as  to  make  it  pay  him  and  please  his 
readers. 

But  any  one  with  information  at  second  hand, 
picked  up  on  the  byways  and  highways,  with  crude 
notions  handed  down  by  untested  tradition,  with 
definitions  unapproved  and  assertions  unproved  by 
respectable  evidence,  understands  our  religion  better 
than  we  do,  is  qualified  to  instruct  or  attack  Catho- 
lics aj  to  the  doctrine,  the  morals,  the  discipline  of 
their  church  •  Our  theological  libraries  are  vast ; 
our  friend  has  the  whole  of  the  ponderous  tomes  in 
a  nutshell ;  our  doctrines  are  couched  in  technical 
language,  to  understand  which,  as  for  the  language 
of  law,  a  special  training  is  needed ;  he  sees  no 
obscurity  whatever  in  our  verbal  statements  ;  they 
are  clear  to  him  at  first  sight. 

In  consequence  he  is  forever  mistaking  one  thing 
for  another,  and  thinks  it  does  not  signify.  He 
gets  hold  of  some  dreadful  text  torn  out  of  its  place 
from  some  theologian,  and  he  waves  it  triumphantly, 
"  This  is  what  they  teach  ;  this  is  what  they  are." 
Where  did  he  get  that  garbled  text  ?  Not  from  the 
original,  bless  his  innocent  soul  and  yours !  No, 
but  from  the  Protestant  tradition,  a  second-hand 
store,  whose  stock  is  mostly  in  the  line  of  misfits. 
He  gives  his  own  definition  of  such  terms  as  Wor- 
ship of  the  Virgin,  Immaculate  Conception,  Tran- 


460 


HOW   CATHOLICS   COME   TO    BE   MISUNDERSTOOD. 


substantiation,  Extreme  Unction,  Confession,  Abso- 
lution, Indulgences,  Celibacy,  Vows,  Infallibilit}^ 
Temporal  Power,  Primacy,  and  then  falls  into  fits 
of  pious  horror  at  the  dreadful  things.  He  forgets 
that  it  is  for  us  to  say  what  we  mean  by  these  tech- 
nical terms.  It  really  looks  as  if  he  were  determined 
that  he  shall  not  know  us,  and  that  we  shall  not  be 
known  as  we  truly  are. 

Conceited  ignorance  is  the  natural  sequel  and 
own  daughter  to  prejudice.  There  are  books  in 
abundance,  written  by  Protestant  students  of  the 
Bible,  some  of  them  admirable,  some  of  them  the 
very  best  of  their  kind,  and  used  by  Catholic  theo- 
logians, explaining  difficult  passages  of  the  Old 
Testament  by  means  of  the  manners  and  customs 
which,  at  the  present  day,  are  in  use  among  the 
Orientals.  A  very  sensible  proceeding  this,  and 
worthy  of  imitation  in  the  case  before  us.  Let  our 
technical  language,  our  seemingly  strange  forms  of 
worship,  our  dogmas  and  our  precepts,  be  inter- 
preted by  the  understanding,  the  customs  and  the 
authorized  explanations  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

What  are  First  Principles. 

So  much  for  prejudice.  I  now  pass  on  to  con- 
sider quite  another  class.  The  great  majority  of 
our  separated  brethren  in  this  land  wish  to  be  fair 
to  us.  They  are  indignant  at  the  false  and  dis- 
torted views  taken  of  us.  They  despise  the  preju- 
dices that  are  directed  against  us.  They  readily 
acknowledge  the  grandeur,  the  beneficient  force  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  They  wish  to  know  about 
it ;  they  even  enter  on  the  study  of  it ;  but  on 
nearer  view  they  cannot  accept  it ;  they  find  it  to 
be  against  the  principles  of  their  reason ;  it  runs 
counter  to  truths  which  to  them  are  assumed 
premises.  They  conclude,  therefore,  that  faith  is 
some  hidden  gift  which  is  not  to  be  theirs.  And  as 
Christianity  and  Catholicity  are,  in  their  opinion, 
one,  they  give  up  religion  altogether  as  some  land 
of  promise  which  is  shut  against  them,  and  settle 
down  into  complete  religious  indifference  as  to 
creeds  and  articles  of  belief,  satisfied  with  the  com- 
mon, ordinary  dictates  of  reason  and  general  moral- 
ity; they  aim  at  being  honest  men,  as  they  say, 
and  at  nothing  more.  This  is  an  attitude  of  mind 
that  deserves  our  deepest  respect,  our  truest  sym- 


pathy and  our  closest  study.     What  is  the  account 
of  it? 

There  are  such  things  as  first  principles ;  that  is, 
truths  held  without  proof,  as  being  self-evident. 
Everyone  who  thinks  at  all  must  have,  as  founda- 
tion of  his  thinking,  such  first  principles.  When 
you  make  a  statement  of  any  kind  and  are  asked 
your  reasons  for  it,  you  begin  a  series  of  "  becauses," 
and  come  to  a  last  "  because,"  which  is  your  first 
principle,  upon  which  you  base  all  your  preceding 
propositions,  and  for  which  you  have  no  proof  and 
need  none,  because  it  is,  to  you,  self-evident. 

First  principles  are  the  means  of  proof,  and  are 
not  themselves  proved  ;  they  are  absolute  monarchs 
in  the  realm  of  thought  and  reason.  But  first  prin- 
ciples may  be  true  and  may  be  false,  and  there  are 
ways  of  unlearning  them  when  they  are  false.  If 
they  are  true  they  are  like  the  best  and  wisest  of 
fathers  to  us  ;  but  if  they  are  false  they  are  like  the 
most  cruel  and  baneful  of  tyrants.  Moreover, 
because  they  are  elementary  in  our  thinking,  they 
may  be  considered  almost  as  part  of  our  mind  and 
moral  being.  For  this  reason  we  are  not  likely  to 
be  aware  of  them,  being  so  close  to  us,  unless  we 
have  been  specially  trained  to  mental  introspection, 
the  rarest  and  the  most  difl&cult  of  all  sciences. 

The  real  account  of  all  disputes  and  controversies 
is  this,  that  each  of  the  two  disputants  starts  from 
his  own  principle,  which  he  takes  for  granted, 
which  he  does  not  observe  he  is  assuming,  and 
which,  even  if  he  did,  he  thinks  too  plain  to  men- 
tion, much  less  to  prove.  For  this  reason  it  is  laid 
down  in  logic  as  a  first  lesson — which,  for  being  the 
first  is  often  neglected  or  only  half  applied  in  prac- 
tice— to  define  exactly  your  terms  and  agree  on  the 
starting  point,  else  there  will  be  no  reaching  the 
same  ultimate  conclusion.  Nay,  the  two  disputants 
are  not  on  the  same  track  at  all,  and,  therefore,  will 
never  come  in  together.  In  fact,  controversy  about 
details  or  subordinate  propositions  is  waste  of  time. 
The  real  debate  is  on  the  original  premises,  and 
generally  ends  by  getting  back  to  such  premises. 

The  Wrong  Use  of  Principles. 

Now,  the  Catholic  Church  has  its  first  principles, 
and  Protestantism  has  also  first  principles  of  its 
own,  and  I  acknowledge  the  right  of  each,  so  far. 


HOW   CATHOLICS    COME   TO   BE   MISUNDERSTOOD. 


461 


But  Protestantism  has  no  rational  right  to  judge 
Catholic  doctrines  by  Protestant  first  principles,  as 
if  they  were  absolutely  certain  ;  they  are  not  abso- 
lutely certain,  since  they  are  denied  by  us.  The 
Church  refuses  to  be  judged  aud  measured  by  a 
rule  she  repudiates  as  false.  To  do  so  is  to  beg  at 
the  start  the  whole  question.  There  is  a  call  here 
for  revision  of  those  very  principles  which  are 
quietly  assumed  as  granted,  and  then  coolly  applied 
as  tests. 

Now,  the  men  whom  I  have  lately  described  are 
the  victims  of  this  intellectual  deception ;  they 
apply  to  Catholic  doctrines  first  principles  which 
the  Church  does  not  allow,  but  which  they  hold  as 
evident  and  do  not  dream  of  calling  into  question. 
This  being  the  case,  they  cannot  but  arrive  at  a 
conclusion  contrary  to  the  Church,  and  are  thus 
thrown  back  from  a  goal  they  desire  to  reach  into 
religious  indifference  aud  mere  naturalism.  They 
should  make  the  start  further  back  and  look  well 
into  their  first  principles.  The  true  philosophic 
man,  like  the  traveled  man,  knows  many  cities. 
He  may  hold  principles,  which  he  cannot  accept,  to 
be  false  and  dangerous  ;  but  he  will  previously  try 
to  enter  into  such  principles,  to  enter  into  the 
minds  of  those  who  hold  them  ;  he  will  consider  in 
what  their  strength  lies  and  what  can  be  said  for 
them  ;  he  will  do  his  best  to  analyze  and  dissect 
them ;  he  will  apply  himself  to  the  task  of  exposing 
and  disproving  them. 

One  thing,  however,  he  will  not  do ;  he  will  not 
ignore  them ;  he  will  not  coolly  discard  them  and 
set  to  work  to  apply  to  a  structure  built  upon  them 
another  set  of  principles  quite  contrary.  Do  not 
judge  Catholic  doctrines  by  Protestant  first  prin- 
ciples which  we  do  not  grant ;  and  if  you  do  not 
take  our  first  principles  as  measure  of  our  develop- 
ment of  them,  as  measure  and  test  of  the  conclu- 
sions we  draw  from  them,  then,  in  the  name  of 
common  sense,  let  our  particular  doctrines  alone, 
and  apply  yourselves  to  the  task  of  destroying  and 
disproving  our  first  principles.  That  is  the  shortest 
way  to  end  all  difficulties. 

Right  here  I  point  out  the  most  obvious  illustra- 
tion of  the  preceding  considerations.  The  Protest- 
ant rule  of  faith  that  Catholics  disown  is  obtruded 
on  us  as  a  necessary  basis  of  discussion  ;  that  is,  as 


an  undoubted  first  pri  iciple  which  it  is  thought 
absurd  not  to  accept  in  any  controversy  about  doc- 
trine. We  consider  that  the  Bible  is  not  the  whole 
of  God's  revelation  ;  that  the  Apostles  left  behind 
them  a  number  of  doctrines  not  in  writing,  but 
living  in  the  mind  of  the  Church. 

Protestants  deny  this.  They  have,  let  us  say 
for  argument's  sake,  a  right  to  deny  it.  But  they 
have  no  right  to  assume  their  contrary  assertion  to 
be  true  without  proof,  and  to  use  it  as  self-evident, 
and  to  triumph  over  us  as  beaten  and  silenced,  be- 
cause we  will  not  admit  it.  Suppose  I  say  that  I 
am  not  bound  to  prove  some  particular  point  of  doc- 
trine in  debate  simply  by  Scripture.  The  Protestant 
considers  Scripture  the  only  basis  of  discussion. 
Because  I  will  not  accept  this  basis,  but  want  it 
proved,  he  turns  from  me  to  the  crowd,  as  if  to  say, 
"  You  hear ;  he  denies  an  axiom  ;  he  demands  proof 
of  a  first  principle  that  is  self-evident ;  his  doctrine 
cannot  stand  the  light  of  Scripture." 

Here  is  one  more  illustration  which  will  bring 
me  back  to  that  class  of  non-Catholics  with  whom, 
mainly,  I  am  concerned  in  this  section  of  my  lect- 
ure. A  man  is  struck  with  the  beauty  and  elo- 
quence of  the  rites  and  liturgy  of  the  Church  ;  he 
likes  to  be  present  at  them  ;  but  he  says  they  are 
addressed  to  the  imagination  only,  and  have  noth- 
ing to  say  to  the  reason  ;  that  they  are,  in  fact, 
theatrical,  and  devoid  of  rational  grounds.  Now, 
why  does  he  say  so  ?  When  driven  to  give  reasons 
and  put  through  his  series  of  "  becauses,"  he  comes 
at  last  to  a  point  where  he  stops,  not  having  any 
further  advance,  and  asserts  that  the  Divine  Being 
does  not  need  propitiating,  and  that  prayer,  as  being 
against  the  constancy  of  nature's  laws,  is  irrational. 

Very  well ;  that  is  his  first  principle.  Useless  to 
argue  about  details  of  ritual  with  one  who  does  not 
agree  with  you  in  the  principle  that  lies  at  the  basis 
of  ritual.  But,  look  !  What  has  he  done  ?  He 
has  judged  ritual  not  by  our  principle,  but  by  his  ; 
he  has  begged  the  whole  question  in  taking  for 
granted  the  truth  of  his  principle.  For  such  a  state 
of  mind  there  is  just  one  remedy — revise  first  prin- 
ciples. The  previous  question — previous  to  the 
study  and  understanding  of  revealed  religion — is 
just  this  :  Which  set  of  first  principles  is  true,  true 
in  reason,  true  in  natural,  philosophic  logic  ?     This 


462 


HOW   CATHOLICS   COME   TO   BE    MISUNDERSTOOD. 


is  a  frequent  cause  of  misunderstandings  between 

Catholics  and  non-Catholics,  and  I  label  it  "  false 

assumptions." 
k 

The  Work  We  Must  Do. 

How  do  Catholics  come  to  be  misunderstood  ? 
Through  prejudice  and  false  assumptions.  Preju- 
dice and  false  assumptions  ?  Why  that  is  as  much 
as  to  say  that  Protestantism  has  set  up  an  imagined 
Catholicism  as  a  scarecrow  ?  Yes,  so  it  has  ;  and 
at  the  sight  its  children,  without  giving  thought, 
scream  and  hide  from  the  ghostly  thing.  A  scare- 
crow will  protect  a  field  of  grain  from  birds  for 
months.  Would  a  lay  figure  of  a  policeman  secure 
against  burglars  a  jeweler's  store?  Why  not? 
The  bird  is  guided  by  instinct  and  sense — percep- 
tion. Man  acts  on  reason  and  personal  examina- 
tion. He  knows  that  self-government  is  an  essential 
characteristic  of  life.  He  finds  on  examination  that 
this  essential  note  of  life  is  wanting  to  this  lay  fig- 
ure of  a  policeman.  He  forms  a  certain  judgment 
that  it  is  lifeless  and  fears  it  not. 

Let  Protestants,  discarding  the  inherited  instinct 
and  prejudice  of  their  birth,  childhood  and  youth, 
test,  by  personal  examination,  the  Church  they 
have  been  taught  to  despise,  hate  and  dread,  test  it 
for  themselves  by  the  great  principles  of  rational 
truth  ;  let  them  honestly  inquire  from  that  church, 
not  from  its  foes,  what  it  does  teach  and  hold  ;  let 
them  use  in  regard  to  Catholicism  that  reason  and 
logic  which  are  the  birthright  and  mark  of  man. 
The  charge  has  been  made,  and  cannot  be  disproved, 
that  Protestantism,  as  a  system,  is  not  logical. 

No  reformer's  name  is  found  in  any  history  of 
rational  philosophy,  for  no  reformer  based  his  pro- 
test and  his  teaching  on  logical  proof     Their  chief 


reproach  against  theologians  of  the  Church  was  the 
employment  of  human  arguments  and  rational  evi- 
dence for  the  fact  and  matter  of  divine  revelation. 
Luther's  appeal  to  the  Bible  alone,  Calvin's  appeal 
to  predestination,  Cranmer's  appeal  to  royal  suprem- 
acy, rest  only  on  their  individual  assertion,  and  are 
not  founded  in  reason,  nor  are  they  capable  of 
rational  proof. 

The  "  Divine  Simplicity  of  the  New  Gospel  "  has 
certainly  this  advantage,  that  as  it  was  not  grounded 
on  any  logical  argument,  neither  could  it  be  upset 
by  logical  argument.  What  impression  can  logic 
make  on  prejudice  and  false  assumptions  ?  To 
use  logic  as  a  weapon  against  such  armor  is  like 
slashing  rock  with  a  Damascus  blade.  Prejudice 
is  impervious  to  reason.  Arguments  do  but  glance 
thereon.  Have  we  not  been  witnesses  to  the 
phenomenon  in  all  past  controversies  ?  By  a 
masterly  demonstration  of  irresistible  logic  Arch- 
bishop Ireland  proved  that  Protestantism  was  not  a 
religion  satisfactory  to  the  intellect  of  man. 

What  reception  was  given  to  that  argument? 
No  direct  and  logical  answer  came  back  iu  return, 
but  we  did  get,  from  many  quarters,  a  louder  reasser- 
tion  of  the  traditional  prejudices,  misstatements  and 
false  assumptions  on  which  the  protest  against  the 
Catholic  Church  is  founded.  No !  A  thousand 
times  no !  The  reformers  did  not  set  human  reason 
free ;  they  gagged  it  and  turned  it  out  of  court. 
What,  then,  can  we  do  but  call  the  attention  of  all 
honest  Protestants  to  the  fact,  of  which  they  may 
well  be  unaware,  owing  to  the  environment  in  which 
they  were  reared,  that  their  judgment  of  the  Church 
is  founded  on  prejudice  and  false  assumptions,  and 
rouse  them  to  the  duty  of  first  laying  these  aside 
and  then  dealing  with  the  Church  rationally  ? 


4 


BEHOLD    THIS    HEART    WHICH    HAS    LOVED    MANKIND    SO    MUCH. 


THE  CHURCH  Q^^iiE  BIBLE. 

WHICH  \IRS  APPOINTED  BY  CHRIST  TO  TEACH  MANKIND 

THE  TRUE  RELIGION? 

By  the   REV.  ARNOl^D   DAIVIEN,  S.  J., 

{Died  January  1,  1890.) 

A   GREAT    MISSIONARY   LEADER.— THE    FOUNDER    AND    ORGANIZER   OF   THE   JESUIT   INSTITUTIONS 

OF    CHICAGO. 


"  He  that  beUeveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  condemned." — Afark  xvi,  i6. 


RIEF  extracts  from  a  "Tribute  to  His 
Memory,"  written  shortly  after  his 
death,  for  the  Catholic  Home,  of  Chi- 
cago, by  Hon.  William  J.  Onahan  : 

"  Father  Damen  was  bora  in  the  prov- 
ince of  North  Brabant,  Holland,  March 
20, 1 8 1 5 .  He  was  admitted  to  the  Society 
of  Jesus,  November  21,  1837,  and  was  one  of  the 
band  of  devoted  young  novices  brought  over  to  this 
country  by  Rev.  Father  De  Smet,  the  renowned 
Indian  missionary. 

"  Florissant,  near  St.  Louis,  was  then,  as  now, 
the  headquarters  or  novitiate  of  the  western  Jesuit 
province.  It  was  there  Father  Damen  commenced 
his  career  in  the  United  States  fifty  years  ago.  It 
was  there  his  remains  were  laid  at  rest,  according 
to  his  own  wish  and  request,  January  4,  1890, 
in  the  presence  of  the  honored  Provincial  of  the 
Society  and  of  many  of  the  Fathers  who  at  dif- 
ferent times  had  been  associated  in  his  labors  in 
Chicago  or  St.  Louis. 

"  I  first  saw  and  heard  Father  Damen  in  the 
year  1855,  during  a  mission  he  conducted  in  old 
St.  Mary's,  the  then  pro-cathedral,  corner  Wabash 
avenue  and  Madison  street.  His  companion  in  the 
mission  .was  Father  Glaizal. 

"  Young  as  I  then  was,  that  mission  made  an 
impression  on  me,  and  that  impression  was  largely 
due  to  the  zeal  and  power  of  Father  Damen.  He 
was  then  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood,  of  majestic 
presence,  with  a  command  of  language  and  a  force 


of  eloquence  which  must  have  carried  by  storm  all 
hearts  in  the  congregation.     I  know  he  did  mine. 

"  Thousands  in  this  city,  tens  of  thousands  all 
over  the  land,  can  testify  to  his  zeal  for  souls.  The 
'  work  of  his  life  was  his  missions.'  With  a  chosen 
band  of  companions  of  the  Society,  he  conducted 
great  missions  in  nearly  every  principal  city  in  the 
United  States,  and,  as  a  consequence,  twenty-five 
years  ago  Father  Damen  was  more  widely  known 
in  this  country  and  may  be  said  to  have  exercised 
a  greater  influence  personally  than  any  bishop  or 
priest  in  the  Catholic  Church. 

"  His  power  as  a  pulpit  orator  was  everywhere 
recognized,  and  his  success  as  a  missionary  sur- 
passed anything  ever  before  known  in  this  or 
perhaps  any  other  country.  Wherein  lay  this 
marvellous  and  acknowledged  power  ? 

"  It  was  not  in  his  polished  periods  or  his  rhe- 
torical style.  It  was  not  in  the  beauty  of  his 
language  nor  the  copiousness  or  felicity  of  his 
illustrations.  Not  a  few  of  his  associates  sur- 
passed him  in  the  graces  of  oratory,  as  they  did  in 
learning,  but  Father  Damen's  force  and  power  car- 
ried everything  before  it.  He  cared  nothing  for 
applause  or  criticism.  He  was  working  to  save 
souls." 

Dearly  Beloved  Christians: — When  our 
Divine  Saviour  sent  His  Apostles  and  His  dis- 
ciples throughout  the  whole  universe  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature,  He  laid  down  the  condi- 

463 


4G4 


THE   CHURCH    OR   THE   BIBLE. 


tions  of  salvation  thus  :  "  He  that  believeth  and  is 
baptized,"  said  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  "  shall 
be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  con- 
demned." Here,  then,  our  blessed  I^ord  laid  down 
the  conditions  of  salvation :  two  conditions — faith 
and  baptism.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized 
shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
condemned,  or  is  damned ;  hence,  then,  two  con- 
ditions of  salvation— faith  and  baptism.  I  will 
speak  this  evening  on  the  condition  of  faith. 

We  must  have  faith  in  order  to  be  saved,  and 
must  have  divine  faith,  not  human  faith  ;  human 
faith  will  not  save  a  man,  but  divine  faith.  What 
is  divine  faith  ?  It  is  to  believe,  upon  the  authority 
of  God,  the  truths  that  God  has  revealed ;  that  is 
divine  faith.  To  believe  all  that  God  has  taught 
upon  the  authority  of  God,  and  to  believe  without 
doubting,  without  hesitating ;  for  the  moment  you 
commence  to  doubt  or  hesitate,  the  moment  you 
commence  to  mistrust  the  authority  of  God,  and, 
therefore,  insult  God  by  doubting  His  word — divine 
faith,  therefore,  is  to  believe  in  what  God  has 
taught,  but  to  believe  without  doubting,  without 
hesitating.  Human  faith  is  when  we  believe  a 
thing  upon  the  authority  of  men — on  human 
authority,  that  is  human  faith  ;  but  divine  faith  is 
to  believe  without  doubting,  without  hesitating, 
whatsoever  God  has  revealed  upon  the  authority  of 
God,  upon  the  word  of  God. 

Therefore,  my  dear  people,  it  is  not  a  matter  of 
indifference  what  religion  a  man  professes,  pro- 
viding he  be  a  good  man. 

You  hear  it  said  nowadays  in  this  nineteenth 
century  of  little  faith — you  hear  it  on  all  sides, 
that  it  matters  not  what  religion  a  man  professes, 
providing  he  be  a  good  man.  That  is  heresy,  my 
dear  people,  and  I  will  prove  it  to  you  to  be  such. 
If  it  be  a  matter  of  indiflference  what  a  man  believes, 
providing  he  be  a  good  man,  why  then  it  is  useless 
for  God  to  make  any  revelation  whatever.  If  a 
man  is  at  liberty  to  reject  what  God  revealeth, 
what  use  for  God  to  make  revelation,  what  use  for 
Christ  to  send  out  His  Apostles  and  disciples  to 
teach  all  nations,  if  those  nations  are  at  liberty  to 
believe  or  reject  the  teachings  of  the  Apostles  or 
disciples?  You  see  at  once  that  this  would  be 
insulting  God. 


If  God  reveals  a  thing  or  teaches  a  thing,  He 
means  to  be  believed.  He  wants  to  be  believed 
whenever  He  teaches  or  reveals  a  thing.  Man  is 
bound  to  believe  whatsoever  God  has  revealed ;  for, 
my  dear  people,  we  are  bound  to  worship  God,  both 
with  our  reason  and  intellect,  as  well  as  with  our 
heart  and  will.  God  is  master  of  the  whole  man ; 
He  claims  his  will,  his  heart,  his  reason,  and  his 
intellect. 

Where  is  the  man  in  his  reason,  no  matter  what 
denomination,  church,  or  religion  he  belongs  to, 
that  will  deny  we  are  bound  to  believe  what  God 
has  taught?  I  am  sure  there  is  not  a  Christian 
who  will  deny  we  are  bound  to  believe  whatsoever 
God  has  revealed ;  therefore  it  is  not  a  matter  of 
indifference  what  religion  a  man  professes  ;  he  must 
profess  the  true  religion  if  he  would  be  saved. 

But  what  is  the  true  religion  ?  To  believe  all 
that  God  has  taught.  I  am  sure  even  my  Protest- 
ant friends  will  admit  this  is  right ;  for,  if  they  do 
not  I  would  say  they  are  no  Christians  at  all. 

"  But  what  is  the  true  faith  ?" 

"  The  true  faith,"  say  my  Protestant  friends,  "  is 
to  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus." 

Agreed,  Catholics  believe  in  that.  Tell  me  what 
you  mean  by  believing  in  the  Lord  Jesus  ? 

"  Why,"  says  my  Protestant  friend,  "  you  must 
believe  that  he  is  the  Son  of  the  Living  God." 

Agreed  again ;  thanks  be  to  God,  we  can  agree 
on  something  ?  We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
Son  of  the  Living  God,  that  He  is  God.  To  this 
we  all  agree,  excepting  the  Unitarian  and  Socinian, 
but  we  will  leave  them  alone  to-night.  If  Christ  be 
God,  then  we  must  believe  all  He  teaches.  Is  not 
this  so,  my  dearly  beloved  Protestant  brethren  and 
sisters  ?     And  that's  the  right  faith,  isn't  it  ? 

"  Well,  yes,"  says  my  Protestant  friend,  "  I  guess 
that  is  the  right  faith  ;  to  believe  that  Jesus  is  the 
Son  of  the  Living  God  we  must  believe  all  that 
Christ  has  taught." 

We  Catholics  say  the  same,  and  here  we  agree 
again.  Christ,  then,  we  must  believe,  and  that  is 
the  true  faith  ;  we  must  believe  all  that  Christ  has 
taught,  that  God  has  revealed,  and,  without  that 
faith  there  is  no  salvation,  without  that  faith  there 
is  no  hope  of  heaven,  without  that  faith  there  is 
eternal  damnation  !     We  have  the  words  of  Christ 


THE    CHURCH    OR   THE   BIBLE. 


465 


for  it :  "  He  that  believeth  not  shall  be  condemned," 
says  Christ. 

II.  But  if  Christ,  my  dearly  beloved  people, 
commands  me  under  pain  of  eternal  damnation  to 
believe  all  that  He  has  taught,  He  must  give  me 
the  means  to  know  what  He  has  taught,  for  Christ 
could  not  condemn  me  for  believing  a  thing  I  do 
not  know.  Christ  is  a  good  and  just  God,  loves  us 
and  desires  our  salvation,  and  will  not  condemn  us 
for  not  doing  a  thing  we  do  not  know  to  be  His 
will — for  not  believing  a  thing  we  do  not  know  to 
be  His  teaching  or  revelation. 

If,  therefore,  Christ  commands  me  upon  pain  of 
eternal  damnation,  He  is  bound  to  give  "^e  the 
means  of  knowing  what  He  has  taught.  And  the 
means  Christ  gives  us  of  knowing  this  must  have 
been  at  all  times  within  the  reach  of  all  people  ;  for, 
as  all  people  have  a  right  to  salvation,  so  have  they 
a  right  to  the  means  of  learning  what  God  has 
taught,  and  believe  it  to  save  their  souls. 

Secondly,  the  means  that  God  gives  us  to  know 
what  He  has  taught  must  be  a  means  adapted  to 
the  capacities  of  all  intellects — even  the  dullest. 
For  even  those  of  the  dullest  of  understandings 
have  a  right  to  salvation,  and  consequently,  they 
have  a  right  to  the  means  whereby  they  shall  learn 
the  truths  that  God  has  taught,  that  they  may  be- 
lieve them  and  be  saved. 

The  means  that  God  gives  us  to  know  what  he 
has  taught  must  be  an  infallible  means,  for  if  it  be 
a  means  that  can  lead  us  astray  it  can  be  no  means 
at  all.  It  must  be  an  infallible  means,  so  that  if  a 
man  makes  use  of  that  means  he  will  infallibly, 
without  fear  of  mistake  or  error,  be  brought  to  a 
knowledge  of  all  the  truths  that  God  has  taught. 

I  don't  think  there  can  be  any  one  present  here — 
I  care  not  what  he  is,  a  Christian  or  an  unbeliever — 
can  object  to  my  premises  ;  and  these  premises  are 
the  ground-work  of  my  discourse  and  of  all  my 
reasoning,  and,  therefore,  I  want  you  to  bear  in 
mind.  I  will  repeat  it,  for  on  these  premises  rest 
all  the  strength  of  my  discourse  and  reasoning. 

If  God  commands  me  under  pain  of  eternal 
damnation  to  believe  all  that  He  has  taught.  He  is 
bound  to  give  me  the  means  to  know  what  He  has 
taught,  and  the  means  that  God  gives  me  to  know 
what  He  has  taught  must  have  been  at  all  times 

30 


within  the  reach  of  all  people — must  be  adapted  to 
the  capacities  of  all  intellects,  must  be  an  infallible 
means  to  us,  so  that  if  a  man  makes  use  of  it  he 
will  be  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  all  the  truths 
God  has  taught. 

III.  Has  God  given"  us  such  means?  "Yes," 
say  my  Protestant  friends.  "  He  has."  And  so 
says  the  Catholic,  God  has  given  us  such  means. 
What  is  the  means  God  has  given  iis  whereby  we 
shall  learn  the  truth  God  has  revealed  ?  "  The 
Bible,"  say  my  Protestant  friends,  "  the  Bible,  the 
whole  of  the  Bible,  and  nothing  but  the  Bible." 
But  we  Catholics  say,  "  No ;  not  the  Bible  and  its 
private  interpretation,  but  the  Church  of  God." 

I  will  prove  the  facts,  and  I  defy  all  my  separated 
brethren,  and  all  the  preachers  into  the  bargain,  to 
disprove  what  I  will  say  to-night.  I  say,  then,  it  is 
not  the  private  interpretation  of  the  Bible  that  has 
been  appointed  by  God  to  be  the  teacher  of  man, 
but  the  Church  of  the  living  God. 

For,  my  dear  people,  if  God  has  intended  that 
man  should  learn  His  religion  from  a  book — the 
Bible — surely  God  would  have  given  that  book  to 
man ;  Christ  would  have  given  that  book  to  man. 
Did  He  do  it?  He  did  not.  Christ  sent  His 
Apostles  throughout  the  whole  universe,  and  said  : 
"  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 

Christ  did  not  say,  "  Sit  down  and  write  Bibles 
and  scatter  them  over  the  earth,  and  let  every  man 
read  his  Bible  and  judge  for  himself."  If  Christ 
had  said  that,  there  would  never  have  been  a 
Christianity  on  the  earth  at  all,  but  a  Babylon  and 
confusion  instead,  and  never  one  Church,  the 
union  of  one  body ;  hence,  Christ  never  said  to 
His  Apostles,  "  Go  and  write  Bibles  and  distribute 
them,  and  let  every  one  judge  for  himself."  That 
injunction  was  reserved  for  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  we  have  seen  the  result  of  it.  Ever  since  the 
sixteenth  century  there  have  been  springing  up 
religion  upon  religion,  and  churches  upon  churches, 
all  fighting  and  quarrelling  with  one  another,  and 
all  because  of  the  private  interpretation  of  the  Bible. 

Christ  sent  His  Apostles  with  authority  to  teach 
all  nations,  and  never  gave  them  any  command  of 


466 


THE   CHURCH    OR   THE   BIBLE. 


writing  the  Bible,  and  the  Apostles  went  forth  and 
preached  everywhere,  and  planted  the  Church  of 
God  throughout  the  earth,  but  never  thought  of 
writing. 

The  first  word  written  was  by  St.  Matthew,  and 
he  wrote  for  the  benefit  of  a  few  individuals.  He 
wrote  the  Gospel  about  seven  years  after  Christ  left 
this  earth,  so  that  the  Church  of  God,  established 
by  Christ,  existed  seven  years  before  a  line  was 
written  of  the  New  Testament. 

St.  Mark  wrote  about  ten  years  after  Christ  left 
this  earth  ;  St.  Luke  about  twenty-five  years,  and  St. 
John  about  sixty-three  years  after  Christ  had  estab- 
lished the  Church  of  God.  St.  John  wrote  the  last 
portion  of  the  Bible — the  Book  of  Revelations — 
about  sixty-five  years  after  Christ  had  left  this 
earth,  and  the  Church  of  God  had  been  estab- 
lished. The  Catholic  religion  had  existed  sixty- 
five  years  before  the  Bible  was  completed,  before  it 
was  written. 

Now,  I  ask  you,  my  dearly  beloved  separated 
brethren,  were  these  Christian  people,  who  lived 
during  the  period  between  the  establishment  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  and  the  finishing  of  the  Bible, 
were  they  really  Christians,  good  Christians,  en- 
lightened Christians  ?  Did  they  know  the  religion 
of  Jesus  ?  Where  is  the  man  that  will  dare  to  say 
that  those  that  lived  from  the  time  that  Christ  went 
up  to  heaven  to  the  time  the  Bible  was  completed 
were  not  Christians  ?  It  is  admitted  on  all  sides, 
by  all  denominations,  that  they  were  the  very  best 
of  Christians,  the  most  perfect  of  Christians,  the 
first  fruit  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ. 

But  how  did  they  know  what  they  had  to  do  to 
save  their  souls?  Was  it  from  the  Bible  they 
learnt  it  ?  No,  because  the  Bible  was  not  written. 
And  would  our  Divine  Saviour  have  left  His  Church 
for  sixty-five  years  without  a  teacher,  if  the  Bible 
is  the  teacher  of  man.     Most  assuredly  not. 

Were  the  Apostles  Christians,  I  ask  you,  my 
dear  Protestant  friends  ?  You  say,  "  Yes,  sir ;  they 
were  the  very  founders  of  Christianity."  Now, 
my  dear  friends,  none  of  the  Apostles  ever  read 
the  Bible,  not  one  one  of  them  except,  perhaps, 
St.  John,  for  all  of  them  had  died  martyrs  for  the 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  never  saw  the  cover  of 
a  Bible ;  and  every  one  of  them  died  martyrs  and 


heroes  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  before  the  Bible  was 
completed.  .    , 

How,  then,  did  those  Christians  that  lived  in  the 
first  sixty-five  years  after  Christ  had  left  this  earth — 
how  did  they  know  what  they  had  to  do  to  save  their 
souls  ?  They  knew  it  precisely  in  the  same  way 
that  you  know  it,  my  dear  Catholic  friends.  You 
know  it  from  the  teaching  of  the  Church  of  God, 
and  so  did  the  primitive  Christians  know  it. 

IV.  Not  only  sixty-five  years  did  Christ  leave 
the  Church  He  had  established  without  a  Bible,  but 
over  three  hundred  years.  The  Church  of  God  was 
established  and  went  on  spreading  itself  over  the 
whole  globe  without  the  Bible  for  more  than  three 
hundred  years.  In  all  that  time  the  people  did  not 
know  what  constituted  the  Bible. 

In  the  days  of  the  Apostles  there  were  many  false 
Gospels.  There  was  the  Gospel  of  Simon,  the 
Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  of  Mary,  of  Barnabas,  and 
the  Gospel  of  the  Infancy  of  Jesus  ;  and  all  of  these 
Gospels  were  spread  among  the  people,  and  the  peo- 
ple did  not  know  which  of  these  were  inspired,  and 
which  false  and  spurious.  Even  the  learned  them- 
selves were  disputing  whether  preference  should  be 
given  to  the  Gospel  of  Simon  or  that  of  Matthew,  to 
the  Gospel  of  Nicodemus  or  the  Gospel  of  Mark, 
the  Gospel  of  Mary  or  that  of  Luke,  the  Gospel  of 
the  Infancy  of  Jesus  or  the  Gospel  of  St.  John. 

And  so  it  was  in  regard  to  the  epistles :  there 
were  many  spurious  epistles  written,  and  the  people 
were  at  a  loss  for  over  three  hundred  years  to  know 
which  Gospel  was  false  or  spurious,  or  which  in- 
spired ;  and,  therefore,  they  could  not  take  the 
Bible  for  their  guide,  for  they  did  not  know  what 
constituted  the  books  of  the  Bible. 

It  was  not  until  the  fourth  century  that  the  Pope 
of  Rome,  the  Head  of  the  Church,  the  successor  of 
St.  Peter,  assembled  together  the  Bishops  of  the 
world  in  a  council,  and  there  in  that  council  it  was 
decided  that  the  Bible,  as  we  Catholics  have  it  now, 
is  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  the  Gospels  of  Simon, 
Nicodemus,  Mary,  the  Infancy  of  Jesus,  and  Barna- 
bas, and  all  these  other  epistles  were  spurious,  or, 
at  least,  unauthentic ;  at  least,  that  there  was  no 
evidence  of  their  inspiration,  and  that  the  Gospels 
of  St.  Luke,  Matthew,  Mark  and  John,  and  the  Book 
of  Revelations,  were  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 


THE   CHURCH    OR  THE   BIBLE. 


467 


Up  to  that  time  the  whole  world,  for  three  hun- 
dred years,  did  not  know  what  the  Bible  was  ; 
hence,  they  could  not  take  the  Bible  for  their  guide, 
for  they  did  not  know  what  constituted  the  Bible. 
Would  our  Divine  Saviour,  if  He  intended  rnan  to 
learn  his  religion  from  a  book,  have  left  the  Chris- 
tian world  for  three  hundred  years  without  that 
book  ?     Most  assuredly  not. 

V.  Not  only  for  three  hundred  years  the  world 
was  left  without  the  Bible,  but  for  one  thousand 
four  hundred  years  the  Christian  world  was  left 
without  the  sacred  book. 

Before  the  art  of  printing  was  invented,  Bibles 
were  rare  things  ;  Bibles  were  costly  things.  Now, 
you  must  all  be  aware,  if  you  have  read  history  at 
all,  that  the  art  of  printing  was  invented  only  a 
little  more  than  four  hundred  years  ago,  about  the 
middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  about  one  hun- 
dred years  before  there  was  a  Protestant  in  the 
world. 

As  I  have  said,  before  printing  was  invented 
books  were  rare  and  costly  things.  Historians  tell 
us  that  in  the  eleventh  century — eight  hundred 
years  ago — Bibles  were  so  rare  and  costly  that  it 
took  a  fortune,  a  considerable  fortune,  to  buy  one's 
self  a  copy  ;  it  took  the  lifetime  of  a  man  to  make 
one's  self  a  copy  of  the  Bible !  Before  the  art  of 
printing,  everything  had  to  be  done  with  the  pen 
upon  parchment  or  sheepskin.  It  was,  therefore,  a 
tedious  and  slow  operation — a  costly  operation. 

Now,  in  order  to  arrive  at  the  probable  cost  of  a 
Bible  at  that  time,  let  us  suppose  that  a  man  should 
work  ten  years  to  make  a  copy  of  the  Bible  and  earn 
a  dollar  a  day  ;  well,  then,  the  cost  of  that  Bible 
would  be  $3,650 !  Now,  let  us  suppose  that  a  man 
should  work  at  the  copying  of  the  Bible  for  twenty 
years,  as  historians  say  it  would  have  taken  him  at 
that  time,  not  having  the  conveniences  and  improve- 
ments to  aid  him  that  we  have  now ;  then,  at  a 
dollar  a  day,  for  twenty  years,  the  cost  of  a  Bible 
would  be  nearly  $8,000. 

Suppose  I  came  and  said  to  you,  "  My  dear 
people,  save  your  soul,  for  if  you  lose  your  soul  all 
is  lost."  You  would  say,  "  Sure  enough,  that  is 
true !"  You  would  ask,  "  What  are  we  to  do  to 
save  our  souls  ?"  The  Protestant  preacher  would 
say  to  you,  "  You  must  get  a  Bible ;  you  can  get 


one  at  such  a  shop."  You  would  ask  the  cost,  and 
be  told  it  was  $8000.  You  would  exclaim  :  "  The 
Lord  save  us  !  And  cannot  we  go  to  heaven  with- 
out that  book  ?"  The  answer  woiild  be  :  "  No ; 
you  must  have  the  Bible  and  read  it."  You  mur- 
mur at  the  price,  but  are  asked,  "  Is  not  your  soul 
worth  $8000  ?"  Yes,  of  course  it  is,  but  you  say 
you  have  not  the  money,  and  if  you  cannot  get  a 
Bible,  and  your  salvation  depends  upon  it,  evi- 
dently you  would  have  to  remain  outside  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  This  would  be  a  hopeless 
condition,  indeed. 

For  fourteen  hundred  years  the  world  was  left 
without  a  Bible ;  not  one  in  ten  thousand,  not  one 
in  twenty  thousand,  before  the  art  of  printing  was 
invented,  had  the  Bible.  And  would  our  Divine 
Lord  have  left  the  world  without  that  book  if  it  was 
necessary  to  man's  salvation  ?     Most  assuredly  not. 

VI.  But  let  us  suppose  for  a  moment  that  all 
had  Bibles,  that  Bibles  were  written  from  the  be- 
ginning, and  that  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
had  a  copy,  what  good  will  that  book  be  to  people 
Avho  do  not  know  how  to  read  it?  It  is  a  blind 
thing  to  such  persons. 

Even  now  one-half  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
cannot  read.  Moreover,  as  the  Bible  was  written 
in  Greek  and  Hebrew,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
know  these  languages  to  be  able  to  read  it. 

But  it  is  said  we  have  it  translated  now  in  French, 
English,  and  other  languages  of  the  daj'.  Yes,  but 
are  you  sure  you  have  a  faithful  translation  ?  If 
not,  you  have  not  the  Word  of  God.  If  you  have 
a  false  translation,  it  is  the  work  of  man.  How 
shall  you  ascertain  that  ?  How  iind  out  that  you 
have  a  faithful  translation  from  the  Greek  and 
Hebrew  ? 

"I  do  not  know  Greek  or  Hebrew,"  says  my 
separated  friend ;  "  for  my  translation  I  must  de- 
pend upon  the  opinion  of  the  learned — upon  their 
decision." 

Well,  then,  my  dear  friends,  suppose  the  learned 
should  be  divided  in  their  opinions,  and  some  of 
them  should  say  it  is  good,  and  some  false,  then 
your  faith  is  gone ;  you  must  commence  doubting 
and  hesitating,  because  you  do  not  know  the  trans- 
lation is  good. 

Now  with  regard  to  the  Protestant  translation 


ih 


468 


THE   CHURCH    OR   THE   BIBLE. 


of  the  Bible,  allow  me  to  tell  you,  my  respected 
brethren,  that  the  most  learned  among  Protestants 
tell  you  that  your  translation — King  James's  edi- 
tion— is  a  very  faulty  translation  and  full  of  errors. 
Your  own  learned  divines,  preachers,  and  bishops 
have  written  whole  volumes  to  point  out  all  the 
errors  there  in  King  James's  translation,  and  Prot- 
estants of  various  denominations  acknowledge  it. 

Some  years  ago,  when  I  lived  in  St.  lyouis,  there 
was  held  in  that  city  a  convention  of  ministers  ;  all 
denominations  were  invited  to  that  convention,  the 
object  being  to  arrange  for  a  new  translation  of  the 
Bible,  and  give  it  to  the  world.  The  proceedings  of 
the  convention  were  published  daily  in  the  Missouri 
Republican.  A  learned,  a  very  learned,  Presby- 
terian, I  think  it  was,  stood  up,  and,  urging  the 
necessity  of  giving  a  new  translation  of  the  Bible, 
said  that  in  the  present  Protestant  translation  of 
the  Bible  there  were  no  less  than  thirty  thousand 
errors. 

And  you  say,  my  dear  Protestant  friends,  the 
Bible  is  your  guide  and  teacher.  What  a  teacher, 
with  thirty  thousand  errors  !  The  Lord  save  us 
from  such  a  teacher!  One  error  is  bad  enough, 
but  thirty  thousand  is  a  little  too  much. 

Another  preacher  stood  up  in  the  convention,  I 
think  he  was  a  Baptist,  and,  urging  the  necessity 
of  giving  a  new  translation  of  the  Bible,  said  for 
thirty  years  past  the  world  was  without  the  Word 
of  God,  for  the  Bible  we  have  is  not  the  Word  of 
God  at  all. 

Here  are  your  own  preachers  for  you.  You  all 
read  the  newspapers,  no  doubt,  my  friends,  and 
must  know  what  happened  in  England  a  few  years 
ago.  A  petition  was  sent  to  Parliament  for  an 
allowance  of  a  few  thousand  pounds  sterling  for 
the  purpose  of  getting  up  a  new  translation  of  the 
Bible,  and  that  movement  was  headed  and  carried 
on  by  Protestant  bishops  and  clergymen. 

VII.  But,  my  dear  people,  how  can  you  be  sure 
of  your  faith  ?  You  say  the  Bible  is  your  guide, 
but  you  do  not  know  if  you  have  it.  Let  as  sup- 
pose for  a  moment  that  all  should  have  a  Bible ; 
should  all  read  it  and  have  a  faithful  translation, 
even  then  it  cannot  be  the  guide  of  man,  because 
the  private  interpretation  of  the  Bible  is  not  infalli- 
ble, but,  on  the  contrary,  most  fallible  ;  the  source 


and  fountain  of  all  kinds  of  errors  and  heresies,  and 
all  kinds  of  blasphemous  doctrines.  Do  not  be 
shocked,  my  dear  friends  ;  just  only  keep  calm  and 
listen  to  my  arguments. 

There  are  now  throughout  the  world  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  different  denominations  or  churches, 
and  all  of  them  say  the  Bible  is  their  guide  and 
teacher,  and  I  suppose  they  are  all  sincere.  Are 
all  of  them  true  churches  ?  This  is  an  impossibil- 
ity. Truth  is  one  as  God  is  one,  and  there  can  be 
no  contradiction.  Every  man  in  his  senses  see  that 
everj'one  of  them  cannot  be  true,  for  they  differ  and 
contradict  one  another,  and  cannot,  therefore,  be  all 
true.  The  Protestants  say  the  man  that  reads  the 
Bible  right  and  prayerfully  has  truth,  and  they  all 
say  that  they  read  it  right. 

Let  us  suppose  :  here  is  an  Episcopal  minister : 
he  is  a  sincere,  an  honest,  a  well-meaning  and 
prayerful  man.  He  reads  his  Bible  in  a  pra3^erful 
spirit,  and  from  the  word  of  the  Bible,  lie  says,  it  is 
clear  and  evident  there  miist  be  Bishops,  for  with- 
out Bishops  there  can  be  no  priests,  without  priests 
no  Sacraments,  and  without  Sacraments  no  Church. 
The  Presbyterian  is  a  sincere  and  well-meaning 
man ;  he  reads  the  Bible  also,  and  deduces  from  it 
that  there  should  be  no  Bishops,  but  only  Presbyters. 
"  Here  is  the  Bible,"  says  the  Episcopalian  ;  and 
"  here  is  the  Bible  to  give  you  the  lie,"  says  the 
Presbyterian,  yet  both  are  prayerful  and  well- 
meaning  men. 

Then  the  Baptist  comes  in  ;  he  is  a  well-meaning, 
honest  man,  and  prayerful  also.  "  Well,"  says  the 
Baptist,  "  have  you  ever  been  baptized  ?"  "  I  was," 
says  the  Episcopalian,  "  when  I  was  a  baby." 

"  And  so  was  I,"  says  the  Presbyterian,  "  when  I 
was  a  baby."  "  But,"  says  the  Baptist,  "  it  was 
done  by  sprinkling,  and  that  is  no  baptism  at  all. 
Unless  you  go  down  into  the  river,  like  Christ," 
says  the  Baptist,  "  it  is  no  baptism  at  all."  And 
he  gives  the  Bible  for  it.  "  Unless  you  are  baptized 
over  again,"  says  the  Baptist,  "  you  are  going  to 
hell  as  sure  as  you  live." 

Next  comes  the  Unitarian,  well-meaning,  honest 
and  sincere.  "  Well,  says  the  Unitarian,  "  allow 
me  to  tell  you  that  you  are  a  pack  of  idolators  ;  you 
worship  a  man  for  a  God  who  is  no  God  at  all,"  and 
he  gives  several  texts  from  the  Bible  to  prove  it, 


THE   CHURCH    OR   THE   BIBLE. 


469 


I 


while  others  are  stopping  their  ears  that  they  may 
not  hear  the  blasphemies  of  the  Unitarian  ;  and 
they  all  contend  they  have  the  true  meaning  of  the 
Bible. 

Next  comes  the  Methodist,  and  he  says,  "  My 
friends,  have  you  got  any  religion  at  all  ?"  "  Of 
course,  we  have,"  say  they.  "  Did  you  ever  feel 
religion,"  says  the  Methodist,  "  the  Spirit  of  God 
moving  within  you  ?"  "  Nonsense,"  says  the  Pres- 
terian,  "  we  are  guided  by  our  reason  and  judg- 
ment." "  Well,"  says  the  Methodist,  "  if  you  never 
felt  religion,  you  never  had  it,  and  will  go  to  hell 
for  all  eternity." 

The  Universalist  next  comes  in,  and  hears  them 
talking  and  threatening  one  another  with  eternal 
hell  fire.  "  Why,"  says  he,  "  you  are  a  strange  set 
of  people ;  do  not  you  understand  the  Word  of  God  ? 
there  is  no  hell  at  all.  That  idea  is  good  enough 
to  scare  old  women  and  children,"  and  he  proves  it 
from  the  Bible. 

Now  comes  in  the  Quaker ;  he  recommends  them 
not  to  be  quarreling,  and  advises  that  they  do  not 
baptize  at  all.  He  is  the  sincerest  of  men,  and  gives 
the  Bible  for  his  faith. 

Another  comes  in  and  says  :  "  Baptize  the  men 
and  let  the  women  alone  ;  for  the  Bible  says,  unless 
a  man  be  born  again  of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  So," 
says  he,  "  the  women  are  all  right,  but  baptize  the 
men." 

Next  comes  in  the  Shaker,  and  says  he  :  "  You 
are  a  presumptuous  people,  a  presumptuous  set  of 
people.  Do  you  not  know,"  he  says,  "  that  the 
Bible  tells  you,  you  must  work  out  your  salvation 
in  fear  and  trembling,  and  you  do  not  tremble  at 
all.  My  brethren,  if  you  want  to  go  to  heaven, 
shake^  my  brethren,  shake.'''' 

VIII.  I  have  here  brought  together  seven  or 
eight  denominations,  diflfering  from  one  another,  or 
understanding  the  Bible  in  different  ways,  illustra- 
tive of  the  fruits  of  private  interpretation ;  what, 
then,  if  I  brought  together  the  three  hundred  and 
fifty  different  denominations,  all  taking  the  Bible 
for  their  guide  and  teaching,  and  all  differing  from 
one  another.  Are  they  all  right  ?  One  says  there 
is  a  hell,  and  another  says  there  is  no  hell.  Are 
both  right  ?     One  says  Christ  is  God,  another  says 


He  is  not.  One  says  bishops  are  necessary, 
another  says  they  are  unessential.  One  says  bap- 
tism is  a  requisite,  and  another  says  it  is  not :  are 
both  true  ?  This  is  an  impossibility,  my  friends  ; 
all  cannot  be  true. 

Who,  then,  is  true  ?  He  that  has  the  true  mean- 
ing of  the  Bible,  you  say ;  but  the  Bible  does  not 
tell  us  who  that  is — the  Bible  never  settles  the 
quarrel.     The  Bible  is  not  the  teacher. 

The  Bible,  my  dear  people,  is  a  good  book ;  we 
Catholics  allow  that  the  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God, 
the  language  of  inspiration,  and  every  Catholic  is 
exhorted  to  read  the  Bible.  But  good  as  it  is,  the 
Bible,  my  dear  friends,  does  not  explain  itself;  it 
is  a  good  book,  the  Word  of  God,  the  language  of 
inspiration,  but  your  explanation  of  the  Bible  is  not 
the  language  of  inspiration,  but  your  explanation 
of  the  Bible  is  not  the  language  of  inspiration  ; 
your  understanding  of  the  Bible  is  not  inspired — 
for  surely  you  do  not  pretend  to  be  inspired  ! 

Now,  then,  what  is  the  teaching  of  the  Church 
upon  the  subject  ?  The  Catholic  Church  says  the 
Bible  is  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  God  has  ap- 
pointed an  authority  to  give  us  the  true  meaning. 

It  is  with  the  Bible  as  it  is  with  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States.  When  George  Washington 
and  his  associates  wrote  the  Constitution  and  the 
Supreme  Law  of  the  United  States,  they  did  not 
say  to  the  people  of  the  States  : 

"  Let  every  man  read  the  Constitution  and  make 
a  government  to  himself,  let  every  man  make  his 
own  explanation  of  the  Constitution."  If  Wash- 
ington had  done  that,  there  never  would  have  been 
a  United  States.  The  people  would  all  have  been 
divided  among  themselves,  and  the  country  would 
have  been  cut  up  into  a  thousand  different  divisions 
or  governments. 

What  did  Washington  do  ?  He  gave  them  the 
Constitution  and  the  Supreme  Law,  and  appointed 
his  Supreme  Court  and  Supreme  Judge  of  the  Con- 
stitution ;  and  that  Supreme  Court  and  Supreme 
Judge  are  to  give  the  true  explanation  of  the  Con- 
stitution to  all  the  citizens  of  the  United  States — 
all  without  exception,  from  the  President  to  the 
beggar.  All  are  bound  to  go  by  the  decisions  oi 
the  Supreme  Court,  and  it  is  this  and  this  alone 
that  can  keep  the  people  together  and  preserve  the 


470 


THE  CHURCH    OR   THE   BIBLE. 


Union  of  the  United  States.  The  moment  the 
people  take  the  interpretation  of  the  Constitution 
into  their  own  minds,  that  moment  there  is  an  end 
of  union. 

And  so  it  is  in  every  government,  so  it  is  here 
and  everywhere  ;  there  is  a  Constitution,  a  Supreme 
Court  or  Law,  a  Supreme  Judge  of  that  Constitu- 
tion, and  that  Supreme  Court  or  Church  is  to  give 
us  the  meaning  of  the  Constitution  and  the  Law. 

In  every  well-ruled  country  there  must  be  such 
a  thing  as  this — a  Supreme  Law,  Supreme  Court, 
Supreme  Judge,  that  all  the  people  are  bound  to 
abide  by.  There  is  in  every  country  a  Supreme 
Law,  Supreme  Court,  Supreme  Judge,  and  all  are 
bound  by  decisions,  and  without  that  no  govern- 
ment could  stand.  Even  among  the  Indian  tribes 
such  a  condition  of  affairs  exists.  How  are  they 
kept  together  ?  By  their  chief,  who  is  their  dictator. 

So  our  Divine  Saviour  also  has  established  His 
Supreme  Court,  His  Supreme  Judge,  that  is  to 
give  us  the  true  meaning  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
that  is  to  give  us  the  true  revelation  and  doctrines 
of  the  Word  of  Jesus.  The  Son  of  the  Living  God 
has  pledged  His  Word  that  that  Supreme  Court  is 
infallible,  and,  therefore,  the  true  Catholic  never 
doubts. 


"I  believe,"  says  the  Catholic,  "because  the 
Church  teaches  me  so ;  I  believe  the  Church  be- 
cause God  has  commanded  me  to  believe  the  Church ; 
He  said  :  *  Hear  the  Church,  and  he  that  does  not 
hear  the  Church  let  him  be  to  thee  as  a  heathen  and 
a  publican.'  '  He  that  believeth  you  believeth  Me,' 
said  Christ,  '  and  he  that  despiseth  you  despiseth 
Me.'  "  Therefore,  the  Catholic  believes  because 
God  has  spoken,  and  upon  the  authority  of  God. 

But  our  Protestant  friends  say,  "  We  believe  in 
the  Bible.,"  Very  well ;  how  do  you  understand 
the  Bible  ?  "  Well,"  says  the  Protestant,  "  to  the 
best  of  my  opinion  and  j  udgment  that  is  the  mean- 
ing of  the  text."  He  is  not  sure  of  it,  but  to  the  best 
of  his  opinion  and  judgment.  This,  my  friends,  is 
only  the  testimony  of  a  man — it  is  only  human  faith, 
not  Divine  Faith. 

It  is  Divine  Faith  alone  by  which  we  give  honor 
and  glory  to  God,  by  which  we  adore  His  infinite 
wisdom  and  veracity,  and  that  adoration  and  worship 
is  necessary  for  salvation. 

I  have  now  proved  to  you  that  the  private  inter- 
pretation of  the  Scripture  cannot  be  the  guide  or 
teacher  of  man.  In  another  lecture  I  shall  prove 
that  the  Catholic  Church  is  the  only  true  Church 
of  God,  and  that  there  is  no  other. 


THE  CRUCIFIXION 


THE  ONE  TRUE  CHURCH. 

T:^E  ONLY  CHURCH  THAT  CHRIST  ESTABLISHED 
IS  THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

By  tlie    REV.   ARNOLD    DAMEN,   S.  J. 


•*He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  condemned." — Afark  xvi.  t6. 


I.  Iy  Dearly  Beloved  Christians  : — From 
these  TOrds  of  our  Divine  Saviour,  it  has  already 
been  jroved  to  you,  that  faith  is  necessary  for  salva- 
tion, ad  without  faith  there  is  no  salvation ;  without 
faith  here  is  eternal  damnation.  Read  your  own 
Protecant  Bible,  i6th  verse  of  St.  Mark,  and  you 
will  fiid  it  stronger  there  than  in  the  Catholic  Bible. 

No',  then,  what  kind  of  faith  must  a  man  have 
to  be  saved  ?  Will  any  faith  do  ?  Why,  if  any 
faith  v'ill  do,  the  devil  himself  will  be  saved,  for  the 
Biblesays  the  devils  believe  and  tremble. 

It  3,  therefore,  not  a  matter  of  indifiEerence  what 
religjn  a  man  professes  ;  he  must  profess  the  right 
and  tue  religion,  and  without  that  there  is  no  hope 
of  sa/ation,  for  it  stands  to  reason,  my  dear  people, 
that :  God  reveals  a  thing  or  teaches  a  thing.  He 
want  to  be  believed.  Not  to  believe  is  to  insult 
God.  Doubting  His  word,  or  to  believe  even  with 
doub  and  hesitating,  is  an  insult  to  God,  because  it 
is  dabting  His  Sacred  Word.  We  must,  there- 
fore,believe  without  doubting,  without  hesitating. 

I  lave  said,  out  of  the  Catholic  Church  there  is 
no  dvine  faith — can  be  no  divine  faith  out  of  that 
Chuch.  Some  of  the  Protestant  friends  will  be 
shoced  at  this,  to  hear  me  say  that  out  of  the 
Catblic  Church  there  is  no  divine  faith,  and  that 
witbut  faith  there  is  no  salvation,  but  damnation. 
I  wil  prove  all  I  have  said. 

I  lave  said  that  out  of  the  Catholic  Church  there 
can  le  no  divine  faith.  What  is  divine  faith  ?  When 
we  felieve  a  thing  upon  the  authority  of  God,  and 
belive  it  without  doubt,  without  hesitating.  Now, 
all  ur  separated  brethren  outside  of  the  Catholic 
Chuch  take  the  private  interpretation  of  the  Bible 


for  their  guide ;  but  the  private  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  can  never  give  them  divine  faith. 

Let  me,  for  instance,  suppose  for  a  moment,  here 
is  a  Presbyterian ;  he  reads  his  Bible ;  from  the 
reading  of  his  Bible  he  comes  to  the  conclusion 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  God.  Now,  you  know  this  is 
the  most  essential  of  all  Christian  doctrines — the 
foundation  of  all  Christianity.  From  the  reading 
of  his  Bible  he  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  God ;  and  he  is  a  sensible  man,  an  intelli- 
gent man,  and  not  a  presumptuous  man.  And  he 
says :  "  Here  is  my  Unitarian  neighbor,  who  is 
just  as  reasonable  and  intelligent  as  I  am,  as 
honest,  as  learned,  and  as  prayerful  as  I  am,  and, 
from  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  he  comes  to  the  con- 
clusion that  Christ  is  not  God  at  all.  "  Now,"  says 
he,  "  to  the  best  of  my  opinion  and  judgment,  I  am 
right,  and  my  Unitarian  neighbor  is  wrong ;  but, 
after  all,"  says  he,  "  I  may  be  mistaken  !  Perhaps 
I  have  not  the  right  meaning  of  the  text,  and  if  I 
am  wrong,  perhaps  he  is  right,  after  all ;  but,  to  the 
best  of  my  opinion  and  judgment,  I  am  right  and 
he  is  wrong." 

On  what  does  he  believe  ?  On  what  authority  ? 
On  his  own  opinion  and  judgment.  And  what 
is  that?  A  human  opinion — human  testimony, 
and,  therefore,  a  human  faith.  He  cannot  Isay 
positively,  "  I  am  sure,  positively  sure,  as  sure  as 
there  is  a  God  in  heaven,  that  this  is  the  mean- 
ing of  the  text."  Therefore,  he  has  no  other 
authority  but  his  own  opinion  and  judgment,  and 
what  his  preacher  tells  him.  But  the  preacher  is 
a  smart  man.  There  are  many  smart  Unitarian 
preachers  also,  but  that  proves  nothing  ;  it  is  only 

471 


472 


THE   ONE   TRUE   CHURCH. 


human  authority,  and  nothing  else,  and,  therefore, 
only  human  faith.  What  is  human  faith?  Be- 
lieving a  thing  upon  the  testimony  of  man.  Divine 
faith  is  believing  a  thing  on  the  testimony  of  God. 

II.  The  Catholic  has  divine  faith,  and  why? 
Because  the  Catholic  says  :  "  I  believe  in  such  and 
such  a  thing."  Why  ?  '"  Because  the  Church 
teaches  me  so."  And  why  do  you  believe  the 
Church  ?  "  Because  God  has  commanded  me  to 
believe  the  teaching  of  the  Church ;  and  God  has 
threatened  me  with  damnation  if  I  do  not  believe 
the  Church,  and  we  are  taught  by  St.  Peter,  in  his 
epistle,  that  there  is  no  private  prophecy  or  inter- 
pretation of  the  Scriptures,  for  the  unlearned  and 
unstable  wrest  the  very  Scriptures,  the  Bible,  to 
their  own  damnation." 

That  is  strong  language,  my  dear  people,  but 
that  is  the  language  of  St.  Peter,  the  head  of  the 
Apostles.  The  unlearned  and  unstable  wrest  the 
Bible  to  their  own  damnation  !  And  yet,  after  all, 
the  Bible  is  the  book  of  God,  the  language  of  in- 
spiration ;  at  least,  when  we  have  a  true  Bible,  as 
we  Catholics  have,  and  you  Protestants  have  not. 

But,  my  dearly  beloved  Protestant  friends,  do 
not  be  offended  at  me  for  saying  that.  Your  own 
most  learned  preachers  and  bishops  tell  you  that, 
and  some  have  written  whole  volumes  in  order  to 
prove  that  the  English  translation,  which  you  have, 
is  a  very  faulty  and  false  translation. 

Now,  therefore,  I  say  that  the  true  Bible  is  as 
the  Catholics  have  it,  the  Latin  Vulgate ;  and  the 
most  learned  among  the  Protestants  themselves 
have  agreed  that  the  Latin  Vulgate  Bible,  which 
the  Catholic  Church  always  makes  use  of,  is  the 
best  in  existence  ;  and,  therefore,  it  is,  as  you  may 
have  perceived,  that  when  I  preach  I  give  the  text 
in  Latin,  because  the  Latin  text  of  the  Vulgate  is 
the  best  extant. 

III.  Now,  they  may  say  that  Catholics  acknowl- 
edge the  Word  of  God  ;  that  it  is  the  language  of 
inspiration  ;  and  that,  therefore,  we  are  sure  that 
we  have  the  Word  of  God ;  but,  my  dear  people, 
the  very  best  thing  may  be  abused,  the  very  best 
thing;  and,  therefore,  our  Divine  Saviour  has  given 
us  a  living  teacher,  that  is  to  give  us  the  true 
meaning  of  the  Bible. 

And  He  has  provided  a  teacher  with  infallibility  ; 


and  this  was  absolutely  necessary,  for  without  this — 
without  infallibility  we  could  never  be  sure  of  our 
faith.  There  must  be  an  infallibility  ;  and  we  see 
that  in  every  well-ordered  government,  in  every 
government — in  England,  in  the  United  States,  and 
in  every  country,  empire  and  republic,  there  is  a 
Constitution  and  a  supreme  law. 

But  you  are  not  at  liberty  to  explain  that  Consti- 
tution and  supreme  law  as  you  think  proper,  for 
then  there  would  be  no  more  law  if  every  man  were 
allowed  to  explain  the  law  and  Constitution  as  he 
should  think  proper. 

Therefore,  in  all  govern*  .^nts  there  is  a  supreme 
judge  and  supreme  court,  and  to  the  supreme 
judge  is  referred  all  different  understandings  of  the 
law  and  the  Constitution.  By  the  decisions  of 
the  supreme  judge  all  have  to  abide,  and  if  they  did 
not  abide  by  that  decision  why,  my  dear  people, 
there  would  be  no  law  any  more,  but  anarchy,  dis- 
order and  confusion. 

Again,  suppose  for  a  moment  that  the  Blessed 
Saviour  has  been  less  wise  than  human  govern- 
ments, and  that  He  had  not  provided  for  the  under- 
standing of  His  Constitution,  and  of  His  Law  of 
the  Church  of  God.  If  He  had  not,  my  dear  peo- 
ple, it  would  never  have  stood  as  it  has  stood  for  the 
last  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-four  years.  He  has 
then  established  a  Supreme  Court,  a  Supr^c  Judge 
in  the  Church  of  the  Living  God. 

IV.  It  is  admitted  on  all  sides,  by  Protestants 
and  Catholics  alike  acknowledged,  that  Christ  has 
established  a  Church  ;  and,  strange  to  say,  all  our 
Protestant  friends  acknowledge,  too,  that  he  has 
established  but  one  Church — but  one  Church — for, 
whenever  Christ  speaks  of  His  Church,  it  is  always 
in  the  singular.  Bible  readers,  remember  that ;  my 
Protestant  friends,  pay  attention.  He  says:  "Hear 
the  Church," — not  hear  the  churches — "  I  have 
built  My  Church  upon  a  rock  " — not  My  churches. 

Whenever  He  speaks,  whether  in  figures  or  para- 
bles of  His  Church,  He  always  conveys  to  the  mind 
a  oneness,  a  union,  a  unity. 

He  speaks  of  His  Church  as  a  sheepfold,  in 
which  there  is  but  one  shepherd — that  is  the  head 
of  all,  and  the  sheep  are  made  to  follow  his  voice ; 
"  other  sheep  I  have  who  are  not  of  this  fold." 
One  fold,  you  see.     He  speaks  of  His  Church  as 


THE   ONE   TRUE   CHURCH. 


473 


of  a  kingdom,  in  which  there  is  but  one  king  to 
rule  all ;  speaks  of  His  Church  as  a  family  in 
'  which  there  is  but  one  father  at  the  head ;  speaks 
of  His  Church  as  a  tree,  and  all  the  branches  of 
that  tree  are  connected  with  the  trunk,  and  the 
trunk  with  the  roots ;  and  Christ  is  the  root,  and 
the  trunk  is  Peter  and  the  Popes,  and  the  large 
branches  are  the  bishops,  and  the  smaller  branches 
the  priests,  and  the  fruit  upon  that  tree  are  the 
faithful  throughoxit  the  world ;  and  the  branch, 
says  He,  that  is  cut  off  from  that  tree  shall  wither 
away,  produce  no  fruit,  and  is  only  fit  to  be  cast 
into  the  fire — that  is,  damnation. 

This  is  plain  speaking,  my  dear  people ;  but 
there  is  no  use  in  covering  the  truth.  I  want  to 
speak  the  truth  to  you,  as  the  Apostles  preached  it 
in  their  time — no  salvation  out  of  the  Church  of 
our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

V.  Now,  which  is  that  Church  ?  There  are 
now  three  hundred  and  fifty  different  Protestant 
churches  in  existence,  and  almost  every  j^ear  one 
or  two  more  are  added ;  and  besides  this  number 
there  is  the  Catholic  Church. 

Now,  which  of  all  these  varied  churches  is  the 
one  Church  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  ? 
All  claim  to  be  the  Church  of  Jesus. 

But,  my  dear  beloved  people,  it  is  evident  no 
church  can  be  the  Church  of  Jesus  except  the  one 
that  was  established  by  Jesus.  And  when  did 
Jesus  establish  His  Church  ?  When  ?  When  He 
was  here  upon  earth.  And  how  long  ago  is  it  that 
Christ  was  upon  earth  ?  You  know  our  Christian 
era  dates  from  Him.  He  was  bom  many  centuries 
ago.  That  is  an  historical  fact  admitted  by  all. 
He  lived  on  earth  thirty-three  years.  That  was 
about  nineteen  centuries  before  our  time.  That 
is  the  time  Christ  established  His  Church  on 
earth.  Any  Church,  then,  that  has  not  ex- 
isted thus  long,  is  not  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ,  but  is  the  institution  or  invention  of 
some  man  or  other ;  not  of  God,  not  of  Christ, 
•        but  of  man. 

Now,  where   is  the  Church,  and  which    is  the 
^^  Church  that  has  existed  thus  long  ?     All  history 

^k  informs  you  that  is  the  Catholic  Church  ;  she,  and 

H^  she  only  among  all  Christian  denominations  on  the 

H^   "      face  of  the  earth,  has  existed  so  long.      All  his- 

L 


tory,  I  say,  bears  testimony  to  this  ;  not  only  Catho- 
lic history,  but  Pagan  history,  Jewish  history  and 
Protestant  history,  indirectly. 

The  history,  then,  of  all  nations,  of  all  people, 
bear  testimony  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  the 
oldest,  the  first ;  is  the  one  established  by  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

If  there  be  any  Prostestant  preacher  who  can 
prove  that  the  Catholic  Church  has  come  into  exist- 
ence since  that  time,  let  him  come  to  see  me, 
and  I  will  give  him  a  thousand  dollars.  My  dear 
preachers,  here  is  a  chance  of  making  money — a 
thousand  dollars  for  you. 

Not  only  all  history,  but  all  the  monuments  of 
antiquity  bear  testimony  to  this,  and  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  proclaim  it.  Call  on  one  of  your 
preachers  and  ask  him  which  was  the  first  church — 
the  first  Christian  Church.  Was  it  the  Presby- 
terian, the  Episcopalian,  the  Church  of  England, 
the  Methodist,  the  Universalist  or  the  Unitarian  ? 
And  they  will  answer  you  it  was  the  Catholic 
Church. 

But,  my  dear  friend,  if  you  admit  that  the  Catho- 
lic Church  is  the  first  and  oldest — the  Church  estab- 
lished by  Christ — why  are  you  not  a  Catholic  ?  To 
this  they  answer  that  the  Catholic  Church  has  be- 
come corrupted ;  has  fallen  into  error,  and  that, 
therefore,  it  was  necessary  to  establish  a  new  church. 
A  new  church,  a  new  religion. 

And  to  this  we  answer :  that  if  the  Catholic 
Church  had  been  once  the  true  church,  then  she  is 
true  yet,  and  shall  be  the  true  Church  of  God  to 
the  end  of  time,  or  Jesus  Christ  has  deceived  us. 

Hear  me,  Jesus,  hear  what  I  say  !  I  say  that  if 
the  Catholic  Church  now,  in  the  nineteenth  century, 
is  not  the  true  Church  of  God  as  she  was  1854  years 
ago,  then  I  say,  Jesus,  Thou  hast  deceived  us,  and 
Thou  art  an  imposter  !  And  if  I  do  not  speak  the 
truth,  Jesus,  strike  me  dead  in  this  pulpit — let  me 
fall  dead  in  this  pulpit,  for  I  do  not  want  to  be  a 
preacher  of  a  false  religion  ! 

VI.  I  will  prove  what  I  have  said.  If  the  Catho- 
lic Church  has  been  once  the  true  Church  of  God, 
as  is  admitted  by  all,  then  she  is  the  true  Church 
yet,  and  shall  be  the  true  Church  of  God  until  the 
end  of  time,  for  Christ  has  promised  that  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  the  Church.     He 


474 


THE   ONE  TRUE   CHURCH. 


says  that  He  lias  built  it  upon  a  rock,  and  that  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  never  prevail  against  it. 

Now,  my  dear  people,  if  the  Catholic  Church  has 
fallen  into  error,  then  the  gates  of  hell  have  pre- 
vailed against  her ;  and,  if  the  gates  of  hell  have 
prevailed  against  her,  then  Christ  has  not  kept  His 
promise,  then  He  has  deceived  us,  and  if  He  has 
deceived  us,  then  He  is  an  imposter  !  If  He  be  an 
imposter,  then  He  is  not  God,  and  if  He  be  not 
God,  then  all  Christianity  is  a  cheat  and  an 
imposition. 

Again,  in  St.  Matthew,  28th  chapter  and  verses 
XIX.  and  XX.,  our  Divine  Saviour  says  to  His 
Apostles  :  "  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  teaching  them 
to  observe  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 
"  Lo,"  says  He,  "  I,  Jesus,  the  Son  of  the  Living 
God,  I,  the  Infinite  Wisdom,  the  Eternal  Truth, 
am  with  you  all  days,  even  until  the  end  of  the 
world." 

Christ,  then,  solemnly  swears  that  He  shall  be 
with  His  Church  all  days  to  the  end  of  time,  to  the 
consummation  of  the  world.  But  Christ  cannot 
remain  with  the  Church  that  teaches  error,  or  false- 
hood, or  corruption.  If,  therefore,  the  Catholic 
Church  has  fallen  into  error  and  corruption,  as  our 
Protestant  friends  say  she  has,  then  Christ  must 
have  abandoned  her  ;  if  so,  He  has  broken  His 
oath ;  if  He  has  broken  His  oath  He  is  a  perjurer, 
and  there  is  no  Christianity  at  all.  Again,  our 
Divine  Saviour  (St.  John,  14th  chapter)  has  prom- 
ised that  He  would  send  to  His  Church  the  Spirit 
of  Truth,  to  abide  with  her  forever.  If,  then, 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  teaches  the 
Church  all  truth,  and  teaches  her  all  truth  forever, 
then  there  never  has  been,  and  never  can  be,  one 
single  error  in  the  Church  of  God,  for  where  there 
is  all  truth  there  is  no  error  whatsoever. 

Christ  has  solemnly  promised  that  He  will  send 
to  the  Church  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  who  shall  teach 
all  truth  forever  ;  therefore,  there  has  never  been  a 
single  error  in  the  Church  of  God,  or  Christ  has 
failed  in  His  promises  if  there  has. 

Again,  Christ  commands  us  to  hear  and  believe 
the  teachings  of  the  Church  in  all  things ;  at  all 
times  and  in  all  places.     He  does  not  say  hear  the 


Church  for  a  thousand  years  or  for  fifteen  hundred 
years,  but  hear  the  Church,  without  any  limitation, 
without  any  reservation,  or  any  restriction  of  time 
whatever.  That  is,  at  all  times  ;  in  all  things  until 
the  end  of  time,  and  he  that  does  not  hear  the 
Church  let  him  be  unto  thee,  says  Christ,  as  a 
heathen  and  as  a  publican.  Therefore,  Christ  says 
that  those  who  refuse  to  hear  the  Church  must  be 
looked  upon  as  heathens  ;  and  what  is  a  heathen  ? 
One  that  does  not  worship  the  true  God ;  and  a 
publican  is  a  public  sinner.  This  is  strong  lan- 
guage. Could  Christ  command  me  to  believe  the 
Church  if  the  Church  could  have  led  me  astray — 
could  lead  me  into  error  ?  If  the  teaching  of  the 
Church  be  corrupt,  could  He,  the  God  of  truth, 
command  me  without  any  restriction  or  limitation 
to  hear  and  believe  the  teachings  of  the  Church 
which  He  has  established  ? 

Again  :  Our  Divine  Saviour  commands  me  to  hear 
and  believe  the  teaching  of  the  Church  in  the  same 
manner  as  if  He  Himself  were  to  speak  to  us.  "  He 
that  heareth  you,"  says  He,  in  His  charge  to  the 
Apostles,  "heareth  Me,  and  he  that  despiseth  you 
despiseth  Me."  So  then,  when  I  believe  what  the 
Church  teaches  I  believe  what  God  teaches.  If  I 
refuse  what  the  Church  teaches  I  refuse  what  God 
teaches. 

So  that  Christ  has  made  the  Church  the  organ  by 
which  He  speaks  to  man,  and  tells  us  positively 
that  we  must  believe  the  teaching  of  the  Church  as 
if  He  Himself  were  to  speak  to  us. 

Therefore,  says  St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to 
Timothy,  "  the  Church  is  the  ground " — that  is, 
the  strong  foundation — "  and  the  pillar  of  the 
truth,"  Take  the  ground  or  foundation  of  this 
edifice  away,  and  it  crumbles  down  ;  so  with  regard 
to  these  pillars  upon  which  the  roof  rests ;  take 
them  away  and  the  roof  will  fall  in ;  so  St.  Paul 
says,  "  the  Church  is  the  gronnd  and  the  pillar 
of  truth,"  and  the  moment  you  take  away  the 
authority  of  the  Church  of  God  you  induce  all 
kinds  of  errors  and  blasphemous  doctrines.  Do 
we  not  see  it  ? 

VII.  In  the  sixteenth  century  Protestantism  did 
away  with  the  authority  of  the  Church  and  consti- 
tuted every  man  his  own  judge  of  the  Bible,  and 
what  was  the  consequence?    Religion  upon  religion, 


THE   ONE   TRUE   CHURCH. 


475 


church  upon  church,  sprang  into  existence,  and  has 
never  stopped  springing  up  new  churches  to  this 
day.  When  I  gave  my  Mission  in  Flint,  Michigan, 
I  invited,  as'  I  have  done  here,  my  Protestant  friends 
to  come  and  see  me.  A  good  and  intelligent  man 
came  to  me  and  said  : 

"  I  will  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity  to  con- 
verse with  you." 

"  What  Church  do  you  belong  to,  my  friend," 
said  I. 

"  To  the  Church  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,"  said  he. 

"  Ha !  ha !"  said  I,  "  I  belong  to  that  Church  too. 
But,  tell  me,  my  friend,  where  was  your  Church 
started  ?" 

"  In  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,"  says  he. 

"  Who  started  the  Church,  and  who  were  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  my  friend?"  said  I. 

"  They  were  twelve  farmers,"  says  he  ;  "  we  all 
belonged  to  the  same  Church — the  Presbyterian — 
but  we  quarreled  with  our  preacher,  separated  from 
him,  and  started  a  Church  of  our  own." 

"And  that,"  says  I,  "is  the  Twelve  Apostles  you 
belonged  to — twelve  farmers  of  Indiana !  The 
Church  came  into  existence  about  thirty  years  ago." 

A  few  years  ago,  when  I  was  in  Terre  Haute,  I 
asked  to  be  shown  the  Church  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles.  I  was  taken  to  a  window  and  it  was 
pointed  out  to  me,  "  but  it  is  not  in  existence  any 
more,"  said  my  informant,  "  it  is  used  as  Ci  wagon- 
maker's  shop  now." 

Again,  St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistles  to  the  Galatians, 
says  :  "  Though  we  Apostles,  or  even  an  angel  from 
heaven  were  to  come. and  preach  to  you  a  different 
Gospel  from  what  we  have  preached,  let  him  be 
anathema."  That  is  the  language  of  St.  Paul,  be- 
cause, my  dearly  beloved  people,  religion  must  come 
from  God,  not  from  man.  No  man  has  a  right  to 
establish  a  religion  ;  no  man  has  a  rjght  to  dictate 
to  his  fellow-man  what  he  shall  believe  and  what  he 
shall  do  to  save  his  soul.  Religion  must  come  from 
God,  and  any  religion  that  is  not  established  by  God 
is  a  false  religion,  a  human  institution,  and  not  an 
institution  of  God ;  and  therefore  did  St.  Paul  say 
in  his  Epistles  to  the  Galatians,  "  Though  we 
Apostles  or  even  an  angel  from  heaven  were  to  come 
and  preach  to  you  a  new  Gospel,  a  new  religion,  let 
them  be  anathema." 


VIII.  You  see,  then,  my  dearly  beloved  people, 
from  the  text  of  the  Scripture  I  have  quoted  that,  if 
the  Catholic  Church  has  been  once  the  true  Church, 
then  she  is  yet  the  true  Church. 

You  have  also  seen  from  what  I  have  said  that 
the  Catholic  Church  is  the  institution  of  God,  and 
not  of  man,  and  this  is  a  fact — a  fact  of  history,  and 
no  fact  of  history  so  well  supported,  so  well  proved, 
as  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  the  first,  the  Church 
established  by  Jesus  Christ. 

So,  in  like  manner,  it  is  an  historical  fact  that  all 
the  Protestant  churches  are  the  institutions  of 
man — everyone  of  them.  And  I  will  give  you  their 
date,  and  the  name  of  their  founders  or  institutors. 

In  the  year  1520 — 368  years  ago — the  first 
Protestant  came  into  the  world.  Before  that  one 
there  was  not  a  Protestant  in  the  world,  not  one  on 
the  face  of  the  whole  earth ;  and  that  one,  as  all 
history  tells  us,  was  Martin  Luther,  who  was  a 
Catholic  priest,  who  fell  away  from  the  Church 
through  pride,  and  married  a  nun.  He  was  excom- 
municated from  the  Church,  cut  off,  banished,  and 
made  a  new  religion  of  his  own. 

Before  Martin  Luther  there  was  not  a  Protestant 
in  the  world ;  he  was  the  first  to  raise  the  standard 
of  rebellion  and  revolt  against  the  Church  of  God. 
He  said  to  his  disciples  that  they  should  take  the 
Bible  for  their  guide,  and  they  did  so.  But  they 
soon  quarreled  with  him,  Zuinglius,  and  a  number 
of  others,  and  everyone  of  them  started  a  new  religion 
of  his  own. 

After  the  disciples  of  Martin  Luther  came  John 
Calvin,  who  in  Geneva  established  the  Presbyterian 
religion,  and,  hence,  almost  all  of  those  religions 
go  by  the  name  of  their  founder. 

I  ask  the  Protestant,  "  Why  are  you  a  Lutheran, 
my  friend  ?" 

"  Well,"  says  he,  "  because  I  believe  in  the  doc- 
trine of  good  Martin  Luther." 

Hence,  not  of  Christ,  but  of  man — Martin  Luther. 
And  what  kind  of  a  man  was  he  ?  A  man  who  had 
broken  the  solemn  oath  he  had  made  at  the  altar  of 
God,  at  his  ordination,  ever  to  lead  a  pure,  single, 
and  virginal  life.  He  broke  that  solemn  oath,  and 
married  a  Sister  Catharine,  who  had  also  taken  the 
same  oath  of  chastity  and  virtue.  And  this  is  the 
first  founder  of  Protestantism  in  the  world.     The 


476 


THE   ONE   TRUE   CHURCH. 


very  name  by  which  they  are  known  tells  you  they 
came  from  Martin  Luther. 

So  the  Presbyterians  are  sometimes  called  Cal- 
vinists  because  they  come  from,  or  profess  to  be- 
lieve in,  John  Calvin. 

IX.  After  them  came  Henry  VIII.  He  was  a 
Catholic,  and  defended  the  Catholic  religion  ;  he 
wrote  a  book  against  Martin  Luther  in  defence  of 
the  Catholic  doctrine.  That  book  I  have  myself 
seen  in  the  library  of  the  Vatican  at  Rome  a  few 
years  ago.  Henry  VIII.  defended  the  religion,  and 
for  doing  so  was  titled  by  the  Pope  "  Defender  of 
the  Faith."  It  came  down  with  his  successors,  and 
Queen  Victoria  inherits  it  to-day.  He  was  married 
to  Catharine  of  Arragon  ;  but  there  was  at  his  court 
a  maid  of  honor  to  the  Queen,  named  Ann  Boleyn, 
who  was  a  beautiful  woman,  and  captivating  in 
appearance.  Henry  was  determined  to  have  her. 
But  he  was  a  married  man.  He  put  in  a  petition 
to  the  Pope  to  be  allowed  to  marry  her — and  a 
foolish  petition  it  was,  for  the  Pope  had  no  power 
to  grant  the  prayer  of  it.  The  Pope  and  all  the 
bishops  in  the  world  cannot  go  against  the  will  of 
God.  Christ  says :  "  If  a  man  putteth  away  his 
wife  and  marrieth  another,  he  committeth  adultery, 
and  he  that  marrieth  her  who  is  put  away  com- 
mitteth adultery  also." 

As  the  Pope  would  not  grant  the  prayer  of 
Henry's  petition  he  took  Ann  Boleyn  anyhow,  and 
was  excommunicated  from  the  Church. 

After  a  while  there  was  another  maid  of  honor, 
prettier  than  the  first,  more  beautiful  and  charming 
in  the  eyes  of  Henry,  and  he  said  he  must  have  her, 
too.  He  took  the  third  wife,  and  a  fourth,  fifth  and 
sixth  followed.  Now  this  is  the  founder  of  the  An- 
gelican  Church,  the  Church  of  England  ;  and, 
therefore,  it  is  that  it  goes  by  the  name  of  the 
Church  of  England. 

Our  Episcopalian  friends  are  making  great  efforts 
nowadays  to  call  themselves  Catholic,  but  they 
shall  never  come  to  it.  They  own  that  the  name 
Catholic  is  a  glorious  one,  and  they  would  like  to 
possess  it.  The  Apostles  said  :  "  I  believe  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  Holy  Catholic  Church  "—they 
never  said,  in  the  Anglican  Church.  The  Angli- 
cans deny  their  religion,  for  they  say  they  believe 
»n   the   Holy  Ghost,  the  Holy  Catholic    Church. 


Ask  them  are  they  Catholics,  and  they  say,  "  Yes, 
but  not  Roman  Catholics  ;  we  are  English  Catho- 
lics." What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  Catholic? 
It  comes  from  the  Greek  word  Catholicus — uni- 
versal— spread  all  over  the  earth,  and  everywhere 
the  same.  Now,  first  of  all,  the  Anglican  Church 
is  not  spread  all  over  the  earth  ;  it  only  exists  in  a 
few  countries,  and  chiefly  only  where  the  English 
language  is  spoken.  Secondly,  they  are  not  the 
same  all  over  the  earth,  for  there  are  now  four 
different  Anglican  churches  :  The  Low  Church,  the 
High  Church,  the  Ritualist  Church  and  the  Pusey- 
ite  Church.  Catholicus  means  more  than  this,  not 
only  spread  all  over  the  earth  and  everywhere  the 
same,  but  it  means,  moreover,  at  all  times  the  same, 
from  Christ  up  to  the  present  day.  Now,  then, 
they  have  not  been  in  existence  from  the  time  of 
Christ.  There  never  was  an  Episcopalian  Church 
or  an  Anglican  Church  before  Henry  VIII.  The 
Catholic  Church  had  already  existed  fifteen  hun- 
dred years  before  the  Episcopal  came  into  the 
world. 

After  Episcopalianism  different  other  churches 
sprang  up.  Next  came  the  Methodist,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  It  was  started  by 
John  Wesley,  who  was  at  first  a  member  of  the 
Episcopalian  Church ;  subsequently  he  joined  the 
Moravian  Brethren,  but  not  liking  them,  he  made 
a  religion  of  his  own — the  Methodist  Church. 

After  John  Wesley  several  others  sprang  up ; 
and  finally  came  the  Carapbellites,  about  sixty 
years  ago.  This  Church  was  established  by  Alex- 
ander Campbell,  a  Scotchman. 

X.  Well,  now,  my  dear  beloved  people,  you  may 
think  that  the  act  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  Indiana 
was  a  ridiculous  one,  but  they  had  as  much  right 
to  establish  a  church  as  had  Henry  VIII.,  or  Martin 
Luther,  or  John  Calvin.  They  had  no  right  at  all, 
and  neither  had  Henry  VIII.,  or  the  rest  of  them 
any  right  whatsoever. 

Christ  had  established  His  Church  and  given 
His  solemn  oath  that  His  Church  should  stand  to 
the  end  of  time  ;  promised  that  He  had  built  it 
upon  rock,  and  that  the  gates  of  hell  should  never 
prevail  against  it — hence,  my  dear  people,  all  those 
different  denominations  of  religion  are  the  inven- 
tion of  man ;  and  I  ask  you  can  man  save  the  soul 


THE   ONE   TRUE   CHURCH. 


477 


of  his  fellow-man  by  any  institution  he  can  make  ? 
Must  not  religion  come  from  God  ? 

And,  therefore,  my  dearly  beloved  separated 
brethren,  think  over  it  seriously.  You  have  a 
soul  to  be  saved,  and  that  soul  must  be  saved  or 
damned  ;  either  one  or  the  other,  it  will  dwell  with 
God  in  heaven  or  with  the  devil  in  hell ;  therefore, 
seriously  meditate  upon  it. 

When  I  gave  my  Mission  in  Brooklyn  several 
Protestants  became  Catholics.  Among  them  there 
was  a  very  highly  educated  and  intelligent  Vir- 
ginian. He  was  a  Presbyterian.  After  he  had 
listened  to  my  lecture  he  went  to  see  his  minister, 
and  he  asked  him  to  be  kind  enough  to  explain  a 
text  of  the  Bible.  The  minister  gave  him  the 
meaning.  "  Well,  now,"  said  the  gentleman,  "  are 
you  positive  and  sure  that  is  the  meaning  of 
the  text,  for  several  other  Protestants  explain  it 
differently  ?"  "  Why,  my  dear  young  man,"  says 
the  preacher,  "  we  never  can  be  certain  of  our  faith." 
"  Well,  then,"  says  the  young  man,  "  good-bye  to 
i^ou  :  If  I  cannot  be  sure  of  my  faith  in  the  Protest- 
ant Church,  I  will  go  where  I  can,"  and  he  became 
a  Catholic. 

We  are  sure  of  our  faith  in  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  if  our  faith  is  not  true,  Christ  has  deceived  us. 
I  would,  therefore,  beg  you,  my  separated  brethren, 
to  procure  yourselves  Catholic  books.  You  have 
read  a  great  deal  against  the  Catholic  Church,  now 
read  something  in  favor  of  it.  You  can  never  pass 
an  impartial  sentence  if  you  do  not  hear  both  sides 
of  the  question. 

What  would  you  think  of  a  judge  before  whom  a 
policeman  would  bring  a  poor  offender,  and  who  on 
the  charge  of  the  policeman,  without  hearing  the 
prisoner,  would  order  him  to  be  hung  ?  "  Give  me 
a  hearing,"  says  the  poor  man,  "  and  I  will  prove 
my  innocence.  I  am  not  guilty,"  says  he.  The 
policeman  says  he  is  guilty.  "  Well,  hang  him 
anyhow,"  says  the  judge.  What  would  you  say  of 
that  judge?  Criminal  judge  !  unfair  man;  you  are 
guilty  of  the  blood  of  the  innocent !  Would  not 
you  say  that  ?     Of  course  you  would. 

Well  now,  my  dearly  beloved  Protestant  friends, 
that  is  what  you  have  been  doing  all  along ;  you 
have  been  hearing  one  side  of  the  question  and  con- 
demning   us    Catholics    as    a    superstitious  lot   of 


people,  poor  ignorant  people,  idolatrous  people,  non- 
sensical people,  going  and  telling  their  sins  to  the 
priest ;  and  what,  after  all,  is  the  priest  more  than 
any  other  man  ?  My  dear  friends,  have  you  ex- 
amined the  other  side  of  the  question  ? 

No,  you  do  not  think  it  worth  your  while ;  but 
this  is  the  way  the  Jews  dealt  with  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  and  this  is  the  way  the 
Pagans  and  Jews  dealt  with  the  Apostles,  the  minis- 
ters of  the  Church,  and  with  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians. 

Allow  me  to  tell  you,  my  friends,  that  you  have 
been  treating  us  precisely  in  the  same  way  the  Jews 
and  Pagans  treated  Jesus  Christ  and  His  Apostles. 
I  have  said  this  evening  hard  things,  but  if  St. 
Paul  were  here  to-night,  in  this  pulpit,  he  would 
have  said  harder  things  still.  I  have  said  them, 
however,  not  through  a  spirit  of  unkindness,  but 
through  a  spirit  of  love,  and  a  spirit  of  charity,  in 
the  hope  of  opening  your  eyes  that  your  souls  may 
be  saved.  It  is  love  for  your  salvation,  my  dearly 
beloved  Protestant  brethren — for  which  I  would 
gladly  give  my  heart's  blood — my  love  for  your 
salvation  that  has  made  me  preach  to  you  as  I  have 
done. 

XI.  "Well,"  say  my  Protestant  friends,  "if  a  man 
thinks  he  is  right  would  not  he  be  right  ?"  Let  us 
suppose  now  a  man  in  Ottawa,  who  wants  to  go  to 
Chicago,  but  takes  a  car  for  New  York ;  the  con- 
ductor asks  for  his  ticket ;  and  he  at  once  says : 
"  You  are  in  the  wrong  car  ;  your  ticket  is  for  Chi- 
cago, but  you  are  going  to  New  York."  "  Well, 
what  of  that?"  says  the  passenger.  "  I  mem  well." 
"  Your  meaning  will  not  go  well  with  you  in  the 
end,"  says  the  conductor,  "  for  you  will  come  out 
at  New  York  instead  of  Chicago." 

You  say  you  mean  well,  my  dear  friends ;  your 
meaning  will  not  take  you  to  heaven  ;  you  must  do 
well  also.  "  He  that  doeth  the  will  of  My  Father," 
says  Jesus,  "  he  alone  shall  be  saved."  There  are 
millions  in  hell  who  meant  well. 

You  must  do  well,  and  be  sure  you  are  doing 
well,  to  be  saved.  I  thank  my  separated  brethren 
for  their  kindness  in  coming  to  these  controversial 
lectures.  I  hope  I  have  said  nothing  to  offend 
them.  Of  course,  it  would  be  nonsense  for  me 
not  to  preach  Catholic  doctrines. 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS 

SHORT  MEDITATIONS  FOR  THE  SEASON  OF  ADVENT. 

BY  RICHARD   F.   CLARKE,   S.J. 


ist  Day. — God  our  Lord. 

God  hath  made  all  things  for  Himself.     (Prov.  xvi  4.) 

1.  We  are  all  of  us  jealous  of  what  belongs  to 
ourselves.  We  resent  it  if  any  one  interferes  with 
it,  or  deprives  us  of  any  portion  of  it.  Yet  no  one 
owns  anything  by  a  title  so  absolute  as  that  by 
which  God  is  the  Lord  and  owner  of  all  creatures 
in  the  universe.  My  body  and  my  soul  are  His ; 
everything  I  possess  is  His;  every  action,  every 
thought  belongs  to  Him.  He  has  given  all  these 
in  charge  to  me  to  use  for  Him.     Do  I  do  so  ? 

2.  God  is  moreover  a  God  infinite  in  know- 
ledge and  in  power.  His  all-seeing  eye  overlooks 
nothing,  forgets  nothing,  passes  nothing  by.  No 
one  shall  escape  who  takes  anything  from  Him, 
and  does  not  give  Him  His  due.  God  will  not 
forget  the  ill  use  that  men  make  of  His  gifts, 
though  they  themselves  soon  forget  it.  Have  I  not 
therefore  cause  to  tremble  when  I  think  how  often 
I  have  behaved  as  if  I  were  my  own  master, 
independent  of  God  ? 

3.  Yet  in  the  end  I  must  recognize  God's  owner- 
ship;  if  I  do  not  do  so  willingly  and  with  joyful 
loyalty,  I  shall  have  to  do  so  unwillingly  and  in 
misery  and  pain.  Everything  I  have  taken  from 
God  and  appropriated  to  myself  will  have  to  be 
given  back  to  Him.  I  shall  have  to  pay  the 
penalty  for  each  misuse  of  what  was  entrusted  to 
me.  How  much  wiser  and  happier  to  recognize 
Him  now  in  all  things  as  my  Lord  and  Master. 

Offer  yourself  to  God  with  loyal  submission  as  your  God 
and  Lord. 

2d  Day. — God  our  Creator. 

Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,   to  receive  honor  and  glory  and  power, 
because  Thou  hast  created  all  things.     ( Apoc.  iv.  11.) 

I.  Why  is  it  that  God  has  such  an  absolute  and 
all-embracing  claim  to  ourselves  and  to  all  that  is 
478 


ours  ?  It  is  because  we  are  made  by  Him,  and 
not  only  made,  but  created.  We  are  His,  not  only 
as  the  statue  is  the  sculptor's  and  the  picture  the 
painter's,  but  He  made  out  of  nothing  the  very 
materials  of  which  we  consist.  There  is  therefore 
nothing  in  us  which  is  not  God's.  Every  sort  of 
excellence,  strength,  virtue,  talent,  beauty,  skill, 
energy,  aflfection — all  are  God's,  not  our  own. 

2.  God  created  every  one  with  certain  gifts  of 
his  own  that  He  did  not  give  to  another,  and  He 
gave  him  those  gifts  to  do  a  special  work  that  God 
had  for  him  to  do.  He  created  tne  with  a  certain 
object ;  from  all  eternity  He  had  been  planning 
my  soul  and  body,  and  providing  nie  with  all  that 
I  needed,  that  both  one  and  the  other  might  serve 
Him.  Have  I  on  the  whole  carried  out  God's 
plan  ?  Shall  I  be  able  to  say,  when  I  come  to  die : 
"  I  have  finished  the  work  Thou  gavest  me  to  do  ?  " 

3.  What  a  serious  thought  this  is,  that  God  had 
a  plan  for  my  life !  He  meant  me  to  occupy  a 
certain  position  in  society  and  to  have  certain 
employments ;  to  influence  certain  persons  for 
good ;  to  overcome  certain  temptations  ;  to  practise 
certain  virtues  beyond  the  rest ;  to  attain  a  certain 
place  in  Heaven.  Has  my  life  been  ordered  by 
God's  holy  inspirations  ?  has  not  my  own  self-will 
too  often  had  part  in  it  ? 

Pray  that  you  may  not  fail  of  fulfilling  God's  intentions 
concerning  you. 

3d  Day. — God  our  Preserver. 

In  Him  we  live  and  move  and  are.     (Acts  xvii.  28. ) 

I.  If  God  had  merely  created  us  and  then  left 
us  to  ourselves,  there  would  have  been  some  excuse 
for  our  forgetting  how  completely  we  belong  to 
Him.  But  we  are  not  like  a  picture  that  the 
artist  finishes  off  and  then  leaves  to  itself  God 
continues   throughout   our  whole   life   the   act  of 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


479 


creation  in  the  shape  of  preservation.  Without 
this  we  should  at  once  lapse  into  our  previous 
nothingness.  We  depend  upon  Him  for  our  being 
as  the  rivulet  depends  on  the  spring,  or  the  smoke 
on  the  fire. 

2.  But  we  not  only  live  in  Him,  but  we  also 
move  in  Him.  He  co-operates  with  our  every 
action.  We  cannot  lift  a  hand  or  move  a  finger, 
unless  He  not  only  sanctions  the  act  but  actually 
helps  us  to  perform  it.  Every  breath  we  breathe, 
every  pulsation  of  our  heart,  depends  on  God's 
co-operation.  How  completely  dependent  we 
are  on  Him !  How  careful  should  we  be  that 
our  every  action  is  one  suitable  to  the  Divine 
co-operation  ! 

3.  God  does  more  than  this.  He  not  only 
preserves  us,  but  tends  us  with  watchful  care, 
delivers  us  from  dangers,  warns  us  when  we  are 
going  wrong,  shows  a  never-failing  interest  in  us, 
and  an  unceasing  desire  for  our  happiness.  For 
all  this  we  are  dependent  on  Him  !  What  folly 
then  to  neglect  one  to  whom  we  owe  everything. 

Pray  for  a  sense  of  continual  dependence  on  God. 

4th  Day. — God  our  best  Friend. 

All  are  Thine,  O  Lord,  who  lovest  souls.     (Wisdom,  xi.  29.) 

1.  Friendship  is  one  of  the  consolations  of  man 
upon  earth.  One  faithful  friend  is  worth  a  hundred 
acquaintances.  A  friend  who  values  our  friend- 
ship for  its  own  sake,  is  a  treasure  without  price. 
Such  a  friend  we  have  in  God.  He  has  nothing 
to  gain  from  my  friendship,  His  infinite  happiness 
is  not  increased  by  it.  Yet  His  infinite  goodness 
includes  an  intense  desire  to  make  me  happy. 

2.  When  we  have  a  faithful  friend  who  is  pos- 
sessed of  unlimited  influence  and  power,  we  con- 
sult him  in  all  our  difficulties.  God  is  of  all  friends 
the  most  faithful  and  the  most  powerful ;  He 
desires  to  be  consulted  by  us  in  things  small  as 
well  as  great,  never  tiring  of  our  requests,  more 
ready  to  hear  than  we  to  pray.  Yet  how  little 
have  I  had  recourse  to  Him  hitherto !  How  little 
I  have  trusted  Him  ! 

3.  The  best  proof  of  a  friend's  love  is  a  desire 
for  our  company.  In  this  what  friend  like  God  ? 
He  asks  us,  begs  us,  commands  us,  to  be  always 
in  His  Presence :    "  Walk  with  God  and  be  thou 


perfect."  All  those  who  have  served  God  the  best 
have  done  so  because  He  was  continually  in  their 
thoughts.  He  desires  that  we  should  be  always 
with  Him,  both  here  and  hereafter.  His  one  object 
in  all  His  commands  to  us  is  to  secure  our  com- 
pany for  ever  in  Heaven.  Why  am  I  so  indifferent 
about  His  presence,  so  soon  weary  of  God  ? 

Pray  that  you  may  appreciate  and  relish  the  Divine 
friendship  of  God. 

5th  Day. — God  the  End  of  our  Life. 

SeeA  ye  there/ore  first  the  Kingdom  of  God.     ( St.  Matt.  vi.  33. ) 

1.  Our  life  is  a  circle:  whence  it  first  came, 
thither  it  must  return.  As  we  proceeded  from 
God,  so  we  must  go  back  to  Him  if  our  life  is  to  be 
a  success.  We  can  never  find  repose  or  lasting 
satisfaction  in  anything  except  God.  As  long  as 
we  do  not  tend  to  Him,  we  shall  be  fluctuating, 
inconstant,  uncertain.  Until  we  make  Him  the 
end  of  our  life,  we  shall  feel  that  we  are  wandering 
about  in  the  dark. 

2.  What  do  we  mean  by  making  God  the  end  oi 
our  life  ?  We  mean  that  to  do  His  pleasure  shall 
be  the  motive  which  shall  be  first  and  foremost, 
and  that  when  there  is  a  choice  between  God's 
pleasure  and  our  own,  when  the  two  seem  to  be 
opposed,  our  general  disposition  shall  be  to  do 
God's  will  and  not  our  own.  In  spite  of  the  pain 
involved  in  giving  up  his  own  will,  the  man  who 
makes  God  the  end  of  his  life  will  abandon  it  with- 
out hesitation,  and  so  will  draw  nearer  to  God,  his 
last  end. 

3.  Every  time  we  do  this  we  break  down  a  barrier 
between  God  and  ourselves  ;  we  come  nearer  to  the 
enjoyment  of  Him,  we  get  a  bit  closer  to  Heaven. 
The  self-willed  man  is  never  satisfied ;  the  man 
whose  will  is  perfectly  subject  to  God  is  always 
happy.  The  Angels  are  alwaj-s  happy  because 
they  have  no  will  but  God's.  If  I  want  to  find 
happiness  in  this  world  or  the  next,  the  first  thing 
is  to  learn  to  submit  my  will  to  God. 

Pray  God  to  break  down  your  self-will  at  any  cost. 

6th  Day. — How  to  attain  our  End. 

One  thing  I  do;  Jorgetting  all  things  that  are  behind  and  stretching 
forth  myself  to  all  those  that  are  before,  I  press  towards  the 
mark.     (Philipp.  iii.  13,  14.) 

I.  Every  one  desires  to  succeed  in  life.     A  man 


480 


thp:  great  truths. 


who  desired  ultimate  failure  would  justly  be 
regarded  as  a  luuatic.  If  I  am  to  carry  out  my 
desire,  I  must  look  round  me  and  see  what  sort  of 
men  succeed. 

2.  When  I  look  at  successful  men,  I  find  in  all 
three  characteristics : 

(i)  A  spirit  of  cheerfulness  and  confidence. 
They  know  how  to  look  at  everything  from  its 
best  side.  They  are  always  hopeful  about  the 
future  and  confident  of  success.  This  it  is  that 
brings  success.     Hence  I  must  pray  for  confidence. 

(2)  A  spirit  of  perseverance.  They  are  not 
discouraged  by  failures.  They  recover  themselves 
without  delay.  What  a  lesson  for  me  not  to  lose 
heart,  but  to  say,  When  I  fall  I  will  rise  again,  and 
that  promptly. 

(3)  A  spirit  of  single-mindedness.  They  keep 
the  end  in  view  steadily  before  them.  If  I  am  to 
attain  to  the  end  of  my  life,  to  succeed  in  coming 
to  God  at  last,  I  must  keep  Him  always  before  me. 

3.  What  can  make  my  life  so  happy  as  this, 
to  know  that  I  am  drawing  nearer  to  God.  Yet 
there  will  be  dark  times  and  days  of  despondency. 
Still  down  at  the  bottom,  beneath  the  surface,  there 
will  be  hope  and  peace,  even  amid  the  darkness. 

Pray  for  cheerfulness  and  an  earnest  purpose  to  live 
for  God. 

7th  Day. — The  Models  to  be  Imitated. 

They  are  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  they  serve  Him  day  and 
night  in  His  temple.     (Apoc.  vii.  15.) 

Example  is  better  than  precept ;  and  we  shall 
often  learn  more  from  watching  those  who  do  per- 
fectly what  we  are  trying  to  acquire,  than  by  any 
set  of  rules.  Let  us  watch  the  Saints  in  Heaven, 
that  we  may  learn  from  them. 

1 .  Their  continual  occupation  is  the  praise  of  God, 
the  tranquil  delight  of  basking  in  the  light  of  God. 
This  satisfies  every  longing  of  their  heart,  this  fills 
them  with  perfect  and  unfading  joy.  This  is  the 
highest  praise  they  can  render  to  God.  How  can  I 
imitate  them  ?  By  a  continual  remembrance  of 
God,  by  visiting  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  by  a  fre- 
quent raising  of  my  heart  to  Heaven. 

2.  The  Saints  also  find  a  constant  joy  in  showing 
reverence  to  God,  in  falling  down  in  prostrate  hom- 
age before  the  throne,  in  recognizing  their  depen- 
dence upon  Him,  and  their  indebtedness  to  Him  for 


all  their  joy.  This,  too,  I  can  copy  by  great  rev- 
erence both  of  body  and  soul ;  reverence  before  the 
Altar,  reverence  in  my  prayers,  reverence  and  re- 
signation to  the  will  of  God  in  my  thoughts. 

3.  The  Saints  and  Angels  also  serve  God  by 
doing  His  bidding,  whether  by  their  •  homage  in 
Heaven  or  by  carrying  His  graces  and  messages  to 
men.  Their  joy  is  to  do  the  will  of  God  and  finish 
His  work.  I,  too,  in  my  feeble  way  can  serve  God, 
I  can  really  be  of  service  to  Him  by  every  act  of  love, 
and  especially  by  every  act  of  kindness  to  others. 
Pray  that  your  life  may  prepare  you  for  the  company 
of  the  Saints  in  Heaven. 

8th  Day. — The  Means  Provided. 

Thou  hast  subjected  all  things  under  His  feet.     (Psalm  viii.  8.) 

We  are  all  inclined  to  overlook  our  own  import- 
ance in  God's  sight.  So  dearly  does  He  love  us,  so 
anxious  is  He  that  we  should  attain  our  end,  that 
we  should  succeed  in  life,  that  He  has  heaped 
around  us  all  kinds  of  means  and  helps  thereto. 

1.  All  that  is  lovely  and  beautiful  in  the  world  is 
intended  by  Almighty  God  to  help  me  on  my  road 
to  Heaven,  to  remind  me  of  Him  and  of  his  infinite 
beauty.  God  cares  more  for  me  than  all  the  ma- 
terial universe  together,  all  irrational  creatures.  I 
can  give  Him  more  glory  by  one  act  of  love  than 
by  all  their  natural  perfections. 

2.  God  has  also  given  me  my  parents,  compan- 
ions, superiors,  all  as  means  to  assist  me  in  serving 
God.  They  were  all  created  for  me ;  even  those 
who  cause  me  pain  are  in  God's  design  to  be  sources 
of  merit  and  even  of  happiness  to  m^ .  They  may 
be  my  best  friends.  If,  for  instance,  I  am  patient 
towards  those  who  are  trying  to  my  patience,  kind 
towards  those  who  treat  me  unkindly,  I  derive  from 
them  a  solid  gain :  they  help  me  on  the  way  to 
Heaven. 

3.  All  the  various  circumstances  of  ray  life  are, 
moreover,  ordained  by  Almighty  God  to  aid  me  in 
serving  and  praising  Him  as  He  wishes.  If  they 
are  pleasant,  they  must  teach  me  gratitude  ;  if 
painful,  resignation.  Even  if  they  are  a  source  of 
temptation  to  me,  by  fighting  bravely  against  the 
temptation  I  can  gain  great  merit  before  God. 

Pray  for  grace  to  carry  out  God's  intentions  by  using  aright  all 
the  circumstances  around  you. 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


481 


I 


gth  Day. — The  Dispositions  Necessary. 

If  thine  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  lightsome.  (St.  Matt.vi.  22.) 

In  order  to  make  a  good  use  of  tlie  various  means 
afiforded  us  of  making  progress  towards  true  happi- 
ness, we  must  consider  what  should  be  our  state  of 
mind  respecting  them. 

1 .  We  must  be  on  the  watch  to  see  that  our  incli- 
nations do  not  run  away  with  us.  Most  of  the  fool- 
ish things  we  do  are  the  result  of  acting  on  impulse, 
of  being  led  by  our  inclinations,  of  being  influenced 
by  wounded  self-love.  How  many  a  golden  oppor- 
tunity of  merit  we  have  missed  because  we  would 
not  accept  patiently  what  wounded  us  or  hurt  our 
self-esteem. 

2.  We  must  try  and  make  ourselves  ready  to 
accept  whatever  God  sends,  whether  painful  or 
pleasant.  We  must  take  willingly  and  cheerfully 
sickness,  pain,  unkindness,  neglect,  failure,  pov- 
erty ;  and  though  nature  may  cry  out  against  it, 
yet  we  must  keep  our  will  united  to  God's,  so  as  to 
be  always  able  to  say :  "  Not  my  will  be  done,  O 
my  God,  but  Thine." 

3.  We  must  try  and  look  on  the  bright  side  of 
everything.  There  is  nothing  in  the  world  that 
has  not  a  bright  side.  This  will  make  us  always 
patient,  and  what  is  more,  always  happy.  We  shall 
acquire  a  facility  for  ignoring  or  passing  over  the 
painful  side  of  things,  to  look  at  the  joyful  and 
hopeful.  Do  I  try  and  do  this,  or  do  I  often  grum- 
ble and  repine  ? 

Offer  to  God  your  willingness  to  endure  whatever  He  sees  to  be 
good  for  the  soul. 

loth  Day. — The  Cause  of  our  Failure. 

He  that  shall  sin,  shall  hate  his  own  soul.     (Prov.  viii.  36. ) 

Hitherto  we  have  been  speaking  of  the  means  of 
reaching  the  end  for  which  we  were  created,  and  in 
which  alone  we  shall  find  true  and  lasting  satisfac- 
tion. We  now  come  to  the  cause  of  our  failure  and 
the  obstacles  in  our  way. 

I.  There  is  only  one  obstacle  in  our  way,  only 
one  real  hindrance  to  our  progress  towards  happi- 
ness and  peace,  only  one  barrier  between  us  and 
God.  This  obstacle  is  sin.  As  long  as  it  remains 
it  is  an  insuperable  obstacle.  A  single  mortal  sin 
unrepented  of  will  shtit  me  out  for  ever  from  the 

presence  of  God.     A  single  venial  sin  unatoned  for 
31 


will  prevent  me  from  attaining  to  happiness  until 
the  debt  has  been  paid. 

2.  What  do  we  mean  by  sin  ?  We  mean  any 
conscious  violation  of  the  law  of  God.  Whenever 
we  do  that  which  God  has  declared  to  be  a  serious 
oflfence  against  Him,  we  become  the  enemies  of 
God,  we  forfeit  all  hope  of  Heaven,  except  as  far  as 
God  of  His  free  compassion  may  afterwards  give 
us  the  grace  to  repent  and  be  forgiven.  Have  I 
ever  thus  lost  sight  of  God  and  of  Heaven  ?  And 
if  so,  am  I  sure  that  I  have  regained  His  love  ? 

3.  Why  is  sin  so  terrible  ?  Because  it  is  an  out- 
rage on  a  God  of  infinite  holiness,  of  infinite  ma- 
jesty. Because  it  is  an  act  of  ingratitude  to  One 
who  has  laden  us  with  benefits,  who  loves  us  with  a 
love  that  surpasses  all  bound  or  measure ;  because 
it  is  a  deliberate  rejection  of  the  Divine  friendship, 
and,  as  far  as  we  are  concerned,  for  ever. 

Pray  for  a  hatred  and  detestation  of  sin. 

iith  Day.— The  First  Sin. 

God  spared  not  the  Angels  that  sinned.     (2  St.  Peter,  ii.  4. ) 

1.  There  was  a  time  when  sin  was  unknown  in 
God's  universe.  All  creatures  obeyed  Him  and 
were  happy  and  at  peace.  Thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands  of  holy  Angels  showed  forth  the  glory 
of  God  by  their  joyful  obedience.  Created  in  a 
state  of  supernatural  grace,  they  were  each  in  his 
own  degree  full  of  wisdom,  of  perfect  beauty. 

2.  Their  trial  during  their  time  of  probation  con- 
sisted in  having  to  acknowledge  their  dependence 
on,  and  their  subjection  to,  God.  The  larger  num- 
ber of  them  did  so  in  a  spirit  of  loyal  and  unwaver- 
ing obedience.  But  a  third  portion  of  them,  led  by 
Lucifer,  refused  to  obey.  They  conceived  an  inor- 
dinate love  of  themselves,  and  from  this  arose  a 
desire  to  be  independent  with  God.  They  would 
not  humble  themselves  ;  they  considered  it  unwor- 
thy of  them  that  they  should  submit  to  the  will  of 
God  in  all  things.  Thus  pride  grew  up  within 
them ;  and  they  deliberately  placed  themselves  in 
opposition  to  God. 

3.  This  open  rebellion  to  God  lasted  but  a  mo- 
ment. In  an  instant  all  their  supernatural  beauty 
was  gone,  the  malice  of  their  souls  corrupted  their 
whole  being.  All  their  beauty  was  turned  to  loath- 
some foulness.     Cast  out  of  God's  Heaven,  they 


482 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


were  hurled  down  to  the  lowest  hell ;  outcasts  to 
all  eternity,  filled  with  eternal  misery  and  despair. 
And  all  this  the  effect  of  one  sin,  and  that  a  sin  of 
thought ! 

Beg  of  God  an  appreciation  of  the  unspeakable  evil  of  sin. 

I2th  Day. — Man's  First  Sin. 

Pride  was  the  beginning  of  all  sin.     (Eccles.  x.  15. ) 

1.  In  Paradise  before  the  Fall,  Adam  and  Eve 
enjoyed  a  happiness  beyond  compare.  They  knew 
no  pain,  sickness,  sorrow.  They  were  created  im- 
maculate, and  adorned  with  a  high  degree  of  super- 
natural grace ;  they  were  exempt  from  all  concu- 
piscence ;  their  lives  passed  in  a  continual  round  of 
unfailing  delight ;  each  evening  God  Himself  came 
to  hold  sweet  converse  with  them. 

2.  What  was  it  ruined  their  happiness  ?  The 
tempter  came  and  suggested  to  Eve  a  distrust  of 
God,  whispered  into  her  ear  motives  of  disobedience. 
Eve  listened  and  consented,  and  in  her  heart  delib- 
erately revolted  against  God.  Pride  brought  with 
it  concupiscence  ;  she  looked  at  the  fruit  that  God 
had  forbidden,  took  it,  ate  it,  gave  it  to  Adam.  He 
also  ate  it,  and  thus  lost  for  himself  and  all  his 
posterity  the  gift  of  original  justice  and  all  the 
graces  and  blessings  that  accompanied  it.  One  sin- 
gle sin  ruined  the  world.  How  ought  I  to  dread 
and  hate  sin ! 

3.  What  was  the  history  of  this  first  sin  ?  The 
same  as  of  every  sin.  First  the  listening  to  the 
tempter's  voice ;  then  a  jealousy  of  God  as  of  one 
who  interferes  with  our  happiness ;  then  a  positive 
revolt  and  undisguised  pride  ;  and  after  this  every 
other  sin,  especially  the  indulgence  of  bodily  appe- 
tite and  depraved  desires.  If  I  examine  myself  I 
shall  find  that  each  sin  I  commit  follows  the  same 
course. 

Pray  to  avoid  the  first  beginnings  of  sin. 

13th  Day. — The  Temporal  Consequences 
of  Adam's  Sin. 

In  Adam  all  die.    (i  Cor.  xv.  22.) 

No  sooner  had  this  first  sin  been  consummated 
than  a  blight  fell  upon  the  world.  It  had  become 
the  devil's  empire,  for  he  had  made  Adam  its  king, 
his  slave.  What  are  the  consequences  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  world  ? 

I.  Adam  and  Eve  were  cast  out  of  Paradise  never 


again  to  enter.  Their  peace  was  gone,  there  was 
confusion  within  them,  concupiscence  fought  against 
reason.  Pain  and  sorrow  came  upon  them ;  and 
disease  and  death.  For  nine  hundred  years  they 
toiled  painfully  in  weariness  upon  the  earth,  and 
after  their  death  had  to  wait  three  thousand  years 
more  before  they  were  admitted  to  the  Heavenly 
Paradise.     And  all  for  one  sin  ! 

2.  The  eflfects  of  their  sin  were  not  limited  to 
themselves  alone.  All  their  descendants  inherited 
from  them  an  inheritance  of  woe.  All  the  wars, 
famines,  pestilences,  all  the  broken  hearts,  all  the 
wretched  lives  of  millions  had  their  source  in  this 
one  sin.  How  almost  infinite  the  consequences  of 
sin  are !  Yet  I  think  so  little  of  my  sins,  and  of 
the  punishment  that  I  shall  have  to  pay  for  them. 

3.  If  we  would  behold  the  full  malice  of  Adam's 
sin,  we  must  stand  beneath  the  Cross,  and  watch 
our  God  dying  in  unutterable  anguish.  It  was  sin 
that  nailed  Him  to  the  Cross.  It  was  sin  that 
forced  from  Him  His  agonizing  cry :  "  My  God, 
why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  " 

Pray  for  a  horror  of  sin  corresponding  to  its  intensity  of  evil. 

14th  Day. — The  Sins  of  individual  Men. 

/  will  recount  to  Thee  all  my  years  in  the  bitterness  o/tny  soul. 
(Psalm  xxxviii.  15. ) 

1.  When  we  look  at  the  sin  of  Adam  and  see  the 
consequences  it  entailed,  what  shall  we  say  of  the 
consequences  that  the  sins  of  each  one  of  us  are 
likely  to  bring  upon  our  heads  ?  Adam's  was 
a  single  sin,  as  opposed  to  our  countless  offences. 
He  did  not  appreciate  the  results  of  sin  as  we  do, 
he  had  not  witnessed  the  misery  that  comes  from  it 
as  we  do,  he  had  not  seen  the  flames  of  hell  kindled 
by  sin  as  we  do.  How  much  more  grievous  then 
are  the  offences  of  each  one  of  us  ! 

2.  We  must  remember,  too,  that  Adam's  sin  was 
forgiven  the  very  day  it  was  committed,  and  God 
in  His  mercy  sealed  His  forgiveness  by  the  promise 
of  the  Redeemer.  Yet  see  the  consequences  of 
forgiven  sin !  The  long  penance,  the'  spread  of 
moral  corruption,  the  disease  and  death,  the  misery 
and  sorrow,  the  banishment  from  the  face  of  God, 
all  these  still  remained  although  the  guilt  of  sin 
was  gone.  What  reason  then  for  me  to  tremble  at 
the  thought  of  all  my  past  sins  ! 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


483 


3.  I  will  glance  over  my  past  life  and  try  and 
recall  a  few  of  my  many  offences.  What  a  career 
mine  has  been  !  What  ingratitude  to  God  !  What 
selfishness,  what  uncharitableness  to  others,  what 
meanness,  what  unfaithfulness  to  grace,  what 
impurity,  what  low  motives  of  action,  what  forge t- 
fulness  of  God,  what  idle  words,  what  waste  of 
time,  what  continual  following  of  my  own  inclina- 
tions !  How  can  I  hope  to  escape  the  just  judg- 
ments of  God  ? 

Pray  for  shame  and  contrition  at  the  sight  of  your  sins. 

15th  Day. — The  Eternal  Consequences  of  Sin. 

Whoever  was  not  found  written  in  the  Book  of  Life  was  cast  into  the 
pooloffire.     (Apoc.  xx.  15.) 

Try  and  represent  to  your  imagination  the 
eternal  prison-house.  Listen  to  the  shrieks  and 
cries  of  despair  that  issue  thence ;  see  the  agony 
written  on  the  faces  of  the  inmates ;  approach  if 
you  can  to  the  devouring  flame. 

1.  What  is  it  that  the  lost  are  suffering  here? 
The  pain  of  fire.  Touch  a  piece  of  red-hot  iron  and 
see  how  long  you  can  bear  it.  Yet  the  lost  souls  in 
hell  endure  an  agony  far  worse  than  this.  The  fire 
surrounds  them  like  water ;  nay,  it  is  within  and 
without  them,  it  dries  up  their  tongue,  it  consumes 
their  entrails,  it  ptnetrates  to  the  very  marrow  of 
their  bones.    My  God,  may  I  never  incur  this  agony ! 

2.  This  fire  is  no  ordinary  fire.  It  is  a  super- 
natural fire ;  the  breath  of  God  kind'Ies  it.  The 
torment  of  burning  as  known  to  us  is  a  suffering 
far  less  than  the  torment  of  hell.  If  the  lost  could 
be  transferred  to  a  bath  of  seething,  molten  lead,  it 
would  be  a  far  less  suffering  than  that  of  the  fire  in 
which  they  are  steeped  in  hell. 

3.  About  this  fire  there  is  none  of  the  light  of 
ordinary  fire.  It  carries  with  it  the  blackness  of 
darkness.  No  ray  of  light  will  ever  pierce  its 
hideous  gloom,  no  word  of  comfort,  no  sort  of 
relief,  no  hope  of  change.  Nothing  to  alleviate  the 
eternal  misery  that  comes  of  sin. 

Pray  that  if  the  love  of  God  or  hope  cf  Heaven  does  not  keep  you 
from  sinning,  at  least  the  fear  of  hell-fire  may  stop  you  in  time. 

16th  Day. — The  Aggravations  of  Hell. 

Here  will  I  dwell  for  I  have  chosen  it.     (Psalm,  cxxxi.  14. ) 

Every  thought  of  the  lost  will  aggravate,  not 
alleviate,  their  sufferings.     Let  us  review  one  or 


two  of  the  thoughts  that  will .  be  ever  present  to 
their  minds. 

1.  They  might  so  easily  have  been  saved!  One 
act  of  contrition  at  the  last,  one  grace  accepted  out 
of  the  countless  graces  that  were  deliberately  set  at 
naught,  and  they  might  have  been  with  the  Angels 
in  Heaven  instead  of  with  the  devils  in  hell.  To 
know  that  we  have  just  missed  some  advantage 
that  we  might  with  a  little  trouble  have  secured  for 
ourselves  is  always  a  tormenting  thought.  How 
much  more  when  it  is  Heaven  that  is  lost ! 

2.  If  the  advantage  is  lost  purely  through  our 
own  fault,  this  greatly  increases  our  misery.  We 
fools !  We  had  so  many  chances,  we  knew  so  well 
that  we  were  forfeiting  our  eternal  inheritance  !  It 
is  this  that  changes  sorrow  into  remorse,  and  adds 
to  suffering  the  hortor  and  blackness  of  despair. 
All  through  our  own  fault!  What  a  thought  to 
dwell  with  me  through  all  eternity! 

3.  What  is  it  that  we  have  lost  ?  That  will  be 
the  bitterest  thought  of  all.  We  have  lost  the 
sweet  music  of  Heaven,  we  have  lost  the  company 
of  the  Saints  and  Angels,  we  have  lost  the  enchant- 
ing happiness  of  gazing  on  the  Sacred  Humanity 
of  Jesus  in  all  its  glory,  and  above  all,  we  have  lost 
the  unspeakable  joy  of  the  Beatific  Vision.  We 
fools ! 

Pray  God  that  the  dread  of  this  thought  hereafter  may  keep 
you  from  sin. 

17th  Day.— The  Eternity  of  Hell. 

This  is  my  rest  for  ever  and  ever.     ( Psalm  cxxxi.  14. ) 

1.  -The  worst  aggravation  of  the  sufferings  of 
hell  is  that  they  will  never  end.  If  only  they 
would  cease  or  be  alleviated  after  a  thousand  or*  a 
million  years,  the  ray  of  hope  would  shine  on  the 
inmates  of  that  prison-house,  even  though  far  away 
in  the  dim  distance.  It  is  the  knowledge  that  at 
the  end  of  countless  millions  of  years  they  will  still 
be  suffering  as  now,  that  makes  the  agony  of  the 
lost  so  intolerable.  For  ever,  never  !  For  ever, 
never ! 

2.  Add  to  this  the  frightful  monotony  of  their 
torments.  How  wearily  the  time  drags  on  through 
a  night  sleepless  on  account  of  acute  pain !  But 
what  will  be  the  monotony  of  anguish  that  will 
make  these  endless  ages  drag  along  in  unchanging 


484 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


misery  ?  Nothing  to  vaiy  the  blackness  of  dark- 
ness around  them ;  nothing  to  vary  the  worm  of 
remorse  ever  gnawing  at  their  heart ;  nothing  to 
vary  the  excruciating  agony  of  the  fire  that  will 
never  be  quenched. 

3.  All  this  is  the  necessary  result  of  their  being 
fixed  in  an  unchanging  enmity  to  God.  If  only 
they  could  receive  in  their  souls  one  spark  of  the 
love  of  God,  hell  would  at  once  cease  to  be  hell. 
One  thought  of  love  would  turn  their  agony  of 
despair  into  joyful  hope.  But  no  such  thought  will 
ever  come  to  them.  They  have  deliberately  chosen 
separation  from  God,  and  must  endure  that  choice 
and  all  its  consequences  for  ever. 

Make  acts  of  love  of  God,  and  ask  Him  that  you  may  never  be 
separated  from  Him  by  sin. 

i8th  Day.— Veniel  Sin. 

WiVA  these  wounds  I  was  wounded  in  the  house  of  thent  that  loved  me. 
(Zach.  xiii.  6.) 

1.  Venial  sin  does  not,  like  mortal  sin,  kill  the 
soul  and  make  us  the  enemies  of  God,  but  it  is  a 
disease  which  disfigures  the  soul  and  renders  it 
unfit  for  union  with  Him  until  it  has  been  purged 
away.  It  is  the  path  that  leads  to  hell  by  paving 
the  way  little  by  little  for  the  entrance  of  mortal 
sin.  It  is  an  unkindness  which  destroys  the  warmth 
of  our  love  and  creates  a  coldness  towards  God. 

2.  Venial  sin  is  small  as  compared  with  mortal 
sin,  but  it  is  small  only  as  ten  thousand  years  are 
small  compared  with  eternity.  It  is  the  greatest 
evil  in  the  whole  world  with  the  exception  of  mortal 
sin.  It  is  committed  against  an  Infinite  God.  It 
can  only  be  expiated  by  the  infinite  merits  of  Jesus 
Christ.  It  will  add  to  the  sufferings  of  the  lost  to 
all  eternity. 

3.  Venial  sin  is  of  two  kinds:  (i)  deliberate, 
when,  knowing  that  what  I  am  about  to  do  will 
give  pain  to  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  I  neverfhe- 
less  do  it  to  gratify  myself.  This  is  the  worst  kind, 
and  the  guilt  of  it  is  sometimes  very  great.  (2)  In- 
deliberate, or  semi-deliberate,  when  on  impulse  or 
without  thinking  I  do  what  is  faulty.  Here  there 
is  not  the  same  guilt,  but  there  is  always  some 
negligence  and  neglect  of  grace.  I  might  have 
foreseen  the  danger  and  been  more  vigilant. 

Aak  God  to  help  you  to  appreciate  the  evil  of  one  venial  sin. 


19th  Day. — The  Punishment  of  Venial  Sin. 

Thou  shall  not  go  out  from  thence  till  thou  repay  the  last  farthing. 
(St.  Matt.  V.  26.) 

Venial  sin  is  the  great  evil  in  the  world  next  to 
mortal  sin,  and  therefore  it  deserves  a  punishment 
greater  than  all  the  miseries  of  earth.  God  has 
taught  us  what  sort  of  an  evil  it  is  by  one  or  two 
instances  of  the  way  in  which  He  visits  it  in  this 
life. 

1.  Moses,  the  friend  of  God,  the  chosen  ruler  of 
His  people,  the  meekest  of  men,  to  whom  God  con- 
versed as  friend  with  friend,  once  committed  a  venial 
sin.  He  gave  way  to  momentary  impatience.  For 
this  God  sent  him  up  to  die  on  Mount  Nebo  before 
the  Jordan  was  crossed.  All  the  forty  years  of 
weary  travel  did  not  avail  him  ;  the  venial  sin  cut 
him  off  before  the  goal  was  reached. 

2.  David,  the  man  after  God's  own  heart,  in  a 
moment  of  vanity  determined  to  number  the  people, 
boastfully  priding  himself  on  the  strength  of  his 
fighting  men.  In  punishment  of  this  God  sent  a 
pestilence,  which  in  less  than  three  days  destroyed 
seventy  thousand  of  the  Israelites.  Jerusalem 
itself  would  have  been  decimated  had  not  David 
entreated  God  to  avert  his  destroying  hand.  How 
God  must  hate  venial  sin ! 

3.  After  death  there  will  remain  for  most  a  debt 
to  be  still  paid  for  venial  sin.  It  is  in  Purgatory 
that  we  shall  see  its  true  character.  No  earthly 
agony  even  approaches  the  agony  of  the  purgatorial 
fire.  The  souls  that  God  loves  must  be  tormented 
there  till  they  have  paid  the  last  farthing.  Alas ! 
what  do  I  still  owe  ?  Am  I  doing  my  best  to  pay 
the  debt  and  avoid  adding  to  it  ? 

Beg  for  an  intense  dread  of  venial  sin. 

20th  Day. — Death. 

rt  is  appointed  unto  man  once  to  die.     (Heb.  ix.  27.) 

I.  Why  is  death  a  terror  to  men  ?  Because  it  is 
the  punishment  of  sin,  the  penalty  that  was  attached 
by  God  Himself  to  the  first  transgression  of  His 
law — "In  the  day  that  thou  eatest  of  it  thou  shalt 
die  the  death."  For  this  reason  we  shrink  from  it 
as  the  mark  and  sign  of  our  fallen  and  degraded 
condition.  Disease,  corruption,  old  age,  decay,  are 
its  forerunners,  and  are  invested  with  the  same 
reproach  as  testimonies  to  our  being  bom  in  sin. 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


485 


2.  Death  is  the  end  of  our  time  of  trial.  After 
it  our  destiny  will  be  irrevocably  fixed.  No  more 
chance  of  doing  penance,  no  more  opportunities  of 
contrition,  no  more  merit,  no  more  grace,  no  more 
calls  to  repentance,  no  more  hope  for  those  who 
reject  God  in  this  life.  No  wonder  then  that  men 
dread  it  if  they  are  not  at  peace  with  God,  or  if  they 
still  retain  any  affection  even  to  venial  sin.  Yet 
death  is  standing  at  our  very  doors :  at  any  moment 
the  King  of  Terrors  may  summon  us  away.  Am 
I  prepared  for  the  summons  ? 

3.  Yet  to  those  who  love  God  death  loses  all  its 
terrors.  For  them  it  is  the  beginning  of  their  true 
life.  All  their  hopes  have  been  directed  to  the 
unseen  world;  why  should  they  fear?  Their  heart 
is  in  Heaven  and  their  treasure  is  in  Heaven,  their 
King  and  Lord  is  there,  and  all  their  dearest  and 
best  friends,  and  the  Angels  and  the  Saints.  How 
happy  are  those  who  are  thus  detached  from  this 
world  and  ever  look  to  the  world  to  come ! 

Pray  for  a  happy  death. 

2ist  Day. — The  Particular  Judgment, 

We  must  all  be  manifested  before  the  Judgment-seat  of  Christ. 
(2  Cor.  V.  10.) 

1.  At  the  Particular  Judgment  we  shall  see  our 
lives  as  they  never  appeared  to  us  before.  In  an 
instant  we  shall  live  them  over  again.  Each  thought, 
word,  act,  will  be  clear  and  distinct,  with  its  true 
character  no  longer  hidden  by  our  own  wilful  blind- 
ness, but  in  all  its  foulness,  baseness,  ingratitude, 
revealed  to  us  in  the  bright  light  of  God. 

2.  We  shall  then  stand  face  to  face  with  Jesus 
Christ,  no  longer  as  our  Advocate,  but  as  our  Judge; 
no  longer  pleading  for  us,  but  dealing  out  strict 
justice,  according  to  our  deserts.  He  will  be  clothed 
with  a  Divine  glory  that  will  attract  us  and  at  the 
same  time  fill  us  with  dismay  at  the  thought  of 
having  offended  him.  St.  Teresa  said  that  what 
struck  her  most  forcibly  in  the  vision  she  had  of 
Him  was,  how  awful  would  be  the  anger  of  One  so 
full  of  Divine  sweetness  ! 

3.  Yet  we  need  not  fear  the  Judgment  if  we  make 
Christ  our  friend  now.  If  we  earn  His  gratitude 
by  doing  all  we  can  to  please  Him,  He  will  not  re- 
member our  former  sins.  He  will  look  to  what  we 
are,  not  what  we  have  been.  He  will  not  remember 
the  sins  of  those  who  love  Him  with  all  their  hearts. 


The  same  St.  Teresa  said :  "  Why  should  I  fear 
the  Judgment  when  my  Judge  will  be  my  best 
friend  ?" 

Pray  that  you  may  forestall  the  Judgment  by  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  your  conscience  now,  and  an  earnest  desire  to  please 
your  Judge. 

22d  Day. — The  General  Judgment. 

Behold  He  cometh  with  the  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  Him,  and 
they  also  that  pierced  Him.     (Apoc.  i.  7. ) 

1.  At  the  General  Judgment,  Christ  as  man  will 
be  the  Judge  of  men,  because  He  is  at  once  God 
and  man.  He  will,  therefore,  have  not  only  the 
most  intimate  knowledge  of  all  our  lives,  but  a 
sympathy  with  us,  an  understanding  of  our  nature 
from  experience,  that  will  give  Him  in  the  natural 
order  the  highest  qualifications  for  being  our  Judge. 

2.  On  that  day  what  a  complete  reverse  there 
will  be  of  all  the  world's  unjust  verdicts !  How 
many,  now  ridiculed,  despised,  condemned,  will 
then  be  glorious  and  honored  before  men  and 
Angels !  How  many  that  were  highly  esteemed 
on  earth  will  then  be  covered  with  shame  and  con- 
tempt? What  will  be  my  lot?  What  will  my 
sentiments  be  on  that  day  when  the  thoughts  of 
all  hearts  will  be  revealed  ? 

3.  On  the  right  of  the  Judge  will  be  the  sheep, 
on  the  left  the  goats ;  the  one  overflowing  with 
celestial  delights,  the  other  already  filled  with  the 
despair  of  hell.  What  will  distinguish  between 
them  ?  Simply  this,  whether  they  have  shown 
charity  to  others  for  Christ's  sake.  This  and 
nothing  else  will  be  the  test — "  Inasmuch  as  you 
have  done  it  to  one  of  My  least  brethren  you  have 
done  it  to  Me."  Has  my  kindness  to  others  been 
done  purely  for  Christ's  sake  ?  How  shall  I  stand 
this  test  ? 

Ask  God  to  teach  you  how  to  secure  a  place  on  th  ■  right  hand 
of  the  Judge. 

23d  Day. — The  Final  Sentence. 

The  wicked  shall  go  into  everlasting  punishment,  but  the  just  unto 
life  everlasting.     (St.  Matt.  xxv.  46). 

I.  The  sentence  pronounced  at  the  Last  Judg- 
ment will  be  one  of  perfect  justice.  Every  little 
circumstance  will  be  taken  into  account ;  inherited 
character,  natural  disposition,  fierce  passions,  favor- 
able or  unfavorable  circumstances,  early  training, 
opportunities    of    grace,   sacraments,   temptations, 


486 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


everything.  All  who  are  lost  will  confess  that 
they  have  been  treated  with  perfect  justice,  that  it 
was  their  own  fault,  that  it  was  they  who  condemned 
themselves  to  eternal  separation  from  God. 

2.  The  sentence  will  be  not  only  just  but  mer- 
ciful. All  the  lost  will  acknowledge  that  their 
punishment  is  less  than  they  deserved.  They  will 
recognize  an  element  of  mercy  and  will  be  forced  amid 
their  despair  and  hatred  of  God,  amid  their  curses  and 
blasphemies,  to  confess  that  they  have  been  leniently 
dealt  with  in  comparison  with  their  sins. 

3.  The  sentence  will  be  irrevocable.  Even  at 
the  Particular  Judgment  the  soul  will  know  its 
final  destiny.  But  at  the  General  Judgment  the 
sentence  will  be  confirmed  and  ratified  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  holy  Angels  and  the  assembled  crowd. 
How  strange  is  it  then  that  in  view  of  this  we  take 
so  little  trouble  to  secure  a  favorable  sentence ! 
Pray  that  to  you  may  be  addressed  the  words  :    ' '  Well  done,  good 

and  faithful  servant,  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord. ' ' 

24th  Day.— The  End  Attained. 

Then  shall  the  King  say  to  them  that  are  on  the  right  hand.  Come,  ye 
blessed  of  My  Father,  possess  you  the  Kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world.     (St.  Matt.  xxv.  34.) 

1.  What  will  be  the  sentiments  of  those  who  at 
the  General  Judgment  will  find  themselves  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Judge,  and  listen  to  His  words 
of  love?  First  of  all  they  will  overflow  with  a 
delicious  sense  of  happiness  and  peace ;  they  will 
scarcely  be  able  to  contain  themselves  with  delight ; 
unmixed  and  unalloyed  will  be  their  cup  of  joy, 
unlike  any  of  the  joys  of  earth,  intoxicating  them 
with  its  inefifable  sweetness. 

2.  They  will  also  be  amazed  and  astonished  at 
the  reward  given  to  them.  What  have  I  done,  O 
Lord,  to  deserve  all  this?  When  did  I  minister  to 
Thee  as  Thou  sayest  ?  When  did  I  do  anything 
to  earn  Thy  words  of  gratitude.  Who  am  I  that 
Thou  shouldst  thus  exalt  me  ?  All  the  little  that 
I  did  came  from  Thee,  and  now  Thou  rewardest  me 
as  if  it  was  my  own.  We  bless  Thee,  we  praise 
Thee,  for  Thy  great  goodness,  Thine  unspeakable 
generosity. 

3.  They  will  also  look  back  with  wonder  on  their 
earthly  life.  While  it  lasted  it  seemed  so  long,  so 
tedious,  perhaps  so  miserable,  and  now  it  is  like  a 
moment  in  the  past,  like  a  shadow  that  flitted  by. 


How  infinitesimal  all  its  sorrows  and  pains  will 
then  seem,  all  compensated  by  that  first  moment  of 
ineffable  delight! 

Seek  to  bear  that  day  in  mind  when  earthly  sorrows 
press  heavily. 

25th  Day. — Heaven. 

Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart 
of  man  what  things  God  hath  prepared  for  them,  that  love  Him. 
(i  Cor.  ii.  9.) 

1.  These  words  convey  the  best  idea  that  the 
Apostle  who  had  been  carried  up  into  the  third 
Heaven  could  give  of  the  happiness  of  the  re- 
deemed. All  the  loveliest  things  we  have  ever 
seen  are  as  nothing  in  comparison  to  the  sight  of 
Heaven ;  all  the  sweetest  sounds  are  discord  com- 
pared with  the  music  of  Heaven ;  all  the  joys  that 
have  made  the  longest  hours  only  too  short  do  not 
deserve  the  name  of  joy  compared  with  the  joys  of 
Heaven.    One  moment  of  Heaven  is  worth  them  all ! 

2.  Whatever  God  does  He  does  on  a  scale  worthy 
of  Himself.  The  happiness  of  Heaven  will  be 
immeasurable  from  the  fact  of  its  being  in  union 
with  the  God  of  infinite  love  and  beauty  ?  It  will 
be  a  joy  like  the  joy  of  our  Lord  Himself,  since  He 
will  say  to  each  of  the  redeemed  :  "  Enter  thou  into 
the  joy  of  thy  Lord."  Am  I  doing  what  I  can  to 
ensure  those  words  being  addressed  to  me  ? 

3.  In  Heaven  all  will  be  perfectly  happy.  Even 
those  who  have  the  lowest  places  will  have  all  that 
their  hearts  desire.  There  will  be  no  unsatisfied 
wish  in  Heaven,  no  craving  after  what  we  do  not 
possess.  Every  one  will  have  an  overflowing  cup 
of  pleasure.  O  what  fools  we  are  not  to  do  more 
to  ensure  the  joy  of  Heaven  ! 

Pray  that  you  may  often  think  of  Heaven  and  its  joys. 

26th  Day. — The  Essential  Happiness 
of  Heaven. 

We  shall  see  Him  as  He  is.     (i  St.  John,  iii.  2. ) 

I.  The  one  central  source  of  Heaven's  happiness 
will  be  the  Vision  of  God.  We  shall  see  Him  face 
to  face  in  all  His  Divine  beauty  ;  everything  will  be 
swallowed  up  in  the  absorbing  delight  of  gazing  on 
the  majesty  of  the  Most  High.  From  this  fount 
of  joy  all  other  joys  will  spring.  This  will  in  itself 
be  Heaven.  If  the  lost  in  hell  could  see  God  for  a 
single  instant,  hell  would  at  once  become  Heaven 
to  them. 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


487 


2.  Why  is  this  ?  Because  in  God  are  united  every 
perfection  and  every  beauty  and  every  joy  and  every 
delight  that  exists  or  can  exist,  and  all  in  an 
infinite  degree.  Every  other  joy  is  but  a  shadow 
as  compared  with  the  substance,  a  grain  of  dust 
compared  with  the  loftiest  mountains,  a  drop  of 
water  compared  with  the  ocean.  O  my  God,  help 
me  to  despise  the  passing  joys  of  earth  when  I 
think  of  the  joy  of  seeing  Thee ! 

3.  The  Beatific  Vision  will  not  convey  the  same 
degree  of  happiness  to  all  who  gaze  upon  it.  It 
will  depend  upon  our  union  with  God  on  earth,  on 
our  faithfulness  to  grace,  on  our  personal  sanctity. 
One  star  differs  from  another  star  in  glory.  All 
will  be  happy  in  Heaven,  but  the  happiness  of  some 
will  be  incomparably  greater  than  that  of  others. 
What  folly  then  if  we  let  slip  any  of  the  eternal 
reward  for  the  sake  of  some  perishable  trifle  or 
miss  any  opportunity  of  adding  to  our  treasure  of 
heavenly  delight ! 

Pray  that  you  may  appreciate  your  heavenly  treasure  and 
strive  continually  to  add  to  it. 

27th  Day. — The  Employments  of  Heaven. 

His  servants  shall  serve  Hint.     (Apoc.  xxii.  3. ) 

1.  While  faith  and  hope  will  be  at  an  end  in 
Heaven  the  virtue  of  charity  will  remain.  There  is 
nothing  on  earth  so  sweet  as  love ;  nothing  that 
fills  the  heart  with  such  continual  joy ;  nothing 
that  so  occupies  the  soul  and  causes  men  to 
forget  all  else.  This  is  the  case  when  the  object 
of  our  love  is  a  perishable  imperfect  creature  like 
ourselves.  How  much  more  when  the  object  of  our 
love  is  the  God  of  infinite  beauty,  containing  in 
Himself  every  possible  earthly  perfection,  not  only 
multiplied  to  an  infinite  degree,  but  altogether 
higher  in  kind,  and  therefore  a  source  of  greater 
joy  than  all  possible  created  beauty. 

2.  A  strong  love  makes  the  long  hours  pass  away 
in  a  stream  of  unceasing  delight ;  no  weariness,  no 
monotony,  no  desire  for  anything  else.  One  thing 
only  checks  the  perfection  of  the  happiness  of  love, 
and  that  is  the  thought  that  it  cannot  last  forever. 
In  Heaven  there  will  be  a  stream  of  delight  im- 
measurably richer,  and  the  joyful  consciousness 
that  there  is  no  fear  of  its  ever  coming  to  an  end. 

3.  As  God  is  infinite  in  His  perfections,  they  will 
necessarily  be  inexhaustible.     The  various  phases 


(if  we  may  use  the  term)  of  His  Divine  loveliness 
will  never  come  to  an  end.  After  a  million  years 
there  will  still  be  the  same  inexhaustible  treasure 
of  multiform  delights  to  be  enjoyed,  and  after  a 
million  years  it  will  not  be  diminished.  No  fear 
then  of  sameness  in  Heaven,  no  fear  of  monotony, 
it  will  ever  be  the  same  and  yet  ever  new. 
Pray  for  a  greater  love  of  God  here  on  earth. 

28th  Day. — ^The  Music  of  Heaven. 

They  sang  as  it  were  a  new  canticle,     (Apoc.  xiv.  3.) 

1.  Every  one  has  read  the  story  of  the  monk  who 
once  sat  down  in  a  wood  near  a  monastery  and 
wondered  whether  Heaven  would  not  after  a  time 
lose  its  charm.  A  little  bird  began  to  sing  a 
song  so  sweet  that  he  sat  entranced.  After  a  few 
minutes,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  the  song  ceased  and 
he  returned  to  his  monastery  to  find  that  he  had 
sat  there  and  listened  for  twenty  years.  If  this 
could  be  the  case  when  it  was  but  one  little  bird 
singing,  what  miist  be  the  absorbing  delight  of  the 
music  of  the  Angels  and  Saints  in  Heaven  ! 

2.  This  music  will  combine  the  beauty  of  every 
earthly  instrument  and  of  the  sweetest  of  earthly 
singers.  No  notes  were  ever  heard  on  earth  like 
the  notes  of  the  virgins,  boys  and  girls,  men  and 
women,  who  will  sing  a  heavenly  melody  that  will 
never  cease ;  and  each  note  will  be  such,  that  if  we 
heard  it  on  earth,  we  should  despise  all  pain  and 
suffering,  nay,  death  itself,  for  the  joy  of  listening 
to  it. 

3.  There  will  be  a  still  sweeter  music  for  the 
blessed  in  Heaven,  a  music  which  makes  the  music 
of  the  Saints  and  Angels  seem  almost  discord. 
The  voice  of  Jesus  Christ  will  be  Heaven's  sweetest 
melody.  If  on  earth  men  hung  on  His  lips,  if 
never  man  spake  like  that  Man,  what  will  be  the 
Divine  attraction  of  every  word,  every  sound  that 
will  proceed  from  His  lips  in  Heaven.  How  each 
word  will  ravish  the  souls  of  all  Saints  in  Heaven ! 
O  my  God,  grant  that  I  may  hear  that  Voice  in 

Heaven. 

Pray  that  you  may  listen  to  and  obey  Christ's  Voice 
speaking  to  your  heart  on  earth. 

29th  Day. — The  Companions  of  Heaven. 

Their  lot  is  among  the  Saints.     (Wisdom,  v.  5.) 

I.  How  much  of  our  happiness  depends   upon 


488 


THE  GREAT  TRUTHS. 


those  among  whom  we  dwell !  There  are  some 
whose  very  presence  is  enough  and  more  than 
enough  to  satisfy  us ;  the  mere  fact  of  being  in 
their  company  is  a  source  of  continual  pleasure.  If 
this  is  the  case  with  those  who  are  still  full  of  im- 
perfections and  faults,  how  much  more  in  Heaven, 
where  every  one  will  be  purged  of  all  that  offends 
us  in  them  on  earth.  Every  one  of  the  Saints  and 
Angels  will  be  not  only  a  congenial  but  a  most  de- 
lightful companion. 

2.  But  there  will  be  some  who  will  feast  our 
souls  with  their  company  and  conversation  beyond 
the  rest.  Our  friends  on  earth  will  be  our  friends 
in  Heaven  ;  we  shall  recognize  each  and  all.  All 
to  whom  we  have  done  any  kindness  for  Christ's 
sake  will  come  to  thank  us  then ;  above  all,  any 
whom  we  have  had  the  happiness  of  saving  from 
sin,  by  precept  or  example,  will  never  tire  of  pour- 
ing out  upon  us  the  abundance  of  their  gratitude. 
What  more  delicious  pleasure  than  this  ! 

3.  Yet  there  will  be  dearer  companions  still. 
The  Saints  of  God,  our  Patron  Saint,  our  Guardian 
Angel,  how  shall  we  linger  in  their  sweet  society  ? 
The  Saints  to  whom  we  have  had  a  special  devo- 
tion, before  all  St.  Joseph  and  our  Lady,  how  sur- 
passing sweet  to  be  with  them !  Yet  all  this  is  only 
a  reflection  of  the  joy  we  shall  derive  from  behold- 
ing the  Lamb  who  had  been  slain,  our  dear  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

Pray  to  dwell  now  in  heart  in  the  company  of  the  Saints 
and  Angels. 

30th  Day. — The  Memories  of  Heaven. 

K^hai  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  the  things  that  He  hath  ren- 
dered to  me  f    ( Psalm  cxv.  12. ) 

One  of  the  chief  sources  of  our  gratitude  to  God 
and  of  our  ceaseless  joy  in  Heaven  will  be  derived 
from  looking  back  upon  our  lives. 

1.  Even  in  this  world  we  can  catch  a  glimpse  of 
God's  wonderful  goodness  to  us,  of  all  that  He  has 
done  to  save  us  from  sin,  to  help  us  on  our  way  to 
Heaven.  In  Heaven  we  shall  see  clearly  what  we 
now  see  very  darkly,  and  we  shall  never  cease  to 
admire  the  unceasing  care  that  God  has  exercised 
towards  us,  making  all  things  work  together  for 
our  good. 

2.  What  joy,  too,  we  shall  feel  at  the  thought  of 
all  we  have  done  for  God  on  earth !     Each  act  of 


self-denial,  each  raising  of  the  heart  to  God,  each 
little  deed  of  charity  will  be  remembered  then. 
Christ  our  Lord  will  thank  us  for  each,  and  our 
hearts  will  leap  with  gladness  and  eternal  joy. 

3.  Even  our  sins  will  be  indirectly  a  source  of 
happiness  to  the  saved.  There  will  be  the  overflow- 
ing gratitude  to  Him  who  has  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  His  own  Blood,  there  will  be  the  joyful  con- 
trast between  what  we  might  have  been  and  what 
we  are !  How  eagerly  we  shall  cry :  "  We  are 
bought  with  a  great  price."  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb 
that  was  slain  to  receive  honor  and  glory  and  ben- 
ediction and  power ! " 
Make  acts  of  gratitude  for  all  God  has  done  and  will  do  for  you. 

3ist  Day. — How  to  Begin  Heaven  on  Earth. 

Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in  Heaven. 
(St.  Matt.  vi.  10. ) 

1.  In  this  vale  of  tears,  even  the  happiest  life  is 
misery  compared  with  the  life  of  Heaven.  Even 
the  perfect  tranquility  and  peace  enjoyed  by  the 
Saints  of  God  on  earth  is  confusion  and  trouble 
compared  with  the  peace  of  Heaven.  Yet  we  can 
begin  even  here  a  life  which  contains  the  germ  of 
Paradise.  The  essential  element  of  Heaven  is 
union  with  God,  and  those  who  are  united  to  God 
by  supernatural  charity  have  in  them  the  seed  of 
Heaven's  happiness. 

2.  This  supernatural  charity  does  not  consist  in 
feeling,  or  in  the  absence  of  suffering,  or  in  brilliant 
success,  or  in  freedom  from  temptation.  Our  life 
may  be  one  continual  cross,  one  long  series  of 
failures  as  men  count  failure ;  we  may  live  in 
poverty  and  want,  and  die  unheeded  and  uncared 
for;  yet  such  a  life  may  be  the  beginning  of 
Heaven  upon  earth. 

3.  In  what  then  does  supernatural  charity  con- 
sist ?  Simply  in  doing  what  we  know  to  be  God's 
will  in  the  details  of  our  daily  life ;  in  having  the 
thought  of  Him  before  us  as  the  guiding  principle 
of  our  actions,  of  doing  all  for  Him  and  not  for 
self.  One  who  consistently  leads  such  a  life  as  this 
cannot  fail  to  be  happy  in  spite  of  all  external 
miseries,  for  He  carries  in  himself  the  principle 
which  constitutes  Heaven's  happiness.  "  Thy  will 
be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  Heaven  !" 

Pray  for  this  unfailing  compliance  with  the  will  of  God 
in  all  that  you  do. 


PEARLS 


FROM  THE 


Hidden  Treasure  of  Holy  Mass. 

BY  SAINT  LEONARD  OF  PORT  MAURICE. 


T  REQUIRES  great  patience  to  endure 
the  language  of  some  worldlings  whom 
we  hear  every  day  saying :  "  It  is  only 
a  Mass  more  or  less." — "  It  is  so  hard  to 
be  obliged  to  hear  Mass  on  holidays." — 
"  The  Mass  of  that  priest  is  as  long  as 
one  in  Holy  Week ;  when  I  see  him  go 
to  the  altar,  I  always  hurry  out  of  church."  He 
who  speaks  thus  shows  he  has  little  or  no  esteem 
for  the  Most  Holy  Sacrifice.  Do  you  know  what 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  is  ?  It  is  the  sum  of  Christianity, 
the  soul  of  faith,  the  centre  of  the  Catholic  religion, 
the  grand  object  of  all  her  rights,  her  ceremonies, 
and  her  sacraments  :  it  is,  in  a  word,  the  summary 
of  all  that  is  good  and  beautiful  in  the  Church  of 
God.  Now,  let  me  beseech  you,  who  read  these 
pages,  to  ponder  seriously  on  what  I  say  in  the 
following  instructions. 

It  is  an  absolute  certainty  that  all  religions  that 
ever  existed  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  had  a 
sacrifice  as  an  essential  part  of  the  worship  they 
oflfered  to  God.  But  as  their  religions  were  either 
vain  or  imperfect,  so  were  their  sacrifices  vain  and 
imperfect.  Vainest  of  all  vain  things  were  the  sacri- 
fices of  the  idolaters,  nor  need  we  prove  this  truth  of 
Holy  Writ.  Those  of  the  Hebrews,  although  they 
professed  the  true  religion,  are  justly  called  by  St. 
Paul  weak  and  poor  elements  (Gal.  iv.  9),  because 
they  could  not  forgive  sin  nor  confer  grace.  The 
one  great  Sacrifice  of  our  Holy  Religion,  the  Holy 
Mass  alone,  is  holy,  perfect  and  in  every  respect 
complete  :  for  by  it  the  faithful  render  the  highest 
honor  to  God,  and,  at  the  same  time,  acknowledge 
their  own  nothingness  and  the  supreme  dominion 
He  has  over  all  His  creatures. 

The  Royal  Prophet  called  this  sacrifice  the 
sacrifice  of  justice  (Ps.  iv.  5)  as  it  contains  the  Just 
One  Himself,  or  rather  the  Saint  of  Saints ;  and 
because  it  sanctifies  souls  by  the  infusion  of  divine 
grace,  and  replenishes  them  with  the  richest  gifts 


of  heaven.  As  it  is,  then,  a  sacrifice  so  holy  and 
so  excellent,  we  will  consider  briefly  some  of  the 
great  treasures  contained  in  this  divine  gift.  I  say 
some  of  these  treasures,  as  it  would  be  impossible 
for  us  to  enumerate  or  explain  them  all. 

The  first  question  that  suggests  itself  to  us 
regarding  the  Most  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is : 
In  what  does  its  principal  excellence  consist  ?  It 
consists  in  this — namely,  that  it  is  essentially  the 
same,  yea,  the  very  same,  Sacrifice  that  was  offered 
on  the  Cross  of  Calvary,  the  only  difference  being 
that  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Cross  was  bloody  and  made 
once  for  all,  and  did  then  satisfy  fully  for  all  the 
sins  of  the  world.  The  Sacrifice  of  the  Altar, 
however,  is  an  unbloody  Sacrifice  which  can  be 
repeated  throughout  all  ages,  and  was  instituted  in 
order  to  apply  to  each  of  us  the  universal  atone- 
ment which  Christ  made  for  us  on  Calvary. 

In  a  word :  the  bloody  Sacrifice  was  the  instru- 
ment of  redemption,  and  the  unbloody  Sacrifice  puts 
us  in  possession  of  it :  the  one  opened  to  us  the 
treasury  of  the  merits  of  Christ  our  Lord,  and  the 
other  gives  us  the  practical  use  of  that  never  failing 
treasury.  Hence,  we  must  ever  bear  in  mind  that 
in  the  Mass  there  is  made  not  a  mere  representation 
nor  a  simple  commemoration  of  the  Passion  and 
Death  of  the  Redeemer,  but  in  a  certain  true  sense 
there  is  oflfered  the  very  same  Most  Holy  Sacrifice 
that  was  offered  on  Calvary. 

It  may  be  then  said,  with  all  truth,  our  Redeemer 
returns  to  die  mystically  for  us,  although  He  can 
die  no  more  really ;  at  one  and  the  same  time.  He  is 
alive  and  as  it  were  slain  again,  according  to  that 
passage  of  the  Apocalypse,  I  saw  a  Lamb  standing 
as  it  were  slain.  On  Christmas  Day  the  Church 
represents  the  birth  of  our  Lord,  but  our  Lord  is 
not  then  born.  At  Ascension  and  Whitsuntide  the 
Church  again  recalls  to  mind  the  ascent  of  our 
Lord  to  heaven,  and  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
on  the  Apostles  and  Disciples ;   still,  it  is  not  true 

489 


490 


PEARLS   FROM   THE   HIDDEN    TREASURE   OF   HOLY   MASS. 


that  as  each  of  these  festivals  return,  the  Lord 
ascends  to  heaven,  or  that  the  Holy  Ghost  visibly 
descends  to  earth. 

But  the  same  cannot  be  said  of  the  mystery  of 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  for  here  there  is 
made  no  simple  representation  of  a  past  event,  but 
the  very  same  Sacrifice  which  was  offered  on  the 
Cross  is  here  offered,  though  in  an  unbloody  man- 
ner. That  same  Body,  that  same  Blood,  that  same 
Jesus  who  then  offered  Himself  on  Calvary  now 
offers  Himself  in  the  most  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass.  "  The  work  of  our  redemption,"  says  the 
Church,  "  is  here  effected  or  continued."  Yes,  in- 
deed, in  the  Mass  is  continuously  offered  the  same 
Sacrifice  which  was  offered  on  the  Cross.  O  awful, 
solemn,  and  wonderful  work  of  God ! 

Now  tell  me  sincerely,  when  you  go  to  the  church 
to  hear  Mass,  do  you  clearly  realize  that  you  are 
approaching  Calvary,  to  be  present  at  the  death  of 
your  Redeemer  ?  If  this  truth  sank  deeply  into 
your  heart,  would  you  dare  to  enter  the  holy  place 
with  such  a  distracting  air,  or  with  such  unbecom- 
ing apparel?  If  Magdalen  had  gone  to  Calvary, 
to  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  dressed  out,  perfumed  and 
adorned,  as  in  the  time  of  her  sinful  life,  what 
would  have  been  said  of  her  ?  But  what  ought  to 
be  said,  if  you  profane  these  holy  rites  of  the  dread 
Sacrifice  with  careless  behavior  or  sacrilegious 
thoughts,  words  or  deeds  ? 

Iniquity  is  detested  by  God  at  all  times  and  in 
all  places  ;  but  the  sins  committed  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Altar  bring  down  the  signal  chastisement  of 
God,  who  says  in  Holy  Writ,  "  Cursed  be  he  who 
doth  the  work  of  the  Lord  deceitfully."  Think 
seriously  on  this,  while  I  continue  to  show  you 
other  marvels  and  glories  of  this  most  precious 
treasure. 

It  seems  to  me  impossible  for  any  religious  rite 
to  have  a  more  excellent  prerogative  than  this  we 
have  now  considered ;  but  its  eminence  is  still  more 
enhanced  by  having  for  its  priest  none  other  than 
God  Himself,  Jesus  Christ,  the  God-Man.  In  this 
great  Sacrifice  three  things  should  never  be  for- 
gotten :  the  Priest  who  offers,  the  Victim  offered, 
and  the  Majesty  of  Him  to  whom  the  offering  is 
made.  Now  reflect  on  the  wonderful  glory  of  the 
Holy  Sacrifice,  and   let  each  of   these  three  con- 


siderations be  deeply  impressed  on  your  soul.  The 
priest  who  offers  the  victim  is  the  same  Man-God 
Christ  Jesus ;  nor  is  the  sacrifice  offered  to  any 
other  than  to  God.. 

Revive  then  your  faith,  and  recognize  as  the 
celebrant  not  so  much  the  visible  priest  whom  we 
see  at  the  altar,  as  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself. 
He  is  the  primary  offerer  not  only  because  He  ha:: 
instituted  this  Holy  Sacrifice,  and  has  given  to  it  all 
its  eflEcacy,  through  His  merits,  but  also  because  in 
each  Mass  He  Himself,  for  love  of  us,  deigns  to 
change  the  bread  and  wine  into  His  Most  Holy 
Body  and  Most  Precious  Blood.  Behold,  then,  the 
grandest  privilege  of  the  Most  Holy  Sacrifice,  to 
have  for  priest,  the  God-Man ;  and  when  you  see 
the  celebrant  at  the  altar,  remember  that  his 
greatest  dignity  consists  in  being  the  minister  oi 
this  invisible  and  eternal  Priest,  our  Divine  Re- 
deemer. 

Hence  it  follows  that  the  Sacrifice  itself  cannot 
cease  to  be  agreeable  to  God,  no  matter  what  may 
be  the  unworthiness  of  the  priest  who  celebrates, 
since  the  principal  offerer  is  Christ  our  Lord,  and 
the  priest  is  merely  His  minister.  In  the  same  way 
a  person  who  gives  alms  by  the  hands  of  a  servant 
is  called  in  all  truth  the  giver,  and  even  though  his 
servant  may  be  sinful  or  wicked,  when  the  master 
is  good,  the  alms  do  not  fail  to  have  their  reward. 
Blessed  then  be  God,  who  hath  bestowed  on  us  a 
most  holy  Priest,  who  offers  to  the  Eternal  Father 
this  Divine  Sacrifice  not  only  in  every  place — as 
the  Catholic  religion  is  now  propagated  in  most 
countries  of  the  world — but  every  day,  and  even 
every  hour,  since  the  sun  rises  for  others  when  it 
sets  for  us. 

At  every  hour,  then,  of  the  day  and  night  this 
most  holy  Priest  offers  to  His  Father,  His  Blood, 
His  Soul,  and  His  entire  self  for  us.  All  this  He 
does  as  often  as  the  Holy  Sacrifice  is  celebrated  in 
the  whole  world.  O  happy  should  we  be  if  we  could 
assist  at  all  these  Masses  !  O  immense  treasure ! 
O  mine  of  inexhaustible  wealth,  thus  possessed  b}^ 
us  in  the  Church  of  God!  What  an  ocean  oi 
graces  in  this  life,  what  a  fund  of  glory  in  the  next, 
would  not  the  devout  attendance  at  this  Most  Holy 
Sacrifice  procure  for  us  ! 

But  why  do  I  use   the  word  attendance?     For 


PEARLS    FROM   THE    HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF    HOLY    MASS. 


491 


I 


those  who  hc-ar  Mass  not  only  fulfil  the  office  of 
attendants  at  it,  but  they  are  likewise  oflferers,  and 
have  a  right  to  the  title  of  priests  according  to  the 
Apocalypse.  Thou  hast  made  us  to  our  God  a  king- 
dom aiid  priests.  The  celebrant  is,  as  it  were,  the 
public  minister  of  the  Church  in  general,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  meditator  for  all  the  faithful,  and 
particularly  for  those  who  assist  at  Mass,  with  the 
invisible  Priest  who  is  Christ ;  together  with  Christ 
he  offers  to  the  Eternal  Father,  both  in  behalf  of 
all  mankind  and  of  himself,  the  great  price  of 
human  redemption. 

But  the  celebrant  is  not  alone  in  this  august 
function,  since  all  those  who  assist  at  Mass  unite 
with  him  in  offering  the  Holy  Sacrifice ;  and  there- 
fore he  turns  to  the  people  and  says.  Pray,  brethren, 
that  your  Sacrifice  and  mine  may  be  acceptable  to  God, 
in  order  that  we  may  understand  that,  although  he 
acts  the  part  of  principal  minister,  all  those  who  are 
present  make  the  great  offering  with  him. 

Hence,  when  you  assist  at  Mass,  you  perform  in 
a  certain  manner  the  office  of  priest.  Will  you, 
then,  ever  again  dare  to  hear  Mass,  sitting,  whisper- 
ing, looking  here  and  there,  perhaps  even  sleeping, 
or  will  you  content  yourself  with  reciting  some 
vocal  prayers,  and  entirely  ignoring  the  tremendous 
office  of  priest  which  you  are  exercising  ?  Alas ! 
I  cannot  refrain  from  crying  out,  "  O  dull  and 
senseless  world,  that  will  not  understand  such  sub- 
lime mysteries !  " 

How  is  it  possible  anyone  can  remain  with  a  mind 
distracted  and  a  heart  dissipated,  at  a  time  when  the 
holy  angels  fall  down  in  lowly  adoration,  trem- 
bling and  astonished  at  the  contemplation  of  such 
a  stupendous  work  of  Divine  Goodness  ? 

You  are  astonished,  perhaps,  to  hear  me  call  the 
Mass  a  stupendous  work.  But  what  tongue,  human 
or  angelic,  can  ever  describe  a  power  so  immeasur- 
able as  that  exercised  by  the  priest  at  Mass  ?  And 
who  could  have  ever  imagined  that  the  voice  of  man, 
which  of  itself  is  not  able  to  raise  a  straw  from  the 
ground,  should  be  endowed  with  a  power  so  stu- 
pendous as  to  bring  the  Son  of  God  from  heaven  to 
earth. 

This  power  far  exceeds  that  which  would  be 
required  to  move  mountains,  to  dry  up  seas,  or  to 
govern  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies — nay 


more,  it  rivals  in  a  certain  way  that  first  fiat  by 
which  God  created  all  things  out  of  nothing ;  and 
in  some  manner  it  would  seem  to  surpass  that  other 
fiat  with  which  the  Blessed  Virgin  drew  down  to 
her  bosom  the  Eternal  Word. 

The  Blessed  John  Buono,  of  Mantua,  gave  a  very 
beautiful  illustration  of  this  to  his  companion,  a 
hermit,  who  was  unable  to  imagine  how  the  words 
of  a  priest  could  be  endowed  with  such  a  tremen- 
dous power,  as  to  be  able  to  change  the  substance  of 
bread  into  the  Body  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  sub- 
stance of  wine  into  His  Blood.  This  unfortunate 
hermit  had  moreover,  unhappily,  consented  to  these 
doubts  which  the  devil  suggested.  The  holy  ser- 
vant of  God,  perceiving  the  poor  sinful  man's  error, 
led  him  to  a  fountain  from  which  he  drew  a  vessel 
of  water  and  gave  it  to  him  to  drink.  After  he  had 
drunk  he  protested  that  be  never  before,  during  his 
whole  life,  had  tasted  such  delicious  wine. 

Then  Blessed  John  Buono  said  to  him,  "  Dear 
brother,  does  not  this  convince  you  of  the  marvel- 
ous truth  of  which  you  doubt  ?  If  through  me,  a 
miserable  creature,  water  is  changed  into  wine  by 
Divine  Power,  how  much  more  ought  you  to  believe, 
that  by  virtue  of  the  words  pronounced  by  the 
priest,  which  are  the  words  of  God,  the  bread  and 
wine  are  converted  into  the  substance  of  the  Body 
and  Blood  of  Christ.  And  who  shall  dare  to  limit 
the  power  of  God  Almighty  ?  "  This  so  effectually 
enlightened  the  mind  of  the  hermit,  that,  banishing 
every  doubt  from  his  mind,  he  did  great  penance  for 
his  sins. 

Let  us  have  but  a  lively  faith,  and  it  will  con- 
vince us  that  the  unspeakable  excellences  contained 
in  this  adorable  Sacrifice  are  without  number ;  nor 
shall  we  then  be  surprised  to  see  the  miracle  re- 
peated thousands  and  thousands  of  times,  at  every 
hour,  and  in  every  place.  For  the  Sacred  Humanity 
of  Jesus  Christ  enjoys  a  sort  of  ubiquity,  not 
granted  to  other  bodies,  but  bestowed  on  Him 
through  the  merits  of  His  life  sacrificed  to  the  will 
of  His  Father. 

This  multiplied  existence  of  our  Lord  in  the 
Most  Holy  Sacrament  was  explained  to  an  un- 
believing jew  by  an  ignorant  poor  woman.  The 
Jew  was  standing  in  the  public  street  where  there 
was   a   great   crowd   and   among   them   this   poor 


492 


PEARLS    FROM   THE   HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF   HOLY    MASS. 


woman,  and  at  the  moment  a  priest  approached 
carrying  the  Blessed  Sacrament  to  a  sick  person ; 
all  the  people  knelt  and  adored  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament,  as  It  passed  ;  but  the  Jew  alone  moved 
not,  nor  showed  any  sign  of  reverence. 

This  being  seen  by  the  poor  woman,  she  cried  out 
to  the  Jew,  "  O  miserable  wretch,  why  do  you  not 
show  reverence  to  the  true  God  present  in  the  most 
holy  Sacrament  ?  "  "  What  true  God  ?  "  answered 
the  Jew ;  "  if  the  true  God  were  there  it  would  fol- 
low that  there  are  many  Gods,  as  you  say  there  is 
one  on  each  of  your  altars  during  Mass."  The 
woman  immediately  took  a  sieve  and  placing  it 
between  the  Jew's  eyes  and  the  sun,  told  him  to 
look  at  the  rays  which  shone  through  the  apertures. 

When  he  had  done  so,  she  said  to  him,  "  Tell  me 
now,  Jew,  are  there  many  suns  or  only  one  passing 
through  the  openings  in-  this  sieve?"  The  Jew 
answering  that  there  was  but  one  sun,  "Then,"  re- 
plied the  woman,  "  why  do  you  wonder  if  the 
God-Man,  veiled  in  the  Sacrament,  though  one, 
individual  and  unchanged,  should,  through  excess 
of  love  for  us,  give  Himself  really  and  truly  pres- 
ent on  different  altars  at  the  same  time  ?" 

This  simple  illustration  convinced  the  unbeliev- 
ing Jew,  and  forced  him  to  acknowledge  this  great 
truth  of  our  holy  Faith.  O  holy  Faith  !  a  single  ray 
of  thy  divine  light  is  sufficient  to  make  the  most 
illiterate  to  answer  the  captious  questions  of  the 
enemies  of  religion.  Who  shall  ever  dare  to  assign 
limits  to  the  almighty  power  of  God  ?  St.  Teresa 
had  such  a  conception  of  the  omnipotence  of  God 
that  she  used  to  say,  "  The  more  incomprehensible, 
deep  and  abtruse  the  mysteries  of  our  holy  faith  are 
to  our  understanding,  the  firmer  and  more  devoutly 
ought  we  to  believe  them." 

She  was,  indeed,  justified  in  expressing  herself 
thus,  knowing  that  God  Almighty  can  perform 
works  infinitely  greater  than  our  limited  intelli- 
gences can  comprehend.  Revive,  then,  your  faith, 
and  acknowledge  that  this  Divine  Sacrifice  is  the 
miracle  of  miracles,  the  marvel  of  marvels,  and 
that  its  greatest  excellence  consists  in  being  incom- 
prehensible to  our  limited  understandings.  Amazed 
at  such  wonderful  goodness  of  God,  never  cease  re- 
peating, "  O  inestimable  treasure  !  treasure  of  love, 
beyond  all  human  comprehension  !  " 


This  treasure  of  the  Holy  Mass  revives  our 
hopes,  and  encourages  us  to  look  for  everlasting 
glory  in  that  Paradise  which  cannot  be  lost  except 
through  our  own  folly  and  sinfulness.  If,  there- 
fore, it  is  the  duty  of  a  Christian  to  centre  his 
heart's  affections  on  our  altars,  and  to  perfume 
them  with  incense  and  flowers  of  the  sweetest  odor, 
it  is  still  more  necessary  to  honor  them  with  purity 
and  modesty,  since  they  are  the  mercy  seats  from 
which  we  derive  all  good. 

And  you,  O  priests,  join  your  hands,  and,  with 
hearts  thrilling  with  holy  love,  gratefully  thank 
the  Eternal  Father  for  having  placed  you  in  the 
sweet  necessity  of  often  offering  to  Him  this  hea- 
venly Victim ;  and,  still  more,  let  us  thank  Him 
for  the  countless  blessings  we  can  draw  from  it,  if 
we  be  but  faithful,  not  only  in  offering  it,  but  in 
offering  it  for  the  sublime  ends  for  which  He  be- 
stowed a  treasure  so  precious. 

If,  then,  you  set  little  value  on  the  most  holy 
Sacrifice,  it  is  a  certain  sign  that  you  fail  to  appre- 
ciate the  vast  gain  it  bestows  on  the  living  and  the 
dead,  on  the  just  and  sinners,  during  life  and  at  the 
hour  of  death  ;  nay,  even  after  death  itself.  Imag- 
ine, then,  you  are  the  debtor  of  the  Gospel,  who 
overwhelmed  by  the  heavy  debt  of  ten  thousand 
talents,  and  being  commanded  to  pay,  excused  him- 
self and  piteously  pleaded  for  time  to  satisfy  his 
obligations.  "  Have  patience  with  me  and  I  will 
pay  thee  all." 

This  you  should  also  do,  who  owe  not  onlj^  one 
but  many  debts  to  the  bank  of  Divine  Justice.  You 
ought  to  humble  yourself,  and  beg  as  much  time 
as  is  needed  for  hearing  Holy  Mass,  and  be  sure 
you  will  thus  fully  satisfy  all  your  obligations  and 
pay  all  your  debts  to  Divine  Justice.  The  Angelic 
Doctor  teaches  us  what  these  debts  are  which  each 
one  owes  to  God ;  they  are  specially  four,  and  each 
of  them  is  infinite. 

The  first  is  to  praise  and  honor  the  infinite 
majesty  of  God,  which  is  infinitely  worthy  of 
all  the  praise  and  honor  the  creature  can  give 
Him. 

The  second  is  to  satisfy  for  the  many  sins  com- 
mitted against  His  Infinite  Majesty. 

The  third  is  to  thank  Him  for  the  many  favors 
received  from  Him. 


PEARLS    FROM   THE   HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF   HOLY   MASS. 


493 


The  fourth  is  to  supplicate  Him  as  the  giver  of 
all  good  gifts. 

Now,  how  can  we  miserable  creatures,  who  depend 
on  God  for  the  very  air  we  breathe,  be  able  to  repay 
Him  for  debts  so  numerous  and  so  weighty  ?  Let 
me  at  once,  therefore,  show  you  the  easiest  way  of 
doing  so  ;  and  let  me  add  that  this  way  of  satisfying 
Divine  Justice  is  one  that  must  console  me  and  you 
and  the  world.  Let  us  take  care  to  attend  with  all 
possible  devotion  as  many  Masses  as  we  can  ;  and 
let  us  strive  to  have  them  celebrated  frequently  for 
our  intention  ;  and  thus  were  our  debts  as  countless 
as  the  sands  on  the  seashore,  and  as  weighty  as 
they  can  be,  there  is  not  the  least  doubt  but  that 
we  shall  be  able  to  discharge  them  all  fully  and 
adequately,  by  the  treasury  we  can  draw  from  the 
Most  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

But  in  order  that  you  may  have  a  fuller  knowl- 
edge of  each  of  these  your  debts,  we  shall  explain 
them  one  by  one ;  and  you  will  then  find  a  subject 
of  great  consolation  in  considering  the  inexhaust- 
ible wealth  you  possess  for  their  payment  in  such 
a  rich  mine,  from  which  you  can  draw  on  all  occa- 
sions when  you  assist  at  Holy  Mass. 

The  first  debt  which  we  owe  to  God  is  the  duty 
of  rendering  Him  supreme  honor.  It  is  a  precept 
of  the  natural  law  that  every  inferior  ought  to 
show  homage  to  his  superior,  and  the  greater  his 
dignity  the  greater  also  ought  to  be  the  homage 
due  to  him.  Hence  it  follows  that,  as  God  is  in- 
finitely great,  we  ought  to  return  Him  an  homage 
worthy  of  His  infinite  goodness.  But  where  can 
we  miserable  creatures  find  any  oflFering  worthy  of 
His  infinite  grandeur. 

Seek  as  you  may  among  all  the  creatures  of  the 
universe,  you  will  not  find  one  worthy  of  God.  Ah, 
no,  an  ofifering  worthy  of  God  must  be  God  Him- 
self. And  He,  who  is  seated  on  the  throne  of  His 
own  infinite  greatness.  He  it  is  who  must  descend 
and  lay  Himself  as  a  victim  on  our  altars,  in  order 
that  our  homage  may  perfectly  correspond  with  the 
eminence  of  His  infinite  majesty. 

This  is  what  takes  place  in  Holy  Mass.  Almighty 
God  is  here  honored  as  He  deserves,  because  He 
is  honored  by  God  Himself.  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Man-God,  places  Himself  as  our  Victim  on  the 
altar,  and  adores  the  Most  Holy  Trinity  with  an 


act  of  incomprehensible  submission,  such  as  no  one 
else  can  offer ;  for  all  the  offerings  of  all  creatures 
compared  to  this  self-humiliation  of  our  Divine 
Redeemer  are  as  the  feeble  glimmering  of  the  stars 
before  the  meridian  splendors  of  the  sun.  You 
wonder,  perhaps,  at  this,  but  you  are  wrong ;  for 
our  good  Jesus  is  not  only  Man,  but  true  and  om- 
nipotent God,  and  by  humbling  Himself  on  the 
altar.  He  offers  to  the  Most  Holy  Trinity  an  infinite 
homage :  so  that  we  who  unite  with  Him  in  offering 
this  great  sacrifice  are  thus  enabled  to  present  to 
God  an  homage  and  honor  which  is  also  infinite. 

O  stupendous  truth !  Let  us  repeat  it  over  and 
over  again,  since  it  can  never  be  too  deeply  en- 
graven on  our  memories  even  we,  by  hearing  Holy 
Mass  with  devotion  can  render  God  an  honor  and 
homage  that  is  infinite.  Be  now  confounded  for 
very  wonder,  reflecting  on  this  great  truth,  that  a 
soul  assisting  devoutly  at  Holy  Mass  can  give  God 
more  honor  than  that  which  all  the  Angels  and 
Saints  together  can  render  Him  with  all  their  ador- 
ations. For  after  all,  they,  like  ourselves,  are  mere 
creatures,  and  their  homage  is  therefore  limited  and 
finite,  whereas  in  the  Mass,  Jesus  humbles  Himself, 
a  humiliation  which  is  infinite  in  value  and  merit, 
and  consequently  the  homage  and  honor  which  we 
render  through  Him  in  the  Mass  is  an  homage  and 
honor  which  is  infinite. 

And  since  this  grand  truth  cannot  be  doubted, 
ought  we  not  to  congratulate  ourselves  to  be  able 
to  satisfy  this  first  debt  by  assisting  worthily  at  the 
Most  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  O  blind  world  ! 
when  will  you  open  your  eyes  to  understand  a  truth 
so  grand  and  so  important,  and  which  so  concerns 
your  welfare.  And  yet,  alas,  you  have  the  folly  to 
say,  "A  Mass  more  or  less  matters  little."  O  dread- 
ful blindness ! 

Our  second  debt  or  obligation,  by  which  we  are 
bound  towards  God,  is  to  satisfy  His  justice  for  our 
numberless  and  enormous  sins.  O  what  a  measure- 
less debt  is  this !  One  single  mortal  sin  outweighs 
in  the  scale  of  Divine  Justice  all  the  good  works  of 
all  the  Martyrs,  and  of  all  the  Saints  who  have 
ever  existed,  who  live  now,  or  who  will  live  to  the 
end  of  time.  And  yet,  by  means  of  the  Most  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  on  account  of  its  intrinsic 
value  and  holiness,  we  are  enabled  to  make  a  com- 


494 


PEARLS   FROM   THE   HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF   HOLY   MASS. 


plete  and  adequate  satisfaction  for  all  the  sins  we 
have  ever  committed. 

But  in  order  that  you  may  clearly  understand 
how  much  you  are  indebted  to  Jesus  Christ,  con- 
sider seriously  what  I  now  say  to  you.  Although 
He  is  the  very  person  who  has  been  offended  and 
outraged  by  our  sins,  yet,  not  content  with  having 
satisfied  Divine  Justice  for  us  on  Calvary,  He  has 
given  and  continuously  gives  us  the  same  means 
of  satisfying  for  our  sins,  in  the  Most  Holy  Sacri- 
fice of  the  Mass. 

For  there  is  renewed  in  the  Mass  that  offering 
which  Jesus  Christ  had  already  made  on  the  Cross 
to  the  Eternal  Father  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world ;  that  same  Divine  Blood  which  He  poured 
out  for  the  ransom  of  the  entire  human  race,  and 
the  Mass  is  thus  specially  applied  to  each  and  every 
one  of  us,  as  it  is  offered  for  the  sins  of  him  who 
celebrates  and  for  those  who  assist  at  so  tremendous 
a  sacrifice. 

But  here  I  must  not  be  understood  to  say  that 
the  Mass  by  any  means  cancels  our  sins  immediately 
by  itself,  as  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  does ;  but  it 
cancels  them  mediately  by  obtaining  for  us  various 
aids,  such  as  interior  impulses,  holy  inspirations, 
and  actual  grace,  all  of  which  conduce  to  a  true 
repentance  for  our  sins,  either  during  Mass,  or  at 
some  other  fitting  time.  For  this  reason,  no  one 
but  God  Himself,  can  know  how  many  souls  rise 
out  of  the  slough  of  sin  through  the  extraordinary 
aid  they  receive  from  the  Most  Holy  Sacrifice. 

Here  I  must  add  that  although  the  Mass  cannot 
aid  a  person  in  mortal  sin  by  way  of  propitiation^  it 
however  helps  him  by  way  of  supplication ;  hence 
all  sinners  ought  to  hear  as  many  Masses  as  pos- 
sible, in  order  that  they  may  obtain  the  grace  of 
conversion.  To  souls,  however,  who  live  in  grace, 
it  gives  a  wonderful  strength,  enabling  them  to 
remain  in  their  happy  state. 

But  you  will  now,  perhaps,  say  to  me  :  "  It  is  then 
sufficient  to  hear  one  single  Mass.  or  cause  one 
Mass  to  be  celebrated  to  get  rid  of  all  those  weighty 
debts  due  to  God  on  account  of  the  many  sins  we 
have  committed ;  because  the  Mass,  being  of  infinite 
value,  we  can  thereby  render  to  God  an  infinite 
satisfaction."  Do  not,  I  beseech  you,  make  such  a 
hasty  conclusion.    The  Mass,  it  is  true,  is  of  infinite 


value  in  itself,  but  Almighty  God  accepts  it  only 
in  a  finite  and  limited  manner,  and  in  accordance 
with  the  greater  or  less  perfection  in  the  dispositions 
of  him  who  celebrates,  for  whom  it  is  offered,  or 
who  assists  at  the  Sacrifice. 

"  Whose  faith  and  devotion  are  known  to  thee," 
says  Holy  Church,  in  the  Canon  of  the  Mass.  The 
Church  thus  teaches  us  by  these  words  of  the 
Canon  what  great  divines  hold.  "  That  the  greater 
or  less  satisfaction  applied  in  behalf  by  the  Sacrifice 
is  determined  by  the  greater  or  less  dispositions  of 
the  celebrant  or  the  assistants,"  as  already  men- 
tioned. Consider,  then,  the  folly  of  those  who  wish 
and  seek  for  quickly  celebrated  Masses  ;  and,  what 
is  worse,  assist  at  them  with  little  or  no  devotion. 
Consider  with  shame  the  culpable  indifference  of 
those  who  never  have  Masses  celebrated  for  their 
spiritual  and  temporal  welfare. 

It  is  certain,  according  to  St.  Thomas,  that  all 
sacrifices  as  sacrifices  are  equal  in  dignity ;  but 
they  are  not  equal  as  regards  the  effects  that  flow 
from  them  ;  hence  the  greater  the  actual  or  habitual 
piety  of  the  celebrant  the  greater  also  will  be  the 
fruit  of  the  application  of  the  Mass ;  so  that  to 
make  no  distinction  in  this  matter  is  to  be  indiffer- 
ent whether  the  net  you  fish  with  be  small  or  large. 
The  same  can  be  said  of  those  who  assist  at  Mass. 

Although  I  most  earnestly  exhort  you  to  hear  as 
many  Masses  as  you  can,  I  yet  feel  bound  to  say, 
that  you  must  have  more  regard  for  the  devotion 
in  hearing  than  for  the  number  heard.  If  you  have 
more  devotion  in  one  single  Mass  than  another 
man  in  fifty,  you  will  give  more  honor  to-  God  in 
that  single  Mass,  and  you  will  derive  more  benefit 
from  it,  in  the  way  called  ex  opere  operato^  than  the 
other  will  from  his  fifty.  "  In  satisfaction,"  says 
St.  Thomas,  "  the  disposition  of  the  person  offering 
is  more  regarded  than  the  quantity  of  the  oblation." 

It  is,  indeed,  true  that  (as  a  grave  author  asserts) 
in  certain  cases  one  single  Mass  heard  with  extra- 
ordinary fervor  and  devotion  may  satisfy  the  justice 
of  God  for  all  the  transgressions  of  a  great  sinner. 
And  this  is  quite  in  harmony  with  what  the  Council 
of  Trent  teaches,  namely :  "  That  in  the  offering  of 
this  Holy  Sacrifice,  God  grants  the  gift  of  repent- 
ance and  then  by  means  of  this  true  repentance  He 
pardons  sins  the  most  grave  and  enormous."     Yet, 


PEARLS   FROM   THE   HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF    HOLY    MASS. 


495 


■notwithstanding  all  this,  since  neither  the  interior 
dispositions  with  which  you  assist  at  Mass  are 
manifest  to  yourself,  nor  the  satisfaction  which 
corresponds  thereto,  you  ought  to  strive  to  hear  as 
many  Masses  as  you  can,  and  with  all  the  devotion 
possible,  that  you  may  more  surely  gain  these 
great  fruits  of  the  Most  Holy  Sacrifice. 

Blessed  shall  you  be  if  you  cherish  a  great  con- 
fidence in  the  loving  mercy  of  God,  which  shines 
forth  so  wonderfully  in  this  most  Holy  Sacrifice. 
Thrice  happy,  above  all,  shall  you  be  if  you  assist 
as  often  as  possible  with  a  lively  faith  and  devout 
recollection  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  ;  for  I  am  certain 
if  you  do  this  with  perseverence  you  may  have 
secure  hope  of  escaping  Purgatory  and  going 
straight  to  the  bosom  of  God  for  ever  in  heaven. 
Go  then  to  Mass,  go  regularly  to  Mass,  and  never 
let  such  scandalous  words  escape  you  as,  "A  Mass 
more  or  less  is  of  little  consequence." 

Our  third  debt  is  one  of  gratitude  for  the  count- 
less benefits  which  our  most  loving  God  has  be- 
stowed on  us.  Place  together  all  the  gifts  and  all 
the  graces  you  have  received  from  God ;  so  many 
gifts  of  nature  and  grace,  body,  soul,  senses,  facul- 
ties and  health,  and  life  itself;  add  to  all  these  the 
very  life  of  His  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  death 
that  He  suffered  for  love  of  us,  and  does  not  all 
this  increase  a  thousand  fold  the  debt  you  owe  to 
God?  But  how  shall  we  ever  be  sufficiently  able 
to  thank  Him  ? 

If  the  law  of  gratitude  is  observed  by  the  wild 
beasts,  whose  fierce  nature  is  often  changed  into 
gentleness  towards  their  benefactors,  how  much 
more  ought  it  not  to  be  observed  by  man,  gifted  as 
he  is  with  reason  and  so  nobly  endowed  by  the 
Divine  liberality  ?  But,  unhappily,  our  poverty  is 
so  great  that  we  have  no  means  of  making  an  ade- 
quate return  for  the  least  of  these  countless  favors  ; 
as  the  very  least  of  them,  coming  from  the  hand  of 
a  Majesty  so  grand,  and  accompanied  as  it  is  by  an 
infinite  love,  acquires  an  infinite  value  and  obliges 
us  to  an  infinite  correspondence  in  the  way  of  rev- 
erence and  love. 

O  poor  and  wretched  creatures  that  we  are  !  If 
we  cannot  repay  one  single  benefit,  how  can  we 
ever  be  able  to  pay  so  many  and  so  countless  ? 
Then  we  are  thus  placed  in  the  cruel  necessity  of 


living  and  dying,  ungrateful  to  our  Supreme  Bene- 
factor. 

But,  thank  God,  this  shall  not  be,  for  the  manner 
of  showing  our  gratitude  to  that  good  Benefactor  and 
of  fully  requiting  Him  for  all  His  favors  is  taught 
us  by  the  Royal  Prophet,  who,  led  by  Divine  inspi- 
ration, clearly  indicates  that  nothing  save  the  Holy 
Mass  can  render  due  thanks  to  God. 

"  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  His 
benefits  to  me  ?"  says  this  holy  King ;  and  then,  an- 
swering himself,  he  continues  :  "  I  will  take  the  cup 
of  salvation  "  (or,  according  to  another  version,  "  I 
will  raise  on  high  the  chalice  of  the  I/)rd,")  that  is, 
I  will  offer  a  sacrifice  most  acceptable  to  Him,  and 
with  this  alone  I  shall  satisfy  the  debt  of  so  many 
and  such  favors. 

Remember  also  that  the  Sacrifice  was  instituted 
by  our  Redeemer  principally  for  this  end,  that  is, 
to  acknowledge  the  Divine  bounty  and  as  a  thank- 
offering  to  His  goodness.  Hence  it  is  called  the 
Eucharistic  Sacrifice,  and  the  Eucharist  or  Thank- 
offering.  He  Himself  gave  us  the  example,  when 
at  the  Last  Supper  before  consecration,  in  that  first 
Mass,  He  raised  His  eyes  to  heaven,  and  gave 
thanks  to  His  heavenly  Father. 

O  divine  thanksgiving,  which  discovers  to  us  the 
sublime  end  for  which  this  tremendous  Sacrifice  was 
instituted,  and  which  invites  us  to  conform  our- 
selves to  our  Head  ;  so  that  at  every  Mass  at  which 
we  assist  we  may  know  how  to  make  good  use  of  so 
great  a  treasure,  by  offering  it  in  gratitude  to  our 
Supreme  Benefactor.  And  that  we  may  perform 
this  great  act  with  greater  zeal  and  devotion,  let  us 
always  remember  that  all  Paradi^^e,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  the  Angels  and  Saints  rejoice  when  we 
offer  this  our  tribute  of  thanks  to  so  great  a  King. 

We  read  in  the  life  of  the  Venerable  Sister 
Francesca  Farnese,  that  her  whole  life  was  troubled 
with  a  thousand  anxieties  how  she  could  return  love 
for  love  to  God.  She  often  lamented  to  see  herself 
covered  over  from  head  to  foot  with  Divine  blessings 
without  knowing  how  to  return  adequate  thanks  to 
her  Lord  for  the  least  of  these  benefits  bestowed  on 
her.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  the  Blessed  Virgin 
appeared  to  Francesca,  and  placed  the  heavenly 
Babe,  her  Divine  Son,  in  Francesca's  arms.  "  Take 
Him,"  she  said,  "  for  He  is  yours,  and  with  Him 


496 


PEARLS   FROM   THE   HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF   HOLY   MASS. 


alone  you  will  easily  discharge  all  your  obligations 
to  His  Father." 

O,  thrice  blessed  Mass,  which  places  the  Son  of 
God  not  only  in  our  arms,  but  also  in  our  heart ! 
A  little  child  has  been  given  to  us,  that  we  may  be 
able  to  do  with  Him,  Him  alone,  what  would  be 
otherwise  impossible  to  our  human  weakness,  as 
most  assuredly  with  Him  we  can  fully  and  ade- 
quately discharge  the  debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  to 
Almighty  God.  Yea,  in  the  Holy  Mass,  in  a  cer- 
tain way,  we  give  to  God  something  more  than 
what  He  has  bestowed  on  us,  not  in  reality  of 
course,  but  in  appearance ;  since  once  only  the 
Eternal  Father  has  given  us  His  Divine  Son  in  the 
Incarnation,  while  we  give  Him  back  to  Him  times 
without  number,  in  the  Most  Holy  Sacrifice. 

Thus  it  seems  we  have  the  advantage,  not  indeed 
in  the  quality  of  the  gift,  since  nothing  greater  than 
the  Son  of  God  could  have  been  given  us,  but  in 
appearance,  in  returning  to  Him  so  often  and  so 
continuously  the  self-same  Gift.  O  great  God !  O 
most  loving  God !  Would  that  we  had  tongues  in- 
finite in  number  and  power  to  return  Thee  infinite 
thanks  for  so  great  a  treasure !  If  hitherto  it  has 
lain  a  treasure  hidden  from  you,  now  that  you  have 
begun  to  know  its  surpassing  value,  can  you  fail  to 
exclaim  over  and  over  again,  "  O  treasure  of  treas- 
ures !     O  treasure  beyond  all  price  ?  " 

But  the  infinite  benefit  of  Holy  Mass  does  not 
end  here ,  for  it  enables  us  also  to  pay  the  fourth 
debt  due  to  God.  I  have  already  said  that  this 
debt  obliges  us  to  supplicate  Him  and  to  ask  new 
graces  of  Him.  You  know  full  well  that  your 
necessities  of  soul  and  body  are  grievous  and  mani- 
fold ;  and  you  feel  every  moment  of  your  existence 
how  necessary  it  is  to  have  recourse  to  Him,  as  He 
alone  is  the  chief  source,  the  beginning  and  the  end 
of  all  your  good,  whether  temporal  or  eternal.  On 
the  other  hand,  what  heart  can  you  have  to  ask  for 
His  favors,  seeing  the  utter  ingratitude  which  you 
have  shown  Him  for  the  many  graces  already  be- 
stowed on  you  ? 

Have  you  not  even  turned  the  very  graces  He 
gave  you  into  offences  against  Him  ?  But  still,  let 
not  your  heart  lose  courage  for  if  you  have  not  de- 
served these  graces  our  good  Jesus  has  deserved 
them  for  you.     In  fact,  for  this  end  He  has  become 


a  pacifying  Victim — a  supplicatory  sacrifice  to 
obtain  from  the  Eternal  Father  all  things  you  may 
require. 

In  the  Holy  Mass  our  dear  and  beloved  Jesus, 
who  is  our  great  High  Priest,  recommends  our 
cause  to  His  Father,  prays  for  us,  and  becomes 
Himself  our  Advocate.  If  we  knew  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  was  uniting  with  us  in  prayer  to  the  Eternal 
Father,  to  obtain  the  graces  we  desired,  what  con- 
fidence we  should  have  of  being  heard !  What  hope^ 
then,  what  confidence  should  we  not  have,  when  we 
know  that  in  the  Mass,  Jesus  Himself  prays  for  us, 
offers  His  most  Precious  Blood  to  the  Eternal 
Father  for  us,  and  makes  Himself  our  advocate.  O 
thrice  blessed  Mass,  thou  art  the  mine  of  all  our 
good ! 

But  we  must  dig  deeper  into  this  mine  in  order 
to  discover  more  of  the  vast  treasures  it  contains. 
O  what  priceless  gems  of  grace  and  virtue  be  there ! 
O  what  precious  gifts  the  Holy  Mass  draws  down 
from  Heaven  !  In  the  first  place  it  calls  down  all 
spiritual  graces,  all  the  goods  of  the  soul,  such  as 
true  sorrow  and  repentance  for  sin,  victory  over 
temptations,  no  matter  of  what  kind,  whether  from 
external  trials,  bad  companions,  and  the  infernal 
spirits,  or  those  arising  from  the  internal  rebellion 
of  our  fallen  nature.  Yes,  the  Holy  Mass  obtains 
for  us  all  those  aids  of  grace  which  we  need  to  rise 
from  the  mire  of  sin,  to  stand  erect,  and  to  walk 
forward  in  the  ways  of  God. 

It  likewise  brings  us  innumerable  holy  inspira- 
tions and  internal  impulses,  which  dispose  us  to 
shake  off  tepidity,  and  excite  us  to  work  out  our 
salvation  with  greater  fervor,  with  a  more  prompt 
will,  and  with  a  purer  and  more  meritorious  inten- 
tion. These  again  contain  an  inestimable  treasure, 
as  they  are  the  most  efiicacious  means  to  obtain 
from  God  the  grace  of  final  perseverance — on  which 
depends  our  eternal  salvation — and  a  moral  cer- 
tainly of  eternal  bliss,  as  much  as  that  certainty  is 
vouchsafed  to  man  during  his  mortal  pilgrimage. 

Furthermore,  it  calls  down  temporal  blessings, 
inasmuch  as  they  are  conducive  to  the  salvation  of 
the  soul ;  such  as  health  of  body,  abundance,  peace, 
and  the  exclusion  of  the  contrary  evils,  such  as 
pestilences,  earthquakes,  wars,  famines,  persecu- 
tions, hatreds,  calumnies,  and  injuries  of  every  sort. 


PEARLS   FROM   THE   HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF   HOLY   MASS. 


497 


In  a  word,  the  Holy  Mass  delivers  us  from  all  evil 
and  enriches  us  with  every  good. 

Truly,  then,  the  Mass  is  the  golden  key  of  Para- 
dise, and  since  the  Eternal  Father  has  given  us  this 
key,  which  of  all  His  boundless  treasures  can  He 
refuse  us  ?  He  that  spared  not  even  His  own  Son, 
but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,  how  hath  He  not 
also  with  Him  given  us  all  things  ? 

We  can  now  easily  understand  why  a  holy  priest 
used  to  say  :  "  No  matter  how  great  the  graces  I 
ask  of  God  for  myself  or  others,  as  often  as  I  cele- 
brate Mass,  they  are  nothing  compared  to  the  offer- 
ing I  make  Him."  He,  indeed,  reasoned  justly 
when  he  added  :  "All  the  favors  that  I  ask  of  God, 
when  celebrating  Holy  Mass,  are  created  and  finite 
things,  whereas  the  gifts  I  offer  to  Him  are  un- 
created and  infinite,  and  so  to  balance  the  account 
I  become  the  creditor  and  He  the  debtor."  This 
good  priest  by  no  means  wished  to  deny  that  the 
power  of  offering  the  gift  as  well  as  the  gift  itself 
came  first  from  God ;  but  putting  it  thus,  he  asked 
great  graces  in  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  and  received 
still  greater. 

And  you,  why  do  you  not  realize  all  this  ?  Why 
is  it  you  do  not  ask  great  graces  at  this  favorable 
time  ?  I  earnestly  advise  and  exhort  you  to  ask 
God  in  every  Mass,  the  grace  to  become  a  saint. 
Do  you  think  I  advise  you  to  ask  too  much  ?  Well, 
I  tell  you  it  is  not  too  much.  Has  not  our  good 
and  loving  Master  promised  us  in  the  Gospel  that 
for  a  cup  of  cold  water,  given  in  His  Name,  He  will 
bestow  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  ?  How,  then,  could 
He  refuse  us  a  hundred  heavens,  were  there  so 
many,  in  return  for  the  Blood  of  His  beloved  Son, 
offered  to  Him  on  the  altar  ? 

How  can  you,  therefore,  doubt  that  He  will  give 
you  every  virtue,  and  all  the  perfections  required 
to  make  you  a  saint,  and  a  great  saint  in  heaven  ? 
O  blessed  Mass  !  Let  your  heart's  desires  be  then 
multiplied  a  thousand  fold,  and  ask  as  much  as  you 
will ;  remembering  always  that  you  are  asking  of 
God,  who  cannot  grow  poor  by  giving,  and,  there- 
fore, the  more  you  ask,  the  more  will  He  give  you. 

St.  Bernard  is  emphatic  on  this  truth  :  "  More  is 

gained,"  he  says,  "  by  one  single  Mass,  than  by 

distributing  all  your  goods  to  the  poor,  or  going  on 

pilgrimages  to  all  the  most  holy  shrines  in  the 
32 


world."  O  boundless  riches  of  Holy  Mass !  Let 
this  truth  sink  deeply  into  your  heart.  By  hearing 
or  celebrating  Holy  Mass,  considered  in  itself,  and 
in  its  intrinsic  worth,  you  can  gain  more  merit 
before  God,  than  by  giving  all  your  goods  to  the 
poor,  or  by  going  as  a  pilgrim  through  the  entire 
world,  or  visiting  with  the  utmost  devotion  the 
famous  sanctuaries  of  Rome,  of  Compostella,  oi 
Loreto,  Jerusalem,  and  all  others  throughout  the 
universe. 

This  grand  truth  clearly  follows  from  the  doc- 
trine laid  down  by  St.  Thomas,  the  Angelic  Doctor, 
who  says :  "In  each  Mass  are  contained  all  the 
fruits,  all  the  graces,  yea,  all  those  immense  treas- 
ures which  the  Son  of  God  poured  out  so  abun- 
dantly upon  the  Church,  His  Spouse,  in  the  bloody 
Sacrifice  of  the  Cross."  Now,  pause  a  while  ;  close 
this  book  ;  read  no  further  at  present,  but  sum  up 
in  your  mind  all  the  wonderful  blessings  of  Holy 
Mass ;  weigh  them  well  in  silence ;  and  then  can 
you  find  any  difl&culty  in  believing  that  one  Mass 
— viewed  in  its  own  intrinsic  worth  and  value — is 
of  such  efficacy  that,  according  to  the  Doctors  of 
the  Church,  it  might  have  sufficed  to  obtain  the 
salvation  of  the  whole  human  race  ? 

Let  us  suppose  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had 
not  suffered  at  all  on  Calvary,  and  that,  instead  of 
the  bloody  Sacrifice  of  the  Cross,  he  had  solely  insti- 
tuted the  Mass  for  our  Redemption,  and  with  an  ex- 
press precept  that  it  should  be  celebrated  only  once 
in  the  entire  world.  Well,  now,  had  God  been  pleased 
to  act  thus,  that  a  single  Mass,  celebrated  by  the 
poorest  priest  on  earth,  would  suffice — considered 
in  its  intrinsic  value — to  obtain  the  conversion  of 
all  men.  Yes,  one  single  Mass — taking  the  case 
we  have  supposed — would  be  sufficient  to  convert 
all  the  Mahometans,  infidels,  schismatics,  heretics 
and  bad  Christians  throughout  the  world. 

At  the  same  time  it  would  close  the  gates  of  hell 
and  empty  purgatory  of  all  the  souls  suffering 
therein.  But,  alas,  we  unhappy  creatures,  thought- 
less children  of  Adam,  by  our  tepidity,  want  of  de- 
votion, and  perhaps  by  our  sins  and  iniquities  com- 
mitted during  Mass,  we  narrow  its  unbounded 
extent,  and  we  render  its  infinite  treasures  of  no 
value. 

Would  that  I  could  ascend  to  the  summits  of  the 


498 


PEARLS   FROM   THE   HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF   HOLY   MASS. 


highest  mountains  and  there  cry  aloud,  so  that  the 
whole  world  might  hear  me :  O  foolish  people, 
wretched  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  what  are  you 
doing  ?  Why  do  you  not  run  to  the  churches  to 
assist  at  every  Mass  celebrated  therein  ?  Why  not 
imitate  the  holy  angels,  who,  according  to  St.  Chry- 
sostom,  descend  in  legions  during  Holy  Mass  and 
stand  before  the  altar,  covered  with  wings  of  rever- 
ence and  holy  awe,  waiting  there  during  the  time 
of  the  august  Sacrifice,  in  order  to  intercede  more 
efficaciously  for  us,  well  knowing  that  this  is  the 
most  fitting  time,  the  very  moment  we  require  to 
obtain  every  blessing  from  Heaven. 

Are  you  not  now  filled  with  shame  and  confu- 
sion when  you  remember  how  little  value  you  have 
hitherto  set  on  Holy  Mass  ?  But  what  shall  I  say 
of  you  if  you  are  one  of  those  who  have  said :  a 
Mass  more,  or  a  Mass  less,  is  of  little  importance  ! 

And  before  concluding  this  instruction,  let  us 
remind  you  that  it  was  not  by  mere  accident  I  told 
you  that  one  single  Mass,  as  far  as  its  intrinsic 
value  is  concerned,  is  sufficient  to  empty  purgatory 
of  all  the  souls  who  are  being  purified  therein,  and 
to  lead  them  to  the  bosom  of  God  in  Paradise.  For 
this  Divine  Sacrifice  not  only  aids  the  souls  of  the 
dead  in  a  propitiatory  and  satisfactory  manner  for 
the  temporal  punishment  due  to  their  sins,  but  it 
also  avails  them  in  a  supplicatory  manner — that  is, 
it  obtains  for  them  their  entire  deliverance  from 
purgatory. 

Hence  the  custom  of  Holy  Church,  which  not 
only  offers  the  Mass  for  the  souls  in  purgatory  but 
prays  for  their  entire  deliverance.  In  order,  then, 
that  you  may  be  excited  to  compassion  for  these 
Holy  Souls  shut  out  for  a  time  from  the  Beatific 
Vision,  let  me  remind  you  of  the  words  of  St. 
Gregory  the  Great,  who  iu  his  Dialogues  (i.  4.  6. 
131.)  says:  "The  flames  of  purgatory  are,  as  it 
were,  the  instrument  of  Divine  Justice,  operating 
with  such  terrible  power  as  to  render  the  agony  of 
the  souls  therein  detained  insufferable.  These 
pains,"  continues  the  Saint,  "  far  exceed  all  the 
tribulations  or  martyrdoms  that  can  be  witnessed, 
felt  or  even  imagined  iu  this  life." 

But  still  more  excruciating  than  all  this  is  the 
pain  of  loss  ;  because  being  deprived  of  the  beautiful 
vision  of  God,  as  the  Angelic  Doctor  says,  "  They 


experience  an  indescribable  agony  and  a  fierce  and 
burning  thirst  to  behold  the  Supreme  Good,  all 
which  is  denied  to  their  unceasing  yearnings." 
Here,  now,  enter  into  your  own  heart  and  realize 
the  following  truth — If  you  should  at  any  time  see 
your  father  and  mother  on  the  point  of  being 
drowned,  and  if  you  could  save  them  by  merely 
stretching  out  your  hand,  would  you  not  feel  your- 
self bound  by  the  law  of  charity  and  of  justice  to 
stretch  forth  that  hand  to  rescue  them  ? 

How,  then,  can  you  behold  with  the  eyes  of  faith 
so  many  poor  souls,  perhaps  your  nearest  and 
dearest  friends,  iu  a  sea  of  fire,  and  yet  remain  so 
heartless  as  not  to  endure  the  trifling  inconvenience 
af  assisting  with  devotion  at  one  Mass  for  their 
release,  or  the  alleviation  of  their  agonies  ?  What 
an  unfeeling  heart  is  yours  !  Surely  you  cannot 
doubt  that  even  a  single  Mass  can  bring  exceeding 
great  comfort  to  these  poor  souls. 

Examples  without  end  prove  that  charity  or  holy 
compassion  for  the  poor  souls  will  redound  to  your 
own  welfare  ;  but  I  will  confine  myself  to  one  well 
authenticated  in  the  life  of  St.  Peter  Damien.  This 
holy  servant  of  God,  left  an  orphan  at  a  tender  age, 
was  taken  into  the  house  of  one  of  his  brothers  who 
treated  him  cruelly,  making  him  go  barefoot  and  iu 
rags,  and  causing  him  to  endure  the  privations  and 
sufferings  of  a  mendicant.  It  happened  that  one 
day  he  found  a  small  sum  of  money  on  the  road. 
He  seemed  to  himself  to  have  found  a  treasure. 

But  how  was  he  to  spend  it  ?  His  miserable 
state — so  poor  and  so  friendless — suggested  many 
ways  ;  but  after  thinking  the  matter  over  and  over 
again,  he  finally  resolved  to  give  it  to  a  priest  to 
celebrate  Mass  for  the  Holy  Souls  in  purgatory. 
From  that  time  forward  his  fortune  was  changed. 
He  was  adopted  by  another  brother  of  an  amiable 
disposition  who  took  him  into  his  house,  treated 
him  as  his  own  child,  clothed  him,  and  sent  him  to 
school,  whence  he  came  forth  a  great  man  and 
a  great  saint,  an  ornament  to  the  College  of  Car- 
dinals and  one  of  the  most  illustrious  pillars  of  the 
Church. 

Now  you  see  how  one  single  Mass,  obtained  at  a 
slight  personal  inconvenience,  all  the  happiness  of 
this  great  Saint  and  Doctor  of  the  Church  had  its 
origin.     O  Most  Holy  Mass!   which  at   the  same 


PEARLS   FROM   THE   HIDDEN   TREASURE   OF   HOLY    MASS. 


499 


time  assists  the  living  and  the  dead!  O  Most 
Holy  Sacrifice,  replete  with  blessings  for  time  and 
for  eternity  !  you  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  souls 
in  purgatory  are  so  grateful  to  their  benefactors 
that  when  once  in  heaven,  they  become  their  advo- 
cates. They  never  cease  to  intercede  for  their 
benefactors  until  they  see  them  in  eternal  glory. 

I  earnestly  implore  you  who  read  this  little  work 
not  to  close  it  until  you  have  made  a  firm  resolution 
of  henceforth  employing  all  possible  diligence  in 
assisting  at  Mass,  and  of  causing  as  many  Masses 
to  be  celebrated  as  your  means  permit,  not  only  for 
the  souls  in  purgatory,  but  also  for  your  own  soul, 
and  the  souls  of  your  friends  and  benefactors. 
Two  motives  should  induce  you  to  do  this :  first, 
that  you  may  obtain  the  blessing  of  a  holy  death, 
for  it  is  the  opinion  of  holy  and  learned  divines 
that  there  is  no  more  powerful  or  efficacious  means 
than  Holy  Mass  to  obtain  this  greatest  of  all  graces. 

St.  Mechtilde  is  said  to  have  heard  from  our  be- 
loved Lord  Himself,  that  whoever  during  life  has 
been  accustomed  to  hear  Mass  devoutly,  shall  in 
death  be  consoled  by  the  presence  of  the  Angels 
and  Saints  and  his  advocates,  who  shall  safely  de- 
fend him  from  all  the  assaults  of  the  infernal  fiends. 
O  what  a  happy  and  holy  death  shall  you  have,  if 
during  life  you  shall  have  endeavored  to  hear  Mass 
as  often  as  possible  ! 

The  second  motive  is,  that  you  yourself  may  ob- 
tain a  speedy  release  from  purgatory,  and  wing  your 
way  to  eternal  glory,  since  there  is  no  surer  means 
of  receiving  from  God  a  grace  so  precious  as  that  of 
going  direct  to  heaven,  or  at  least  with  a  short 
purgatory,  than  Indulgences  and  the  Most  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  The  Popes  have  drawn 
largely  on  the  treasures  of  the  Church  to  aid  the 
Holy  souls  by  the  many  Indulgences  they  have 
granted  for  them. 

And  as  to  the  efficacy  of  the  Holy  Mass  in 
hastening  their  deliverance  from  pugatory,  this  is 


already  sufficiently  proved  in  what  I  have  already 
said.  But,  if  you  need  anything  more  on  this  sub- 
ject, the  example  and  the  authority  of  the  great 
servant  of  God,  John  of  Avila,  the  oracle  of  Spain, 
ought  to  suffice.  Being  asked  in  his  last  hours,  on 
his  death-bed,  what  he  most  earnestly  wished  to  be 
done  for  him  after  death,  he  answered,  "  Masses, 
Masses." 

And  now  before  dismissing  this  matter,  allow  me 
to  give  you  a  counsel  of  great  moment.  Try  to  get 
all  the  Masses  which  you  would  wish  to  have  cele- 
brated for  you  after  your  death  offered  now  whilst 
you  have  life  and  strength.  Do  not  trust  to  those 
who  may  survive  you  for  the  fulfilment  of  this  duty. 
I  am  the  more  anxious  to  impress  this  on  you,  as 
St.  Anselm  holds  that  one  Mass  heard  or  celebrated 
for  you  during  life  may,  perhaps,  be  more  meri- 
torious than  a  thousand  celebrated  after  your  death. 

This  truth  was  understood  well  by  a  wealthy 
Genoese  merchant,  who  at  his  death  left  nothing 
for  his  own  soul.  Every  one  was  astonished  that 
a  man  so  rich,  so  pious  and  so  generous  to  all  could 
have  been  so  cruel  to  himself  at  the  hour  of  death. 
But  after  his  burial  there  was  found  a  record  in  one 
of  his  diaries  of  what  he  had  done  for  his  soul 
during  life.  I  here  copy  some  of  the  entries : 
"  Masses  caused  to  be  celebrated  for  my  soul,  two 
thousand  lire ;  for  the  marriage  of  poor  girls,  ten 
thousand  ;  for  such  and  such  a  holy  sanctuary,  two 
hundred  ;  "  and  so  on. 

At  the  end  of  this  book  he  wrote :  "  He  who 
wishes  to  do  good,  let  him  do  it  during  life ;  nor 
trust  to  those  who  may  survive  him."  A  very  trite 
old  proverb  teaches  us  "  That  a  taper  before  gives 
more  light  than  a  torch  behind."  Weigh  seriously 
the  excellence  of  Holy  Mass,  and  you  will  hence- 
forth be  astonished  at  the  blindness  in  which  you 
lived  till  now,  having  disregarded  a  treasure  so 
great,  so  immense,  and  which  was,  indeed,  for  you 
a  "  Hidden  Treasure." 


The  Reunion  of  Christendom. 

POPE    LEO    XIIL 

TO  THE  RULERS  AND    NATIONS    OF  THE  WORLD: 
Health  and  Peace  in  the  Lord. 


HE  splendid  tokens  of  public  rejoicing 
which  have  come  to  us  from  all  sides 
in  the  whole  course  of  last  year,  to 
commemorate  our  Episcopal  Jubilee, 
and  which  were  lately  crowned  by  the 
remarkable  devotion  of  the  Spanish 
nation,  have  afforded  us  special  joy, 
inasmuch  as  the  unity  of  the  Church  and  the 
admirable  adhesion  of  her  members  to  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff  have  shone  forth  in  this  perfect  agreement 
of  concurring  sentiments.  During  those  days  it 
seemed  as  if  the  Catholic  world,  forgetful  of  every- 
thing else,  had  centred  its  gaze  and  all  its  thoughts 
upon  the  Vatican. 

The  Pope's  Jubilee,  and  Unity  Amongst 
Catholics. 

The  special  missions  sent  by  kings  and  princes, 
the  many  pilgrimages,  the  letters  we  received  so 
full  of  affectionate  feeling,  the  sacred  services — 
everything  clearly  brought  out  the  fact  that  all 
Catholics  are  of  one  mind  and  of  one  heart  in  their 
veneration  for  the  Apostolic  See.  And  this  was  all 
the  more  pleasing  and  agreeable  to  us,  that  it  is 
entirely  in  conformity  with  our  intent  and  with  our 
endeavors.  For,  indeed,  well  acquainted  with  our 
times,  and  mindful  of  the  duties  of  our  ministry,  we 
have  constantly  sought  during  the  whole  course  of 
our  Pontificate,  and  striven,  as  far  as  it  was  possible, 
by  teaching  and  action,  to  bind  every  nation  and 
people  more  closely  to  us,  and  make  manifest 
everywhere  the  salutary  influence  of  the  See  of 
Rome. 

Therefore,  do  we  most  earnestly  offer  thanks  in 
the  first  place  to  the  goodness  of  God,  by  Whose 
help  and  bounty  we  have  been  preserved  to  attain 
our  great  age ;  and  then,  next,  to  all  the  princes 
and  rulers,  to  the  Bishops  and  clergy,  and  to  as 
600 


many  as  have  co-operated  by  such  repeated  tokens 
of  piety  and  reverence,  to  honor  our  character  and 
office,  while  affording  us  personally  such  seasonable 
consolation. 

A  Great  Multitude  Outside  Catholic  Unity. 

A  great  deal,  however,  has  been  wanting  to  the 
entire  fulness  of  that  consolation.  Amidst  these 
very  manifestations  of  public  joy  and  reverence  our 
thoughts  went  out  towards  the  immense  multitude 
of  those  who  were  strangers  to  the  gladness  that  filled 
all  Catholic  hearts  :  some  because  they  lie  in  abso- 
lute ignorance  of  the  Gospel ;  others  because  they 
dissent  from  the  Catholic  belief,  though  they  bear 
the  name  of  Christians. 

This  thought  has  been,  and  is,  a  source  of  deep 
concern  to  us  ;  for  it  is  impossible  to  think  of  such 
a  large  portion  of  mankind,  deviating,  as  it  were, 
from  the  right  path,  as  they  move  away  from  us, 
and  not  experience  a  sentiment  of  innermost  grief. 

The  Holy  Father's  Concern  for  Those  Outside 
Catholic  Unity. 

But  since  we  hold  upon  this  earth  the  place  of 
God  Almighty,  Who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved 
and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  now 
that  our  advanced  age  and  the  bitterness  of  anxious 
cares  urge  us  on  towards  the  end  common  to  every 
mortal,  we  feel  drawn  to  follow  the  example  of  our 
Redeemer  and  Master  Jesus  Christ,  Who,  when 
about  to  return  to  Heaven,  implored  of  God,  His 
Father,  in  earnest  prayer,  that  His  disciples  and 
followers  should  be  of  one  mind  and  of  one  heart : 
"  I  pray  .  .  .  that  they  all  may  be  one,  as  Thou 
Father  in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee :  that  they  also  may 
be  one  in  lis." 

And  as  this  Divine  prayer  and  supplication  does 
not   include  only  the  souls  who  then  believed   in 


THE   REUNION   OF   CHRISTENDOM. 


501 


Jesus  Christ,  but  also  every  one  of  those  who  were 
henceforth  to  believe  in  Him,  this  prayer  holds  out 
to  us  no  indifferent  reason  for  coniidently  expressing 
our  hopes,  and  for  making  all  possible  endeavors, 
in  order  that  the  men  of  every  race  and  clime 
should  be  called  and  moved  to  embrace  the  unity  of 
Divine  faith. 

The  Most  Unfortunate  of  all  Nations. 

Pressed  on  to  our  intent  by  charity,  that  hastens 
fastest  there  where  the  need  is  greatest,  we  direct 
our  first  thoughts  to  those  most  unfortunate  of  all 
nations  who  have  never  received  the  light  of  the 
Gospel,  or  who,  after  having  possessed  it,  have  lost 
it  through  neglect  or  the  vicissitudes  of  time ;  hence 
do  they  ignore  God,  and  live  in  the  depths  of  error. 
Now,  as  all  salvation  comes  from  Jesus  Christ — 
"  for  there  is  no  other  name  under  Heaven  given  to 
men  whereby  we  must  be  saved  " — our  ardent  de- 
sire is  that  the  most  holy  name  of  Jesus  should 
rapidly  pervade  and  fill  every  land. 

And  here,  indeed,  is  a  duty  which  the  Church, 
faithful  to  the  Divine  mission  entrusted  to  her,  has 
never  neglected.  What  has  been  the  object  of  her 
labors  for  more  than  nineteen  centuries  ?  Is  there 
any  other  work  she  has  undertaken  with  greater 
zeal  and  constancy,  than  that  of  bringing  the 
nations  of  the  earth  to  the  truth  and  principles  of 
Christianity?  To-day,  as  ever,  by  our  authority, 
the  heralds  of  the  Gospel  constantly  cross  the  seas 
to  reach  the  farthest  corners  of  the  earth ;  and  we 
pray  God  daily  that  in  His  goodness  He  may  deign 
to  increase  the  number  of  His  ministers  who  are 
really  worthy  of  this  Apostolate,  and  who  are  ready 
to  sacrifice  their  convenience,  their  health,  and  their 
very  life,  if  need  be,  in  order  to  extend  the  frontiers 
of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

Ah,  but  Thou,  above  all.  Saviour  and  Father  of 
mankind,  Christ  Jesus,  hasten  and  do  not  delay  to 
bring  about  what  Thou  didst  once  promise  to  do — 
that  when  lifted  up  from  the  earth  Thou  wouldst 
draw  all  things  to  Thyself.  Come,  then,  at  last, 
and  manifest  Thyself  to  the  immense  multitude  of 
souls  who  have  not  felt,  as  yet,  the  ineffable  bless- 
ings which  Thou  hast  earned  for  men  with  Thy 
blood  ;  rouse  those  who  are  sitting  in  darkness,  and 
in  the  shadow  of  death,  that,  enlightened  by  the 


rays  of  Thy  wisdom  and  virtue,  in  Thee  and  by 
Thee,  "  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one." 

Former  Unity  Amongst  Civilized  Nations. 

As  we  consider  the  mystery  of  this  unity  we  see 
before  us  all  the  countries  which  have  long  since 
passed,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  from  timeworn  error 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  Gospel.  Nor  could  we,  indeed, 
recall  anything  more  pleasing  or  better  calculated 
to  extol  the  work  of  Divine  Providence,  than  the 
memory  of  the  days  of  yore,  when  the  Faith  that 
had  come  down  from  Heaven  was  looked  upon  as 
the  common  inheritance  of  one  and  all ;  when  civil- 
ized nations,  separated  by  distance,  character,  and 
habits,  in  spite  of  frequent  disagreements  and  war- 
fare on  other  points,  were  united  by  Christian  faith 
in  all  that  concerned  religion. 

The  recollection  of  that  time  causes  us  to  regret 
all  the  more  deeply  that,  as  the  ages  rolled  by,  the 
waves  of  suspicion  and  hatred  arose,  and  great  and 
flourishing  nations  were  dragged  away,  in  an  evil 
hour,  from  the  bosom  of  the  Roman  Church.  In 
spite  of  that,  however,  we  trust  in  the  mercy  of 
God"s  Almighty  power,  in  Him  who  alone  can  fix 
the  hour  of  His  benefits  and  Who  has  power  to 
incline  man's  will  as  He  pleases ;  and  we  turn  to 
those  same  nations,  exhorting  and  beseeching  them 
with  fatherly  love  to  put  an  end  to  their  dissensions 
and  return  again  to  unity. 

The  Eastern  Churches. 

First  of  all,  then,  we  cast  an  affectionate'  look 
upon  the  East,  from  whence  in  the  beginning  came 
forth  the  salvation  of  the  world.  Yes,  and  the 
yearning  desire  of  our  heart  bids  us  conceive  the 
hope  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant,  when  the 
Eastern  Churches,  so  illustrious  in  their  ancient 
faith  and  glorious  past  will  return  to  the  fold  they 
have  abandoned.  We  hope  it,  all  the  more,  that 
the  distance  separating  them  from  us  is  not  so  great : 
nay,  with  some  few  exceptions,  we  agree  so  entirely 
on  other  heads  that  in  defence  of  the  Catholic  faith, 
we  often  have  recourse  to  reasons  and  testimony 
borrowed  from  the  teaching,  the  rites,  and  customs 
of  the  East. 

The  principal  subject  of  contention  is  the  primacy 
of  the  Roman  Pontiff.     But  let  them  look  back  to 


50*2 


THE   REUNION    OF   CHRISTENDOM. 


the  early  years  of  their  existence,  let  them  consider 
the  sentiments  entertained  by  their  forefathers,  and 
examine  what  the  oldest  traditions  testify,  and  it 
will,  indeed,  become  evident  to  them  that  Christ's 
Divine  utterance,  "  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  My  Church,"  has  undoubtedly 
been  realized  in  the  Roman  Pontiffs.  Many  of  these 
latter,  in  the  first  ages  of  the  Church  were  chosen 
from  the  East,  and  foremost  among  them,  Anacletus, 
Evaristus,  Anicetus,  Eleutherius,  Zosimus,  and 
Agatho ;  and  of  these  a  great  number,  after  govern- 
ing the  Church  in  wisdom  and  sanctity,  consecrated 
their  ministry  with  the  shedding  of  their  blood. 

The  time,  the  reasons,  the  promoters  of  the  un- 
fortunate division,  are  well  known.  Before  the  day 
when  man  separated  what  God  had  joined  together, 
the  name  of  the  Apostolic  See  was  held  in  reverence 
by  all  the  nations  of  the  Christian  world ;  and  the 
East,  like  the  West,  agreed  without  hesitation  in  its 
obedience  to  the  Pontiff  of  Rome,  as  the  legitimate 
successor  of  St.  Peter,  and,  therefore,  the  Vicar  of 
Christ  here  on  earth. 

And,  accordingly,  if  we  refer  to  the  beginning  of 
the  dissension,  we  shall  see  that  Photius  himself 
was  careful  to  send  his  advocates  to  Rome  on  the 
matters  that  concerned  him  ;  and  Pope  Nicholas  I. 
sent  his  legates  to  Constantinople  from  the  Eternal 
City,  without  the  slightest  opposition,  "  in  order  to 
examine  the  case  of  Ignatius  the  Patriarch  with  all 
diligence,  and  to  bring  back  to  the  Apostolic  See  a 
full  and  accurate  report ;  "  so  that  the  history  of  the 
whole  negotiation  is  a  manifest  confirmation  of  the 
primacy  of  the  Roman  See  with  which  the  dissen- 
sion then  began.  Finally,  in  two  great  Councils, 
the  second  of  Lyons  and  that  of  Florence,  Latins 
and  Greeks,  as  is  notorious,  easily  agreed,  and  all 
unanimously  proclaimed  as  dogma  the  supreme 
power  of  the  Roman  Pontiffs. 

Appeal  to  the  Easterns. 

We  have  recalled  these  things  intentionally,  for 
they  constitute  an  invitation  to  peace  and  reconcilia- 
tion ;  and  with  all  the  more  reason  that  in  our  own 
days  it  would  seem  as  if  there  were  a  more  con- 
ciliatory spirit  towards  Catholics  on  the  part  of  the 
Eastern  Churches,  and  even  some  degree  of  kindly 
feeling.     To  mention  an  instance,  those  sentiments 


were  lately  made  manifest  when  some  of  our  Faith- 
ful travelled  to  the  East  on  a  holy  enterprise,  and 
received  so  many  proofs  of  courtesy  and  goodwill. 

Therefore,  "  Our  mouth  is  open  to  you,"  to  you 
all  of  Greek  or  other  Oriental  Rites  who  are  sep- 
arated from  the  Catholic  Church.  We  earnestly 
desire  that  each  and  every  one  of  you  should  medi- 
tate upon  the  words,  so  full  of  gravity  and  love, 
addressed  by  Bessarion  to  your  forefathers  :  "  What 
answer  shall  we  give  to  God  when  He  comes  to  ask 
why  we  have  separated  from  our  brethren  :  to  Him 
Who,  to  unite  us  and  bring  us  into  one  fold,  came 
down  from  Heaven,  was  incarnate,  and  was  cru- 
cified ?  What  will  our  defence  be  in  the  eyes  of 
posterity  ?  Oh,  my  venerable  Fathers,  we  must 
not  suffer  this  to  be,  we  must  not  entertain  this 
thought,  we  must  not  thus  so  ill  provide  for  our- 
selves and  for  our  brethren." 

'  Weigh  carefully  in  your  minds  and  before  God 
the  nature  of  our  request.  It  is  not  for  any  human 
motive,  but  impelled  by  Divine  charity  and  a  desire 
for  the  salvation  of  all,  that  we  advise  the  recon- 
ciliation and  union  with  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  and 
we  mean  a  perfect  and  complete  union,  such  as 
could  not  subsist  in  any  way  if  nothing  else  were 
brought  about  but  a  certain  kind  of  agreement  in 
the  tenets  of  belief  and  an  intercourse  of  fraternal 
love.  The  true  union  between  Christians  is  that 
which  Jesus  Christ,  the  Author  of  the  Church,  in- 
stituted and  desired,  and  which  consists  in  a  unity 
of  faith  and  a  unity  of  government. 

Nor  is  there  any  reason  for  you  to  fear  on  that 
account,  that  we  or  any  of  our  successors  will  ever 
diminish  your  rights,  the  privileges  of  your  patri- 
archs, or  the  established  ritual  of  any  one  of  your 
churches.  It  has  been,  and  always  will  be,  the  in- 
tent and  tradition  of  the  Apostolic  See  to  make  a 
large  allowance,  in  all  that  is  right  and  good,  for 
the  primitive  traditions  and  special  customs  of 
every  nation.  On  the  contrary,  if  you  re-establish 
union  with  us,  you  will  see  how,  by  God's  bounty, 
the  glory  and  dignity  of  your  Churches  will  be  i^e- 
markably  increased. 

May  God,  then,  in  his  goodness,  hear  the  prayer 
that  you  yourselves  address  to  Him :  "  Make  the 
schisms  of  the  Churches  cease,"  and  "  Assemble 
those  who  are  dispersed,  bring  back  those  who  err. 


THE    RP:UNI0N   of   CHRISTENDOM. 


503 


and  unite  them  to  Thy  Holy  Catholic  and  Apos- 
tolic Church."  May  you  thus  return  to  that  one 
Holy  Faith  which  has  been  handed  down  both  to 
us  and  to  you  from  time  immemorial ;  which  your 
forefathers  preserved  untainted,  and  which  was  en- 
hanced by  the  rival  splendor  of  the  virtues,  the 
great  genius  and  the  sublime  learning  of  St.  Atha- 
nasius  and  St.  Basil,  St.  Gregory  of  Nazianzum 
and  St.  John  Chrysostom,  the  two  Saints  who  bore 
the  name  of  Cyril,  and  so  many  other  great  men 
whose  glory  belongs  as  a  common  inheritance  to 
the  East  and  to  the  West. 

Appeal  to  the  Slavs. 

Suffer  that  we  should  address  you  more  particu- 
arly,  nations  of  the  Slavonic  race,  you  whose  glor- 
ious name  and  deeds  are  attested  by  many  an 
ancient  record.  You  know  full  well  how  much  the 
Slavs  are  indebted  to  the  merits  of  St.  Cyril  and 
St.  Methodius,  to  whose  memory  we  ourselves 
rendered  due  honor  only  a  few  years  ago.  Their 
virtues  and  their  labors  were  to  great  numbers 
of  your  race  the  source  of  civilization  and  sal- 
vation. 

And  hence  the  admirable  interchange  which  ex- 
isted for  so  long  between  the  Slavonic  nations  and 
the  Pontiffs  of  Rome,  of  favors  on  the  one  side  and 
of  filial  devotion  on  the  other.  If  in  unhappy  times 
many  of  your  forefathers  were  separated  from  the 
Faith  of  Rome,  consider  now  what  priceless  benefits 
a  return  of  unity  would  bring  to  you.  The  Church 
is  anxious  to  welcome  you  also  to  her  arms,  that 
she  may  give  you  manifold  aids  to  salvation,  pros- 
perity and  grandeur. 

Nations  More  Recently  Separated. 

With  no  less  affection  do  we  now  look  upon  the 
nations  who,  at  a  more  recent  date,  were  separated 
from  the  Roman  Church  by  an  extraordinary  revo- 
lution of  things  and  circumstances.  Let  them 
forget  the  various  events  of  times  gone  by,  let  them 
raise  their  thoughts  far  above  all  that  is  human, 
and  seeking  onl)'  truth  and  salvation,  reflect  within 
their  hearts  upon  the  Church  as  it  was  constituted 
by  Christ. 

If  they  will  but  compare  that  Church  with  their 
own  communions,  and  consider  what  the  actual  state 


of  religion  is  in  these,  they  will  easily  acknowledge 
that,  forgetful  of  their  early  history,  they  have 
drifted  away,  on  many  and  important  points,  into 
the  novelty  of  various  errors ;  nor  will  they  deny 
that  of  what  may  be  called  the  patrimony  of  truth,  . 
which  the  authors  of  those  innovations  carried 
away  with  them  in  their  desertion,  there  now 
scarcely  remains  to  them  any  article  of  belief  that 
is  really  certain  and  supported  by  authority. 

Driftings  into  Various  Errors. 

Nay,  more,  things  have  already  come  to  such  a 
pass  that  many  do  not  even  hesitate  to  root  up  the 
very  foundation  upon  which  alone  rests  all  religion, 
and  the  hope  of  men,  to  wit,  the  Divine  nature  of 
Jesus  Christ,  our  Saviour.  And  again,  whereas 
formerly  they  used  to  assert  that  the  books  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testament  were  written  under  the 
inspiration  of  God,  they  now  deny  them  that 
authority;  this,  indeed,  was  an  inevitable  con- 
sequence when  they  granted  to  all  the  right  of 
private  interpretation.  Hence,  too,  the  acceptance 
of  individual  conscience  as  the  sole  guide  and  rule 
of  conduct  to  the  exclusion  of  any  other ;  hence 
those  conflicting  opinions  and  numerous  sects  that 
fall  away  so  often  into  the  doctrines  of  Naturalism 
and  Rationalism. 

Therefore  is  it,  that  having  lost  all  hope  of  an 
agreement  in  their  persuasions,  they  now  proclaim 
and  recommend  a  union  of  brotherly  love.  And 
rightly  too,  no  doubt,  for  we  should  all  be  united 
by  the  bond  of  mutual  charity.  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  enjoined  it  most  emphatically,  and  wished 
that  this  love  of  one  another  should  be  the  mark  of 
His  disciples.  But  how  can  hearts  be  united  in 
perfect  charity  where  minds  do  not  agree  in  faith  ? 

Catholic  Unity  the  Sure  Way  of  Salvation. 

It  is  on  this  account  that  many  of  those  we 
allude  to,  men  of  sound  judgment  and  seekers  after 
truth,  have  looked  to  the  Catholic  Church  for  the 
sure  way  of  salvation ;  for  they  clearly  understood 
that  they  could  never  be  united  to  Jesus  Christ  as 
their  head  if  they  were  not  members  of  His  body, 
which  is  the  Church  ;  nor  really  acquire  the  true 
Christian  faith  if  they  rejected  the  legitimate  teach- 
ing confided  to  Peter  and  his  successors. 


504 


THE   REUNION   OF   CHRISTENDOM. 


Such  men  as  these  have  recognized  in  the  Church 
of  Rome  the  form  and  image  of  the  true  Church, 
which  is  clearly  made  manifest  by  the  marks  that 
God,  her  Author,  placed  upon  her ;  and  not  a  few 
who  were  possessed  with  penetrating  judgment  and 
a  special  talent  for  historical  research,  have  shown 
forth  in  their  remarkable  writings  the  uninterrupted 
successions  of  the  Church  of  Rome  from  the 
Apostles,  the  integrity  of  her  doctrine,  and  the  con- 
sistency of  her  rule  and  discipline. 

With  the  example  of  such  men  before  you,  our 
heart  appeals  to  you  even  more  than  our  words  :  to 
you,  our  brethren,  who  for  three  centuries  and 
more  differ  from  us  on  Christian  faith  ;  and  to  you 
all  likewise  who  in  later  times,  for  any  reason 
whatsoever,  have  turned  away  from  us :  "  Let  us 
all  meet  into  the  unity  of  faith  and  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Son  of  God."  Suffer  that  we  should 
invite  you  to  the  unity  which  has  ever  existed  in 
the  Catholic  Church  and  can  never  fail ;  suffer 
that  we  should  lovingly  hold  out  our  hand  to  you. 
The  Church,  as  the  common  mother  of  all,  has  long 
been  calling  you  back  to  her ;  the  Catholics  of  the 
world  await  you  with  brotherly  love,  that  you  may 
render  holy  worship  to  God  together  with  us,  united 
in  perfect  charity  by  the  profession  of  one  Gospel, 
one  faith,  and  one  hope. 

Exhortations  to  Catholics. 

To  complete  the  harmony  of  this  most  desired 
unity,  it  remains  for  us  to  address  all  those  through- 
out the  world  whose  salvation  has  long  been  the 
object  of  our  thoughts  and  watchful  cares :  we  mean 
Catholics,  whom  the  profession  of  the  Roman  faith, 
while  it  renders  them  obedient  to  the  Apostolic  See, 
preserves  in  union  with  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  no 
need  to  exhort  them  to  true  and  holy  unity,  since 
through  the  Divine  goodness  they  already  possess 
it ;  nevertheless,  they  must  be  admonished,  lest 
under  pressure  of  the  growing  perils  on  all  sides 
around  them,  through  negligence  or  indolence  they 
should  lose  this  great  blessing  of  God. 

For  this  purpose,  let  them  take  their  rule  of 
thought  and  action,  as  the  occasion  may  require, 
from  those  instructions  which  at  other  times  we  have 
addressed  to  Catholic  peoples  either  collectively  or 
iudividually ;  and  above  all,  let  them  lay  down  for 


themselves  as  a  supreme  law,  to  yield  obedience  in 
all  things  to  the  teaching  and  authority  of  the 
Church,  in  no  narrow  or  mistrustful  spirit,  but  with 
their  whole  soul  and  all  promptitude  of  will. 

On  this  account  let  them  consider  how  injurious 
to  Christian  unity  is  that  error,  which  in  various 
forms  of  opinion  has  oftentimes  obscured,  nay, 
even  destroyed,  the  true  character  and  idea  of  the 
Church.  For  by  the  will  and  ordinance  of  God,  its 
Founder,  it  is  a  society  perfect  in  its  kind,  whose 
office  and  mission  it  is  to  school  mankind  in  the 
precepts  and  teachings  of  the  Gospel,  and  by  safe- 
guarding the  integrity  of  moral  and  the  exercise  of 
Christian  virtue,  to  lead  men  to  that  happiness 
which  is  held  out  to  everyone  in  Heaven. 

And  since  it  is,  as  we  have  said,  a  perfect  society, 
therefore  is  it  endowed  with  a  living  power  and  effi- 
cacy which  is  not  derived  from  any  external  source, 
but  in  virtue  of  the  ordinance  of  God  and  its  own 
constitution,  inherent  in  its  very  nature;  for  the 
same  reason  it  has  an  inborn  power  of  making  laws, 
and  justice  requires  that  in  its  exercise  it  should 
be  dependent  on  no  one;  it  must  likewise  have 
freedom  in  other  matters  appertaining  to  its  rights. 

But  this  freedom  is  not  of  a  kind  to  occasion 
rivalry  or  envy,  for  the  Church  does  not  covet 
power,  nor  is  she  urged  on  by  any  selfish  desire ; 
but  this  one  thing  she  does  wish,  this  only  does 
she  seek,  to  preserve  amongst  men  the  duties  which 
virtue  imposes,  and  by  this  means  and  in  this  way 
to  provide  for  their  everlasting  welfare.  Therefore 
is  she  wont  to  be  yielding  and  indulgent  as  a 
mother ;  yea,  it  not  unfrequently  happens  that,  in 
making  large  concessions  to  the  exigencies  of 
States,  she  refrains  from  the  exercise  of  her  own 
rights,  as  the  compacts  often  concluded  with  civil 
governments  abundantly  testify. 

The  Church  and  the  Civil  Power  are  Distinct. 

Nothing  is  more  foreign  to  her  disposition  than 
to  encroach  on  the  rights  of  civil  power  ;  but  the 
civil  power,  in  its  turn,  must  respect  the  rights  of 
the  Church,  and  beware  of  arrogating  them  in  any 
degree  to  itself.  Now,  what  is  the  ruling  spirit  of 
the  times  when  actual  events  and  circumstances  are 
taken  into  account  ?  No  other  than  this :  it  has 
been  the  fashion  to  regard  the  Church  with  suspi. 


THE   REUNION   OF   CHRISTENDOM. 


505 


cion,  to  despise  and  hate,  and  spitefully  calumniate 
her;  and,  more  intolerable  still,  men  strive  with 
might  and  main  to  bring  her  under  the  sway  of 
civil  governments. 

Hence  it  is  that  her  property  has  been  plun- 
dered and  her  liberty  curtailed ;  hence,  again,  that 
the  training  of  her  priesthood  has  been  beset  with 
difficulties ;  that  laws  of  exceptional  rigor  have 
been  passed  against  her  clergy ;  that  Religious 
Orders,  those  excellent  safeguards  of  Christianity, 
have  been  suppressed  and  placed  under  a  ban ; 
in  a  word,  the  principles  and  practice  of  the  re- 
galists  have  been  revived  with  increased  viru- 
lence. 

Such  a  policy  is  a  violation  of  the  most  sacred 
rights  of  the  Church,  and  it  breeds  enormous  evils 
to  States,  for  the  very  reason  that  it  is  in  open  con- 
flict with  the  purposes  of  God.  When  God,  in  His 
most  wise  providence,  placed  over  human  society 
both  temporal  and  spiritual  authority.  He  intended 
them  to  remain  distinct  indeed,  but  by  no  means 
disconnected  and  at  war  with  each  other.  On  the 
contrary,  both  the  will  of  God  and  the  common 
weal  of  human  society  imperatively  require  that 
the  civil  power  should  be  in  accord  with  the  ecclesi- 
astical in  its  rule  and  administration. 

Hence  the  State  has  its  oawh  peculiar  rights  and 
duties,  the  Church  likewise  has  hers ;  but  it  is 
necessary  that  each  should  be  united  with  the  other 
in  the  bonds  of  concord.  Thus  will  it  come  about 
that  the  close  mutual  relations  of  Church  and  State 
will  be  freed  from  the  present  turmoil,  which  for 
manifold  reasons  is  ill-advised  and  most  distressing 
to  all  well-disposed  persons  ;  furthermore,  it  will  be 
brought  to  pass,  that  without  confusion  or  separa- 
tion of  the  peculiar  interests  of  each,  the  people 
will  "  render  to  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's, 
and  to  God  the  things  that  are  God's." 

The  Evils  of  Freemasonry. 

There  is  likewise  a  great  danger  threatening 
unity  on  the  part  of  that  association  which  goes  by 
the  name  of  the  Society  of  Freemasons,  whose  fatal 
influence  for  a  long  time  past  oppresses  Catholic 
nations  in  particular.  Favored  by  the  agitations  of 
the  times,  and  waxing  insolent  in  its  power,  and 
resources,  and  success,  it  strains  every  nerve  to  con- 


solidate its  sway  and  enlarge  its  sphere.  It  has 
already  sallied  forth  from  its  hiding  places,  where  it 
hatched  its  plots,  into  the  throng  of  cities,  and  as  if 
to  defy  the  Almighty,  has  set  up  its  throne  in  this 
very  city  of  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  Catholic 
world. 

But  what  is  most  disastrous  is,  that  wherever  it 
has  set  its  foot  it  penetrates  into  all  ranks  and  de- 
partments of  the  Commonwealth,  in  the  hope  of 
obtaining  at  last  supreme  control.  This  is,  indeed, 
a  great  calamity :  for  its  depraved  principles  and 
iniquitous  designs  are  well  known.  Under  the  pre- 
tence of  vindicating  the  rights  of  man  and  of  recon- 
stituting society,  it  attacks  Christianity ;  it  rejects 
revealed  doctrine,  denounces  practices  of  piety,  the 
Divine  Sacraments,  and  every  sacred  thing  as 
superstition ;  it  strives  to  eliminate  the  Christian 
character  from  marriage,  and  the  family,  and  the 
education  of  youth,  and  from  every  form  of  instruc- 
tion whether  public  or  private,  and  to  root  out  from 
the  minds  of  men  all  respect  for  authority,  whether 
human  or  Divine. 

On  its  own  part,  it  preaches  the  worship  of  nature, 
and  maintains  that  by  the  principles  of  nature  are 
truth,  and  probity,  and  justice  to  be  measured  and 
regulated.  In  this  way,  as  is  quite  evident,  man  is 
being  driven  to  adopt  customs  and  habits  of  life 
akin  to  those  of  the  heathen,  only  more  corrupt 
in  proportion  as  the  incentives  to  sin  are  more 
numerous. 

Although  we  have  spoken  on  this  subject  in  the 
strongest  terms  before,  yet  we  are  led  by  our 
Apostolic  watchfulness  to  urge  it  once  more,  and  we 
repeat  our  warning  again  and  again,  that  in  face  of 
such  an  eminent  peril,  no  precaution,  howsoever 
great,  can  be  looked  upon  as  suflScient.  May  God 
in  His  mercy  bring  to  naught  their  impious  designs ; 
nevertheless,  let  all  Christians  know  and  under- 
stand that  the  shameful  yoke  of  Freemasonry  must 
be  shaken  ofi"  once  and  for  all ;  and  let  them  be  the 
first  to  shake  it  off  who  are  most  galled  by  its 
oppression — the  men  of  Italy  and  of  France.  With 
what  weapons  and  by  what  method  this  may  best 
be  done  we  ourselves  have  already  pointed  out :  the 
victory  cannot  be  doubtful  to  those  who  trust  in 
that  leader,  whose  Divine  words  still  remain  in  all 
their  force  :  "  I  have  overcome  the  world." 


606 


THE   REUNION   OF   CHRISTENDOM. 


Benefits  of  Unity. 

Were  this  twofold  danger  averted  and  govern- 
ments and  states  restored  to  the  unity  of  faith,  it  is 
wonderful  what  efficacious  remedies  for  evils  and 
abundant  store  of  benefits  would  ensue.  We  will 
touch  upon  the  principal  ones. 

The  first  regards  the  dignity  and  office  of  the 
Church.  She  would  receive  that  honor  which  is 
her  due,  and  she  would  go  on  her  way,  free  from 
envy  and  strong  in  her  liberty,  as  the  minister  of 
Gospel  truth  and  grace  to  the  notable  welfare  of 
states.  For  as  she  has  been  given  by  God  as  a 
teacher  and  guide  to  the  human  race,  she  can  con- 
tribute assistance  which  is  peculiarly  adapted  to 
direct  even  the  most  radical  transformations  of  time, 
to  the  common  good,  to  happily  solve  the  most  com- 
plicated questions,  and  to  promote  uprightness  and 
justice,  which  are  the  most  solid  foundations  of  the 
Commonwealth. 

Unity  of  Faith  Brings  Peace  Amongst  Nations. 

Moreover,  there  would  be  a  marked  increase  of 
union  among  the  nations,  a  thing  most  desirable  at 
this  time  to  ward  off  the  horrors  of  war. 

We  behold  the  condition  of  Europe.  For  many 
years  past  peace  has  been  rather  an  appearance 
than  a  reality.  Possessed  with  mutual  suspicions, 
almost  all  the  nations  are  vying  with  one  another 
in  equipping  themselves  with  military  armaments. 
Inexperienced  youths  are  removed  from  parental 
direction  and  control,  to  be  thrown  amid  the  dan- 
gers of  the  soldier's  life ;  robust  young  men  are 
taken  from  agriculture  or  ennobling  studies,  or 
trade,  or  the  arts,  to  be  put  under  arms. 

Hence,  the  treasuries  of  States  are  exhausted  by 
the  enormous  expenditure,  the  national  resources 
are  frittered  away,  and  private  fortunes  impaired  ; 
and  this,  as  it  were,  armed  peace,  which  now  pre- 
vails, cannot  last  much  longer.  Can  this  be  the 
normal  condition  of  human  society  ?  Yet  we  can- 
not escape  from  this  situation  and  obtain  true  peace 
except  by  the  aid  of  Jesus  Christ.  For  to  repress 
ambition  and  covetousness  and  envy — the  chief  in- 
stigators of  war — nothing  is  more  fitted  than  the 
Christian  virtues,  and,  in  particular,  the  virtue  of 
justice  ;  for,  by  its  exercise,  both  the  law  of  nations 
and  the  faith  of  treaties  may  be  maintained  invio- 


late, and  the  bonds  of  brotherhood  continue  un- 
broken, if  men  are  but  convinced  that  "  Justice 
exalteth  a  nation." 

Christian  Virtues  a  Guarantee  of  the  Common 

Weal. 

As  in  its  external  relations,  so  in  the  internal 
life  of  the  state  itself,  the  Christian  virtues  will 
provide  a  guarantee  of  the  common  weal  much 
more  sure  and  stronger  far  than  any  which  laws  or 
armies  can  afford.  For  there  is  no  one  who  does 
not  see  that  the  dangers  to  public  security  and 
order  are  daily  on  the  increase,  since  seditious  so- 
cieties continue  to  conspire  for  the  overthrow  and 
ruin  of  states,  as  the  frequency  of  their  atrocious 
outrages  testifies. 

There  are  two  questions,  forsooth — the  one  called 
the  social,  the  other  the  political  question — -which 
are  discussed  with  the  greatest  vehemence.  Both 
of  them,  without  doubt,  are  of  the  last  importance, 
and  though  praiseworthy  efforts  have  been  put 
forth,  in  studies  and  measures  and  experiments,  for 
their  wise  and  just  solution,  yet  nothing  could  con- 
tribute more  to  this  purpose  than  that  the  minds  of 
men  in  general  should  be  imbued  with  right  senti- 
ments of  duty  from  the  internal  principle  of  Chris- 
tian faith.  We  treated  expressly  of  the  social 
question  in  this  sense,  a  short  time  ago,  from  the 
standpoint  of  principles  drawn  from  the  Gospel 
and  natural  reason. 

The  Political  Question. 

As  regards  the  political  question,  which  aims  at 
reconciling  liberty  with  authority  —  two  things 
which  many  confound  in  theory  and  separate  too 
widely  in  practice — most  efficient  aid  may  be  de- 
rived from  Christian  philosophy.  For,  when  this 
point  has  been  settled  and  recognized  by  common 
agreement,  that  whatsoever  the  form  of  govern- 
ment the  authority  is  from  God,  reason  at  once 
perceives  that  in  some  there  is  a  legitimate  right  to 
command,  in  others  the  corresponding  duty  to  obey, 
and  that  without  prejudice  to  their  dignity,  since 
obedience  is  rendered  to  God  rather  than  to  man ; 
and  God  has  denounced  the  most  rigorous  judg- 
ment against  those  in  authority  if  they  fail  to  rep- 
resent Him  with  uprightness  and  justice. 


THE    REUNION    OF   CHRISTENDOM. 


507 


Then  the  liberty  of  the  individual  can  afford 
ground  of  suspicion  or  envy  to  no  one ,  since, 
without  injury  to  any,  his  conduct  will  be  guided 
by  truth  and  rectitude  and  whatever  is  allied  to 
public  order.  Lastly,  if  it  be  considered  what  in- 
fluence is  possessed  by  the  Church,  the  mother  of 
and  peacemaker  between  rulers  and  peoples,  whose 
mission  it  is  to  help  them  both  with  her  authority 
and  counsel,  then  it  will  be  most  manifest  how 
much  it  concerns  the  common  weal,  that  all  nations 
should  resolve  to  unite  in  the  same  belief  and  the 
same  profession  of  the  Christian  faith. 

A  New  Order  of  Things  Would  Arise  from  Unity. 

With  these  thoughts  in  our  mind  and  ardent 
yearnings  in  our  heart,  we  see  from  afar  what  would 
be  the  new  order  of  things  that  would  arise  upon 
the  earth,  and  nothing  could  be  sweeter  to  us  than 
the  contemplation  of  the  benefits  that  would  flow 
from  it.  It  can  hardly  be  imagined  what  imme- 
diate and  rapid  progress  would  be  made  all  over  the 
earth,  in  all  manner  of  greatness  and  prosperity, 
with  the  establishment  of  tranquillity  and  peace, 
the  promotion  of  studies,  the  founding  and  the 
multiplying  on  Christian  lines  according  to  our 
directions,  of  associations  for  the  cultivators  of  the 
soil,  for  workmen  and  tradesmen,  through  whose 
agency  rapacious  usury  would  be  put  down,  and  a 
large  field  opened  up  for  useful  labors. 

Unity  Would   Bring   Blessings  to   Uncivilized 

Nations. 

And  these  abundant  benefits  would  not  be  con- 
fined within  the  limits  of  civilized  nations,  but  like 
an  overcharged  river,  would  flow  far  and  wide.  It 
must  be  remembered,  as  we  observed  at  the  outset, 
that  an  immense  number  of  races  have  been  waiting, 
all  through  the  long  ages,  to  receive  the  light  of 
truth  and  civilization. 

Most  certainly,  the  councils  of  God  with  regard 
to  the  eternal  salvation  of  peoples  are  far  removed 
above  the  understanding  of  man ;  yet  if  miserable 
superstition  still  prevails  in  so  many  parts  of  the 
world,  the  blame  must  be  attributed  in  no  small 
measure  to  religious  dissensions.  For  as  far  as  it 
is  given  to  human  reason  to  judge  from  the  nature 
of  events,  this  seems  without  doubt  to  be  the  mis- 


sion assigned  by  God  to  Europe,  to  go  on  by  de- 
grees carrying  Christian  civilization  to  every  por- 
tion of  the  earth. 

The  beginnings  and  first  growth  of  this  great 
work,  which  sprang  from  the  labors  of  former  cen- 
turies, were  rapidly  receiving  large  development, 
when  all  of  a  sudden  the  discord  of  the  sixteenth 
century  broke  out.  Christendom  was  torn  with 
quarrels  and  dissensions,  Europe  exhausted  with 
contests  and  wars,  and  the  sacred  missions  felt  the 
baneful  influence  of  the  times.  While  the  causes 
of  dissension  still  remain,  what  wonder  is  it  that  so 
large  a  portion  of  mankind  is  held  enthralled  with 
barbarous  customs  and  insane  rites  ? 

All  Should  Labor  for  Unity, 

Let  us  one  and  all,  then,  for  the  sake  of  the 
common  welfare,  labor  with  equal  assiduity  to 
restore  the  ancient  concord.  In  order  to  bring 
about  this  concord,  and  spread  abroad  the  benefits 
of  the  Christian  revelation,  the  present  is  the  most 
seasonable  time ;  for  never  before  have  the  senti- 
ments of  human  brotherhood  penetrated  so  deeply 
into  the  souls  of  men,  and  never  in  any  age  has 
man  been  seen  to  seek  out  his  fellow-men  more 
eagerly,  in  order  to  know  them  better  and  to  help 
them.  Immense  tracts  of  land  and  sea  are  traversed 
with  incredible  rapidity,  and  thus  extraordinary 
advantages  are  afforded,  not  only  for  commerce  and 
scientific  investigations,  but  also  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  Word  of  God  from  the  rising  of  the  sun 
to  the  going  down  of  the  same. 

We  are  well  aware  of  the  long  labors  involved  in 
the  restoration  of  that  order  of  things  which  we 
desire  ;  and  it  may  be  that  there  are  those  who  con- 
sider that  we  are  far  too  sanguine  and  look  for 
things  that  are  rather  to  be  wished  for  than  ex- 
pected. But  we  unhesitatingly  place  all  our  hope 
and  confidence  in  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  Jesus 
Christ,  well  remembering  what  great  things  have 
been  achieved  in  times  past  by  the  folly  of  the 
Cross  and  its  preaching,  to  the  astonishment  and 
confusion  of  the  "  wisdom  of  this  world." 

We  beg  of  princes  and  rulers  of  states,  appealing 
to  their  statesmanship  and  earnest  solicitude  for  the 
people,  to  weigh  our  counsels  in  the  balance  of 
truth  and  second  them  with   their  authority  and 


508 


THE    REUNION   OF   CHRISTENDOM. 


favor.  If  only  a  portion  of  the  looked  for  results 
should  come  about,  it  will  prove  no  inconsiderable 
boon  in  the  general  decadence,  when  the  intolerable 
evils  of  the  present  day  bring  with  them  the  dread 
of  further  evils  in  days  to  come. 

The  last  years  of  the  past  century  left  Europe 
worn  out  with  disasters,  and  panic-stricken  with  the 
turmoils  of  revolution.  And  why  should  not  our 
present  century,  which  is  now  hastening  to  its  close, 
by  a  reversion  of  circumstances  bequeath  to  mankind 
the  pledges  of  concord,  with   the  prospect  of  the 


great  benefits  which  are  bound  up  in  the  unity  of 
the  Christian  faith  ? 

May  God,  Who  "  is  rich  in  mercy,  and  in  Whose 
power  are  the  times  and  moments,"  grant  our  wishes 
and  desires,  and  in  His  great  goodness  hasten  the 
fulfilment  of  that  Divine  promise  of  Jesus  Christ : 
"There  will  be  one  Fold  and  one  Shepherd." 

Given  at  Rome,  at  St.  Peter's,  on  the  20th  day  of 
June,  1894,  in  the  seventeenth  year  of  our  Pontifi- 
cate. 

POPE  LEO  XIII. 


MARY   AND    HER    DIVINE    mC       SON,    IN    CHRISTIAN   ART. 


J 


THE    SACRED    HEART. 

SHORT   MEDITATIONS   FOR  JUNE. 

BY   RICHARD   F.   CLARKE,   S.J. 


ist  Day. — The  Claims  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus. 

1.  The  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  calls  for  our  devo- 
tion more  than  all  other  symbols  of  His  love.  It  is 
not  only  the  symbol  of  His  love,  it  is  the  very 
source  of  that  love.  It  is  itself  an  unfathomable 
ocean  of  love  which  can  never  be  exhausted.  When 
the  spear  had  drawn  forth  from  it  the  mingled 
blood  and  water,  there  still  remained  the  love  with 
which  it  loved  us  and  will  love  us  to  the  end.  From 
the  first  moment  of  the  Incarnation  to  all  eternity 
it  has  loved  us  and  will  love  us  with  an  unceasing 
love. 

2.  The  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  though  a  true 
human  heart,  is,  nevertheless,  at  the  same  time,  the 
Heart  of  God.  As  such  it  calls  for  that  supreme 
homage  that  is  due  to  God  alone.  This  is  true  of 
every  part  of  our  Lord's  Body,  and  of  His  Heart,  if 
it  were  possible,  even  more  than  of  the  rest,  inas- 
much as  it  is  the  organ  of  that  love  which  is  the 
central  attribute  of  God.  To  the  Sacred  Heart  of 
Jesus  I  will  cry  :  "  My  God  and  my  Lord !  Behold 
how  He  loved  me  !  " 

3.  It  has  been  sometimes  said  that  our  Lord  died 
of  a  broken  heart,  and  in  one  sense  it  is  true.  Such 
a  love  as  His  burst  through  all  the  bonds  of  flesh. 
It  was  the  yearning  love  of  His  Heart  over  sinners, 
and  the  anguish  at  the  thought  of  how  many  would 
reject  that  love,  which  caused  Him  to  shed  His 
Heart's  Blood  for  those  whom  He  thus  loved.  St. 
Francis  used  to  say :  "  My  Love  was  crucified !  " 
and  in  imitation  of  him  we  will  say  :  "  My  Love 
had  His  Heart  pierced  with  love  of  me." 

2d  Day. — The  Love  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
for  Man. 

I.  The  world  has  never  witnessed  such  love  as 
the  love  of  the  Sacred  Heart  for  fallen  man.  The 
tenderest,  fondest  earthly  love  fades  away  and  be- 


comes as  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  love 
of  Jesus.  It  combines  in  itself  the  love  of  the 
most  devoted  friend,  of  the  most  affectionate 
brother,  of  the  lover  for  his  beloved,  of  the  mother 
for  her  darling  son.  Every  form  of  love  is  united 
in  the  yearning  love  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus. 

2.  There  never  was  a  love  so  patient,  so  much 
enduring,  as  the  love  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus. 
It  waits  uncomplainingly  until  we  choose  to  return 
our  feeble  love  for  all  its  love  to  us.  It  puts  up 
with  neglect,  coldness,  nay,  even  outrage  and  insult. 
Any  earthly  friend  or  lover,  nay,  even  the  fond 
mother,  would  long  ago  have  been  repelled  by  such 
treatment  as  He  receives  from  ungrateful  man. 
But  not  so  Jesus.  "  Can  a  woman  forget  her  in- 
fant," He  asks,  "  so  as  not  to  have  pity  on  the  son 
of  her  womb  ?  Even  if  she  should  forget,  yet  will 
I  not  forget  thee." 

3.  The  love  of  Jesus  is  a  love  which  shows  itself 
in  deeds.  He  delights  to  pour  out  the  treasures 
of  His  mercy  on  men,  even  on  the  ungrateful  and 
on  His  enemies,  and  how  much  more  on  those  who 
return  Him  love  for  love  ?  For  them  there  is  no 
end  to  His  gifts  of  love.  Every  day,  every  hour, 
some  fresh  favor  and  benefit,  and  all  these  only 
preliminary  to  the  eternal  reward  He  has  prepared 
for  them  in  Heaven.  How  generous  He  has  been 
to  me,  and  what  have  I  been  in  return  ? 

3d  Day. — The  Characteristics  of  the  Love  of  the 
Sacred  Heart. 

How  does  the  love  of  the  Sacred  Heart  differ 
from  the  love  God  bears  us  ?  Does  it  add  anything 
to  the  Divine  Love  entertained  for  us  by  our  Father 
in  Heaven  ?  Yes,  it  has  certain  characteristics  im- 
possible to  the  uncreated  nature  of  the  Infinite  God. 

I.  It  is  a  human  love.  It  is  the  Heart  of  One 
who  is  really  and  truly  man.  Hence  the  love  of 
His  Heart  is  that  of  a  heart  that  beats  with  pulsa- 

509 


510 


THE   SACRED    HEART. 


tions  like  ours.  It  has  all  that  belongs  to  human 
love  raised  to  an  almost  impossible  intensity  by 
reason  of  the  Divinity  to  which  it  is  joined.  What 
confidence  ought  we  to  have  in  Christ,  our  Brother, 
whose  love  for  us  is  human  as  well  as  Divine ! 

2  It  is  a  seiisible  love.  Just  as  we  see  through 
our  eyes,  and  hear  through  our  ears,  so  we  love 
through  our  hearts.  The  heart  is  the  organ  of  love. 
It  feels  affection  and  is  physically  influenced  by  it. 
It  has  strong  emotions,  and  now  rejoices,  now  sor- 
rows. He  is  touched  with  the  feelings  of  our  poor 
infirmities.  Human  joy  and  sorrow  thrilled  through 
His  Sacred  Heart  while  He  was  on  earth.  His 
Heart  still  rejoices  over  His  children,  and  still  mys- 
tically sorrows  for  their  sins. 

3.  It  is  a  love  of  sympathy.  The  Sacred  Heart 
has  itself  experienced  all  that  we  suffer.  Each 
misery  has  its  echo  there.  Jesus  not  only  under- 
stands all  our  troubles,  but  each  has  been  felt  by 
Him  in  His  own  person.  What  a  relief  to  have 
One  who  always  has  for  us  unlimited  sympathy! 

4th  Day. — The  Sacred  Heart  formed  in  Mary's 

Womb. 

1.  Time  was  when  there  was  no  Heart  of  Jesus 
burning  with  love  for  men.  God  loved  men,  pitied 
them,  perfectly  understood  human  treachery  and 
human  misery,  but  not  from  personal  experience  of 
it.  Before  Jesus  came,  mankind  were  hurrying 
down  to  hell.  Reflect  on  the  hopeless  condition  of 
the  heathen  world,  and  thank  God  from  your  heart 
that  you  did  not  live  then.  Would  you  not  have 
been  among  the  worst  ? 

2.  But  God  had  long  looked  down  with  pity  on 
the  earth's  darkness.  The  Word  was  made  flesli, 
and  in  taking  to  Himself  flesh  He  necessarily  took 
a  human  heart,  glowing  with  love  for  every  child 
of  Adam,  sorrowing  with  their  sorrows,  moved  by 
their  distress,  rejoicing  in  their  happiness,  craving 
for  their  love,  wounded  by  their  unkindness.  It 
was  from  the  first  moment  of  the  Incarnation,  when 
Mary  conceived  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus  first  began  to  throb  with  unspeak- 
able love  for  fallen  man. 

3.  In  that  first  instant  of  its  existence  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus,  in  virtue  of  the  Divine  personality 
to  which  it  was  inseparably  united,  embraced  in  its 


Divine  compassion  all  the  sorrows  of  men  as  long 
as  the  world  should  last.  My  troubles  and  sorrows 
were  not  overlooked.  From  that  time  until  the 
end,  the  Sacred  Heart  has  been  sympathizing,  and 
will  continue  to  sympathize,  with  all  that  gives  me 
joy  or  sorrow.    O  wondrous  love  of  God  made  man! 

5th  Day.— The  First  Adorers  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. 

1.  When  the  Angel's  message  came  to  Mary,  and 
she  had  accepted  the  Divine  decree,  she  became 
conscious  of  the  presence  in  her  womb  of  the  In- 
carnate God,  in  whose  Sacred  Heart  was  centred 
His  love  for  fallen  man.  What  was  her  prevailing 
sentiment  in  contemplating  this  mystery  of  Divine 
compassion  ?  We  know  it  from  her  own  words. 
She  desired  that  her  heart  should  humbly  co-op- 
erate with  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  that  she,  in 
the  lowly  capacity  of  His  handmaid,  should  be  al- 
lowed to  take  her  share  in  the  work  He  had  come 
to  do. 

2.  There  was  another  present  who  joined  with 
Mary  in  her  submission,  in  her  gladness,  in  the 
union  of  her  will  with  God's.  Gabriel,  before  he 
departed  from  her,  humbly  adored  his  Incarnate 
God,  doing  reverence  to  that  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus, 
and  rejoicing  in  the  Divine  decree  that  was  to  be 
the  means  of  filling  up  the  places  in  Heaven  of 
those  who  had  fallen  from  their  high  estate. 

3.  A  few  days  passed,  and  the  Sacred  Heart  of 
Jesus  received  from  another  the  testimony  of  his 
recognition  and  his  joy.  St.  John  Baptist  mani- 
fested his  love  for  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus.  The 
unborn  infant  in  Elizabeth's  womb  leaped  with  de- 
light within  his  mother's  womb,  and  received  from 
the  Sacred  Heart  the  gift  of  being  freed  from  the 
stain  of  sin  and  clad  in  the  robe  of  justice.  To  me, 
too,  the  Sacred  Heart  offers  the  same  happiness,  it 
only  I  choose  to  avail  myself  of  it ! 

6th  Day. — The  Earliest  Pulsations  of  the 
Sacred  Heart. 

I.  What  was  the  first  thought  that  flashed 
through  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  ?  Naught  else 
than  an  act  of  complete  and  absolute  submission  to 
the  holy  will  of  God :  "  Lo,  I  come  to  do  Thy  will, 
O  my  God,"  and  a  joy  in  the  prospect  of  living  for 


THE   SACRED    HEART. 


511 


no  other  end  than  this  :  "  I  am  content  to  do  it ;  yea, 
Thy  law  is  within  my  heart."  Here  is  the  founda- 
tion of  all  holiness — perfect  conformity  to  the 
Divine  will.  Yet  how  rare  it  is !  How  sadly  want- 
ing in  my  sinful  heart ! 

2.  What  was  the  second  thought  following  close 
on  this,  and,  in  a  manner,  one  with  it  ?  It  was  an 
acceptance  of  the  special  work  God  had  sent  Him 
to  do.  God  sent  His  Son  into  the  world  that  the 
world  through  Him  might  be  saved.  He  received 
with  joy  the  task  of  the  world's  redemption,  though 
He  knew  full  well  all  it  would  cost  Him.  I  shall 
never  tread  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus  until  I  learn 
by  the  sacrifice  of  myself  to  imitate  His  Sacred 
Heart. 

3.  The  will  of  God  thus  recognized,  the  Sacred 
Heart  conceived  at  once  an  intense  love  for  each 
and  all  of  those  whom  He  had  come  to  redeem. 
They  were  entrusted  to  Him  by  His  Eternal 
Father ;  they  were  His  brethren,  flesh  of  His  flesh, 
and  bone  of  His  bone,  and  His  Heart  went  out 
towards  them  with  the  yearning  of  an  intense  affec- 
tion. He  yearned  for  the  happiness  and  salva- 
tion of  each  with  a  Divine  longing.  He  yearned 
then,  and  yearns  now,  for  my  happiness.  Courage, 
then,  faint  heart,  and  think  of  the  love  of  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  for  thee ! 

7th  Day. — The  Sacred  Heart  at  Bethlehem. 

1.  Mary,  when  about  to  bring  forth  her  first  born 
Son,  could  find  no  shelter  at  Bethlehem,  and  had  to 
take  refuge  in  the  cave  which  served  as  a  stable  for 
the  oxen.  Meanwhile,  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus 
was  experiencing,  even  before  His  birth,  the  sort  of 
treatment  that  He  was  to  receive  all  His  life  long. 
"  He  came  to  His  own,  and  His  own  received  Him 
not."  It  is  the  same  now :  He  begs  for  admittance 
now  as  then.  Mary  and  Joseph  are  still  His  faith- 
ful companions  ;  but  Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph  still 
ask  in  vain  for  admittance.  O  my  Jesus  !  have  I 
ever  refused  to  open  when  Thou  hast  called  by  the 
secret  whisper  of  Thy  grace  ? 

2.  While  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  is  grieved  by 
the  discourtesy  of  the  inhabitants  of  Bethlehem, 
He  is  grieved,  too,  by  the  thought  of  the  misery 
which  is  to  come  upon  them  when  Herod  murders 
all   the   children   in   Bethlehem   and   the  country 


around,  and  He  destines  for  them  a  rich  reward. 
So  now  He  grieves  with  every  bereaved  mother,  with 
every  suflFering  child,  and  delights  to  carry  the  little 
ones  in  His  arms  to  Heaven. 

3.  In  the  stable  Christ  is  born,  and  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus  becomes  the  centre  of  worship  for  the 
faithful  souls  who  gather  round  the  manger.  The 
shepherds  come  to  adore  the  new  born  Infant :  His 
Heart  rejoices  in  their  simplicity.  The  Magi  come 
from  afar  with  their  triple  offerings,  and  He  blesses 
them  and  raises  them  to  a  higher  than  earthly 
royalty.  Above  all,  Joseph  and  Mary  kneel  before 
their  Son  and  their  God.  His  Heart  basks  in  their 
burning  love.  I  will  fancy  myself  kneeling  there 
and  offering  myself  to  Jesus. 

8th  Day. — The  Sacred  Heart  at  Nazareth. 

1.  Look  into  the  little  cottage  at  Nazareth,  and 
behold  the  fairest  of  all  the  children  of  men  nest- 
ling on  His  Holy  Mother's  breast.  How  those  two 
Hearts  beat  in  perfect  unison  !  Mary's  Immaculate 
Heart  receiving  from  the  Heart  of  Jesus  a  stream 
of  grace  that  flowed  on  continually  without  let  or 
obstacle.  Jesus,  in  turn,  rejoicing  with  unspeakable 
joy  at  the  only  heart  that  satisfied  His  longings  and 
fulfilled  His  hopes.  O  that  my  heart  were,  in  this, 
more  like  Mary's ! 

2.  Look  at  the  humble  workshop  attached  to  the 
cottage  at  Nazareth,  and  see  Jesus  in  His  early 
youth,  working  under  Joseph's  direction.  He  is  just 
at  the  age  when  boys  begin  to  assert  their  liberty  and 
independence ;  and  who  had  more  right  to  liberty 
and  independence  than  the  King  of  Heaven  and 
earth?  Yet  Jesus  is  subject  to  Joseph  with  blind 
obedience.  His  Heart  is  in  love  with  subjection  ;  it 
is  a  joy  to  the  Creator  to  obey  one  of  His  creatures- 
Shall  He  not  love  subjection  after  such  an  example  ? 

3.  Look  once  again  at  Jesus  amid  the  children  of 
His  own  age.  Sometimes  He  is  talking  to  them, 
and  they  listen,  spell-bound,  to  the  words  of  the 
carpenter's  Son.  Sometimes  He  is  taking  the  lead 
in  their  innocent  games.  But  most  often  He  is  con- 
soling them  in  trouble,  encouraging  the  down 
hearted.  He  is  always  thinking  of  others,  minister- 
ing to  others,  making  others  happy.  How  unselfish 
even  in  childhood  !  how  kind,  thoughtful !  O  that 
I  were  more  like  Him  in  this  ! 


512 


THE   SACRED    HEART. 


gth  Day. — Sacred  Heart  During  the  Public  Life. 

1.  In  the  Public  Ministry  of  our  Lord  the  won- 
derful attractiveness  of  the  Sacred  Heart  cannot 
fail  to  strike  even  the  surface  reader  of  the  Gospels. 
He  drew  all  men  to  Him  and  made  them  forget  all 
else.  A  crowd  of  seven  thousand  followed  Him 
into  the  desert,  and  preferred  to  faint  with  hunger 
rather  than  leave  Him.  A  woman,  who  was  a  sinner, 
braved  the  taunts  and  jeers  of  the  guests  at  a  ban- 
quet to  throw  herself  at  His  Feet.  For  those  who 
have  good  will  Jesus  has  the  same  attractiveness 
now.  I  may  test  my  good  will  by  seeing  whether 
I  am  drawn  to  Him. 

2.  What  was  the  secret  of  this  attractiveness  ? 
It  was  not  His  Divine  beauty,  or  His  eloquence,  or 
His  majesty  of  mien.  It  was  His  overflowing, 
unbounded  love,  manifesting  itself  in  every  word. 
All  men  of  good  will  who  listened  to  Him  could 
not  help  saying,  "  He  loves  me  fondly,  tenderly, 
and  the  one  desire  of  His  Heart  is  to  lead  me  to 
better  things,  to  save  me  from  my  miseries."  It  is 
just  the  same  now.  His  Sacred  Heart  still  yearns 
over  me,  and  desires  to  raise  me  to  better  things. 

3.  Yet  He  was  not  attractive  to  all.  Some  He 
repelled,  they  were  ill  at  ease  in  His  presence  and 
longed  to  get  rid  of  Him.  They  had  a  positive 
aversion  for  Him  and  were  afraid  of  Him.  Who 
were  these  ?  They  were  the  men  of  bad  will.  The 
self-sufficient,  the  self-willed,  the  lovers  of  sin. 
There  is  nothing  that  so  destroys  the  attractiveness 
of  Jesus  as  any  sin  loved  and  indulged.  Is  there 
any  such  in  me  ? 

loth  Day.— The  Sacred  Heart  Among  the 
Apostles. 

I.  If  our  Blessed  Lord  poured  forth  the  treasures 
of  His  Sacred  Heart  upon  all  among  whom  He 
dwelt.  His  twelve  Apostles  received  a  share  corre- 
sponding to  the  place  of  privilege  that  they  occu- 
pied. In  the  prayer  He  offered  to  His  Eternal 
Father  before  His  Passion  they  occupy  a  special 
place :  "  Holy  Father,  keep  them  in  Thy  name,  for 
Thou  hast  given  them  Me ;  that  they  may  be  one 
even  as  We  are  one."  The  Sacred  Heart  yearned 
over  them,  I,  too,  am  bound  to  Christ  by  the  won- 
derful graces  He  has  given  me.  He  means  me,  too, 
in  my  sphere  to  be  an  Apostle  of  His  Sacred  Heart. 


What  a  happiness  for  me,  and  what  a  claim  on  His 
love! 

2.  We  observe,  too,  our  Lord's  exceeding  patience 
with  the  Apostles.  They  were  selfish,  narrow,  per- 
verse, incredulous.  Yet  how  He  forbore  with  them ! 
With  what  unspeakable  gentleness  He  put  up  with 
all  their  faults  !  Never  a  harsh  word  or  angry  look. 
I  must  try  and  copy  the  Sacred  Heart  in  this,  when 
others  try  my  temper  by  their  perverseness  or  their 
dullness.  I  must  be  gentle  with  them  for  Jesus' 
sake. 

3.  The  Apostles  enjoyed  the  inestimable  privi- 
lege of  being  for  three  years  the  constant  com- 
panions of  Jesus.  Yet  at  the  Last  Supper  He 
speaks  as  if  He  were  indebted  to  them  for  their 
society :  "  Ye  are  they  that  have  continued  with  Me 
in  My  temptations,  and  I  dispose  to  you,  as  My 
Father  disposed  to  Me,  a  kingdom."  So  Christ, 
our  Lord,  will  one  day  thank  us  for  our  poor  ser- 
vices, and  treat  us  as  if  He  were  indebted  to  us. 
Christ  my  debtor  for  His  love  to  me !  Yet  it  is  a 
fact  of  the  Divine  love. 

iith  Day. — ^The  Dignity  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

1.  The  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  though  a  true 
human  heart,  is  not  yet  the  heart  of  any  human 
person.  His  human  nature  subsists  in  His  Divine 
personality.  Hence,  His  Sacred  Heart  has  the 
dignity  which  belongs,  in  virtue  of  His  Divine  na- 
ture, to  the  Second  Person  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  It 
is,  so  to  speak,  absorbed  in  the  glory  of  the  Divin- 
ity, though  without  losing  its  character  of  the  true 
human  heart;  just  as  a  piece  of  iron  does  not 
cease  to  be  iron  because  it  glows  with  the  heat  of 
the  fire  into  which  it  is  plunged.  Rejoice  in  the 
glory  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and  adore  the  Divinity 
which  dwells  there. 

2.  The  Sacred  Heart  is  also  bound  up  in  the 
closest  union  with  the  Divine  nature  of  Jesus 
Christ.  It  is  endowed  with  Divine  qualities  which 
flow  into  it  from  the  Godhead.  It  has  authority 
without  limit  over  the  hearts  of  men.  They  are  all 
its  subjects  whom  it  has  the  right  to  command.  It 
loves  men  as  God  only  can  love  them.  It  loves  God 
as  only  those  can  love  Him  who  see  Him  face  to  face. 

3.  In  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  are  centred  all 
the  supernatural  powers  which  the  nature  of  man 


THE   SACRED    HEART. 


513 


is  capable  of  possessing.  What  is  there  that  it 
cannot  effect  ?  It  has  in  itself  the  power  of  work- 
ing miracles.  It  shares  the  Divine  prerogative  of 
unbounded  mercy.  As  from  the  sun  flow  light  and 
heat,  so  from  the  Heart  of  Jesus  flow  all  possible 
supernatural  graces.  What,  then,  may  not  I  expect 
from  its  Divine  generosity  ? 

I2th  Day. — The  Sanctity  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

1.  The  sanctity  of  the  Sacred  Heart  is  the  sanc- 
tity of  One  who  is  God  as  well  as  man.  The 
Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  hates  sin  as  God  hates  it, 
loathes  it  with  inexpressible  loathing.  How,  then, 
can  I,  who  am  so  full  of  sin,  venture  to  appeal  to 
the  Heart  to  which  sin  is  thus  foul  with  a  foulness 
that  knows  no  bound  or  limit  ?  At  least  I  can  pray 
that  I  may  share  in  a  greater  degree  this  hatred  of 
sin,  and  so  learn  to  avoid  it. 

2.  Happily  for  us,  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  by 
reason  of  the  Divine  nature  of  our  Lord,  has  also 
unbounded  love  for  sinners.  His  infinite  sanctity 
makes  Him  long  after  them  with  an  inexhaustible 
love,  and  an  unceasing  desire  to  see  them  rid  of  the 
sin  that  defiles  them.  If  sins  still  cling  to  me  it  is 
not  His  fault,  but  my  own.  It  is  owing  to  my  want 
of  correspondence  to  His  constant  invitations  to 
come  to  Him  to  be  healed  of  all  sin. 

3.  There  is  also  communicated  to  the  Sacred 
Heart  a  boundless  store  of  created  graces  of  the 
same  kind  as  those  bestowed  on  us,  but  immeasur- 
ably higher  in  degree.  In  this  store  is  contained 
the  grace  necessary  for  every  need,  and  among 
them  the  special  graces  which  I  need,  and  which 
are  there  ready  to  flow  into  my  soul  if  I  put  no 
hindrance  in  the  way.  They  pour  into  His  Heart 
like  a  mighty  river,  from  whence  there  flow  to  us  such 
rivulets  of  grace  as  we  are  capable  of  receiving. 

13th  Day. — The  Compassion  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. 

Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  suffer  with  us 
as  well  as  for  us.  Every  sort  of  suffering  has  a 
claim  on  His  Divine  compassion. 

I.  He  has  the  most  intense  compassion  for  those 
who  are  suffering  any  earthly  sorrow.  None  appre- 
ciates as  He  the  utter  loneliness  of  the  mother  who 
has  lost  her  son ;  of    the  friend  who  is  separated 

33 


from  one  who  was  dear  as  life  itself.  At  the  tomb 
of  Lazarus  and  at  the  gates  of  Naim  He  manifested 
His  tender  sympathy  with  sorrow.  To,  Him,  then 
we  will  have  recourse  when  earthly  shadows  press 
hard  upon  us. 

2.  He  has  a  still  greater  compassion  for  those 
who  have  separated  themselves  from  God  by  sin, 
and  who  are  desirous  to  be  freed  from  the  chain 
that  has  bound  them  down,  and  to  return  to  their 
Father  in  Heaven.  What  countless,  boundless 
graces  flow  from  His  Sacred  Heart  to  help  them  in 
their  difficulties  !  What  sweetness  thence  proceeds 
to  fill  the  heart  of  the  sinner  who  does  penance ! 

3.  He  has  the  greatest  compassion  of  all  for  His 
servants  and  Saints  who  are  suffering  for  Him. 
How  it  grieves  Him  to  witness  their  pains !  What 
consolations  He  pours  into  their  souls !  How  He 
compensates  them  for  their  afflictions  with  spiritual 
delights !  What  a  reward  He  promises  Himself  to 
give  them  for  what  they  have  endured  for  love  of 
Him !  It  is,  indeed,  of  all  privileges  the  greatest  to 
earn  the  sympathy  of  the  Sacred  Heart  by  suffering 
for  the  cause  of  Christ. 

14th  Day. — Chief  Desires  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

1.  While  our  Lord  was  upon  earth.  He  several 
times  expressed  to  His  Apostles  what  He  had  most 
at  heart,  and  what  was  the  work  He  had  chiefly 
come  to  perform.  He  told  them  that  He  had  come  to 
send  fire  on  the  earth,  and  asked  them  what  else  they 
could  expect  Him  to  desire  except  that  that  fire 
should  speedily  be  enkindled.  (St.  Luke,  xii.  49.) 
Yes,  Jesus  came  to  kindle  on  earth  the  fire  of 
Divine  love.  Does  this  fire  burn  brightly  in  my 
heart,  and  do  I  fulfil  His  longing  that  it  should  be 
kindled  more  and  more  in  me  ? 

2.  This  fire  was  not  merely  the  fire  of  love  to 
God,  it  was  also  the  fire  of  mutual  charity  amongst 
men.  When  Christ  came,  hatred,  jealously,  selfish- 
ness, strife,  was  the  order  of  the  day.  He  came 
to  spread  charity,  self-sacrifice,  peace,  mutual  good 
will.  Yet  how  faintly  this  flame  bums  in  my  cold 
heart !  How  much  of  selfishness  and  ill-feeling 
and  petty  jealously  still  remains  there ! 

3.  This  fire  of  love  to  God  and  man  gives  birth 
to  another  fire,  which  also  consumes  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus,  and  bums  in  the  hearts  of  all  who 


514 


THE   SACRED    HEART. 


love  Him ;  the  fire  of  zeal  for  souls  and  a  desire  to 
labor  and  suffer  for  them.  How  this  fire  burned  in 
the  hearts  of  the  saints — of  St.  Paul,  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  St.  Alphonsus  L/iguori ! 
How  eager  they  were  to  bring  others  to  God  !  how 
unselfish  in  their  exertions  in  their  behalf !  I  must 
pray  for  more  of  that  true  zeal  that  animated  the 
saints  of  God. 

15th  Day. — Excellence  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

1.  The  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  was  the  instrument 
of  a  human  soul,  which  contained  in  it  all  the  per- 
fections, natural  and  supernatural,  of  which  the 
human  soul  is  capable.  It  was  the  ideal  of  which 
the  soul,  even  of  the  greatest  of  the  saints,  was 
but  an  utterly  inadequate  realization.  Its  sweet- 
ness, its  gentleness,  its  power  to  attract,  its  Divine 
beauty  was  unbounded  and  almost  infinite.  Let 
us  contemplate  that  Sacred  Heart  radiant  with 
glory  and  splendor,  and  adore  it  with  grateful 
love. 

2.  The  Sacred  Heart  received  all  these  perfec- 
tions in  order  to  dispense  them  to  others.  It  over- 
flows with  graces  ;  they  proceed  from  it  in  copious 
streams  to  all  who  are  willing  to  receive  them. 
What  beauty  they  impart  to  the  soul  that  drinks 
in  the  stream  of  grace  from  that  Heart !  Every 
perfection  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  is  communicated 
to  it  in  some  degree,  and  renders  it  so  beautiful 
that  it  is  an  object  of  admiration  to  God  Him- 
self 

3.  Through  the  heart  of  man  continually  flows 
the  blood  that  circulates  throughout  his  body. 
Hence  the  precious  Blood  of  Jesus  flowed  continu- 
ally through  His  Sacred  Heart.  We  cannot  wonder, 
then,  that  in  that  Blood  unbounded  virtue  is  con- 
tained. It  derives  its  efficacy  from  the  Heart  of 
Jesus.  One  drop  is  enough  to  cleanse  the  greatest 
sin,  nay,  the  sin  of  the  whole  world.  In  that  Heart 
there  is  the  same  virtue,  and  I,  a  sinner,  can  take 
refuge  there,  knowing  that  I  shall  be  healed. 

i6th  Day. — Sacred  Heart  Among  Sinners 

I.  One  of  the  things  at  which  the  Pharisees  took 
scandal  during  our  Lord's  Sacred  Ministry  was 
His  association  with  publicans  and  sinners.  They 
taunted  Him  with  His  friendship  for  sinners.  They 


asked  His  disciples  why  He  ate  and  drank  with 
them,  talked  to  them  words  of  gentleness  and  sym- 
pathy, seem  attracted  by  their  company.  Yes,  it 
was  all  true.  He  was,  above  all,  the  Friend  of 
sinners.  He  came  to  search  them  out  and  bring 
them  back  to  the  fold.  He  had  a  tender  love  for 
the  miserable  outcast  because  she  was  an  outcast, 
and  the  compassion  of  His  Sacred  Heart  went  out 
towards  her  and  longed  to  bring  her  back  to  purity 
and  peace.  Am  I  at  all  like  to  Jesus  in  His  pity 
and  love  for  sinners  ? 

2.  Once  upon  a  time  an  unhappy  woman  was 
brought  to  Him  who  had  been  taken  in  adultery. 
She  was  a  great  sinner  and  deserved  to  die.  But 
how  did  Jesus  treat  her  ?  By  silence  He  rebuked 
her  accusers  and  then  turned  with  Divine  compas- 
sion to  the  poor  adulteress,  and  spoke  to  her  words 
of  peace.  Where  should  I  have  been  ?  On  the 
side  of  the  accusers  or  on  the  side  of  Jesus  ? 

3.  Jesus  is  just  the  same  now,  the  Friend  of 
sinners  and  therefore  my  friend.  He  is  the  Friend 
of  sinners,  and,  therefore,  woe  to  me  if  I  am  hard 
on  sinners  as  the  Pharisees  were.  He  is  the  Friend 
of  sinners  ;  I  can,  therefore,  win  His  love  by  show- 
ing great  kindness  and  tenderness  and  love  to  these. 
His  friends.  How  many  there  are  whom  I  might 
help  to  love  Him,  and  so  take  part  in  the  work  of 
Divine  charity  that  He  wrought  among  sinners  ! 

17th  Day. — The  Sacred  Heart  Among  Little 
Children. 

I.  All  good  men  love  little  children.  There  is 
something  in  them  that  recalls  the  presence  of 
God,  a  freshness  and  innocence  which  is  the  mark 
of  His  creative  hand  before  sin  has  marred  and 
almost  obliterated  it.  Our  Lord  more  than  once 
showed  the  love  of  His  Sacred  Heart  for  children. 
When  a  crowd  of  women  came  with  their  little 
ones  begging  Him  to  bless  them,  and  the  disciples 
tried  to  push  them  aside,  Jesus  interposed :  "  Suffer 
the  little  children  to  come  to  Me.''  And  then  He 
called  them  one  by  one  and  blessed  each  one,  and 
laid  upon  each  His  sacred  Hands.  What  graces 
must  have  flowed  into  the  hearts  of  those  favored 
children  !  We  should  pray  for  all  the  little  ones 
whom  we  love,  that  our  Lord  may  in  like  manner 
bless  them. 


THE   SACRED    HEART. 


515 


2.  On  anotter  occasion,  when  the  children 
shouted  to  Him  in  childish  glee  :  "  Blessed  is  He 
that  comes  in  the  name  of  the  Lord !"  the  Pharisees 
begged  Him  to  silence  them.  But  Jesus  rebuked 
the  objection  almost  sternly :  "  Have  you  never 
read,  Out  of  the  mouths  of  infants  and  sucklings 
Thou  hast  perfected  praise?"  Perfected  praise! 
As  if  there  was  something  in  their  innocent  voices 
sweeter  to  Him  than  in  any  others  of  the  mingled 
crowd. 

3.  But  Jesus  bestowed  still  higher  praise  on  the 
sweet  simplicity  of  children.  He  told  His  disciples 
that  if  they  wish  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
they  must  become  like  little  children,  docile,  obe- 
dient, cheerful,  submissive,  affectionate !  Am  I  such ! 

i8th  Day. — Cravings  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

1.  What  is  it  that  we  desire  one  and  all  with  a 
strong  desire?  It  is,  to  be  loved.  The  Heart  of 
Jesus  does  not  differ  in  this  respect  from  the  hearts 
of  ordinary  men.  He,  too,  longs  for  love.  While 
on  earth  the  bitterest  pang  of  His  Sacred  Heart 
was  that  He  came  to  His  own,  and  they  refused 
Him  their  love.  He  still  desires  our  love.  He 
still  cries  out  to  each  of  us  from  His  Cross,  I  thirst 
— I  thirst  for  your  love.  Alas  !  how  faintly  I  have 
loved  in  return. 

2.  What  sort  of  a  love  does  He  ask  for?  What 
are  its  marks  if  it  is  to  satisfy  Him  ? 

(i)  It  must  be  a  love  of  obedience.  "If  you  love 
Me,  keep  My  commandments."  It  must  obey  each 
whispered  inspiration,  it  must  have  no  will  save  His. 

(2)  It  must  be  a  generous  love,  a  love  that  re- 
joices in  making  some  sacrifice  for  Him,  a  love 
which  counts  it  a  joy  to  follow  in  his  footsteps  and 
to  suffer  for  Him. 

(3)  It  must  be  a  love  of  compassion.  It  must 
grieve  at  all  that  grieves  Him.  It  must  lament 
over  the  sins  of  others.  It  must  seek  to  make 
reparation  in  some  way  or  other  for  all  the  coldness 
and  ingratitude  of  men. 

3.  How  am  I  to  know  whether  my  love  is  one  that 
at  all  satisfies  the  desire  of  the  Sacred  Heart  ? 
There  is  one  certain  test :  when  self  contests  my 
obedience  with  Jesus,  whom  do  I  obey.  When  self- 
love  resents  some  injury,  do  I  indulge  it  ?  When 
self  craves  some  pleasure  which  Jesus  asks  me  to 


forego,  do  I  listen  to  self  or  to  the  gentle  voice  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  ? 

19th  Day. — Gratitude  of  the  Sacred  Heart 

1.  There  never  was  any  one  so  grateful  for  every 
little  act  of  kindness  as  Jesus  Christ  while  He  was 
on  earth.  The  woman  of  Samaria  gave  Him  a 
drink  of  water,  and  in  return  He  gave  her  the 
grace  of  eternal  life.  Zacheus  left  his  business  to 
see  Him,  and  in  return  salvation  came  to  all  his 
house.  St.  Mary  Magdalen  poured  upon  His  Head 
a  little  box  of  ointment,  and  her  gift  obtained  for 
her  a  name  as  long  as  the  world  shall  last,  and  an 
everlasting  reward  in  Heaven.  The  Sacred  Heart 
of  Jesus  is  the  same  now ;  still  grateful  for  the 
smallest  sacrifice,  for  each  thought  of  affectionate 
remembrance. 

2.  To  those  who  love  Jesus  He  imparts  a  sweet- 
ness and  joy  which  makes  all  the  joys  of  earth 
seem  paltry  and  contemptible.  If  He  sends  trials 
to  those  who  love  Him,  it  is  only  that  He  may  have 
an  excuse  for  giving  them  a  greater  reward  here- 
after, and  even  with  the  trials  He  mixes  so  much 
peace  and  lightness  of  heart  that  the  saints  pray 
for  more  trials  and  more  sufferings. 

3.  But  what  is  the  gratitude  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
in  Heaven  ?  Words  cannot  express  it,  our  hearts 
cannot  imagine  it.  We  shall  enter  into  the  joy  of 
our  Lord,  that  is.  He  will  share  with  us  His  own 
unspeakable  happiness.  Nay,  He,  Himself,  will 
come  forth  and  serve  His  elect,  to  prove  His  ex- 
ceeding gratitude  to  every  faithful  servant.  O 
Jesus,  may  I  be  one  of  those  thus  honored  !  May 
I  earn  Thy  Divine  gratitude  by  my  love  and  my 
obedience ! 

20th  Day. — Disappointments  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

I.  We  often  see  a  morning  that  opens  bright  and 
fair,  clouded  over  before  mid-day,  and  the  afternoon 
dark  and  gloomy,  ending  in  storm  and  desolation. 
So,  too,  there  is  many  a  life  which  opens  with  the 
happiest  promise ;  a  natural  attraction  to  piety, 
great  graces,  good  influences,  an  amicable  char- 
acter, give  hopes  that  he  to  whom  these  privileges 
are  given  will  turn  out  an  eminent  servant  of  God, 
and  love  with  an  ever-increasing  devotion  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus. 


616 


THE  SACRED   HEART. 


2.  Yet  how  often  the  brilliant  promise  comes  to 
nothing,  or  next  to  nothing.  The  soul  which  might 
have  risen  to  a  high  degree  of  sanctity,  enjoying 
continual  peace  and  joy,  is  still  battling  with  pas- 
sion, anger,  sloth,  impatience,  self-indulgence, 
vanity,  distastes  for  the  things  of  God,  jealousy 
and  ill-feeling,  uncharitableness  in  thought  and 
word.  How  is  it  that  so  little  progress  has  been 
made  ?  How  is  it  that  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus 
has  been  disappointed  of  His  desire  for  a  complete 
possession  of  the  heart  that  He  loved  ? 

3.  Alas !  it  is  the  old  story — unfaithfulness  to 
grace  in  little  things.  Jesus  spoke  plainly  enough, 
asking  for  some  little  sacrifice,  and  was  refused. 
He  asked  again,  and  another  refusal.  Gradually 
His  requests  became  less  frequent,  and  His  voice 
scarce  sounded  in  the  ears  that  had  neglected  to 
listen.  At  length  He  ceased  to  ask,  or  the  un- 
faithful soul  ceased  to  hear  His  voice.  What  a  sad 
disappointment  for  Him.  What  an  irreparable  loss 
for  the  soul  that  was  thus  ungrateful  to  the  invita- 
tions of  her  Divine  Spouse.     Is  not  this  my  case  ? 

2ist  Day. — Sorrows  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

1.  The  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  is  nothing  else 
than  a  history  of  continual  sorrow.  He  is  termed 
in  Holy  Scripture  "  the  Man  of  sorrows."  Sorrow- 
ful He  came  into  the  world :  in  sorrow  He  grew  up 
to  manhood.  In  sorrow  He  gazed  into  the  hearts 
of  men,  and  saw  there  what  He  hated  most.  In 
sorrow  He  witnessed  their  refusal  to  listen  to  His 
Divine  call.  In  sorrow — bitter  sorrow — He  watched 
the  falling  away  of  one  of  the  chosen  Twelve.  In 
sorrow  He  heard  of  the  denial  of  St.  Peter.  In 
sorrow  He  was  betrayed,  mocked,  scourged,  crucified. 
Was  there  ever  sorrow  like  His  ? 

2.  What  caused  Him  the  greatest  sorrow  of  all  ? 
The  ingratitude  of  man.  There  is  nothing  that 
wounds  so  deeply  as  love  rejected ;  and  this  is 
what  Jesus  felt  every  moment  of  His  life.  There 
was  never  love  such  as  His,  and  therefore  never 
such  sorrow  as  when  it  was  rejected.  O  my  Jesus  ! 
I,  too,  have  returned  Thee  unkindness,  coldness, 
neglect.  Forgive  me  the  sorrow  I  have  caused 
Thee,  and  make  me  love  Thee  more  and  more. 

3.  Was  it  only  here  and  there  that  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus  met  with  this  cause  for  sorrow? 


Alas  !  it  was  a  universal  soirow,  not  a  single  child 
of  Adam  but  added  to  this  sorrow.  Even  the 
greatest  saints  did  not  return  love  for  love  as  they 
ought ;  all  caused  Christ  to  sorrow.  All  save  one ; 
the  peerless  one,  the  immaculate,  the  ever  faithful 
Mother  of  God.  O  Mary,  pray  for  me,  that  I  may 
never  again  cause  sorrow  to  the  Sacred  Heart ! 

22d  Day. — Sacred  Heart  Among  Enemies. 

1.  There  is  nothing  more  painful  to  the  tender 
heart  of  one  who  loves  his  fellows,  than  to  be  sur- 
rounded with  those  who  look  coldly  on  him,  mis- 
understand him,  misinterpret  his  words,  misconstrue 
his  actions.  Such  a  life  is  in  itself  a  perpetual 
martyrdom.  Such  was  the  life  of  Jesus.  What 
continual  pain  and  anguish  and  desolation  He  must 
have  endured  from  His  youth  up,  from  the  hostility 
of  His  townsfolk.  His  own  relations,  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  the  Ancients  and  the  rulers. 

2.  Yet  how  gentle  He  is  to  all,  how  forbearing, 
how  sweet  and  patient  and  winning  in  His  de- 
meanor. They  must,  indeed,  have  been  hard  and 
wicked  not  to  have  yielded  to  the  fascination  of  His 
Divine  attractiveness.  Yet  so  it  was  :  they  hated 
Him  just  because  of  His  meekness.  His  charity, 
His  holiness.  So  it  is  now.  The  more  clearly  the 
beauty  of  the  Church,  the  Spouse  of  Christ,  shows 
forth,  the  more  men  seem  to  hate  her. 

3.  The  Sacred  Heart,  however,  with  all  its  Divine 
gentleness,  was  very  stern  in  dealing  with  one  class 
of  sinners.  All  who  were  leading  others  wrong 
were  the  object  of  the  fierce  wrath  and  indignation 
of  Jesus.  This  wrath  was  the  more  terrible  just 
because  of  His  very  gentleness.  How  He  denounces 
those  who  give  scandal,  and  those  who  are  the 
occasion  of  sin  to  others  !  If  I  have  ever  led  others 
into  sin,  I  have  good  cause  to  tremble  before  the 
wrath  of  the  Lamb ! 

23d  Day. — The  Sacred  Heart  at  Gethsemane. 

I.  During  our  Lord's  Sacred  Agony  in  the  Gar- 
den of  Gethsemane,  his  mental  desolation  and  dis- 
tress seem  to  have  been  more  intense,  more  crushing 
than  at  any  subsequent  part  of  His  Sacred  Passion, 
saving  only  when  on  the  Cross  He  cried :  "  My 
God,  My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me?" 
During  the  rest  of  the  Passion  He  seemed  almost 


THE   SACRED    HEART. 


617 


to  rejoice  ;  but  in  the  Garden  he  was  beaten  down, 
full  of  terror  and  sadness,  scarce  able  to  endure, 
pale  and  haggard  and  ghastly  under  the  agony  of 
soul  that  overwhelmed  Him.  In  your  desolation 
think  of  the  utter  desolation  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 
and  claim  its  sympathy  for  you. 

2.  Why  was  our  Lord  at  this  time  so  shorn  of 
His  strength  and  courage  ?  Because,  then,  He  took 
upon  Himself  in  detail  the  sins  of  the  world.  His 
Sacred  Heart  suffered  for  them  the  same  blackness 
of  desolation  and  distress  as  if  they  were  His  own. 
He  voluntarily  deprived  Himself  of  every  source 
of  comfort,  and  allowed  Himself  to  feel  the  effects 
of  sin  as  none  could  feel  them  save  one  who  saw 
the  nature  of  sin  as  God  sees  it. 

3.  One  of  the  lessons  to  be  learned  from  the 
awful  scene  of  Christ's  Agony  is  the  effect  of  sin 
when  given  its  full  scope,  and  its  power  to  destroy 
the  beauty  and  the  strength  even  of  God  made 
Man.  If  it  could  work  such  havoc  in  the  Son  of 
God,  what  must  it  do  in  us  ?  If  they  do  these  things 
in  the  green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ? 

24th  Day. — Sacred  Heart  on  Calvary. 

1.  When  a  man  is  suffering  intensely,  an  im- 
pulse must  be  very  strong  which  turns  him  from 
his  sufferings.  Let  us  listen  to  the  words  that 
our  Lord  kept  repeating  as  His  executioners 
nailed  Him  to  the  Cross,  and  as  He  hung  there 
amid  the  insults  and  derision  of  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees :  "Father,  forgive  them."  This  is  the 
prevailing  impulse  of  the  Sacred  Heart — to  obtain 
forgiveness  for  those  who  ill-treated  and  cruci- 
fied Him ! 

2.  "Father,  forgive  them."  This  prayer  was  not 
offered  for  those  alone  who  were  present  on  Calvary, 
but  for  all  sinners.  Instead  of  showing  indigna- 
tion at  their  sins,  He  only  feels  pity  for  them,  know- 
ing as  He  does  the  terrors  of  the  anger  of  God. 
W^hat  a  lesson  for  us  !  When  we  are  offended  our 
prayer  too  often  is :  Father,  punish  them  as  they 
deserve.  What  a  contrast  to  the  prayer  of  the 
Sacred  Heart ! 

3.  But  He  not  only  prays  for  them,  he  urges  an 
argument  in  their  behalf:  "  They  know  not  what 
they  do."  If  they  knew  what  it  is  to  offend  God, 
they  would  not,  could  not  sin.     How  ingenious  is 


the  Sacred  Heart  in  finding  an  excuse  for  His  mur- 
derers ;  for  all  who  sin  deliberately.  Do  I  make 
excuses  for  those  who  treat  me  badly  ?  Do  I  not 
too  often  imagine  and  invent  a  motive  of  malice 
which  does  not  really  exist  ?  What  a  contrast  be- 
tween Jesus  and  myself !  What  need  I  have  to 
pray:  "Jesus,  meek  and  humble  of  Heart,  make 
my  heart  like  unto  Thy  Heart." 

25th  Day. — Piercing  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

1.  When  our  Lord  had  breathed  forth  His  Soul 
into  the  hands  of  His  Eternal  Father,  the  Sacred 
Heart  could  for  a  time  no  longer  continue  its  work 
of  love  for  men.  But,  as  if  to  show  that  even  in 
death  it  loved  them  still,  God  ordained  that  it  should 
be  pierced  by  the  centurion's  lance,  and  should  shed 
its  last  drops  of  blood  for  man.  It  was  as  if  He 
whose  lifeless  Body  hung  there  was  not  satisfied 
with  suffering  even  to  death,  but  needs  must  show 
how  even  in  death  from  His  Sacred  Body  grace  and 
mercy  poured  forth  for  the  healing  of  sin. 

2.  Out  of  His  Heart  flowed  blood  and  water. 
That  blood  is  the  source  of  life  to  sinful  man.  It 
flows  into  the  soul  through  all  the  sacraments  of 
the  Church.  With  it  the  elect  are  inebriated,  and 
all  the  saints  before  the  throne  of  God  have  washed 
their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  Blood  of 
the  Lamb.  Reflect  on  these  gi"aces  conferred  by 
the  Precious  Blood,  and  pray  that  you  may  wash  in 
it  and  be  clean. 

3.  Out  of  His  Heart,  too,  flowed  water,  that  living 
water  of  which  He  said  :  "  He  that  drinketh  of  the 
water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  not  thirst  for 
ever."  Of  that  water  the  redeemed  drink  in  Heaven. 
Their  Lord  Himself  leads  them  to  the  fountains  of 
the  water  of  life.  That  water  now  refreshes  His 
servants  in  this  world's  weary  paths.  Jesus,  my 
Lord,  give  me  to  drink  of  that  living  water  that 
shall  make  me  thirst  after  Thee,  and  after  naught 
else  but  Thee. 

26th  Day. — ^The  Sacred  Heart  after  the 
Resurrection. 

I.  When  our  Blessed  Lord  rose  again  from  the 
dead.  His  Apostles  were  at  first  struck  with  mingled 
fear  and  joy.  He  in  His  turn  seeks  to  reassure 
them,  condescends  to   eat  with  them,  to  let  them 


518 


THE  SACRED    HEART. 


touch  Him,  encourages  in  them  a  loving  familiarity. 
Jesus  in  the  Love  of  His  Sacred  Heart  does  not 
like  men  to  be  afraid  of  Him — on  the  contrary,  we 
cannot  have  too  implicit  a  confidence  in  Him ;  we 
cannot  go  too  far  in  reverent  affection  for  His 
Sacred  Heart. 

2.  The  chief  point  which  our  Lord  seems  de- 
sirous to  secure  in  His  friends  is  that  they  should 
be  at  peace :  at  peace  in  themselves,  and  at  peace 
with  all  around  them.  He  knew  that  without 
peace  no  one  can  ever  make  progress,  no  society 
can  prosper.  This  is  why  the  peace-makers  are  so 
dear  to  His  Sacred  Heart,  and  why  He  gives  them 
the  title  of  being  pre-eminently  the  children  of 
God.  Have  I  peace  in  my  soul  ?  and  do  I  foster 
and  promote  peace  around  me  ? 

3.  Our  Lord  also  seems  to  be  grieved  at  any 
doubt  or  incredulity  among  His  followers  respect- 
ing the  Resurrection.  He  cannot  bear  the  skeptical 
spirit.  He  loves  the  spirit  of  simple  faith  and  con- 
fidence. He  likes  us  to  expect  Him  to  do  wonders 
for  us.  When  we  hear  of  some  miracle  in  the 
physical  or  moral  order,  we  ought  to  desire  to 
believe  it  and  to  lean  to  the  side  of  acceptance. 
The  wish  to  believe  will  not  make  us  foolishly 
credulous ;  it  will  rather  quicken  our  instinctive 
perception  of  truth. 

27th  Day. — Sacred   Heart  in  Heaven. 

1.  Now  that  Jesus  has  returned  to  His  throne  in 
Heaven,  has  He  forgotten  His  friends  on  earth  ? 
No,  He  loves  them  now  as  much  as  ever,  nay.  He 
loves  them,  if  it  be  possible,  better  than  ever.  As 
the  world  grows  old,  and  the  love  of  many  waxes 
cold,  He  entertains  a  greater  pity  and  compassion 
and  love  for  those  who  remain  faithful  to  Him. 
His  Sacred  Heart  still  beats  in  sympathy  with  every 
one  of  us  no  less  than  it  did  for  the  poor  widow  who 
had  lost  her  son,  and  for  Peter  when  he  denied  his 
Master,  or  for  the  disciples  in  their  sorrow  and  desola- 
tion during  the  three  days  that  He  lay  in  the  grave. 

2.  How  is  our  Lord  employed  in  Heaven  ?  When 
the  Apostle  speaks  of  Him  at  the  right  hand  of 
God,  he  describes  His  life  as  primarily  that  of  an 
advocate  for  sinful  man.  He  is  always  living  to 
make  intercession  for  us.  (Hebrews,  vii.  25.)  He 
is  continually  holding  out  to  His  Father  His  Hands 


which  bear  the  marks  of  the  Sacred  Wounds,  and 
pleading  for  sinners.  His  prayer  still  is.  Father 
forgive  them  !  What  a  consolation  for  us  ! 

3.  He  has  another  work  in  Heaven  which  He 
Himself  announced.  He  told  His  disciples,  "  I  go 
to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  I  go  to  bestow  on  you 
the  graces  necessary  to  obtain.  I  go  to  help  you 
to  fight  the  battle  and  win  the  crown.  My  Sacred 
Heart  will  never  be  satisfied  till  you  are  all  there 
with  Me,  rejoicing  forever  before  the  throne  of  God. 

0  Jesus,  my  Lord  and  my  God  !  grant  that  I  may 
not  fail  of  my  eternal  reward. 

28th  Day. — Sacred  Heart  in  the  Tabernacle. 

1.  Where  shall  we  find  a  better  proof  of  the  love 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  for  man  than  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  of  the  Altar  ?  He  was  not  satisfied  with 
proving  His  love  for  men  by  His  Sacrifice  on  the 
Cross,  but  He  must  needs  prolong  that  Sacrifice  to 
all  time.  There  is  no  moment  in  which  He  is  not 
still  offering  Himself  upon  some  altar  to  show  that 
He  loves  us  as  much  as  ever. 

2.  Nor  is  this  all.  When  He  ascended  into 
Heaven,  He  promised  that  He  would  send  the 
Holy  Ghost  the  Paraclete  to  abide  forever  with  His 
disciples.  But  as  it  were  by  some  Divine  after- 
thought. He  seemed  not  to  be  satisfied  by  thus 
sending  the  Holy  Spirit  to  take  His  place.  He  de- 
termined to  remain  amongst  those  He  loved.  In 
every  tabernacle  He  waits  and  watches  for  the  visits 
of  His  faithful  children,  longing  for  them  to  come 
and  talk  to  Him  and  tell  Him  their  troubles  and 
their  needs,  their  joys  and  sorrows,  their  hopes  and 
fears  ;  and  He  is  always  ready  to  listen  to  and  com- 
fort them  and  to  grant  their  prayers. 

3.  Yet,  alas !  how  often  is  He  neglected.  His 
loving  Heart  longs  for  some  one  to  come  and  hold 
converse  with  Him,  but  how  often  It  looks  and  longs 
in  vain  for  hours,  or  it  may  be  for  days.     How  have 

1  treated  Jesus  in  the  tabernacle  ?  Do  I  pay  Him 
little  visits  of  love  when  I  can,  and  tell  Him  how  I 
love  Him,  and  wish  to  love  Him  more  ? 

2gth  Day. — Confidences  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

I.  Our  Lord,  for  nearly  seventeen  hundred  years, 
endured  in  silence  all  the  ingratitude  of  men.  Some 
faithful  hearts  had  been  devoted  to  Him,  but  from 


THE   SACRED    HEART. 


619 


the  generality  He  liad  received  neglect,  coldness, 
indiflference,  sometimes  outrage,  insult,  sacrilege. 
He  had  witnessed  the  revolt  of  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands  from  the  Church's  yoke.  Satan  had 
usurped  His  place  in  their  hearts,  and  they  had 
heaped  every  sort  of  indignity  on  His  servants,  on 
His  Church,  on  Himself  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
of  the  Altar.  They  had  denied  His  Presence  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament ;  they  had  cast  off  His  yoke 
and  persecuted  His  servants. 

2.  At  length  our  Lord  found  one  heart  to  which 
He  could  confide  the  story  of  His  disappointments 
and  tell  the  tale  of  His  sufferings.  The  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary  was  unknown,  obscure,  a  poor, 
feeble  woman.  But  she  was  so  dear  to  His  Heart 
that  He  determined  to  tell  her  of  His  griefs,  and 
entrust  to  her  the  task  of  obtaining  for  Him  some 
comfort  and  relief  in  His  sorrows.  How  great  a 
privilege  was  hers !  Would  that  I  had  something 
of  her  love  I 

3.  Moved  by  the  devoted  love  of  this  faithful  ser- 
vant, our  Lord  appeared  to  her,  revealed  to  her  the 
treasures  of  His  Sacred  Heart,  and  complained  to 
her  of  the  cruel  treatment  He  had  received  from 
men.  Has  He  not  good  reason  to  complain  of 
the  way  I  have  treated  Him,  and  am  I  not  one  of 
those  who  have  caused  Him  so  much  grief  and 
sorrow  ? 

30th  Day. — The  Best   Means  of  Honoring  the 
Sacred  Heart. 

1 .  There  is  one  very  simple  way  of  honoring  the 
Sacred  Heart.  Our  Lord  promised  to  Blessed  Mar- 
garet Mary  that,  wherever  an  image  of  it  is  ex- 
posed and  honored,  it  shall  bring  with  it  all  kinds  of 
blessings.  At  least  we  can  show  the  Sacred  Heart 
this  external  mark  of  our  loyalty,  and  keep  before 
ourselves  a  picture  which  will  remind  us  of  the 
loving  sympathy  of  Jesus. 

2.  Each  day,  moreover,  we  should  as  least  say 
some  ejaculatory  prayers  in  honor  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  and  each  Friday  should  consecrate  ourselves 
to  it,  communicating  at  least  on  the  first  Friday  in 
every  month.  Such  Communions,  persevered  in  for 
nine  continuous  months,  have  attached  to  them  the 
promise  of  final  perseverance  for  all  who  offer 
them  in  honor  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 


3.  But  as  the  best  praise  is  imitation,  we  cannot 
honor  the  Sacred  Heart  better  than  by  seeking  to 
imitate  its  meekness,  patience,  sympathy.  These  are 
such  rare  gifts.  How  often  have  I  prayed :  Jesus, 
meek  and  humble  of  Heart,  make  my  heart  like 
unto  Thy  Heart !  Yet  how  little  do  my  thoughts 
and  actions  correspond  to  the  prayer  that  I  offer ! 
Henceforth  I  will  determine  to  be  kinder  to  others 
in  honor  of  the  Sacred  Heart  that  has  ever  been  so 
kind  to  me. 

Ejaculations  to  the  Sacred  Heart 
I. 

O  sweetest  Heart  of  Jesus,  I  implore 
That  I  may  ever  love  Thee  more  and  more. 

2. 
Jesus,  meek  and  humble  of  heart, 
Make  my  heart  like  unto  Thine. 

3- 
Sweet  Heart  of  Jesus,  be  my  love. 

4- 
Heart  of  Jesus,  create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  and  renew  a  right 
spirit  within  me. 

5- 
O  How  good  and  pleasant  a  thing  it  is  to  dwell  in  this  Heart ! 
who  is  there  who  does  not  love  a  Heart  so  wounded  ?  who  can 
refuse  a  return  of  love  to  a  Heart  so  loving  ? 

6. 

Heart  of  Jesus,  most  meek,  most  humble,  most  patient,  school 
my  heart  in  patience,  meekness,  and  humility. 

7- 

Heart  of  Jesus,  burning  with  love  for  me. 
Kindle  my  heart  with  love  of  Thee. 

8. 
Heart  of  Jesus,  have  compassion  upon  me. 

9- 

My  Jesus,  mercy. 

10. 
May  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  in  the  most  Blessed  Sacrament,  be 
praised,    adored   and   loved,   with   grateful   affection   at   every 
moment,  in  all  the  Tabernacles  of  the  world,  even  to  the  end  of 

time.     Amen. 

II. 
Offering  Before  a  Representation  of  the   Sacred  Heart. 

My  loving  Jesus,  out  of  the  grateful  love  I  bear  Thee,  and  to 
make  reparation  for  my  unfaithfulness  to  grace,  I  (N.N.)  give 
Thee  my  heart,  and  I  consecrate  myself  wholly  to  Thee ;  and, 
with  Thy  help,  I  purpose  never  to  sin  again. 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  JESUS. 

SHORT    MEDITATIONS    ON    THE    PUBLIC    LIFE    OF    OUR    LORD. 

BY    RICHARD    F.    CLARKE,   S.J. 
Part  I. — From  His  Baptism  to  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 


First  Week :  Sunday. — Baptism  of  Jesus. 

St.  Matt.  iii.  13-17. 

Our  Lord  bids  farewell  to  His  holy  Mother; 
makes  His  way  to  the  Jordan ;  is  baptized  by  St. 
John  amid  a  crowd  of  sinners,  and  is  proclaimed 
by  the  Voice  from  Heaven  the  Beloved  Son  of  God. 

1.  For  thirty  years  Jesus  had  dwelt  in  sweet 
companionship  with  His  holy  Mother.  Never  since 
the  world  began  had  there  been  any  intercourse  so 
full  of  unspeakable  delight  as  that  of  Jesus  and 
Mary.  Now  the  time  had  come  to  break  the  bond: 
it  was  like  the  tearing  asunder  of  their  loving 
hearts  for  them  to  part.  Yet  Christ  goes  on  His 
way  with  the  greatest  cheerfulness  and  joy  :  for  it 
was  the  will  of  God  that  He  should  forsake  His 
Mother,  and  the  motto  of  His  life  was :  "  Lo,  I 
come  to  do  Thy  will,  O  my  God." 

2.  It  is  the  same  Divine  guidance  that  leads  Him 
to  the  Jordan,  to  be  baptized  among  sinners,  just  as 
if  He,  the  Lamb  of  God,  were  Himself  a  sinner. 
Yet  He  never  hesitates  for  an  instant.  It  was  the 
will  of  God,  and,  therefore,  it  is  His  greatest  joy  to 
do  what  men  would  esteem  so  misleading  and  ill- 
judged,  so  fatal  to  the  success  of  His  future  Mis- 
sion.    Do  I  thus  implicitly  obey  the  will  of  God  ? 

3 .  Obedience  and  humility  are  the  surest  way  of 
winning  honor  from  God.  He  loves  to  exalt  the 
humble,  to  pour  Divine  gifts  upon  the  obedient.  A 
Voice  from  Heaven  declares  Him  Who  had  thus 
humbled  Himself  to  be  the  well-beloved  Son  of 
God.  The  Holy  Spirit  descending  in  visible  form 
proclaims  wisdom  to  be  the  special  privilege  of  the 
obedient. 

First  Week :  Monday. — His  Fasting. 

St.  Matt.  iv.  I. 

After  His  Baptism,  our  Lord  was  driven  by  the 
Spirit  into  the  desert  to  be  tempted  by  the  devil. 
Previously  to  the  temptation  He  had   fasted   for 
520 


forty  days  and  forty  nights,  and  dwelt  among  wild 
beasts. 

1.  It  was  under  the  impulse  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
that  our  Lord  went  out  into  the  desert  to  be  tempted. 
Men  often  think  that  when  temptations  assail  them 
it  is  their  own  fault  or  a  punishment  for  their  sins, 
and  lose  courage  accordingly.  They  forget  that 
may  be  the  Holy  Spirit  is  guiding  them  in  the 
same  path  in  which  He  guided  the  Son  of  God : 
that  they  are  but  following  in  His  sacred  footsteps. 
Temptation  is  not  only  permitted  by  God,  but  He 
ordains  it  for  the  greater  sanctification  of  His  elect. 

2.  Our  Lord  prepared  for  His  temptation  by  a 
long  fast.  Did  He  need  it  as  a  means  of  over- 
coming the  rebellion  of  nature  ?  How  could  He, 
the  spotless  Lamb  of  God,  whose  Human  Nature 
was  joined  in  closest  union  to  the  Divinity,  need 
any  aid  to  repel  the  assaults  of  Satan  ?  No,  it  was 
for  my  sake.  It  was  that  I  might  have  strength 
to  overcome,  it  was  to  earn  graces  for  me  that  I  see 
Him  pale  and  faint  and  wan  after  His  long  and 
painful  fast. 

3.  He  was  with  the  wild  beasts,  in  solitudes  far 
removed  from  all  human  intercourse,  among  animals 
wild  and  savage,  who  were,  however,  obedient  unto 
Him  as  their  Master  and  King.  Christ  as  Man 
was  Lord  of  all  creation.  It  was  sin  that  made  the 
brutes  our  enemies.  No  creature  on  earth  can 
really  harm  us  except  by  reason  of  sin.  To  those 
who  love  Grod  all  things  work  together  for  good. 

First  Week :  Tuesday. — His  Temptation. 

St.  Matt.  iv.  2-1 1. 

At  the  end  of  forty  days  Satan  comes  to  Jesus, 
disguised,  it  is  said,  as  one  of  the  hermits  who 
lived  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Jordan,  and  pours 
into  His  ears  his  infernal  suggestions  of  sin. 

I.  How  utterly  repulsive  to  the  Son  of  God  must 
have  been  the  presence  of  the  evil  one.     He  Who 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


521 


had  been  nursed  in  Mary's  bosom,  and  carried  in 
the  faithful  arms  of  His  dear  foster-father,  St. 
Joseph,  now  allowed  Himself  to  be  borne  hither 
and  thither  by  the  being  whom  He  loathed  and 
hated  with  His  whole  soul.  This  was,  indeed,  a 
painful  beginning  of  His  Sacred  Ministry. 

2.  Why  did  Christ  allow  Himself  to  be  tempted  ? 
Did  He  not  already  know  perfectly  every  wile  and 
deceit  of  Satan  ?  Yes,  He  knew  them,  but  not  by 
experience.  He  wanted  us  to  have  the  consolation 
of  knowing  that  He  suffered  being  tempted ;  that 
He  endured  the  misery  of  being  haunted  with  the 
foul  suggestions  of  Hell ;  and  that  therefore  He, 
the  sinless  Lamb  of  God,  knows  how  to  succor 
those  who  are  assailed  by  Satan's  evil  suggestions. 
With  what  confidence,  then,  can  I  appeal  to  Him 
to  aid  me  when  I  am  tempted ! 

3.  Observe  our  Lord's  manner  of  dealing  with 
the  tempter.  There  is  no  arguing  with  him,  no  dis- 
cussion. Our  Lord  deals  with  the  enemy  promptly, 
boldly,  firmly,  with  decision.  Sharp  and  clear  is 
His  answer,  and  very  unmistakable  is  the  rebuff 
given  to  His  assailant.  When  Christ  says,  "  Get 
thee  hence,"  Satan  is  glad  to  leave  Him.  So  we 
should  meet  temptation,  promptly,  boldly,  fearlessly, 
and  then  Satan  will  be  glad  to  leave  us. 

First  Week :  Wednesday. — Lamb  of  God. 

St.  John  i.  29-34. 

St.  John  the  Baptist,  seeing  our  Lord  approach- 
ing, cries  aloud :  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  behold 
Him  Who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world." 

1.  The  name  by  which  St.  John  first  greeted 
Jesus  was  that  of  the  Lamb  of  God.  All  names 
given  in  Scripture  by  Divine  inspiration  are  exactly 
descriptive  of  those  on  whom  they  are  conferred. 
Hence  we  learn  that  the  prominent  feature  in  our 
Lord's  character  is  the  gentleness,  meekness,  sim- 
plicity ,  guilelessness  of  the  lamb.  This  is  what  made 
Him  so  attractive.  His  sweetness  drew  all  to  Him. 
He  is  just  the  same  now.  In  Heaven  He  is  still 
the  Lamb ;  still  gentle  and  loving  as  ever.  With 
what  confidence,  then,  I  ought  to  approach  Him  and 
tell  Him  all  my  troubles. 

2.  He  is  not  only  the  Lamb,  but  the  Lamb  of 
God.  That  winning  gentleness  and  sweetness  of 
His  is  not  merely  natural.     It  is  the  Divine  charity 


manifesting  itself  in  the  Son  of  God.  This  must 
be  the  sweetness  and  gentleness  at  which  we  must 
aim.  God  will  give  it  to  all  of  us  if  we  persevere 
in  seeking  it.  Even  though  by  nature  harsh,  God 
can  make  us  gentle  and  meek. 

3.  What  was  the  office  of  the  Lamb  of  God, 
the  work  He  was  sent  to  do  ?  St.  John  tells  us  that 
it  was  to  take  away  the  sins  of  the  world.  Meek- 
ness has  a  wonderful  power — "  the  meek  shall 
possess  the  land."  Meekness  takes  away  sin.  To 
bear  reproaches  meekly  is  one  of  the  best  means  of 
expiating  our  own  sins  and  the  sins  of  others,  and 
obtaining  for  sinners  the  grace  of  repentance. 
Meekness  obtains  peace  for  our  souls.  Alas  !  how 
little  there  is  in  me  of  the  meekness  and  gentleness 
of  the  Lamb  of  God ! 

First  Week :  Thursday. — First  Disciples. 

St.  John  i.  35-42. 

St.  Andrew  and  another  of  St.  John's  disciples, 
hearing  their  master's  words  respecting  Jesus, 
follow  Him.  Andrew  afterwards  brings  his  brother 
Simon  to  Him,  saying :  "  We  have  found  the 
Messias." 

1.  St.  John,  the  first  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  is  a 
model  to  all  preachers,  {a)  He  preaches  Jesus. 
Jesus  is  the  centre  of  his  doctrine.  His  one  object 
is  to  turn  the  hearts  of  his  hearers  to  Jesus,  {b)  He 
preaches  Jesus  under  the  sweetest  and  most  attrac- 
tive aspect  of  "  the  Lamb  of  God."  He  sought  to 
make  Jesus  the  object  of  their  love  by  dwelling  on 
His  gentleness  and  kindness,  {c)  He  does  not 
think  of  himself.  He  is  only  too  glad  that  all  his 
disciples  should  leave  him  to  follow  Jesus.  So  St. 
Paul :  "  We  preach  not  ourselves  but  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord."  Do  I  in  my  words  and  actions  forget 
self  and  think  of  Jesus  ? 

2.  This  kind  of  teaching  soon  bears  fruit.  First 
one,  then  another,  of  his  disciples  follows  the  Lamb 
of  God.  Our  words  are  sure  to  bear  fruit  if  they 
are  filled  with  the  love  of  Jesus.  St.  John  had  the 
happiness  of  seeing  the  fruit  of  his  labors  ;  and  so 
in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come  will  all  who 
point  to  Jesus,  preach  Jesus,  make  Jesus  lovable  in 
the  eyes  of  men. 

3.  One  conversion  brings  another.  St.  Andrew 
brings  to  the  fold  of  Christ  his  brother  Simon,  the 


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THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


future  Pope,  tho  Rock  on  which  the  Church  of 
Christ  was  to  be  built.  Thus  it  is  with  all  who 
obey  the  voice  of  their  conscience.  They  are  sure 
to  convert  others,  and  insensibly  to  influence  them 
for  good.  What  happiness  for  us  if  we  bring  only 
one  soul  to  Jesus  ! 

First  Week :  Friday, — Nathanael. 

St.  John  i.  45-51. 

Philip  brings  Nathanael  to  Jesus,  Who  greets 
him  as  "  an  Israelite,  indeed,  in  whom  there  is  no 
guile."  Our  Lord  tells  him  that  He  saw  him  when 
Philip  found  him  under  the  fig-tree ;  and  Nathanael 
recognizes  in  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  the  King  of 
Israel. 

1.  Philip  is  not  satisfied  with  one  convert.  He 
seeks  another  man  of  good-will,  to  whom  he  com- 
municates the  joyful  tidings  that  he  has  found  the 
Messias.  Philip  was  a  worthy  disciple  of  his 
Master.  He  could  not  refrain  from  speaking  of 
Him,  and  inviting  others  to  enrol  themselves  under 
His  banner.  It  is  a  great  mark  of  love  to  Jesus,  if 
we  are  zealous  in  proclaiming  His  love  to  others, 

2.  Nathanael  is  incredulous  at  first ;  he  will  not 
believe  that  a  great  Prophet  can  come  from  a  place 
of  such  indifferent  repute  as  Nazareth,  but  at 
Philip's  suggestion  he  consents  to  come  and  see. 
Hence  learn:  (i)  Not  to  be  too  credulous,  but  to 
test  and  try  any  reported  wonders.  (2)  Not  to  be 
predjudiced  against  others  by  reason  of  their  origin. 
(3)  To  be  willing  to  inquire  into  the  claims  of  any 
who  may  possibly  have  a  Divine  mission  to  act  with 
Divine  authority. 

3.  Nathanael  does  not  remain  long  incredulous  in 
the  presence  of  the  Son  of  God.  All  men  of  good- 
will when  brought  face  to  face  with  Truth  and  with 
the  Catholic  Church  are  irresistibly  drawn  to  it,  and 
need  but  little  evidence  to  convince  them  of  its 
Divine  character.  This  recognition  of  the  super- 
natural is  a  gift  that  men  possess  in  proportion  to 
their  obedience  to  the  voice  of  conscience. 

First  Week:    Saturday. — Marriage  at  Cana. 

St.  John  ii.  i-ii. 

At  a  marriage  feast  at  Cana,  at  which  our  Lord, 
His  holy  Mother  and  His  disciples  were  present, 
the  wine  runs  short  and  our  Lady  calls  the  attention 
of  Jesus  to  the  want.     At  first  he  seems  to  rebuke 


her,  but  at  her  bidding  He  turns  six  jars  of  water 
into  the  choicest  wine.  She  notices  their  perplexity 
and  hastens  to  relieve  it. 

1.  Observe  our  Lady's  thoughtful  charity,  and 
her  distress  at  the  distress  of  the  entertainers.  Her 
sympathy  is  not  only  with  what  men  consider  great 
troubles.  Every  little  inconvenience  and  annoy- 
ance that  befalls  the  friends  of  Jesus  Christ  touches 
her  immaculate  heart.  Learn  hence  to  extend  your 
sympathy  to  every  form  of  trouble  that  others 
suffer. 

2.  Our  Lord  at  first  receives  the  request  of  His 
holy  Mother  with  apparent  refusal.  He  pretends 
that  He  is  not  going  to  grant  it.  But  He  is  only 
pretending.  So,  too.  He  sometimes  pretends  to  be 
deaf  to  the  prayers  of  his  faithful  servants.  They 
ask,  and  ask  apparently  in  vain.  But  it  is  only 
that  He  may  be  more  generous  in  the  end  and  may 
reward  their  perseverance  with  graces  and  gifts 
that  they  would  not  have  earned  had  they  been 
heard  at  first. 

3.  The  wine  that  our  Lord  creates  is  so  delicious 
and  superior  to  what  they  had  had  before,  that  the 
bridegroom  is  astonished.  He  need  not  have  won- 
dered. Christ  keeps  His  best  gifts  to  the  last.  At 
first  trouble,  suffering,  anxiety ;  at  last  peace,  joy, 
happiness,  delight.  All  this,  too,  even  here,  to 
those  who  are  very  faithful  to  God's  grace,  and  how 
much  more  in  Heaven  ! 

Second  Week :  Sunday. — Expulsion  of  the 
Traders  from  the  Temple. 

St.  John  ii.  13-17. 

Jesus,  finding  in  the  Temple  sellers  of  oxen, 
sheep  and  doves,  and  money-changers  trading, 
drives  them  out  with  a  scourge  of  small  cords,  say- 
ing to  them  :  "  Make  not  the  house  of  My  Father 
a  house  of  trafl&c." 

I.  The  anger  of  the  Son  of  God  is  roused  by  the 
indignity  done  to  His  Father's  house  by  those  who 
traded  therein.  God  is  always  jealous  of  any  en- 
croachment of  worldly  things  on  what  is  conse- 
crated to  Him.  Woe  to  those  who  turn  to  secular 
purposes  things  sacred !  How  careful  we  should 
be  to  perform  all  that  we  have  promised  to  God, 
and  to  pay  Him  all  that  we  have  offered  to  Him. 
Have  I  ever  failed  in  this  respect,  or  robbed  God  o/ 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


523 


what  is  His  due  or  what  I  have  devoted  to  be  His  ? 

2.  There  is  one  respect  in  which  all  have  failed 
in  giving  to  God  His  due.  In  our  prayers,  at  Holy- 
Mass,  in  time  of  meditation,  we  profess  to  give  our 
thoughts  to  God.  He,  therefore,  has  a  claim  on  an 
exclusive  possession  of  them.  Yet  how  often  have 
I  deliberately  allowed  worldly  interests,  pleasures, 
amusements,  cares,  to  occupy  His  place,  and  to  run 
riot  in  my  heart  even  before  the  altar,  so  that  I 
have  made  the  house  of  God  a  den  of  thieves  ! 

3.  It  seems  strange  that  these  traders  should  not 
have  resisted  Him  Who  drove  them  out.  They 
knew  He  was  right  and  they  were  wrong.  Nothing 
is  so  cowardly  as  a  guilty  conscience.  A  man  who 
knows  that  he  is  condemned  by  the  law  of  God 
cannot  withstand  the  rebuke  of  his  fellow-men — 
how  much  less  the  Divine  anger  of  the  Son  of  God ! 

Second  Week:  Monday. — Test  of  Jesus'  Mission. 

St.  John  ii.  18-25. 

When  the  Jews  asked  Jesus  what  sign  He  gave 
to  them  that  He  was  acting  with  God's  authority, 
He  answered :  "  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three 
days  I  will  raise  it  up."  The  Jews  thought  He 
meant  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem,  but  He  referred  to 
the  temple  of  His  Body. 

1.  There  were  doubtless  some  who  asked  in  good 
faith  why  Christ  took  upon  Himself  the  work  of 
reforming  the  abuse  which  had  crept  into  the 
Temple,  but  others  who  asked  in  a  spirit  of  hatred 
and  ill-will.  See  our  Lord's  wisdom.  His  answer 
is  one  which  would  set  the  former  thinking,  but 
only  perplex  the  latter,  and  render  their  ill-will 
greater.  This  is  always  God's  way.  He  proposes 
mysteries  for  the  acceptance  of  all ;  men  of  good- 
will ponder  on  them  and  are  drawn  to  God ;  men 
of  ill-will  reject  the  mystery  and  its  Author. 

2.  Our  Lord  made  the  Resurrection  the  test  and 
corner-stone  of  His  Mission.  So  the  Apostles 
preached  Jesus  and  the  Resurrection.  So  St.  Paul 
says:  "  If  Christ  is  not  risen,  our  faith  is  vain." 
It  is  the  test  of  a  Christian :  Do  you  believe  that 
Jesus  rose  again  ?  Thank  God  for  your  firm 
belief  in  this  glorious  mystery,  and  cry  out.  Lord, 
I  believe  I 

3.  Christ  speaks  of  His  Body  as  the  temple  of 
God  consecrated  to  His  service.   So,  too,  our  bodies 


are  the  temples  of  God.  How  sacred  they  ought 
to  be  in  our  eyes  !  How  carefully  we  should  guard 
them  against  any  defilement  of  iijtemperance  or 
impurity,  even  against  a  dangerous  look,  an  im- 
modest word,  or  an  unbecoming  gesture. 

Second  Week :  Tuesday. — Visit  of  Nicodemus. 

St.  John  iii.  i,  2. 

Nicodemus,  a  Pharisee,  and  a  leading  man  among 
the  Jews,  comes  by  night  to  declare  to  our  Lord  his 
belief  in  His  Mission  and  to  converse  with  Him. 

1.  The  Pharisees  were  the  most  hopeless  class 
among  the  Jews  :  bigoted,  proud,  selfish,  hypocrites. 
Yet  among  the  Pharisees  there  was  at  least  one 
man  of  good-will  who  was  drawn  to  our  Lord  by 
the  words  He  spoke  and  the  miracles  He  wrought. 
Hence,  learn  never  to  condemn  any  one  because  he 
belongs  to  a  class  of  evil  men.  In  Sodom  was  the 
just  Lot ;  among  sinners  of  abandoned  life,  St.  Mary 
Magdalen  ;  among  the  Pharisees,  Nicodemus. 

2.  Nicodemus  was  a  man  of  loyal  soul,  but  he 
was  timid  in  his  loyalty.  He  did  not  dare  to  face 
the  obloquy  which  he  would  have  incurred  by  a 
public  visit  to  our  Lord.  Men  in  high  position, 
and  especially  men  in  a  false  position  like  that  of 
the  Pharisees,  are,  indeed,  to  be  pitied.  They  are 
often  very  slaves  to  the  opinion  of  others  and  their 
own  supposed  reputation  or  interest.  Thank  God 
if  you  are  in  a  humble  position,  able  to  follow  your 
conscience  unhindered. 

3.  Our  Lord  does  not  refuse  Nicodemus  because 
he  was  ashamed  to  come  to  Him  by  day,  or  re- 
proach him  with  cowardice.  He  knows  the  diffi- 
culties of  his  position  and  makes  all  allowance  for 
them.  He  accepts  the  least  mark  of  good-will,  the 
least  approach  of  the  soul  to  Him.  How  good  He 
is  to  us  !  How  considerate  to  our  weakness  !  How 
ready  to  overlook  our  many  slights  and  our  un- 
kindness !  This  it  is  that  almost  compels  us  to 
love  Him. 

Second  Week  :  Wednesday. — New  Birth. 

St.  John  iii.  3-8. 

Our  Lord  declares  to  Nicodemus  the  necessity  of 
being  born  again  if  we  are  to  see  the  Kingdom  of 
God,  and  explains  the  meaning  of  this  new  birth. 

I.  When  Nicodemus  declares  his  belief  that 
Jesus  is  a  teacher  sent  from  God,  our  Lord  answers 


524 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


by  what  seems  beside  the  mark.  He  tells  him  that, 
''  Unless  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the 
Kingdom  of  God."  His  meaning  is :  *'  In  order  to 
appreciate  with  Divine  faith  Who  I  am,  and  what 
means  My  being  sent  from  God,  a  man  must  be 
born,  again."  It  is  only  the  soul  that  is  raised  to 
the  supernatural  order  that  can  see  the  Kingdom 
of  God,  and  recognize  who  it  is  that  is  its  King. 

2.  In  the  answer  of  Nicodemus  we  see  the  carnal 
mind  still  strong  within  him.  He  takes  a  carnal 
view  of  the  new  birth :  "  How  can  a  man  be  bom  when 
he  is  old  ?  "  So  we  find  that  the  mysteries  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  are  a  riddle  to  all  who  are  not 
taught  of  God.  They  assert  that  the  prophecies  of 
the  Old  Testament  do  not  primarily  refer  to  our 
Lord,  and  explain  away  even  the  miracles  of  the 
Gospel.  The  blessed  Eucharist  seems  to  them 
absurd,  and  modern  miracles  a  fiction.  Thank  God 
for  the  gift  of  faith. 

3.  Our  Lord  explains  to  Nicodemus  that  the 
spiritual  new  birth  is  effected  by  the  secret  grace  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  accepted  by  the  soul.  It  comes 
noiselessly  and  like  a  gentle  wind.  It  is  given  to 
all  who  ask  it,  and  though  they  know  not  whence 
it  comes,  yet  they  recognize  it  as  a  voice  from  God. 
To  this  Voice,  O  Jesus,  may  I  be  ever  obedient ! 

Second  Week :  Thursday. — Heavenly  Gift. 

St.  John  iii.  9-13. 

Nicodemus  asks  our  Lord  how  these  things  of 
which  He  speaks  are  to  be  done.  Jesus  tells  him 
that  he,  as  a  teacher  in  Israel,  ought  to  understand 
them. 

1.  The  surprise  that  our  Lord  expresses  at  Nico- 
demus' ignorance  is  meant  to  teach  us  that  if  we 
are  in  any  position  of  authority,  God  expects  of  us 
a  higher  standard  of  knowledge  and  practice  than 
He  expects  of  others.  There  is  scarcely  anyone 
who  is  not  invested  with  some  authority  from  God 
over  children,  servants,  pupils,  younger  members 
of  our  little  circle.  Some  of  us  have  more  important 
and  responsible  authority.  Do  we  appreciate  the 
account  we  shall  have  to  give  of  the  use  we  have 
made  of  our  authority  ? 

2.  Jesus  had  explained  to  Nicodemus,  by  a  meta- 
phor from  sensible  things,  the  meaning  of  the  new 
birth  which  the  Spirit  of  God  works  in  the  soul. 


He  had  spoken  with  the  Divine  authority  of  one 
who  had  Himself  seen  and  known  that  which  He 
announced  respecting  the  things  of  God.  But 
Nicodemus  had  not  yet  the  grace  to  understand, 
and  so  he  understood  not.  In  Divine  things  we 
can  do  nothing  without  grace.  We  may  be  able, 
learned,  quick-sighted,  intelligent,  but  without  grace 
we  are  blind  and  deaf 

3.  Our  Lord  furthers  tells  him  that  none  can 
speak  from  direct  personal  knowledge  of  heavenly 
things  save  He  Himself,  the  Son  of  Man,  and 
though  He  had  come  down  from  Heaven,  He  was 
still  present  there,  in  full  possession  of  the  Beatific 
Vision.  Happy  those  to  whom  Jesus  teaches 
heavenly  truths ! 

Second  Week :  Friday. — The  Brazen  Serpent. 

St.  John  iii.  14-21. 

Jesus  further  explains  to  Nicodemus  how  the  Son 
of  Man  must  be  lifted  up  upon  the  Cross,  so  that 
all  who  gaze  on  Him  with  faith  and  love  may  be 
saved  through  Him.  He  tells  how  His  Mission  was 
to  save,  not  to  judge  the  world.  None  are  con- 
demned, save  those  who  rej  ect  and  refuse  the  light, 
because  their  deeds  are  evil. 

1.  As  the  brazen  serpent  was  raised  up  in  the 
desert,  and  all  who  gazed  with  faith  upon  it  were 
healed  of  the  bite  of  the  poisonous  serpents  that 
had  attacked  them,  so  the  Son  of  Man  was  to  be 
exalted  on  the  Cross,  that  all  who  believe  in  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.  O  merci- 
ful Jesus,  what  a  remedy  Thou  hast  provided  for 
the  deadly  effects  of  sin !  One  look  of  faith  and 
love  on  Thee,  one  cry  of  mercy  from  the  heart,  and 
all  is  forgiven  ! 

2.  We  sometimes  are  inclined  to  think  of  God 
the  Father  as  our  mighty  King  and  stern  Master, 
and  of  Jesus  as  praying  for  us  with  a  gentleness 
which  is  in  a  sort  of  contrast  to  the  severity  of  His 
Father.  Not  so.  God  the  Father  loves  the  world 
with  the  same  love  as  God  the  Son.  He  yearns 
over  fallen  man  with  the  same  Divine  yearning. 
He  has  the  same  tender  affection  for  each  one  of 
us,  the  same  desire  to  make  us  happy  to  all  eternity. 

3.  Why  is  it  that  the  Eternal  Father  does  not 
have  this  desire  fulfilled  ?  Why  did  the  Son  shed 
for  so  many  His  Precious  Blood  in  vain  ?  It  is 
because  men  refuse  to  listen,  hate  the  light,  cling 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


625 


to  their  own  perverse  ways.  Alas !  have  not  I 
often  thus  feared  the  light,  lest  I  should  be  con- 
demned by  it  ? 

Second  Week :  Saturday, — St.  John  the  Baptist's 
Testimony  to  Jesus. 

St.  John  iii.  23-36. 

Some  of  the  disciples  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  on 
hearing  that  Jesus  is  baptizing  and  drawing  all 
men  to  Him,  inform  their  master.  St.  John  de- 
clares that  the  new  Teacher  is  the  Bridegroom,  the 
Spouse  of  His  Bride  the  Church  ;  that  it  is  his  own 
greatest  joy  to  witness  the  increase  of  His  influ- 
ence, for  He  is  from  Heaven,  and  the  Son  of  God. 

1 .  Observe  how  readily  and  gracefully  St.  John 
retires  into  the  background.  There  is  no  selfish- 
ness and  jealousy  at  seeing  how  another  is  pre- 
ferred before  him.  On  the  contrary,  to  listen  to  the 
Voice  of  the  Lamb  of  God  is  the  fulfilment  of  all 
his  hopes  and  his  greatest  joy.  Here  is  the  test  of 
the  true  Apostle  of  the  real  Saint.  He  is  willing 
thus  to  be  thrust  out  of  sight  and  notice.  How 
different  from  myself,  x^Iao  want  to  be  highly  es- 
teemed and  noticed ! 

2.  St.  John  bears  witness  to  the  Son  of  God  under 
a  new  character,  that  of  the  Bridegroom.  Thus  he 
declares,  under  God's  inspiration,  the  fact  of  the 
mystical  union  of  Christ  and  His  Church :  "  He 
that  hath  the  Bride  is  the  Bridegroom,"  and  so  tes- 
tifies to  the  Divinity  of  Jesus.  Jesus  is  the  Spouse 
of  each  Christian  soul.  How  pure,  therefore,  should 
my  soul  be  if  it  is  to  be  fit  for  His  sacred  presence. 

3.  St.  John  further  declares  that  Jesus  is  from 
Heaven  and  teaches  what  He  has  Himself  seen,  and 
that  His  words  are  the  words  of  God,  and  that  all 
things  are  given  into  His  hand.  If  this  was  true 
while  He  was  clad  in  the  form  of  a  servant,  how 
much  more  now  that  He  is  King  of  Kings  and 
Lord  of  Lords  !  In  His  hands,  then,  I  am  always 
safe. 

Third  Week :  Sunday.— The  Well  of  Samaria. 

St.  John  iv.  1-9. 

Our  Lord,  traveling  from  Judsea  to  Galilee,  sits 
down  at  mid-day,  weary  and  faint,  by  the  well  of 
Samaria.  A  woman  of  Samaria  comes  to  draw 
water,  and  is  astonished  that  He,  a  Jew,  should  ask 
for  water  of  a  Samaritan. 

I.  Behold  the  Son  of  God,  thirsty  and  wayworn, 


resting  during  the  noon-tide  heat.  He  was  wearied 
out  with  the  journey  He  had  undertaken  in  order 
to  save  man  from  sin  and  death.  No  wonder  He  is 
weary  with  seeking  for  those  who,  instead  of  flock- 
ing to  Him  at  the  sound  of  His  voice,  seem  to 
avoid  and  shrink  from  Him.  Yet  He  goes  on 
following  them  so  patiently,  so  gently  calling  them. 
How  often  have  I  wearied  Him  by  my  obstinacy 
and  my  neglect  of  His  voice  calling  me.  Qucsrens 
me  sedisti  lassus.  Thou  hast,  indeed,  toiled  and 
labored  to  bring  me  to  Thee.  O,  may  I  listen  and 
obey ! 

2.  Our  Lord  begins  by  asking  the  woman  to  do 
Him  a  little  service.  This  is  often  the  best  possible 
way  of  opening  up  friendly  relations  with  strangers. 
It  creates  a  kindly  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  bene- 
factor, be  the  benefit  ever  so  small.  If  there  is 
any  one  whom  I  am  anxious  to  gain,  I  will  try 
and  pursue  this  plan.  Men  somehow  are  drawn 
towards  those  to  whom  they  are  kind. 

3.  The  woman  is  astonished  at  the  request.  The 
Jews  avoided  the  Samaritans  as  being  apostates 
from  Judaism,  unclean,  heretics.  But  where  there 
is  a  soul  to  be  saved,  Jesus  sets  all  else  aside.  His 
charity  is  an  all-enduring  charity. "  He  came  to  save 
the  lost,  and  in  this  outcast  race  He  recognized 
many  of  His  elect.  Hence  I  will  shun  none,  de- 
spise none. 

Third  Week :  Monday. — ^The  Living  Water. 

St.  John  iv.  10-15. 

Jesus  takes  no  notice  of  the  woman's  wonder,  and 
promises  that  if  she  asks  of  Him,  He  will  give  her 
living  water  that  will  spring  up  to  life  everlasting, 
and  will  make  it  unnecessary  for  her  to  visit  the 
well. 

I.  "If  thou  didst  know  the  gift  of  God !  "  This 
was  the  unfulfilled  condition  which  would  be  the 
means  of  obtaining  that  living  water  which  satisfies 
all  our  needs.  If  only  we  recognized  the  unsearch- 
able value  of  the  gifts  of  God  !  If  only  we  appre- 
ciated the  priceless  treasure  of  His  love !  If  only 
we  knew  how  eager  He  is  to  give  us  forgiveness, 
peace,  joy,  happiness  in  this  life  and  in  the  life  to 
come  I  If  only  we  know  all  this,  how  different  our 
prayers  would  be,  how  frequent,  how  fervent,  how 
persevering !  O  God,  help  me  to  appreciate  better 
the  value  of  Thy  gifts. 


526 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


2.  What  is  the  living  water  which  Jesus  promises 
to  all  who  ask  for  it !  It  is  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  that  He  pours  into  the  hearts  of  all  those 
who  love  Him.  This  gift,  like  water,  cleanses  them 
from  all  their  sins,  it  refreshes  and  strengthens 
them,  it  nourishes  in  their  souls  all  the  virtues 
which  bud,  and  blossom,  and  flourish  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  dwelling  in  the  soul. 
Give  to  me,  O  Lord,  this  living  water ! 

3.  This  living  water  includes  in  itself  all  spiritual 
delights.  It  is  that  of  which  our  Lord  promises 
that  He  will  give  us  to  drink  in  Heaven  freely,  and 
in  a  measure  so  abundant  as  to  satisfy  all  our  de- 
sires, not  drop  by  drop,  as  here  on  earth.  It  is  this 
living  water  the  sweetness  of  which  this  poor 
Samaritan  could  not  understand,  as  none  can  who 
are  still  attached  to  earthly  and  sinful  pleasures. 

Third  Week:  Tuesday. — True  and  False 
Worship. 

St.  John  iv.  16-25. 

Our  Lord  reveals  to  the  Samaritan  woman  His 
knowledge  of  her  past  life,  and  in  answer  to  her 
inquiries  about  the  true  God,  tells  her  that  it  is  in 
the  Temple  at  J'erusalem  that  He  dwells,  but  that 
the  time  was  coming  when  He  would  be  adored  all 
over  the  world,  by  those  who  adore  Him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth. 

1.  See  how  Jesus,  with  Divine  tact,  leads  the 
woman  to  a  confession  of  her  sinful  life.  He  does 
not  blame  her,  but  merely  sets  before  her  the  sad 
facts ;  and  grace  does  the  rest.  She  is  not  repelled 
by  the  implied  rebuke,  but  rather  drawn  to  Him. 
So,  when  we  tell  others  of  their  faults,  we  shall 
not  repel,  but  rather  attract  them,  if  we  speak  with 
something  of  the  charity  of  Jesus.  It  is  because 
we  are  harsh  and  bitter  that  they  will  not  listen. 

2.  The  woman  then  asks  Jesus  whether  it  is  on 
Mount  Gerizim  (as  the  Samaritans  asserted)  or  in 
the  Temple  on  Mount  Sion,  that  God  was  to  be 
worshipped.  Jesus  gently  tells  her  that  it  is  at 
Jerusalem  that  He  is  to  be  adored,  and  that  the 
Samaritans  worship  an  unknown  deity.  "  You 
adore  you  know  not  what."  So  it  is  with  modern 
heretics.  They  bow  before  their  altars,  but  all  is 
vague  and  uncertain ;  they  adore  they  know  not 
what. 


3.  At  the  same  time,  our  Lord  tells  the  woman 
that  the  time  is  coming  when  the  worship  of  the 
true  God  will  be  spread  over  all  the  earth.  He 
was  thinking  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  its  uni- 
versal sway,  and  how  He  would  be  present,  God 
as  well  as  Man,  on  every  altar,  where  true  adorers 
would  adore  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Thank 
God  that  you  are  one  of  that  happy  company. 

Third  Week:  Wednesday. — Conversion  of  the 
Samaritans. 

St.  John  iv.  26-42. 

Our  Lord  declares  to  the  woman  that  He 
is  the  Christ ;  and  on  the  return  of  His  dis- 
ciples, who  had  been  buying  provisions,  the 
woman  leaves  her  water-pot  and  hastens  to  the 
city,  and  tells  her  fellow-townsmen  that  she  has 
found  the  Messias.  They  invite  our  Lord  to 
Samaria,  and  He  remains  there  two  days,  and 
converts  many. 

1.  The  poor  woman,  conscious  of  Divine  au- 
thority in  the  words  of  Jesus,  remarks  that  at  the 
coming  of  the  Messias  all  such  difficulties  are  to 
be  solved,  as  if  already  half-convinced  that  it  was 
to  Him  that  she  was  speaking.  Jesus,  seeing  her 
growing  faith  and  her  honest  good-will,  reveals  to 
her  that  He  is  the  Messias,  the  Deliverer  of  Israel. 
The  woman  listens  and  believes  at  once.  Do  I 
always  show  a  like  docility. 

2.  No  sooner  has  she  given  in  her  allegiance  to 
Jesus,  than  the  disciples  arrive  with  their  pro- 
visions. She  leaves  her  water-can  unheeded,  and 
hurries  to  the  town  with  her  message,  that  at  the 
well  of  Jacob  is  One  Who  has  read  her  heart,  and 
Who  must  be  the  Christ.  Admire  (i)  her  eager- 
ness to  spread  the  knowledge  of  Jesus ;  (2)  her 
neglect  of  all  else  in  order  to  do  so ;  (3)  her  recog- 
nition of  His  Divine  character ;  (4)  the  persuasive- 
ness of  her  earnest  words. 

3.  The  Samaritans  come  forth  and  invite  Jesus 
to  stay  with  them.  O,  happy  those  who  issue  such 
an  invitation  to  the  Lord  of  Life !  They  listen  to 
Him,  and  He  is  their  Saviour  from  heresy,  and 
blindness,  and  sin.  Do  I  recognize  Him  with 
similar  appreciation  when  I  kneel  in  His  presence, 
or  actually  look  upon  Him,  hidden  under  the  sac- 
ramental veils  ? 


THE    MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


527 


Third  Week :  Thursday. — Ripening  Harvest. 

St.  John  iv.  31-38. 

During  the  absence  of  the  Samaritan  woman,  our 
Lord  tells  His  disciples  that  His  meat  is  to  do  His 
Father's  will,  and  reminds  them  of  the  boundless 
fields  that  are  whitening  for  the  harvest,  ready  to 
be  reaped  by  those  who  should  preach  the  Gospel 
of  God. 

1.  Our  Lord  tells  His  Apostles,  when  they  press 
Him  to  take  some  food,  that  he  has  meat  to  eat 
which  they  know  not  of.  He  explains  that  His 
food  is  to  carry  out,  in  blind  obedience,  the  task  that 
His  Father  had  laid  upon  Him.  One  thing  alone 
He  asked  Himself:  "  What  is  it  that  My  Father 
wishes  me  to  do?"  This  is  the  secret  of  all 
sanctity. 

2.  Jesus  directs  the  attention  of  His  Apostles  to 
the  field  of  work  ready  for  the  harvest.  It  may  be 
that  he  pointed  to  the  Samaritans,  coming  in  a 
crowd  to  hear  Him.  It  may  be  that  He  spoke  of 
the  great  harvest  of  both  Jews  and  Gentiles.  Now, 
as  then,  there  are  fields  waiting  the  reaper.  What 
do  I  do  to  help  in  the  harvest  ?  by  alms,  by  my  own 
personal  efforts,  by  training  others  to  work  for  God  ? 

3.  "  One  man  sows  and  another  reaps."  How 
often  is  this  the  case  !  Only  in  the  Day  of  Judgment 
will  each  receive  his  due  share  in  the  work  done. 
A  priest  receives  converts,  but  he  is  only  the  reaper. 
The  sower  is  some  Religious  praying  in  solitude,  or 
some  old  woman  telling  her  beads.  One  day  sower 
and  reaper  will  rejoice  together.  If  I  cannot  reap, 
at  least  I  can  sow,  and  earn  a  share  in  the  joy  of 
bringing  souls  to  God. 

Third  Week  :  Friday.— The  Healing  of  the 
Nobleman's  Son. 

St  John  iv.  46-54. 

Our  Lord,  traveling  from  Samaria  to  Galilee, 
arrives  at  Cana,  where  a  man  of  authority,  belong- 
ing to  Capharnaum,  comes  and  begs  Him  to  come 
down  and  heal  his  dying  son.  Jesus  tells  him  to 
return  home,  for  his  son  is  alive  and  well.  The 
man  believes  the  word  of  Jesus,  and  on  his  return 
finds  that  the  boy  has  recovered  at  the  very  moment 
that  Jesus  spoke.  He  and  all  his  home  became 
disciples  of  our  Lord. 

I.  The  ruler  of  Capharnaum  had  but  a  partial 


faith.  He  believes  that  Jesus  can  cure  his  son  if 
He  is  present  at  his  bedside,  but  it  never  occurs  to 
him  that  He  can  do  so  equally  well  from  a  distance. 
Yet  our  Lord  does  not  reject  his  petition  on  that 
account.  He  loves  to  fan  into  a  flame  even  a  spark 
of  faith  or  love.  My  faith  and  love  is,  indeed,  but 
a  tiny  spark.  O  Jesus,  fan  it  into  a  flame  with  the 
breath  of  Thy  grace. 

2.  Our  Lord  seems  to  say  to  those  who  listened 
to  Him  :  "Are  not  My  words  enough  !  Is  not  the 
law  of  love  that  I  publish  sufiicient  to  draw  your 
hearts  to  believe  what  I  speak  ?  No  !  unless  you 
see  signs  and  wonders  you  believe  not."  O  Jesus, 
this  shall  not  be  my  spirit.  No  miracles  do  I  need 
to  make  me  put  my  trust  in  Thee,  save  the  miracle 
of  Thy  Divine  love. 

3.  The  prayer  of  the  ruler  is  heard,  but  not  in 
the  literal  sense.  Christ  did  not  go  down  to  his 
house,  but  by  one  word  He  wrought  the  cure.  So, 
often  He  does  not  grant  our  prayers  as  we  ask,  but 
eventually  He  does  far  better  for  us.  This  we 
should  remember  when  our  petitions  seem  to  pass 
unheeded. 

Third  Week:  Saturday. — Synagogue  at 
Nazareth. 

St.  Luke  iv.  16-22. 

Jesus  going  into  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  takes  the  book  and  reads  from  the 
Prophet  Isaias  (Ixi,  i,  2),  a  prophecy  concerning 
Himself.  He  tells  those  present  that  on  that  day 
the  prophecy  is  fulfilled.  They  wonder  at  His 
words,  and  say  :  "  Is  not  this  the  Son  of  Joseph?" 

I.  It  was  the  custom  among  the  Jews  to  assemble 
every  Sabbath  day  in  the  synagogue  to  read  the 
Law  of  Moses.  Any  one  present  was  allowed  to 
read  the  Law,  and  to  speak  on  what  he  had  read. 
Jesus  avails  Himself  of  the  opportunity  thus  af- 
forded Him  to  proclaim  His  Divine  Mission,  and 
reads  the  passage  in  Isaias  which  describes  the 
work  that  the  Messias  was  to  accomplish.  How 
eagerly  He  is  listened  to !  Something  thrills  the 
hearts  of  those  present.  They  know  not  that  it  is 
God  who  speaks  to  them,  but  they  are  conscious 
(i)  of  the  marvelous  attractiveness  of  the  speaker  ; 
(2)  of  His  Divine  authority  ;  (3)  of  His  superiority 
to  all  their  ordinary  teachers.  So  it  always  is  with 
those  whom  God  sends.     Not  so  men  outside  the 


528 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


Church ;  they  may  talk  beautifully,  but  they  do  not 
touch  the  heart. 

2.  What  is  it  Christ  proclaims  ?  That  He  is 
come  (i)  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor,  rather 
than  to  the  rich ;  (2)  to  heal  the  contrite,  not  the 
proud ;  (3)  to  set  at  liberty  the  captive,  and  those 
who  are  crushed  with  a  sense  of  sin.  Ponder  on 
these  conditions,  and  apply  them  to  yourself. 

3.  Christ  declares  this  scripture  to  be  fulfilled  in 
Himself.  It  must  have  seemed  to  his  hearers  a 
strange  boldness  in  the  Son  of  Joseph  the  carpen- 
ter. Yet  He  held  them  spellbound.  They  could  not 
resist  His  gracious  words.     Can  I  resist  them  now  ? 

Fourth  Week  :  Sunday. — A  Prophet  in  His 
Own  Country. 

St.  Lnke  iv.  23-24. 

Our  Lord  explains  to  the  people  of  Nazareth  that 
He  is  to  be  rejected  in  His  own  country  ;  that  He 
will  not  perform  among  them  the  same  signs  as 
elsewhere ;  and  illustrates  His  intention  by  the  ex- 
ample of  Elias  and  Eliseus,  who  passed  by  their 
own  countrymen  to  carry  their  message  of  mercy 
to  strangers. 

1.  Our  Lord  tells  the  Nazarenes  that  they  will 
expect  Him  to  perform  His  miracles  among  them 
on  the  principle:  "  Physician,  heal  thyself."  They 
forgot  that  the  true  relationship  to  Christ  is  founded 
on  supernatural  charity,  not  in  natural  kinship. 
If  I  want  Him  to  heal  me,  I  must  do  His  will,  for 
thus  I  am  worthy  to  be  classed  as  His  true  mother 
or  sister  or  brother  in  the  spiritual  order. 

2.  The  answer  Jesus  makes  to  the  thoughts  or 
words  of  the  Nazarenes  is  the  further  proverb : 
"No  prophet  is  accepted  in  his  own  country." 
Why  is  this  ?  Sometimes  it  is  that  the  prophet  is 
found  out  in  his  home  to  be  but  a  somewhat  ordi- 
nary mortal ;  sometimes  (as  in  our  Lord's  case) 
that  those  who  are  in  continual  contact  with  some 
teacher  of  extraordinary  holiness,  if  they  are  not 
attracted  to  him,  have  their  hearts  hardened. 
Sometimes  Catholics,  religious,  even  priests,  are 
only  hardened  by  their  familiarity  with  holy  things. 
Alas,  that  it  should  be  so  ! 

3.  Elias  in  the  time  of  famine  was  sent  to  bring 
plenty  to  a  Gentile ;  Eliseus  healed  none  of  the 
lepers  of  Israel,  but  only  a  foreign  soldier.     We 


must  not  presume  on  our  being  bom  Catholics,  as 
the  Jews  did  on  their  belonging  to  the  people  of 
God.  God  may  reject  us  and  bestow  His  fondest 
love  and  best  graces  on  those  born  and  reared  out- 
side the  Church. 

Fourth  Week :  Monday. — Anger  of  the 
Nazarenes. 

St  Luke  iv.  25-30. 

The  Nazarenes,  on  hearing  the  words  of  Jesus, 
and  understanding  that  He  intimated  to  them  that 
as  Elias  and  Eliseus  treated  the  Jews,  so  He  would 
treat  them,  were  filled  with  fury  ;  and  seizing  Jesus, 
dragged  Him  to  the  edge  of  a  precipice  to  cast  Him 
down.  But  He,  passing  through  the  midst  of  them, 
went  His  way. 

1.  What  was  it  that  filled  the  Nazarenes  with 
such  fury  on  hearing  the  words  of  Jesus  ?  It  was 
that  He  gave  them  to  understand  that  His  mercy 
was  not  to  be  bestowed  on  them  or  on  the  Jewish 
nation.  Strangers  whom  they  detested  and  despised 
were  to  be  the  chief  objects  of  His  love.  The  Son 
of  the  carpenter  actually  declined  to  make  His  owm 
city  the  scene  of  these  wonderful  gifts  of  which  He 
spoke.  "  Who  was  this  insolent  upstart  ?  Were 
they  to  suffer  His  insolence  ?  "  Vehement  indigna- 
tion is  always  a  thing  to  be  suspected  in  fallible 
man.     It  is  generally  a  cloak  for  wounded  self-love. 

2.  These  Nazarenes  were  moved  by  their  pride 
and  hatred  of  the  truth  to  a  crime  the  guilt  of  which 
can  scarcely  be  overstated.  They  had  no  excuse. 
Jesus  had  dwelt  among  them  for  thirty  years. 
They  had  seen  His  gentleness,  modesty,  charity, 
sweetness.  They  had  heard  his  words  of  grace.  Yet 
they  rejected  and  hated  Him,  and  were  at  heart  His 
murderers.  All  through  pride  !  He  had  slighted 
their  dignity.     What  a  lesson  for  us  ! 

3.  Jesus'  hour  was  not  yet  come,  aud  the  mad- 
dened crowd  of  His  enemies  suddenly  missed  Him. 
He  had  vanished,  none  knew  how.  God  will  pro- 
tect His  own  until  their  work  is  done.  No  one 
really  dies  before  his  time. 

Fourth  Week :  Tuesday.— Call  of  the 
Fishermen. 

St.  Matt  iv.  18-22. 

Jesus,  leaving  Nazareth,  goes  to  dwell  at  Caphar- 
naum.    Walking  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  He  sees 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


529 


Peter  and  Andrew  fishing,  and  calls  them  to  come 
after  Him.  They  immediately  leave  their  nets 
and  follow  Him.  He  afterwards  calls  John  and 
James,  the  sous  of  ZeTaedee,  who  obey  with  similar 
alacrity. 

1.  This  was  not  the  first  time  that  Jesus  had 
drawn  to  Himself  St.  Andrew  and  St.  Peter.  (St. 
John  i.  41.)  But  He  had  not  definitely  called  them 
to  join  Him.  He  works  for  the  most  part  gradually 
in  the  hearts  of  men.  He  sows  the  seed  of  His 
grace,  and  then  He  leaves  it  for  a  time  to  mature, 
and  afterwards  a  second  summons  leads  to  willing 
sacrifice  for  Him.  So  He  has  dealt  with  me.  He 
has  led  me  on  gently,  and  sought  to  bring  me  by 
degrees  nearer  to  Himself.  Have  I  the  good-will  of 
these  disciples  ? 

2.  Jesus  calls  these  fishermen  to  be  fishers  of 
men,  to  cast  the  Gospel  net  which  hauls  those  who 
are  enclosed  in  its  sacred  toils  into  the  rich  pre- 
serves and  the  unfathomed  waters  of  the  love  of 
Cod.  O  what  a  privilege  to  be  a  fisher  for  God, 
and  to  share  with  Jesus  the  glorious  task  of  filling 
the  living  waters  with  those  who  shall  bask  and 
shine  in  them  to  all  eternity. 

3.  After  Peter  and  Andrew,  James  and  John  are 
called.  They  are  mending  their  nets  with  their 
father  Zebedee,  when  Christ  calls  them ;  nets,  fish- 
ing, father,  all  count  for  naught.  He  calls,  and 
then  occupations,  possessions,  relations,  all  must  be 
abandoned  for  His  sake.  What  have  I  given  up 
for  Him  ? 

Fourth  Week:  Wednesday. — Synagogue  at 
Caphamaum. 

St.  Mark  i.  21-24. 

At  Caphamaum,  as  at  Nazareth,  Jesus  went  to 
the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath  day  to  listen  to  the 
reading  of  the  Law.  There  happened  to  be  present 
a  possessed  person  who  cried  out  in  terror,  and 
declared  Jesus  to  be  the  Holy  One  of  God. 

I.  In  the  present  day,  men  laugh  at  the  idea 
of  possession,  but  Holy  Scripture  teaches  its  un- 
doubted reality.  The  spirit  of  uncleanness  is  some- 
times allowed  to  inhabit  the  human  body,  to  control 
the  actions,  and  speak  through  the  mouths  of  men, 
often  as  the  just  punishment  of  long  indulgence  in 
sin.  Pray  God  that  the  devil  may  never  obtain 
any  power  or  influence   over   you,  as  he  does  in 

84 


greater  or  less  degree  over  all  who  do  not  resist  his 
evil  suggestions. 

2.  The  unclean  spirit  could  not  remain  silent  in 
the  presence  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  regarded  Him 
with  terror  and  dismay  as  its  deadliest  enemy,  and 
at  the  same  time  its  Lord.  "  What  have  we  to  do 
with  Thee  ?  Art  Thou  come  to  destroy  us  ?  "  So 
evil  ever  shrinks  before  good.  The  followers  of  Jesus 
are  powerful  over  evil  spirits  just  in  proportion  as 
they  share  His  holiness.  If  we  were  more  like 
Him,  the  devil  would  fear  us  more,  and  evil  would 
shrink  away  abashed  in  our  presence. 

3.  The  devils  knew  well  the  holiness  of  Jesus. 
They  have  a  natural  power  to  discern  the  true 
character  of  the  hearts  of  men.  They  cannot  read 
all  our  inmost  thoughts,  but  they  can  form  a  very 
correct  estimate  of  us  ;  we  cannot  deceive  them  as 
we  can  deceive  men.  What  a  contempt  they  must 
have  for  me !  How  low  must  be  their  opinion  of 
my  virtue ! 

Fourth  Week :  Thursday. — Casting  Out  of  the 

Devil. 

St  Matt.  i.  25-28. 

Our  Lord  imposes  silence  on  the  unclean  spirit, 
and  orders  it  to  quit  its  victim.  The  devil  throws 
the  possessed  on  the  ground  in  an  agony  of  pain, 
and  then  leaves  him  unharmed.  The  spectators  in 
awe  and  amazement  ask  themselves  who  this  can 
be  who  has  authority  even  over  the  powers  of 
darkness. 

1.  One  word  from  Jesus,  and  the  unclean  spirit 
is  rebuked  and  holds  its  peace.  How  is  it,  then, 
that  in  spite  of  our  appeals  to  Him,  the  evil  spirits 
refuse  to  cease  their  whispers  of  temptation,  their 
foul  suggestions  ?  It  may  be  because  we  give 
them  some  excuse  by  our  carelessness  in  not  avoid- 
ing occasions  of  sin.  It  may  be  that  our  Lord 
desires  to  humble  us,  and  make  us  feel  our  weak- 
ness and  our  need  of  Him.  Anyhow,  He  will  give 
us  the  graces  necessary  to  resist  our  foe ;  and  the 
fiercer  the  temptation  the  greater  will  be  our  final 
reward.     Courage,  then,  courage ! 

2.  The  devil,  when  about  to  go  out,  tears  his 
victim  and  throws  him  on  the  ground.  He  will 
not  go  out  without  a  struggle.  In  temptations,  the 
very  fact  that  the  repugnance  is  strongest  and  the 
suffering  most  acute,  is  often  the  clearest  proof  that 


530 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


the  devil  is  about  to  depart.     It  is  the  impotent 
malice  of  one  who  knows  that  his  time  is  short. 

3.  When  the  struggle  is  over  and  the  devil  ex- 
pelled, the  prisoner,  freed  from  his  persecution, 
has  suffered  no  harm.  So  temptation,  however 
horrible,  if  resisted,  leaves  no  stain  upon  the  soul ; 
the  enemy  has  harassed  and  persecuted  us,  but  we 
have  gained  strength,  not  lost  it  by  the  conflict. 
O,  Christ,  may  I  always  bravely  resist,  and  through 
Thy  word  escape  unscathed. 

Fourth  Week:  Friday.— The  Healing  of  Peter's 
Wife's  Mother. 

St  Matt.  i.  30-33. 

On  leaving  the  synagogue,  our  l^ord  and  His 
disciples  go  to  the  house  of  Simon  Peter,  whose 
wife's  mother  is  lying  sick  of  a  great  fever.  They  tell 
Jesus  of  it,  and  He  takes  her  by  the  hand,  and  at  once 
the  fever  leaves  her,  and  she  ministers  to  them. 

1.  The  disciples  of  our  Lord  tell  Him  of  the 
woman  who  is  lying  dangerously  ill  in  Simon's 
house.  This  is  the  occasion  of  her  being  healed. 
Our  Lord  knew  of  it  before,  but  would  He  have 
worked  the  miracle  had  they  not  carried  the  case  to 
Him  ?  So  Jesus  waits  now  for  us  to  tell  him  of  our 
needs,  and  of  the  needs  of  those  we  love.  He  likes 
to  hear  our  troubles  from  our  own  lips  in  prayer,  and 
often  makes  it  a  condition  of  delivering  us  from 
them. 

2.  This  sick  woman  had  a  sort  of  claim  on  our 
Lord  on  account  of  her  relationship  to  St.  Peter. 
Jesus  would  not  allow  that  the  Nazarenes  had  any 
right  to  have  these  miracles  wrought  amongst  them 
in  consequence  of  His  having  lived  at  Nazareth, 
but  this  was  because  they  had  forfeited  their  privi- 
leges by  their  incredulity.  But  he  recognizes 
natural  ties,  and  He  listens  to  the  prayers  of  His 
disciples  and  friends,  and  especially  of  those  who 
have  given  up  all  for  Him,  when  they  ask  on  be- 
half of  those  who  are  bound  to  them  by  any  sort  of 
connection  or  relationship. 

3.  One  touch  of  Jesus'  hand,  and  the  fever  and 
sickness  leave  the  body  of  the  invalid.  It  was  the 
practical  carrying  out  of  the  conviction  of  another 
suflFerer :  "  Lord,  if  I  may  but  touch  the  hem  of  His 
garment,  I  shall  be  whole."  O  Jesus,  lay  Thy 
healing  hand  on  me ! 


Fourth  Week  :  Saturday. — The  Work  of  Jesus 
at  Caphamaum. 

St.  Mark  i.  34-38. 

Jesus  performed  at  Capharnaum  many  miracles, 
healing  the  sick  and  casting  out  devils,  whom  He 
suffered  not  to  speak  because  they  knew  Him.  In 
the  evening  He  worked  His  work  of  mercy,  and 
very  early  in  the  morning  He  went  out  into  the 
desert  to  pray.  There  His  disciples  find  Him,  and 
when  they  urge  Him  to  return,  He  tells  them  that 
He  is  sent  to  preach  in  other  towns  and  cities  as  well. 

1.  Two  kinds  of  miracles  are  here  recorded  of  our 
Lord,  the  healing  of  bodily  diseases  and  the  casting 
out  of  devils.  The  latter  is  a  far  harder  task  than 
the  former.  How  reluctant  the  devil  is  to  quit  his 
victims !  Habit  almost  become  second  nature. 
What  a  firm  hold  he  seems  to  have  on  them  !  So 
now  that  the  conversion  of  sinners  is  a  more 
wonderful  exercise  of  Divine  power  than  the  heal- 
ing of  countless  diseases. 

2.  Our  Lord  would  no^  suffer  the  devils  to  pro- 
claim His  Divinity.  He  would  not  accept  the 
declaration  of  the  truth  from  such  a  source  as  this. 
So  He  does  not  bless  the  teaching  of  the  truth  by 
wicked  men.  Their  power  to  influence  others  seems 
blighted.  The  first  requisite  is  not  eloquence  or 
learning,  but  faithfulness  to  God  and  the  love  of  Him. 

3.  In  spite  of  His  exhausting  labors,  Jesus  goes 
into  the  desert  to  pray.  This  was  for  our  sakes : 
He  Himself  needed  no  prayers.  But  He  desired  to 
teach  us  that  when  we  do  a  great  work  for  God,  or 
meet  with  any  sort  of  success,  we  should  before  all 
else  go  and  thank  Him,  and  attribute  all  to  His 
Divine  Providence. 

Part  II. — From  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
to  Our  Lord's  Retirement  before  His 
Enemies. 

Fifth  Week:  Sunday.— The   Beatitudes: 
I.  Blessed   are  the  Poor  in  Spirit. 

St.  Matt.  V.  1-3. 

Our  Blessed  Lord,  going  up  into  a  mountain, 
gathers  His  disciples  round  Him,  and  explains  to 
them  the  Gospel  law  that  He  had  come  to  teach  to 
man.     He  begins  with  the  eight  Beatitudes. 

"  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven." 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


531 


1.  All  men  desire  happiness.  We  cannot  help 
seeking  to  attain  it.  It  is  the  end  and  object  of  our 
lives.  Our  Lord's  aim  in  coming  down  on  earth 
was  to  teach  us  how  to  be  happy  or  blessed.  It  is 
of  no  use  seeking  to  be  happy  by  any  other  method 
than  by  that  which  Jesus  prescribes.  O  my  Lord, 
teach  me  this  lesson !  I  desire  happiness,  and  I 
desire  also  to  learn  from  Thee  the  means  of  attain- 
ing it. 

2.  First  and  foremost,  Jesus  places  poverty  of 
spirit  as  necessary  to  happiness.  The  world  says, 
*'  Get  rich,  and  you  will  be  happy,"  and  those  who 
take  the  advice  find  that  riches  do  not  bring  happi- 
ness. Jesus  says,  "  Be  poor  of  your  own  free  will, 
and  you  will  be  happy."  The  poverty  of  spirit  that 
He  recommends  is  a  detachment  from  and  readi- 
ness to  resign  all  we  possess  for  His  sake. 

3.  What  does  He  mean  by  poverty  of  spirit  ?  (i) 
The  willing  renunciation  of  such  riches  as  cannot 
be  had  without  sin.  (2)  The  dependence  on  God 
in  the  use  of  riches,  and  the  readiness  to  resign 
them  if  we  know  that  He  asks  it  of  us.  (3)  And 
best  of  all,  the  actual  renunciation  of  all  posses- 
sions, both  in  will  and  deed,  that  we  may  follow 
Christ  in  His  sacred  poverty.  To  all  such  our 
Lord  promises  a  treasure  in  Heaven — nay.  He  says 
that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  theirs.  What  de- 
gree have  I  of  this  poverty  of  spirit  ? 

Fifth  Week:  Monday.— The    Beatitudes: 
2.  Blessed  are  the  Meek. 

St.  Matt.  V.  4. 

"  Blessed  are  the  meek,  for  they  shall  possess  the 
land." 

1.  Meekness  is  the  outward  expression  of  hu- 
mility. It  is  the  primary  characteristic  which  our 
Lord  bids  us  imitate  in  Himself.  "  Learn  of  Me, 
for  I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart."  It  is  not  only 
the  fruit  of  humility,  but  the  nurse  of  humility. 
We  continually  fail  in  humility  without  being  con- 
scious of  it,  but  we  cannot  well  fail  in  meekness 
without  knowing  it.  We  see  the  effect  on  others — 
we  hear  our  own  angry  words.  If,  therefore,  I  wish 
to  be  humble,  I  must  cultivate  meekness, 

2.  How  beautiful,  too,  is  meekness  in  itself! 
Meekness  turns  away  anger ;  silences  the  evil 
speaker ;  makes  men  ashamed  of  their  own  cruel 


words  ;  makes  us  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of 
the  Lamb  of  God.  Moses  was  dear  to  God  because 
he  was  of  men  the  meekest.  "  Remember  David 
and  all  his  meekness,"  says  the  Psalmist.  Our 
Lord  Himself  before  His  enemies  was  an  example 
of  perfect  meekness.  Alas  !  how  deficient  I  am  in 
this  virtue !  Perhaps  I  even  call  the  meek  poor- 
spirited,  and  pride  myself  on  my  power  of  self- 
defence  and  my  mischievous  pugnacity. 

3.  "  The  meek  possess  the  land."  How  true  this 
is  even  on  earth.  Men  yield  to  the  meek  where 
they  would  not  yield  to  those  who  opposed  them. 
The  meek  are  liked  and  are  listened  to,  and  some- 
how in  the  end  remain  masters  of  the  situation. 
How  much  more  will  they  be  the  happy  possessors 
of  the  heavenly  country,  the  land  of  God's  elect ! 

Fifth  Week  :  Tuesday.— The  Beatitudes : 
3.  Blessed  are  they  that  Mourn. 

St.  Matt.  V.  5. 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for  they  shall  be 
comforted." 

1.  Why  is  it  a  blessed  thing  to  mourn?  Even 
in  the  natural  order  sorrow  chastens  and  purifies 
the  character.  It  thus  paves  the  way  for  super- 
natural graces.  Sorrow,  too,  under  the  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  detaches  our  hearts  from  the 
world,  makes  us  feel  our  dependence  upon  God, 
turns  our  hearts  to  Him,  makes  us  long  for  Heaven. 
Do  not  then  lament  if  sorrow  overtakes  you,  but 
rather  rejoice,  for  "  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn." 

2.  Blessed  again  are  they  that  mourn  over  their 
sins.  It  is  the  best  penance  that  we  can  do.  But 
we  cannot  really  mourn  over  sin  unless  we  have 
that  aversion  from  it  in  which  purity  of  heart  con- 
sists. Blessed,  too,  are  they  that  mourn  over  the 
sins  of  others,  and  are  grieved  at  heart  by  reason 
of  the  manifold  offences  committed  against  the 
Divine  Goodness,  and  of  the  loss  of  so  many  souls 
dear  to  the  heart  of  Jesus.  Let  us  pray  for  a  more 
heartfelt  sorrow  for  sin.  How  lightly  at  present 
we  esteem  it ! 

3.  Those  who  mourn  with  supernatural  sorrow 
shall  surely  be  comforted.  Their  consolation  is 
not  far  away.  It  will  soon  pour  sweetness  into 
their  heart ;  nay,  their  very  sorrow  has  in  it  already 
an  element  of  sweetness  which  tells  of  the  joy  in 


532 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


prospect  and  of  Heaven  to  come  at  last,  where  in 
one  moment  we  shall  be  consoled  and  compensated 
for  all  the  mourning  of  this  valley  of  tears. 

Fifth  Week:  Wednesday. — The  Beatitudes: 
4.  Blessed  are  they  that  Hunger  and  Thirst 
after  Justice.         st.  Matt.  v.  6. 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after 
justice,  for  they  shall  have  their  fill." 

1.  What  is  it  to  hunger  and  thirst  after  justice  ? 
In  the  case  of  the  sinner,  it  consists  in  a  longing 
desire  to  be  freed  from  his  sin,  and  this  is  a  happy 
sign  of  a  coming  change.  So  the  Prodigal  longed 
after  his  father's  home.  So  St.  Augustine  longed 
to  escape  from  the  chain  of  sin.  So  the  sinner  who 
comes  to  the  tribunal  of  Penance  longs  after  the 
blessedness  of  having  the  burden  of  his  sins  re- 
moved. All  these  are  blessed  in  prospect,  not  in 
virtue  of  their  present  condition. 

2.  There  is  a  higher  form  of  this  hunger  and 
thirst  after  justice  which  is  to  be  found  in  the 
Saints  in  proportion  to  their  sanctity.  They  are 
happy,  wonderfully  happy,  happy  amid  all  the 
trials  and  sufferings  of  this  valley  of  tears,  but 
this  happiness  is  the -result  of  their  hunger  and 
thirst  after  the  heavenly  country.  It  is  the  pros- 
pect of  coming  joy  that  makes  them  so  light- 
hearted.  Is  this  my  case?  When  I  repeat  the 
words,  "  O  Paradise !  I  would  that  I  were  there !  " 
do  I  mean  them,  or  are  they  mere  empty  and  unreal 
sentiment  ? 

3.  Those  who  hunger  and  thirst  after  justice 
shall  have  their  fill.  Even  in  this  life  the  Saints 
cried  out,  Satis,  Domine — "  Enough,  O  Lord,"  when 
God  poured  into  their  souls  spiritual  delights.  In 
Heaven  all  will  overflow  with  joy.  The  joy  that 
God  gives  satisfies,  but  never  satiates.  We  always 
have  enough,  yet  we  never  have  enough.  This  is 
the  secret  of  its  sufficiency  to  all  eternity. 

Fifth  Week :  Thursday.— The  Beatitudes : 
5.  Blessed  are  the  Merciful. 

St  Matt.  V.  7. 

"  Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy." 

I.  Mercy  is  the  virtue  of  charity  as  applied  to 
those  who  are  in  distress  or  trouble.     It  is  the  re- 


flection of  the  love  of  God  for  perishing  sinners. 
It  is  that  quality  the  exercise  of  which  towards  our- 
selves is  our  greatest  need.  Without  the  mercy  of 
God  we  are  lost.  Without  His  mercy  we  can  never 
free  ourselves  from  sin.  Without  His  mercy  we  can 
never  hope  to  see  His  Face  in  Heaven.  The  note 
of  our  every  prayer  should  be,  "  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner !  "  It  is  only  thus  we  can  hope  to  be 
forgiven. 

2.  To  obtain  mercy,  then,  must  be  the  aim  of  our 
life.  How  are  we  to  do  so  ?  Christ,  the  King  of 
Mercy,  teaches  us  the  way.  We  must  show  mercy 
to  others  if  we  are  to  find  mercy  ourselves.  It  will 
be  in  vain  for  us  to  cry  for  mercy,  if,  when  others 
cried  to  us  in  their  distress,  we  turned  a  deaf  ear. 
Am  I  thus  merciful  to  others,  not  from  a  natural 
motive,  but  because  I  wish  to  follow  in  the  steps  of 
the  merciful  and  loving  Saviour  ?  Or  am  I  severe 
and  hard  to  my  fellow-sinners  ? 

3.  What  are  the  methods  by  which  we  may  show 
mercy?  (i)  By  mercy  to  the  poor.  Daniel  tells 
Nabuchodonosor,  "  Redeem  thy  sins  by  alms-deeds, 
and  thine  iniquities  by  showing  mercy  to  the  poor." 
(2)  By  tenderness  and  gentleness  to  the  sick  and 
those  in  trouble.  (3)  By  forgiving  those  who  have 
wronged  me,  as  I  hope  to  be  forgiven.  Are  these 
my  characteristics  ? 

Fifth  Week  :  Friday.— The  Beatitudes : 
6.  Blessed  are  the  Clean  of  Heart. 

St.  Matt.  V.  8. 

"  Blessed  are  the  clean  of  heart,  for  they  shall 
see  God." 

1.  The  vision  of  God  is  the  end  of  man's  exist- 
ence and  the  utmost  perfection  of  his  happiness. 
To  be  shut  out  from  seeing  Him  to  all  eternity  in- 
volves not  only  the  blackness  of  darkness,  but  the 
lowest  depth  of  despair  and  misery.  The  enjoy- 
ment of  all  possible  earthly  pleasures  for  a  million 
of  years  would  not  compensate  for  the  loss  of  that 
vision,  if  only  for  a  moment.  The  endurance  of  all 
possible  miseries  would  be  a  small  price  to  pay  for 
one  instant  of  the  entrancing  joy  it  brings  with  it. 
Hence  I  must  frame  my  life  so  as  to  secure  this 
vision  of  God  at  any  cost. 

2.  To  do  this  I  must  fulfil  the  condition  our  Lord 
here  lays  down.  I  must  be  clean  of  heart.  I  must 
never  allow  my  aflfections  to  fix  themselves  on  any 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


633 


creature  on  earth,  when  I  know  that  in  so  doing  I 
am  acting  in  opposition  to  the  will  of  God.  I  must 
not  divulge  any  pleasure  or  passion,  however 
attractive  or  intense,  if  I  know  that  God  forbids  it, 
else  I  shall  be  in  danger  of  forfeiting  the  vision  of 
God  to  all  eternity. 

3.  Shall  I  lose  any  solid  happiness  or  pleasure 
by  this  self-denial  ?  On  the  contrary,  1  shall  be 
the  gainer  even  here.  I  shall  earn  peace  of  mind, 
health  of  soul  and  body,  cheerfulness,  a  good  con- 
science ;  and  on  earth  already  I  shall  begin  to  taste 
the  happiness  of  seeing  God  in  such  way  as  is 
possible  during  our  mortal  life.  My  faith  in  God 
and  my  love  of  Him  will  make  me  despise  and  hate 
those  gross  pleasures  which  are  the  husks  of  swine. 

Fifth  Week  :  Saturday.— The  Beatitudes. 
7.  Blessed  are  the  Peacemakers. 

St.  Matt.  V.  9. 

"  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be 
called  the  children  of  God." 

1.  The  Gospel  of  Christ  involves  a  strange  mix- 
ture of  peace  and  war.  We  have  to  fight  against 
our  spiritual  enemies,  against  our  evil  passions, 
against  pride  and  self-will.  We  are  sometimes 
brought  into  antagonism  with  friends  or  relations 
for  Christ's  sake.  Yet  at  the  same  time  Christ  is 
the  Prince  of  Peace,  and  when  we  fight  against  evil, 
we  must  always  be  at  peace  as  far  as  regards  our 
own  dispositions,  even  with  those  whose  conduct  we 
oppose  and  condemn. 

2.  More  than  this :  we  must  not  be  content  with 
being  ourselves  at  peace  with  those  around  us.  We 
should  do  all  we  possibly  can  to  encourage  and 
promote  a  kindly  feeling  in  the  community  in 
which  we  live.  This  is  within  the  reach  of  all,  and 
blessed  are  those  who  are  thus  known  as  centres  of 
peace.  Blessed  is  the  house  in  which  they  dwell, 
for  their  example  is  contagious.  Am  I  in  this 
sense  a  peacemaker  ? 

3.  The  reward  of  this  peacemaking  temper  is  a 
recognition  of  our  being  children  of  God,  and  like  to 
our  elder  Brother,  the  Prince  of  Peace.  How  beau- 
tiful is  the  footfall  of  those  who  thus  carry  out  in 
their  deeds  the  Gospel  of  peace.  They  are  dear  to 
the  little  circle  in  which  their  lot  is  cast.  God  calls 
them    His   beloved   children.     They  are   welcome 


everywhere,  and  above  all  will  be  welcome  among 
the  Angels  in  Heaven. 

Sixth  Week  :  Sunday.— The  Beatitudes, 

8.  Blessed  are  they  that  Suffer  Persecution  for 

Justice'  Sake. 

St.  Matt.  V.  10. 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  suffer  persecution  for 
justice'  sake,  for  theirs  is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven." 

1.  To  suffer  persecution  for  justice'  sake  is  the 
common  lot  of  all  who  follow  Christ.  It  is  one  of 
the  marks  of  predestination.  As  soon  as  a  sinner 
turns  to  God,  at  once  some  form  of  persecution  or 
other  commences ;  some  kind  of  suffering  is  inflicted 
by  those  around ;  sometimes  parents  disown  their 
child,  or  a  husband  changes  his  former  kindness  to 
bitter  unkindness ;  or  for  justice'  sake  money,  po- 
sition, worldly  influence  is  forfeited.  Blessed  are 
those  who  here  have  to  endure  this  persecution  for 
justice'  sake. 

2.  Sometimes  God  allows  His  friends  to  be  per- 
secuted and  misunderstood,  not  so  much  by  evil 
men,  or  worldly  relations,  or  lax  Christians,  as  by 
those  who  are  holy  and  devoted  to  Him.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  most  cruel  form  of  persecution 
is  that  which  is  inflicted  by  a  holy  man,  or  a  Re- 
ligious Superior.  The  authority  of  the  persecutor 
makes  the  blows  he  inflicts  fall  far  more  heavily : 
his  virtue  makes  the  pain  he  inflicts  far  sharper. 
It  is  for  this  reason  a  very  great  privilege,  only  we 
must  be  careful  that  it  is  for  justice'  sake,  and  not 
because  of  our  pride  or  obstinacy  or  carelessness,  or 
other  defects,  that  we  are  persecuted. 

3.  What  is  the  reward  of  being  persecuted  for 
justice'  sake?  None  else  than  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven.  The  persecuted,  then,  will  triumph,  and 
their  place  will  be  exalted  in  proportion  as  they 
have  been  thrust  low  on  earth,  put  out  of  sight,  and 
cruelly  used  for  conscience'  sake.  They  not  only 
will  be  admitted  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  but 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  will  be  theirs. 

Sixth  Week :  Monday. — Christians  the  Salt  and 
the  Light  of  the  World. 

St  Matt.  V.  13-16. 

Our  Lord  tells  His  disciples  that  they  are  the 
salt  of  the  world,  since  by  their  teaching  and  ex- 
ample they  are  to  preserve  the  world  from  corrup- 


534 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


tion.  They  are,  moreover,  tiie  light  of  the  world, 
and  must  let  their  light  shine  before  men,  with  the 
motive  of  thereby  promoting  the  glory  of  God. 

1.  As  salt  without  savor  is  fit  only  for  the  dung- 
hill, so  Christians  who  give  bad  example  are  not 
only  useless,  but  fit  only  to  be  cast  out  and  trodden 
under  the  feet  of  men  and  beasts.  This  is  what  has 
often  happened  when  Catholics  have  lost  their  faith 
and  fervor.  They  have  been  trodden  down  by  the 
foot  of  the  persecutor.  Pray  that  you  may  always 
spread  a  savor  of  good  works  around. 

2.  The  disciples  are,  moreover,  the  light  of  the 
world,  and,  from  the  fact  of  being  Christians,  draw 
the  eyes  of  men  upon  them.  They  must  not  hide 
their  light  under  a  bushel,  since  God  requires  of 
them  that  they  should  forward  His  cause  in  the 
world  and  promote  the  love  of  Him  by  the  bright- 
ness of  their  good  example.  Ask  yourselves  if  you 
are  in  any  sense  a  source  of  light  and  happiness  to 
those  around  you. 

3.  The  Christians  are  warned  by  our  Lord  that 
in  letting  their  light  shine  before  men  their  aim 
must  be  to  gain  glory  not  for  themselves,  but  for 
Him.  This  is  the  real  test  of  the  value  of  our  work. 
For  whom  do  we  do  it  ?  If  for  ourselves,  then 
there  is  laid  up  for  us  not  a  reward,  but  the  anger 
of  God ;  if  for  God,  then  it  will  be  a  source  of  glory 
to  Him,  of  good  to  others,  of  everlasting  joy  to 
ourselves. 

Sixth  Week:  Tuesday.— The  Fulfilling  of 
the  Law. 

St.  Matt.  V.  21-48. 

Jesus  came  not  to  abolish  the  Jewish  law,  but  to 
carry  it  on  to  perfection.  Hence  he  adds  to  the  ex- 
ternal mandates  of  the  Jewish  covenant  a  discipline 
of  the  heart.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  abstain  from 
revenge  and  from  adultery  :  the  Christian  law  en- 
forces charity  and  purity  of  word  and  thought  as 
well  as  of  act. 

I.  The  law  of  Christ  includes  all  the  precepts  of 
the  Jewish  law.  Those  commandments  respecting 
purity  of  intention  and  the  absence  of  thoughts  of 
evil  which  the  Pharisees  slighted,  our  Lord  declares 
to  be  so  important,  that  whoever  shall  break  one  of 
them  deliberately,  or  teach  others  to  do  the  same, 
shall  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  be  held  of  no  ac- 
count, and  be  thrust  out  from  the  presence  of  God. 


Are  there  any  precepts  of  the  law  of  Christ  that  I 
think  little  of  or  recklessly  violate  ? 

2.  In  old  time  it  was  the  act  of  violence  that  was 
forbidden.  But  our  Lord  says  that  any  one  who 
shall  give  way  to  anger  or  to  a  desire  for  revenge 
in  his  heart,  or  say  contumelious  words  to  others, 
shall  be  liable  to  the  judgments  of  God.  Is  not 
this  warning  suitable  to  me,  who  so  often  yield  to 
unkind,  resentful  thoughts,  and  a  desire  to  take 
vengeance  on  those  who  have  offended  me  ? 

3.  In  old  time  the  act  of  unchastity  was  forbidden. 
But  Christ  reminds  His  disciples  that  a  deliberate 
desire  is  a  serious  sin  against  chastity  in  the  sight 
of  God.  Am  I  as  careful  as  I  ought  to  be  to  avoid 
all  unchaste  thoughts  and  all  occasions  that  are 
likely  to  give  rise  to  them  ? 

Sixth  Week:  Wednesday. — On  Alms  and 
Prayers  in  Public. 

St.  Matt.  vi.  1-13. 

Our  Lord  warns  His  disciples  against  giving 
alms  from  a  motive  of  ostentation,  and  against 
making  long  prayers  in  public  with  the  object  of 
being  seen  and  admired  by  men. 

1.  If  a  man  gives  alms  he  always  receives  a 
reward.  If  he  does  it  in  order  to  gain  human 
praise,  he  has  the  reward  he  seeks,  but  from  God 
he  receives  no  reward,  but  only  a  punishment  for 
his  pride  and  his  desire  to  gain  honor  from  men. 
How  careful  then  I  must  be  that  when  I  give  alms, 
it  is  not  done  to  gain  gratitude,  or  with  a  desire  to 
be  thought  highly  of,  or  from  mere  natural  gene- 
osity,  since  thus  I  gain  no  reward  from  God,  but,  it 
may  be,  only  call  down  His  anger  on  me. 

2.  When  we  pray  in  public,  or  go  to  Mass  when 
there  is  no  obligation,  the  thought  sometimes  comes 
into  our  minds  that  others  must  be  edified  by  our 
piety  and  must  admire  our  devotion.  We  cannot 
prevent  the  thought  presenting  itself,  there  is  no 
sin  in  that,  but  we  must  repel  it  to  the  best  of  our 
ability  by  dwelling  on  our  own  misery,  and  what 
we  are  in  God's  sight.  Such  a  thought,  if  indulged 
deliberately-  mars  even  the  most  pious  prayer,  and 
sometimes  takes  away  all  its  merit  before  God,  and 
is  an  offence,  not  an  honor  to  Him. 

3.  Ought  we  to  abstain  from  prayer,  from  Holy 
Communion,  from  any  practice  of  devotion,  because 
thoughts  of  vanity  come  in  ?     Certainly  not.     Our 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


535 


rule  should  be  to  act  in  the  presence  of  others  just 
as  if  they  were  not  there.  If  the  temptation  to 
vanity  comes,  say  to  the  devil  with  St.  Bernard : 
"  I  did  not  begin  for  you,  and  I  will  not  leave  off 
for  you !  " 

Sixth  Week :  Thursday. — On  the  Laying  up  of 
Treasure. 

St.  Matt.  vi.  19-21. 

Jesus  Christ  exhorts  His  disciples  to  lay  up  for 
themselves  treasure  in  Heaven,  not  on  earth,  that 
their  hearts  may  be  where  their  treasure  is. 

1.  Every  one  desires  to  have  some  treasure  to 
fall  back  upon  in  time  of  need,  some  resource  in 
the  uncertain  future.  We  look  forward,  and  feel 
the  want  of  something  on  which  to  rely  for  de- 
clining years.  Our  Lord  bids  His  disciples  lay 
up  such  a  treasure,  not  on  earth,  where  it  is  perish- 
able and  insecure,  but  in  Heaven,  for  a  treasure  in 
Heaven  will  avail  us  even  on  earth.  God  will  not 
allow  those  to  want  who  have  committed  their 
treasure  to  Him,  and  it  will  earn  for  us  a  rich 
harvest  of  joy  and  happiness  to  all  eternity. 

2.  Men  have  a  love  of  gathering  together  riches. 
They  enjoy  the  activity  of  it.  There  is  a  fascina- 
tion in  it,  and  the  more  they  have  the  more  they 
desire.  Jesus  Christ  tells  His  disciples  that  they 
must  employ  their  activity  in  collecting  treasures 
for  Heaven,  not  for  earth.  Every  act  of  charity, 
every  prayer,  every  good  thought,  every  battle 
against  temptation,  adds  to  this  eternal  treasure. 
Men  who  live  for  God  will  be  astonished  in  seeing 
the  abundance  of  the  riches  they  have  acquired 
during  life,  the  inexhaustible  wealth  they  will 
inherit  in  Heaven. 

3.  Our  Lord  gives  another  reason  for  laying  up 
treasure  in  Heaven.  We  fix  our  hearts  on  what 
we  value  most ;  as  our  treasure  grows,  our  love  for 
it  grows.  If  we  desire  to  love  the  things  of  Heaven, 
we  must  lay  up  our  treasure  there.  O  death,  how 
terrible  thou  art  to  the  man  who  has  peace  in  his 
earthly  goods !  and  we  may  add.  How  sweet  to  him 
who  has  a  rich  treasure  in  Heaven ! 

Sixth  Week:  Friday. — On  Purity  of  Intention. 

St.  Matt.  vi.  22,  23. 

The  light  of  the  body  is  the  eye ;  the  light  of 
the  soul  is  the  intention  with  which  we  act.     If  that 


light   be  darkness,  how  great  shall   that  darkness 
be! 

1.  The  eye  it  is  which  directs  the  movements  of 
the  body  and  determines  its  aim.  So  it  is  the  in- 
tention with  which  our  actions  are  done  that  deter- 
mines their  character  and  their  aim.  Two  men 
perform  an  action  externally  the  same ;  g^ve  an 
alms,  or  pay  a  visit  to  a  friend.  One  does  it  for 
self,  the  other  for  God.  The  act  of  the  formei  is 
worthless,  or  sinful,  in  God's  sight;  that  of  the 
latter  blots  out  sin,  earns  grace,  and  lays  up  treas- 
ure to  all  eternity. 

2.  How  important,  then,  to  direct  all  our  inten- 
tions to  God !  We  can  merit  in  His  sight  by  all 
we  do.  Actions  in  themselves  indifferent — eating, 
drinking,  sleeping,  &c., — all  are  lighted  up  with  a 
supernatural  light  when  done  for  God  ;  and  as  the 
whole  body  is  full  of  light  if  the  eye  be  single,  so 
our  whole  life  becomes  bright  before  God,  if  we 
offer  our  actions  up  to  Him,  and  do  them  for  His 
sake. 

3.  If  our  intention  be  an  evil  one,  our  whole  life 
becomes  dark  in  His  sight.  Actions  in  themselves 
most  holy  become  displeasing  to  God  if  done  from  a 
motive  of  ostentation,  or  ill-will,  or  self-love.  O  how 
terrible  is  the  darkness  of  a  soul  which  is  thus 
actuated  by  evil  motives  in  things  which  in  them- 
selves seem  to  be  done  for  God !  O  my  God,  save 
me  from  this  darkness,  and  grant  me  the  happiness 
of  doing  all  for  Thee ! 

Sixth  Week :  Saturday. — On  Confidence  in  God. 

St.  Matt.  vi.  25-34. 

The  disciples  of  Jesus  are  warned  by  Him  against 
being  solicitous  about  food  and  raiment,  and  are 
invited  to  trust  Him  to  provide  for  them.  He  pro- 
vides for  the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  lilies  of  the 
field,  and  He  will  not  let  those  want  who  make  Him 
and  His  justice  the  end  and  object  of  their  lives. 

I.  We  are  all  sometimes  harassed  by  worldly 
cares.  We  are  in  difl&culties,  and  do  not  see  our 
way  out  of  them.  Our  means  of  support  are  failing 
us.  Those  around  us  do  not  treat  us  as  they  for- 
merly did.  We  are  hindered  in  our  work  by  un- 
forseen  obstacles,  and  we  are  tempted  to  be  dis- 
couraged. Such  hours  it  is  that  test  our  faith.  We 
may  not  be  able  to  see  our  way,  and  the  light  may 
be  hidden  among  the  clouds.     But  at  least  we  can 


536 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


cry  out :  "  O  my  God,  I  trust  Thee  still,  I  will  trust 
Thee  ever.  To  Thee  I  commit  all  my  cares, 
troubles,  needs.  Forsake  me  not,  O  God  of  my 
salvation." 

2.  If  God  always  provides  for  His  children,  how 
is  it  that  we  see  them  miserable,  down-hearted,  re- 
sourceless,  discontented  ?  It  is  because  they  do  not 
trust  Him.  It  is  because  they  turn  their  back  on 
Him,  and  fly  to  othei  means  of  help.  They  forsake 
Him,  and  then  complain  that  He  has  forsaken 
them.     Have  I  not  sometimes  acted  thus  ? 

3.  There  is  another  reason  why  we  are  often  thus 
troubled  and  disheartened.  It  is  that  we  do  not 
seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  justice ; 
we  do  not  regulate  our  lives  as  we  know  God  de- 
sires, but  adopt  plans  of  our  own  that  are  not  in 
accordance  with  what  He  asks  of  us.  If  I  desire 
God  to  provide  foi  me,  I  must  fulfil  this  necessary 
condition. 

Seventh  Week :  Sunday. — On  Rash  Judgment. 

St.  Matt.  vii.  1-5. 

We  must  not  judge  others  harshly,  unless  we 
desire  to  be  similarly  judged  ourselves.  We  must 
not  reprehend  in  others  their  small  defects  while 
we  make  no  effort  to  correct  our  own  serious  faults. 

1 .  The  tendency  to  j  udge  others  harshly  is  one 
of  the  strongest  of  our  defects.  Conscious  of  our 
own  short-comings,  it  would  seem  as  if  we  should 
naturally  be  lenient  towards  those  of  others.  So 
far  from  this  being  so,  we  are  generally  most  severe 
on  those  defects  in  others  which  we  ourselves  pos- 
sess. If  I  am  inclined  to  judge  any  fault  in  another 
severely,  it  is  a  sign  that  in  some  shape  or  other 
the  same  short-coming  exists  in  me. 

2.  It  is  an  alarming  thought  that  we  shall  be 
judged  with  the  same  judgment  that  we  pass  on 
others.  If  we  take  a  lenient  and  favorable  view  of 
them,  God  will  take  a  lenient  and  favorable  view  of 
us.  If  we  are  severe  in  our  interpretation  of  their 
acts,  God  will  in  like  manner  be  severe  on  us.  What 
chance  would  there  be  for  me  if  I  were  to  be  judged 
with  severity?  Shall  I  not  need  the  most  lenient 
interpretatiou,  and  every  possible  excuse  for  my 
countless  faults?  I  will,  if  only  for  my  own  sake, 
be  most  lenient  to  others,  and  excuse  them. 

3.  There  is  also  a  tendency  in  some  natures  to 
play  the  part  of  amateur  reformers.   No  one  thanks 


such  volunteer  and  self-appointed  critics.  They 
always  give  offence,  They  never  do  any  real  good. 
There  is  one  person  whom  I  must  reform — myself. 
I  shall  not  trouble  about  the  trifling  mote  in  my 
brother's  eye,  if  I  pay  due  attention  to  the  beam  in 
my  own. 

Seventh  Week :  Monday. — On  the  Efficacy  of 

Prayer. 

St.  Matt.  vii.  7-11. 

"Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek  and  you 
shall  find ;  knock  and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you." 

1.  The  necessity  of  asking  for  what  we  desire  to 
obtain  from  God  is  repeatedly  urged  upon  us  by 
our  Lord.  He  knew  how  the  thought  would  pre- 
sent itself  that  God  knows  just  what  we  need  far 
better  than  we  do,  and  that,  therefore,  asking  is  un- 
necessary, and  so  He  opposes  to  this  excuse  for 
neglecting  prayer,  precepts  the  most  urgent  and 
His  own  example.  God  is  not  wont  to  give  good 
things  without  prayer.  Least  of  all  will  He  give 
us  any  graces  unless  we  ask,  and  ask  earnestly  and 
perseveringly.  Is  my  asking  such  as  is  likely  to 
move  the  Heart  of  God  ? 

2.  In  order  to  enforce  this  still  more,  He  prom- 
ises that  all  who  ask  shall  receive.  He  reminds  us 
that  the  father  gives  good  things  to  His  children 
who  ask  for  them,  and  that  God,  whose  love  for  us 
is  immeasurably  greater  than  that  of  the  fondest 
father  for  his  darling  child,  cannot  refuse  good 
things  to  us.  Dwell  on  this  desire  of  Almighty  God 
to  give  to  His  children  all  good  things  that  they 
need,  and  learn  from  it  great  confidence  and  hope- 
fulness about  the  future. 

3.  We  must  not  expect  to  be  heard  on  our  first 
asking,  nor  to  be  heard  at  all  if  perchance  we  are 
asking  for  what  God  sees  would  be  injurious  to  us. 
God  is  trying  our  patience  and  resignation  to  His 
holy  will.  But  even  if  we  have  to  wait  long,  we 
shall  always  obtain  in  the  end  the  fulfillment  of 
every  petition  which  really  tends  to  our  true  welfare. 

Seventh  Week :  Tuesday. — On  Judging  by 
Results. 

St.  Matt.  vii.  16-23. 

"  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 
I.  It  is  sometimes  said  that  we  must  never  judge 
of  the  wisdom  or  rectitude  of  any  course  of  action 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


537 


by  its  results,  and  this  is  true  if  we  look  to  imme- 
diate results.  But  the  results  of  any  action,  or 
course  of  action,  in  the  long  run  is  invariably  good, 

'  if  the  course  of  action  is  good.  It  must  of  neces- 
sity bring  glory  to  God,  and  reward  to  him  who 
does  it.  Not  at  first,  but  after  a  time,  long  or  short, 
its  true  character  will  appear  in  its  consequences. 

!  Our  actions  have  thus  an  eternal  influence  for  good 
and  evil. 

2.  Those  who  have  others  under  their  control 
always  contribute  a  large  share  to  the  after  lives  of 
those  whom  they  have  to  rule.  We  find  that  a  holy 
man  sends  forth  other  saints  from  his  school,  that 
the  pious  mother  has  children  rich  in  grace.  The 
influence  is  unconscious,  but  none  the  less  real. 
Oh,  how  happy  will  those  be  in  Heaven  who  have 
thus  molded  others  to  virtue  ! 

3.  Jesus  tells  us  that  though  we  must  not  judge 
the  actions  of  others,  we  can,  nevertheless,  tell  the 
servants  of  Christ  from  the  servants  of  the  world 
or  the  devil  by  the  work  they  do  as  a  body.  How 
clearly  we  see  this  in  the  Church  as  opposed  to  the 
sects.  In  spite  of  the  faults  and  sins  of  Catholics, 
and  the  great  excellencies  of  many  individual  Pro- 
testants, what  a  contrast  in  results  I  On  the  one 
hand  an  unbroken  tradition  of  sanctity,  on  the 
other  an  irresistible  downward  tendency. 

Seventh  Week :  Wednesday. — The  House 
Upon  the  Rock. 

St.  Matt.  vii.  24,  25. 

He  who  listens  to  the  Divine  precepts  and  obeys 
them,  he  alone  shall  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  :  he  alone  has  a  house  upon  the  rock  that 
no  winds  or  storms  can  shatter  or  destroy. 

1.  Our  Lord  dwells  continually  on  a  criterion  of 
virtue  which  alone  can  stand  in  the  Day  of  Judg- 
ment. None  will  be  admitted  into  Heaven  save 
those  whose  aim  in  life  has  been  to  do  God's  will, 
not  their  own.  They  may  have  been  given  to  much 
prayer,  to  alms,  to  penances.  They  may  have  been 
kind,  honorable,  generous.  They  may  have 
preached,  prophesied,  brought  others  to  God,  and 
even  performed  miracles ;  yet  if  they  have  fol- 
lowed their  own  will,  not  God's,  all  this  will  avail 
them  nothing. 

2.  Only  those  who  thus  do  the  will  of  God  will 


be  able  to  stand  against  the  storms  of  persecution, 
the  floods  of  misery,  the  whirlwind  of  temptation. 
Their  natural  virtue  will  succumb,  and  like  a  house 
on  the  sand,  will  fall  to  pieces  in  the  evil  day. 
Nothing  will  endure  save  that  which  is  founded  on 
the  solid  rock  of  Divine  love. 

3.  But  for  those  who  lay  as  the  foundation  Christ 
and  Christ  alone,  who  believe  in  Him,  trust  Him, 
love  Him,  the  storms  may  rage,  but  not  a  hair  of 
their  head  will  perish.  In  every  danger  those  who 
act  under  obedience  for  Christ's  sake  are  in  perfect 
security ;  nay,  every  storm  and  flood  and  wave 
only  unites  them  more  firmly  to  the  rock  on  which 
they  rest,  Christ  Jesus  their  Lord. 

Seventh  Week :  Thursday. — The  Miraculous 
Draught  of  Fishes. 

St.  Ivuke  V.  i-ii. 

When  the  crowd  pressed  around  our  Lord,  He 
put  out  to  a  short  distance  from  the  shore  in  Simon 
Peter's  boat,  and  thence  taught  the  people.  After 
His  sermon  He  orders  the  disciples,  who  had  been 
toiling  all  night  and  had  caught  nothing,  to  let 
down  their  nets.  They  obey,  and  enclose  a  great 
multitude  of  fishes. 

1.  In  the  absence  of  Jesus  the  disciples  had 
l9,bored,  but  all  in  vain.  They  had  thrown  their 
nets,  but  with  no  result  whatever.  So  it  is  with  all 
work  in  which  Jesus  is  not  present.  Without  Him 
every  work,  however  pious,  is  but  wasted,  and  only 
ends  in  disappointment. 

2.  But  what  a  change  when  Jesus  says  the  word ! 
What  is  it  has  changed  the  fruitless  toil  into  a 
labor  which  brings  in  a  rich  reward !    Three  causes  : 

(i)  The  net  is  now  cast  under  obedience.  Work 
done  under  obedience  is  always  a  success.  It  can- 
not be  otherwise. 

(2)  Between  the  fruitless  and  the  successful 
labor  has  intervened  an  act  of  charity  done  to  Jesus 
for  Jesus'  sake.  Charity  brings  a  blessing  on  every 
work. 

(3)  The  fishermen  have  meanwhile  listened  to 
the  sacred  words  of  Jesus,  and  drunk  in  something 
of  His  Spirit.  This  sanctifies  all  work,  even  the 
most  secular. 

3.  What  was  the  efiect  on  St.  Peter  of  success? 
It  did  not  puff  him  up,  but  simply  humbled  him, 


538 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


because  he  saw  it  was  not  his  work,  but  Christ's. 
This  must  be  my  spirit  in  success,  and  it  will  be  if 
I  attribute  all  success  to  God. 

Seventh  Week  :  Friday. — The  Healing 
of  the  Leper. 

St.  MaU.  viii.  2-4. 

A  leper  comes  and  adores  Christ,  saying :  "  Lord, 
if  Thou  wilt  Thou  caust  make  me  clean."  Our 
Lord  touches  him,  and  says  :  "  I  will,  be  thou  made 
clean."  And  immediately  his  leprosy  is  cleansed. 
Jesus  orders  him  to  go  and  show  himself  to  the 
priest,  and  offer  the  gift  commanded  by  the  Law. 

1.  Leprosy  renders  the  leper  an  object  hideous  to 
behold.  It  covers  his  body  with  loathsome  sores, 
eating  away  the  flesh  till  the  bones  appear.  It  is 
a  fit  emblem  of  sin,  which  makes  us  hideous  before 
God.  Who  is  there  that  is  not  rendered  offensive 
in  His  sight  by  this  foul  disfigurement  ?  O  my 
God,  the  foulest  leprosy  is  beautiful  compared  with 
my  sins. 

2.  The  leper's  is  a  model  prayer.  Confidence, 
"  Thou  canst  make  me  clean,"  and  a  strong  hope 
that  Jesus  intends  to  cleanse  him.  We  may  with 
advantage  make  his  words  our  own  as  we  kneel 
before  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  O  Jesus  my  Lord, 
if  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me  clean  even  from 
sins  such  as  mine ;  from  inveterate  habits  which 
nothing  but  Thy  grace  can  cure. 

3.  Jur  Lord  with  one  word  cleanses  him.  So 
when  we  make  a  good  act  of  contrition  the  guilt  of 
our  sin  is  gone  forever.  But  though  cleansed,  the 
leper  still  has  to  show  himself  to  the  priest.  So 
the  sinner,  though  his  sin  may  be  already  forgiven 
by  a  good  act  of  contrition,  has  still  to  submit  him- 
self to  the  priest  in  the  tribunal  of  Penance. 

Seventh  Week :  Saturday, — The  Healing  of  the 
Paralytic. 

St.  Mark  ii.  1-12. 

While  Jesus  was  teaching  in  a  house  in  Caphar- 
naum,  four  men  bring  a  paralytic,  and  carrying 
him  to  the  top  of  the  house,  let  him  down  into  the 
midst  where  Jesus  was.  He,  seeing  their  faith, 
said  to  the  paralytic,  "  Be  of  good  heart,  son,  thy 
sins  are  forgiven  thee."  To  the  Scribes  who  ob- 
jected to  His  forgiving  sins.  He  answered  by  send- 
ing away  the  palsied  man  perfectly  cured. 


1.  Paralysis  represents  a  different  side  from 
leprosy  of  the  nature  of  sin :  the  state  of  utter 
helplessness  to  which  it  reduces  the  sinner.  He  can 
do  no  work  pleasing  to  God  ;  cannot  merit  grace  or 
forgiveness ;  cannot  stir  a  step  to  be  freed  from  his 
misery  bj'  his  own  strength  or  efforts.  He  is,  as  it 
were,  dead  to  all  that  is  good.  This  is  not  only  the 
case  with  mortal  sin  ;  even  venial  sin  paralyzes  in 
some  degree  all  that  is  good  in  us.  Sometimes  one 
little  fault,  deliberately  indulged,  seems  to  take 
away  all  our  love  and  all  our  energy. 

2.  Observe  the  trouble  the  bearers  took  to  bring 
the  paralytic  to  Jesus.  This  pleased  our  Lord  ;  He 
saw  their  faith.  He  likes  people  who  are  willing  to 
take  trouble.  Works  of  charity  which  cost  us 
something  bring  in  a  rich  reward,  both  to  those 
who  do  them  and  those  for  whom  they  are  done. 

3.  Why  did  our  Lord  first  forgive  the  sin  of  the 
paralytic  and  then  heal  his  sickness !  Perhaps 
because  sin  was  the  cause  of  the  paralysis,  or  to 
show  how  the  body  is  unimportant  compared  with 
the  soul.  If  you  are  sick,  consider  whether  it  may 
not  be  a  punishment  of  sin,  and  ask  yourself  how 
you  can  make  your  sickness  a  real  benefit  to  your- 
self and  a  source  of  glory  to  God. 

Eighth  Week  :   Sunday. — The  Vocation  of 
St.  Matthew. 

St.  Matt.  ix.  9. 

Our  Lord,  passing  by  the  house  where  the 
custom-dues  were  received,  sees  Matthew,  one  oi 
the  chief  of  those  who  acted  as  agents  of  the  govern- 
ment in  collecting  the  revenues,  sitting  engaged  in 
his  craft.  He  simply  says :  "  Follow  Me,"  and 
leaving  all  things,  Matthew  instantly  obeys. 

1.  There  is  nothing  that  is  so  great  a  snare  to  a 
man  as  a  greed  of  gold.  It  is  a  passion  that  grows 
with  advancing  years ;  it  is  never  satiated.  The 
more  a  man  has,  the  more  he  craves  for.  It  has  a 
power  to  tie  the  soul  to  earth  more  than  any  other 
passion.  The  love  of  money,  says  St.  Paul,  is  the 
root  of  all  evil.  Have  you  a  love  of  money,  or  at 
least  of  getting  for  yourself  the  best  of  everything  ? 

2.  Yet  the  voice  of  Christ,  and  the  grace  He 
pours  into  the  heart,  can  overcome  even  this  passion 
for  riches.  Matthew  loved  his  money  dearly,  but 
when  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  calling 


THE   MINISTRY    OF   JESUS. 


539 


him,  the  heaps  of  gold  lost  their  bewitching  power. 
He  heard  a  voice  within,  unheard  by  those  around, 
which  echoed  the  words  of  Christ.  He  saw  a  hand 
which  beckoned  him  away.  Thus  it  is  when  Christ 
calls.  He  always  gives  to  the  soul  a  motive  im- 
pulse which  to  a  man  of  good-will  is  simply  irre- 
sistible. 

3.  Matthew  did  not  hesitate.  Up  he  got  there 
and  then,  when  he  heard  that  Voice  calling  unmis- 
takably. To  put  off  would  have  been  fatal.  Learn 
from  him  the  happiness  and  necessity  of  prompt 
obedience. 

Eighth  Week :  Monday.— The  Feast  in 
Matthew's  House. 

St.  Matt  ix.  10-14. 

St.  Matthew  invites  Jesus  to  a  feast  in  his  house, 
and  many  publicans  and  sinners  came  and  sat  down 
with  Him.  The  Pharisees  are  scandalized,  but 
Jesus  answers  :  "  They  that  are  in  health  need  not 
a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick.  I  came  not  to 
call  the  just,  but  sinners  to  penance." 

1.  Observe  the  scene.  The  Divine  Master  with 
that  motley  crowd  gathering  eagerly  round  Him. 
They  are  not  a  class  that  would  be  called  respect- 
able. Yet  how  dear  they  are  to  Him,  and  dear  by 
reason  of  their  misery,  dear  because  of  their  good- 
will, dear  because  of  the  virtue  of  which  they  are 
capable,  and  to  which  He  desired  to  raise  them. 
When  I  am  inclined  to  slight  or  despise  the  fallen, 
I  should  remember  how  dear  they  are  to  Jesus, 
perhaps  far  dearer  than  I,  in  my  pride  and  self- 
sufficiency. 

2.  See  the  Pharisees,  who  are  scandalized.  They 
were  scandalized  because  they  were  themselves  so 
worthless  in  the  sight  of  God.  To  be  easily  scan- 
dalized marks  a  low  standard  of  virtue.  To  attri- 
bute unworthy  motives,  show  that  our  motives  are 
of  the  same  kind.  I  must  remember  this  when  I 
am  inclined  to  take  oflEence  and  to  condemn  others. 
I  resemble  those  Pharisees  who  were  scandalized  at 
the  mercy  and  tender  compassion  of  the  Son  of 
God. 

3.  Jesus  came,  not  to  call  the  just,  but  sinners. 
He  came  to  heal  the  sickness  of  the  soul.  This 
was  His  mission  upon  earth  ;  it  is  His  mission  still. 
I  am  a  sinner,  a  great  sinner.  O  my  Lord,  I  am 
indeed  such,  no  whole  part  is  in  me.     O  heal  me  in 


Thy  mercy !     If  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me 
clean. 

Eighth  Week:  Tuesday.— The  Miracle  at  the 
Probatic  Pool. 

St.  John  V.  2-9. 

At  the  Probatic  Pool  at  Jerusalem  lay  a  number 
of  sick  persons,  waiting  for  the  miraculous  moving 
of  the  water,  after  which  the  first  person  who 
entered  the  water  was  cured.  Our  Lord,  tak- 
ing pity  on  a  sick  man  who  had  lain  there  for 
thirty-eight  years,  bids  him  take  up  his  bed  and 
walk. 

1.  The  tendency  of  the  present  day  is  to  give  a 
natural  explanation  to  all  phenomena  whatsoever. 
The  sceptic  attributes  the  virtue  of  all  miraculous 
springs  to  their  medicinal  properties.  Not  so  the 
loyal  Catholic  ;  not  so  any  one  who  believes  Scrip- 
ture is  the  Word  of  God;  for  we  read  that  an 
Angel  descended  and  the  water  was  moved,  and  the 
power  to  heal  was  then  received.  God  has  the 
same  power  now  and  exercises  it.  Make  a  strong 
act  of  faith  in  the  continuance  in  the  Church  of  the 
power  to  work  miracles. 

2.  One  poor  man  had  been  there  for  thirty-eight 
years,  but  never  had  succeeded  in  getting  into  the 
water  first.  What  a  time  to  wait  I  Must  he  not 
have  lost  heart  ?  No,  he  somehow  was  convinced 
that  he  should  be  cured  in  the  end.  And  cured  he 
was.  God  loves  the  persevering  and  the  confident. 
Those  who  trust  Him  and  are  willing  to  wait,  and 
do  not  desist  from  their  prayers,  always  get  what 
they  ask. 

3.  This  poor  man  is  the  type  of  the  inveterate 
sinner.  Sin  seems  part  of  his  nature,  like  this 
man's  disease.  Yet  Jesus  can  cure  it  in  one  mo- 
ment. Have  I  some  fault  that  is  inveterate  ?  I 
have  had  it,  perhaps,  for  thirty-eight  years  or  more. 
Still  Jesus  can  cure  it.  O  Jesus,  my  Saviour,  make 
me  whole ! 

Eighth  Week:  Wednesday. — The    Spirit   and 
the  Letter. 

St.  John  V.  10-16. 

When  the  sick  man  at  Jesus'  word  took  up  his 
bed  and  walked,  sound  in  limb  and  in  perfect 
health,  the  Jews  were  scandalized  because  this  was 
done  on  the  Sabbath.  They  asked  the  man  who  it 
was  told  him  to  carry  his  bed,  and  when  they  heard 


540 


THE   MINISTRY    OF   JESUS. 


it  was  Jesus,  they  persecuted  Him  and  sought  to 
kill  Him. 

1.  The  sick  man,  by  carrying  his  bed  on  the 
Sabbath,  broke  the  letter  of  the  Law,  which  for- 
bade the  carrying  of  burdens  on  the  Sabbath.  But 
to  blame  him  for  this  showed  a  complete  misunder- 
standing of  the  precept.  None  could  have  urged 
it,  had  they  not  lost  the  spirit  of  charity.  They 
read  into  the  precepts  of  the  Law  their  own  hard, 
unyielding,  cruel  temper.  So,  too,  I  am  prone  to 
judge  others  without  considering  the  circumstances 
which  excuse  and  sometimes  perfectly  justify  their 
actions. 

2.  Notice,  too,  their  unfairness.  They  asked  the 
man  who  had  been  healed,  not  who  it  was  that  had 
healed  him,  but  who  it  was  that  had  told  him  to 
carry  his  bed.  They  overlooked  the  miracle  of 
mere}',  and  fastened  on  the  point  where  they  thought 
they  could  find  fault.  This  is  the  spirit  against 
which  our  Lord  warned  His  disciples,  "Judge 
not."  It  is  blind  to  the  good  in  a  man's  conduct, 
but  has  a  keen  eye  to  the  supposed  evil. 

3.  See  the  result  of  this  habit  of  rash  judgment. 
They  persuaded  themselves  that  they  ought  to 
punish  and  even  put  to  death  one  who  broke  the 
Law.  This  sort  of  righteous  indignation  is  too 
common  now,  and  we  indulge  it  against  those  who 
do  not  fall  in  with  our  notions,  and  we  fancy  that 
we  are  zealous  for  God. 

Eighth  Week  :  Thursday. — The  Corn-plucking 
on  the  Sabbath. 

St.  Matt.  xii.  1-8. 

As  our  Lord  and  His  disciples  passed  through 
the  cornfields  on  the  Sabbath,  His  disciples  began 
to  gather  the  ears  of  corn  and  to  eat  them.  The 
Jews  again  are  indignant,  and  again  Christ  rebukes 
them. 

I.  It  is  the  law  of  the  Catholic  Church  that  ec- 
clesiastical precepts  do  not  hold  in  case  of  grave 
inconvenience.  This  is  confirmed  by  our  Lord's 
words  on  this  occasion.  The  disciples  were  not 
bound  by  the  Law  that  forbade  the  gathering  of 
corn  on  the  Sabbath,  because  the  Law  did  not  really 
apply  to  the  case  of  hungry  men.  Learn  to  be 
wide  and  liberal  in  interpreting  the  Church's  laws 
for  others. 


2.  Our  Lord  defends  His  disciples  b}'  parallel 
cases  from  history.  Holy  men  broke  the  ecclesi- 
astical law  in  case  of  necessity.  The  priests  in  the 
Temple  break  the  Sabbath  and  are  blameless. 
When  we  are  inclined  to  condemn  others  we  shall 
generally  find  some  case  in  the  lives  of  the  Saints 
when  a  Saint  acted  just  in  the  same  way  as  those 
we  are  judging  thus  rashly. 

3.  Jesus  gives  as  the  reason  which  justified  the 
disciples  that  God  desires  mercy  and  not  sacrifice. 
The  disciples  had  been  so  busy  with  works  of 
mercy  that  they  had  had  no  time  to  eat.  "  Blessed 
are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy." 
Dearer  to  the  Heart  of  Jesus  are  works  of  charity 
done  for  His  sake,  than  a  mere  punctilious  obser- 
vance of  ecclesiastical  usages.  Nothing  like  mercy. 
He  who  is  merciful  will  obtain  not  only  mercy  but 
everything  else  He  needs  from  God. 

Eighth  Week :  Friday.— The  Jews  Rebuked. 

St.  John  V.  16-47. 

The  indignation  of  the  Jews  against  Jesus  for 
working  miracles  on  the  Sabbath  was  roused  to 
fury  when  He  declared  to  them  that  God  was  His 
Father,  and  implied  that  He  was  equal  to  God.  He 
reproves  them  by  reasserting  His  own  Divine 
power. 

1.  How  was  it  that  the  Jews  were  so  inexcusable 
for  rejecting  our  Lord  ?  It  must  have  startled  them 
to  hear  Him  asserting  His  Divinity,  and  one  might 
have  fancied  that  they  might  be  pardoned  for  re- 
fusing to  believe.  Their  guilt  lay  in  the  self-caused 
blindness  which  would  not  or  could  not  recognize 
His  holiness,  and  the  Divine  loveliness  which  shone 
through  His  every  word,  work,  and  look.  In  face 
of  this  nothing  could  excuse  them.  So  with  all 
who  are  really  brought  face  to  face  with  the  Cath- 
olic Church,  and  have  a  sufficient  opportunity  of 
recognizing  its  supernatural  beauty.  They,  like 
the  Jews,  are  inexcusable. 

2.  Our  Lord's  defence  of  Himself  is  that  His 
Father  still  works  on  the  Sabbath,  creating,  pre- 
serving, co-operating  with  every  creature  through- 
out the  world.  On  Him  no  law  is  imposed  because 
He  is  Lord  of  all.  The  Only-Begotten  Son  of  God 
must  needs  do  what  His  Eternal  Father  does,  and, 
therefore,  as  God  the  Father  works  hitherto,  so  also 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


541 


the  Son  of  God.  Hence,  our  Lord  clearly  asserts 
His  Godhead,  and  so  the  Jews  understood  it.  Make 
an  act  of  faith  in  this  unity  of  action  of  the  First 
and  Second  Persons  of  the  Blessed  Trinity. 

3.  Our  Lord  goes  on  to  say  that  he  who  honoreth 
not  the  Son  honoreth  not  the  Father  who  sent  Him. 
So  those  who  fail  in  honor  to  the  Saints  and  to  the 
Holy  Mother  of  God  fail  in  honor  to  Christ  and  to 
God.     What  is  my  practice  in  this  matter  ? 

Eighth   Week:    Saturday. — Our  Lord   Retires 
Before  His  Enemies. 

St.  Matt.  xii.  14-21. 

The  Pharisees  hold  a  consultation  among  them- 
selves how  they  may  destroy  Jesus.  In  order  to 
avoid  their  malice,  He  retires  to  the  Sea  of  Tiberias, 
but  is  followed  thither  by  a  great  multitude  of 
people. 

I.  The  miracles  worked  by  Jesus  on  the  Sabbath 
day  rouse  the  anger  of  the  Pharisees,  and  they  plan 
his  Death  with  the  Herodians.  It  seems  strange 
that  they  could  withstand  the  beauty  of  His  Divine 
charity.  But  the  Pharisees  were  proud,  and  pride 
looks  askance  at  every  good  work  which  threatens 
to  diminish  its  own  dominion  and  raises  a  rival. 
Against  this  spirit  we  must  be  on  our  guard.  One 
who  loves  God  rejoices  in  all  the  good  done  by 
others  even  though  it  interferes  with  his  own  sup- 
posed privileges  or  rights. 

'  2.  It  was  those  in  authority  and  those  who  had 
the  greatest  influence  with  the  people  who  were  our 
Lord's  bitterest  opponents.  What  could  be  more 
fatal  in  all  appearance  to  His  chance  of  success 
than  this  ?  Yet  it  was  a  sign  of  His  future  tri- 
umph. He  desired  to  teach  us  that  every  great 
work  for  God  is  sure  to  meet  with  strong  oppo- 
sition and  discouragement  at  first,  often  from 
those  in  authority,  and  so  to  cheer  us  amid 
difiBculties. 

3.  Our  Lord  could  have  silenced  or  defeated  His 
enemies  in  a  moment.  But  He  knew  that  it  was 
His  Father's  will  that  He  should  simply  retreat 
before  His  opponents,  so  He  fled  as  if  He  feared 
their  violence.  So,  now,  Christ  often  appears  unable 
to  cope  with  those  who  hate  Him  and  the  Church 
He  has  founded.  We  must  wait  to  the  end  before 
we  can  understand  the  ways  of  God. 


Part  in. — From  the  Enrolment  of  the  Apos- 
tles to  the  Raising  of  the  Daughter  of 
Jairus. 

Ninth  Week :  Sunday. — ^The  Enrolment  of  the 
Apostles. 

St.  Luke  vi.  12-16. 

After  a  night  spent  in  prayer,  our  Lord  chose  the 
twelve  Apostles  to  be  with  Him,  that  He  might 
send  them  to  preach  and  to  heal  sickness  and  cast 
out  devils.     Of  these  Simon  is  the  first ;  to  him . 
Jesus  gives  the  name  of  Peter. 

1.  Our  Lord  before  the  choice  of  the  Apostles, 
spends  the  whole  night  in  prayer.  He  had  no  need 
to  pray,  but  He  prayed  that  He  might  set  us  an 
example.  He  desired  to  teach  us  that  before  we 
take  any  important  step  in  life  we  should  pray, 
and  pray  with  perseverance.  How  many  follies  we 
should  avoid,  how  much  misery  we  should  escape, 
if  only  we  prayed  more  and  commended  our  every 
action  to  God,  instead  of  following  our  own  natural 
impulses,  and  the  suggestions  of  mere  human 
prudence. 

2.  Our  Lord  chose  His  Apostles  ;  they  did  not 
choose  Him.  He  said  to  them  afterwards  :  "  You 
have  not  chosen  Me,  but  I  have  chosen  you." 
Jesus  must  make  the  choice  of  us  if  we  are  to  do 
any  work  for  Him  that  will  be  valuable  to  eternal 
life.  All  men  have  a  vocation.  There  is  some  line 
in  life  that  our  Lord  has  chosen  for  each,  if  they 
vrill  but  follow  His  call.  Some  He  calls  to  the 
cloister ;  some  to  a  life  in  the  world ;  some  to  be 
married,  some  to  be  single ;  some  to  be  men  of 
business,  lawyers,  doctors,  priests,  &c. 

3.  The  choice  had  for  its  main  object  that  they 
might  be  with  Him,  His  friends,  companions, 
fellow-workers,  loving  and  loved  by  Hirn.  To  this 
it  is  that  Gods  calls  all.  God  intends  my  life,  my 
profession,  to  bring  me  nearer  to  Jesus  that  I  may 
be  with  Him  both  in  this  world  and  in  the  next. 

Ninth  Week :  Monday. — The  Sermon  on 
the  Plain, 

St.  Luke  vi.  17-26. 

After  this  choice  of  His  Apostles  our  Lord  comes 
down  on  to  the  plain,  and  there  delivers  a  sermon 
to  the  assembled  multitude.  It  differs  from  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  in  being  delivered,  not  to  His 


642 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


disciples  only,  but  the  crowd  at  large.  Among  other 
points  of  difference,  it  adds  to  the  Beatitudes  several 
solemn  warnings. 

1.  "  Woe  to  you  that  are  rich,  for  you  have 
received  your  consolation."  When  our  Lord  uses 
this  word  woe,  it  implies  a  terrible  judgment  to 
come.  He  tells  the  rich  that  they  "  have  received 
their  consolation,"  and  clearly  implies  that  there  is 
little  consolation  for  them  hereafter.  We  may  not, 
perhaps,  be  rich,  but  even  those  who  have  not  riches 
sometimes  have  the  spirit  of  the  rich  in  their  selfish- 
ness and  attachment  to  earthly  things.  Woe  to  us 
if  we  thus  cling  to  anything  on  earth. 

2.  "Woe  to  you  that  are  filled,  for  you  shall 
hunger."  There  are  some  persons  who  seem  to  get 
all  that  makes  life  comfortable.  They  are  satisfied, 
content  with  themselves,  and  have  no  appreciation 
of  the  miseries  of  this  valley  of  tears.  We  are  in- 
clined to  envy  them,  but  to  such  our  Lord  says.  Woe ! 

3.  "  Woe  to  you  when  men  shall  bless  you." 
This  seems  at  first  at  variance  with  the  duty  of 
seeking  to  please  all  and  to  win  all.  But  what  our 
Lord  denounces  is  the  hunting  after  human  applause 
and  the  intoxication  of  worldly  success.  Those 
who  live  for  God  always  meet  with  opposition. 
They  are  sure  to  be  misunderstood,  blamed, 
thwarted,  reproached.  How  much  happier  is  this 
than  to  hear  the  applauding  shouts  of  the  crowd ! 

Ninth  Week  :  Tuesday. — The  Centurion's 
Servant. 

St.  Luke  vii.  i-io. 

A  Roman  centurion,  who  had  been  most  friendly 
to  the  Jews,  had  a  servant  dangerously  ill.  When 
he  heard  of  Jesus,  he  sent  the  ancients  of  the  Jews 
to  Him,  to  beg  Him  to  heal  his  servant.  After- 
wards he  sends  a  number  of  his  friends,  telling 
Christ  that  he  was  not  worthy  of  His  presence  in 
his  house,  and  entreating  Him  to  say  the  word  and 
heal  the  servant.  Jesus,  admiring  his  faith,  heals 
him  at  once. 

I.  The  love  of  the  Roman  centurion  for  the  Jews 
and  his  kindness  to  them  was  the  preparation  for 
his  becoming  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  Jews 
alone  possessed  the  true  faith.  This  centurion 
must  have  been  a  lover  of  truth,  and  this  love  led 
him  to  love  those  who  were  in  possession   of  the 


truth.  We  ought  to  remember  that  Catholics  are, 
far  more  than  the  Jews  were,  the  chosen  people  of 
God,  and  we  are  bound  to  love  and  honor  them  for 
their  Master's  sake. 

2.  The  centurion  was  also  an  humble  man.  He 
declared  himself  unworthy  that  our  Lord  should 
come  under  his  roof  How  different  from  Naaman, 
who  was  offended  because  Eliseus  did  not  treat 
him  with  pomp  and  ceremony.  How  different  from 
Simon  the  Pharisee,  who  thought  he  was  doing  our 
Lord  a  favor  in  inviting  Him  to  his  house.  Our 
Lord  loves  such  simplicity ;  it  is  the  surest  sign  of 
solid  virtue. 

3.  These  words  of  his,  Domine,  non  sum  dignus, 
are  adopted  by  the  Church  for  those  who  approach 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Altar.  Say  them 
often  to  God,  not  only  at  Holy  Communion,  but  on 
every  occasion.  Say  them  now :  Lord,  I  am  un- 
worthy, unworthy  of  all  Thy  goodness  ! 

Ninth   Week  :  Wednesday. — The  Widow 
of  Nairn. 

St.  Lnke  vii.  11-16. 

As  Jesus  entered  the  little  town  of  Naim,  He 
met  the  funeral  procession  of  the  only  son  of  a 
poor  widow.  Moved  with  compassion,  He  said  to 
her,  "  Weep  not,"  and  straightway  bade  the  young 
man  arise. 

1.  Jesus  was  entering  Naim  with  His  disciples 
and  a  great  crowd.  But  he  does  not,  therefoi-e, 
pass  by  unheeded  the  poor  broken-hearted  mother, 
who  had  lost  her  only  son.  See  how  tenderly  He 
accosts  her :  "  Weep  not."  He  is  sorrowful  at 
seeing  her  sorrow.  He  longs  to  comfort  her.  He 
addresses  to  her  words  that  of  themselves  lift  half 
the  weight  of  sorrow  from  her  heart.  Jesus  is  still 
the  same,  still  so  full  of  compassion,  so  kind,  so 
tender-hearted.  He  does  not  overlook  our  sorrows, 
and  He  will  comfort  us  ere  long,  and  say.  Weep 
not  I  Be  not  dejected.  Do  not  I  love  you  with  a 
Divine  love  ? 

2.  His  compassion  does  not  end  with  words.  He 
stops  the  bier  and  bids  the  dead  man  arise,  and 
gives  him  back  to  his  mother  in  perfect  health.  So 
now  He  listens  to  the  mother's  silent  prayer  and 
watches  for  the  mother's  tears.  How  many  a  son 
dead  to  God   has    been  restored  by  his  mother's 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


543 


tears  and  prayers  !     Weep  not,  then,  O  sorrowing 
mother  !    Jesus  will  bid  your  son  arise. 

3.  On  all  there  came  a  great  fear.  God  was  in 
their  midst,  and  they  trembled  at  the  thought,  So 
in  our  midst  He  dwells  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
Have  we  the  same  filial  fear  for  Him,  the  same 
loyal  aflfection,  the  same  reverence  for  the  place 
where  He  dwells  ? 

Ninth  Week :  Thursday.— The  Visit  of 
St.  John's  Disciples. 

St.  Luke  vii.  17-23. 

St.  John,  finding  that  some  of  his  disciples 
doubted  whether  Jesus  were  the  Messias,  sends 
them  to  see  for  themselves.  Our  Lord  points  to 
the  works  that  He  was  performing,  and  bids  them 
judge  from  these. 

1.  When  the  disciples  of  St.  John  asked  him 
whether  the  Prophet  of  Galilee  were  the  promised 
Messias,  he  did  not  answer  them  directly,  but  bid 
them  inquire  for  themselves.  This  is  the  way  to 
lead  men  to  the  Truth.  Bring  them  face  to  face 
with  it,  let  them  see  its  results  and  the  wonders  it 
works,  and  then,  if  they  are  men  of  good-will,  they 
will  have  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  it. 

2.  When  our  Lord  in  His  turn  is  asked  the  same 
question  by  the  messengers  John  sent.  He  in  the 
same  way  gives  no  direct  answer,  but  in  their 
presence  heals  diseases,  opens  the  eyes  of  the 
blind,  and  casts  out  devils.  Here  is  the  test  of 
Truth  and  of  the  teachers  of  Truth.  Have  they 
remedies  for  our  spiritual  diseases  ?  Can  they  cast 
out  the  devils  of  malice  and  impurity  and  selfish- 
ness and  pride  ?  Compare  the  Catholic  Church  in 
this  respect  with  sectarian  bodies,  and  recognize  in 
it  the  religion  that  comes  from  God. 

3.  The  final  test  given  by  our  Lord  of  a  teacher 
sent  from  God,  is,  that  he  preaches  to  the  poor. 
This  love  of  the  poor  is  a  great  mark  of  love  to 
Jesus.  A  dislike  for  them  is  a  bad  sign.  Do  I 
love  the  poor  for  Jesus'  sake  ? 

Ninth  Week :   Friday. — Our  Lord's  Witness  to 
John  the  Baptist. 

St.  lyuke  vii.  24-28. 

Jesus,  when  John's  disciples  had  departed,  speaks 
of  him  to  the  multitude.  He  describes  him  as  a 
prophet  and  more  than  a  prophet,  so  that  of  all  the 


prophets  there  had  been  none  greater  than  he. 
Yet  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  One  had  arisen 
greater  than  John. 

1.  Our  Lord  first  tells  the  multitude  what  John 
is  not.  (i)  He  is  no  reed  shaken  by  the  wind. 
Inconstancy  is  fatal  to  holiness.  Self-will  and  pride 
always  make  a  man  unstable.  (2)  He  is  not  one 
of  those  clothed  in  luxurious  garments.  Such  men 
are  the  friends  of  kings,  not  of  God.  The  true 
prophet  loves  coarse  raiment  and  hard  fare.  Apply 
these  tests  to  yourself,  and  judge  whether  you  have 
any  of  the  spirit  of  the  prophet  and  saint  in  you. 

2.  Our  Lord  next  tells  them  what  St.  John  really 
is.  A  prophet  and  more  than  a  prophet ;  the 
Angel  sent  before  the  face  of  God,  one  with  whom 
none  of  the  other  prophets  can  be  compared.  What 
a  magnificent  eulogium  !  How  had  St.  John  earned 
it?  (i)  By  his  humility.  (St.  John  i.  27.)  (2)  By 
his  abstinence.  (St.  Matt.  iii.  4.)  (3)  By  his  love 
of  solitude  and  prayer.  (St.  Luke  i.  80.)  Do  you 
deserve  the  praise  of  Christ  for  holiness  by  these 
means  ? 

3.  The  special  privilege  reserved  to  St.  John  was 
that  he  was  to  be  the  Angel  or  Messenger  who  was 
to  prepare  the  way  for  Christ.  If  we  cannot  preach 
the  Gospel,  we  can  at  least  prepare  the  ways  of 
God ;  we  can  win  those  around  us  by  our  charity, 
our  patience,  our  constant  fidelity,  and  can  prepare 
them  to  receive  the  good  seed  of  the  Word  of  God. 

Ninth  Week:  Saturday.— The  Result  of 
Neglected  Graces. 

St  Matt.  xi.  20-24. 

The  cities  where  most  of  our  Lord's  miracles  had 
been  performed  had  rejected  the  graces  offered  them. 
He  declares  that  in  the  day  of  Judgment  it  will  be 
more  tolerable  for  the  heathen  cities  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  and  for  the  wicked  Sodom  and  Gomorrha, 
than  for  the  cities  which  through  pride  had  turned 
aside  from  the  Son  of  God. 

I.  "Woe  to  thee,  Corazin !  Woe  to  thee,  Beth- 
saida ! "  Yet  these  were  places  which  had  enjoyed 
the  privilege  of  being  the  scene  of  our  Lord's  most 
wonderful  works.  Yet  to  them — woe  !  Is  not  this 
enough  to  frighten  us,  when  we  think  how  many 
wonderful  works  He  has  done  for  us  ?  We  have, 
indeed,  cause  to  tremble  lest  He  denounce  woe  to  us. 


544 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


2.  We  sometimes  congratulate  ourselves  on  our 
graces  and  privileges,  and  we  do  so  rightly.  But 
we  are  prone  to  forget  that  every  grace  carries  with 
it  a  corresponding  responsibility,  and  that  if  we  do 
not  avail  ourselves  of  it,  it  will  not  leave  us  as  we 
were  before  we  received  it,  but  in  a  far  worse  condi- 
tion. We  shall  have  turned  God  away  from  us, 
and  even  if  we  have  not  actually  sinned,  we  shall 
have  rendered  Him  less  ready  to  give  us  graces  for 
the  future, 

3.  How  is  it  that  men  reject  graces  ?  Sometimes 
through  indolence,  sometimes  through  self-love, 
sometimes  through  cowardice,  sometimes  and  most 
often  through  pride.  Grace  demands  submission. 
"He  g^veth  grace  to  the  humble,"  and  men  hate 
to  humble  themselves.  Examine  why  you  have 
forfeited  so  many  graces. 

Tenth  Week:  Sunday. — The  Divine  Consoler. 

St.  Matt.  xi.  26-30. 

Our  Lord  thanks  His  Bternal  Father  for  hiding 
the  mysteries  of  God  from  those  who  think  them- 
selves wise  and  prudent,  and  revealing  them  to  the 
little  ones  and  the  humble  of  heart.  He  calls  on 
all  who  labor  and  are  burdened  to  come  to  Him 
and  be  refreshed ;  to  take  upon  them  His  sweet 
yoke  and  light  burden  if  they  desire  rest  to  their 
souls. 

1.  Natural  ability  and  human  learning  do  not 
qualify  him  who  possesses  them  for  an  insight  into 
supernatural  truth,  unless  they  are  accompanied 
by  humility  of  heart.  If  you  would  have  a  deep 
knowledge  of  God,  you  can  only  obtain  it  by  being 
humble  of  heart,  and  by  praying  the  Son  of  God  to 
reveal  to  you  those  hidden  truths  which  our  unas- 
sisted intellect  fails  to  grasp. 

2.  We  are  also  apt  to  think  that  troubles  and 
sorrows  are  an  evil  in  life.  Yet  how  many  have 
been  brought  to  Jesus  by  a  consciousness  of  their 
own  misery,  who,  if  all  had  gone  prosperously, 
would  have  gone  on  in  their  pride  and  self-satisfac- 
tion to  their  own  destruction.  Thank  God  if  you 
are  thus  humbled ;  when  trouble  presses  hard,  listen 
to  Jesus  saying,  "  Come  unto  Me,  ye  who  labor  and 
are  burdened,  and  I  will  refresh  you." 

3.  The  Eternal  Son  of  God  chooses  two  special 
characteristics  in  which  we  must  imitate  Him,  if 
we   are   to   find   a   lasting    peace :    meekness   and 


humility.  The  absence  of  these  is  the  cause  of  all 
our  disquiet  and  discontent.  If  we  willingly  take 
His  yoke  upon  us,  and  try  to  be  meek  and  humble, 
we  shall  soon  find  a  delicious  peace,  rest,  and 
tranquillity  in  our  souls. 

Tenth  Week :  Monday, — The  Conversion  of 
St.  Mary  Magdalen. 

St.  Luke  vii.  36-50. 

In  the  house  of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  Mary  Mag- 
dalen the  sinner  approaches  Jesus  while  He  is 
sitting  at  table,  and  with  many  tears  kisses  His 
sacred  Feet  in  token  of  her  contrition  and  love,  and 
anoints  them  with  a  box  of  precious  ointment, 
Jesus  forgives  her  sins,  dismisses  her  in  peace,  and 
contrasts  her  devotion  with  the  coldness  of  His 
entertainer. 

1.  While  we  read  that  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands came  to  Jesus  to  be  healed  of  their  bodily 
infirmities,  Mary  Magdalen  is  the  only  one  who  is 
recorded  to  have  come  to  Him  for  the  cure  of  the  sick- 
ness of  her  soul.  So  now  there  are  many  who  pray 
most  earnestly  for  earthly  blessings,  but  there  are 
few  who  with  the  same  energy  pray  for  advance  in 
virtue  and  greater  love  for  God.  Yet  how  miserable 
are  all  the  advantages  of  this  world  compared  with 
the  least  progress  in  love  of  God  and  purity  of 
heart !  If  only  we  knew  the  gift  of  God,  we  should 
ask  for  the  living  water  of  spiritual  graces. 

2.  Our  Lord  not  only  granted  Magdalen's  request 
and  healed  her  soul,  but  raised  her  at  once  to  a  high 
level  of  holiness.  Her  devotion  to  Him  was  in  pro- 
portion to  her  former  sins.  "  Many  sins  are  forgiven 
her,  for  she  hath  loved  much."  Why  should  not 
I  come  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  so  earn  a  like 
blessing  ? 

3.  Mary  did  not  come  without  a  gift,  and  a  gift 
of  the  best  she  had.  This  was  at  the  same  time  a 
proof  of  her  love  and  the  cause  of  her  success. 
Nothing  wins  the  Heart  of  Jesus  like  generosity. 

Tenth   Week:    Tuesday.— The  Blasphemy   of 
the  Pharisees. 

St.  Matt.  xii.  22-37. 

On  the  occasion  of  our  Lord's  healing  one  who 
was  possessed  with  a  devil,  and  was  thereby 
rendered  blind  and  dumb,  the  Pharisees  accused 
Him  of  casting  out  devils  through   Beelzebub,  the 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


545 


prince  of  the  devils.  Our  Lord  refutes  their  wicked 
calumny,  and  points  out  the  contradiction  that 
would  be  involved  in  Satan  casting  out  Satan. 

1 .  The  person  who  was  brought  to  our  Lord  had 
been  deprived  of  sight  and  hearing  by  the  devil 
dwelling  within.  Satan  does  not  work  such  effects 
now  in  those  who  are  subject  to  his  power.  But  he 
deprives  them  of  spiritual  sight,  and  makes  them 
blind  to  the  truths  of  faith,  deaf  to  the  inspirations 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  dumb  in  the  presence  of  God. 
Ask  yourself  whether  in  your  heart  dwells  any  evil 
influence  which  thus  comes  between  you  and  God. 

2.  When  our  Lord  casts  out  the  evil  spirit  and 
restores  its  victim  to  his  senses,  the  Pharisees 
blasphemously  declare  that  it  is  through  the  power 
of  the  devil  that  it  has  been  driven  out.  This  was 
the  lowest  depth  of  that  malice  that  attributes  an 
evil  source  to  a  holy  action.  Have  I  not  some- 
times shared  this  malice  when  I  have  judged 
unkindly  of  the  servants  of  God,  and  put  a  bad 
interpretation  on  what  they  do  ? 

3.  Jesus  deigns  to  refute  his  calumniators  by 
argument.  He  appeals  to  facts  and  to  reason. 
Could  evil  be  cured  by  the  evil  one  ?  Could  the 
devil  be  so  foolish  as  to  expel  his  own  ?  It  is  one 
of  the  proofs  of  the  truth  of  the  Church  that,  among 
all  the  various  religions  in  the  world,  she  alone  can 
expel  the  evil  one  from  the  souls  of  men. 

Tenth  Week :  Wednesday. — The   Sin    Against 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

St.  Matt.  xii.  31-32. 

Our  Lord  declares  that  every  sin  shall  be  for- 
given to  men  except  blasphemy  against  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  shall  not  be  forgiven  either  in  this 
world  or  in  the  world  to  come. 

I.  What  is  meant  by  the  sin  against  the  Holy 
Ghost  ?  It  is  the  wilful,  deliberate,  open,  persistent 
denial  of  the  known  truth.  One  who  perseveres 
in  this,  and  does  not  retract  his  blasphemous  words, 
shuts  the  door  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  against 
himself.  Grace  cannot  enter  his  heart.  He  is 
already  among  the  reprobate.  This  is  the  sin  of 
the  founders  of  heresies,  of  such  men  as  Arius  and 
Nestorius  and  Luther.  Make  an  act  of  faith  in  the 
known  truth  of  the  Catholic  Church  by  way  of 
reparation  for  the  blasphemies  of  heretics. 
35 


2>  Why  is  this  of  all  sins  the  deadliest  ?  Because 
it  approximates  most  nearly  to  the  spirit  of  Satan, 
who  was  a  liar  from  the  beginning.  Because  it  is 
a  sin,  not  of  weakness,  but  of  unmixed  pride. 
Because  it  is  a  direct  and  deliberate  outrage  and 
insult  to  God,  and  a  spurning  of  the  Spirit  of  Love. 
Because  its  root  is  hatred  of  God,  so  that  he  who 
commits  it  would,  if  possible,  drag  God  from  His 
throne  in  Heaven,  and  sit  there  in  His  place.  Make\ 
an  act  of  submission  to  God,  and  detest  the  pride 
that  rebels  against  Him. 

3.  All  other  sins  can  be  forgiven  to  men.  As 
long  as  there  is  not  this  rebellion  in  the  heart, 
grace  can  find  its  way  in,  and  even  the  greatest  sins 
can  be  forgiven.  Thank  God  for  His  unspeakable 
mercy,  and  have  great  confidence  that  He  will  for- 
give all  your  sins  when  you  pray  to  Him  with  an 
humble  heart. 

Tenth  W^eek :  Thursday.— Idle  Words. 

St.  Matt.  xii.  33-37. 

"  Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  (says  our 
Lord)  the  mouth  speaketh.  A  good  man  out  of  a 
good  treasure  bringeth  forth  good  things,  and  an 
evil  man  out  of  an  evil  treasure  bringeth  forth  evil 
things.  But  I  say  to  you  that  every  evil  word  that 
men  shall  speak  they  shall  render  an  account  of  it 
in  the  Day  of  Judgment.  For  by  thy  words  thou 
shalt  be  condemned." 

1.  Nothing  gives  a  truer  clue  to  our  character 
and  to  the  extent  of  our  virtue  tnan  our  words.  We 
talk  away  on  all  sorts  of  subjects,  and  through  our 
conversation  there  shines  forth  before  our  hearers 
what  we  really  are.  What  sort  of  impression  do  I 
leave  among  those  with  whom  I  converse  ?  Do  my 
words  tend  to  raise  and  edify  them  ? 

2.  For  every  idle  word  we  shall  have  to  render 
an  account.  This  does  not  mean  that  we  shall  be 
severely  judged  for  playful  words,  or  words  of 
harmless  pleasantry,  words  which  came  out  as  it 
were  spontaneously  from  the  innocent  fulness  of 
our  heart.  These  are  only  idle  words  when  they 
cannot  possibly  serve  any  good  purpose.  It  is  the 
ill-natured  story,  the  cutting  or  sarcastic  remark, 
the  rather  indelicate  anecdote,  which  we  shall  have 
reason  to  regret  at  the  Judgment.  These  it  is 
which  are  idle  words  and  often  worse. 

3.  When  our  Lord  says  that  by  our  words  we 


546 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


shall  be  justified  or  condemned,  He  does  not  mean 
to  exclude  deeds  or  thoughts.  He  means  that  apart 
from  all  else  our  words  will  be  sufficient  to  earn 
the  approval  or  condemnation  of  our  Judge.  Can 
I  stand  this  test  ? 

Tenth  Week :  Friday. — True  Relationship 
to  Christ. 

St.  Matt.  xii.  47-50. 

While  Jesus  is  teaching,  His  Mother  and  His 
brethren  are  announced  as  desiring  to  speak  with 
Him.  He  looks  round  on  His  disciples,  and  de- 
clares that  there  is  a  relationship  nearer  to  Him 
than  the  relationship  of  blood,  and  that  it  consists 
in  a  perfect  conformity  to  the  will  of  His  Father  in 
Heaven. 

1.  The  Catholic  Church  is  the  true  family  in  the 
supernatural  order.  All  who  belong  to  it  are 
brethren  one  to  another,  and  brethren  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  union  between  every  soul  which  is  in 
a  state  of  grace  and  Jesus  Christ  is  far  closer  than 
any  possible  earthly  union.  His  love  to  it  is  in- 
comparably greater,  and  He  watches  over  it  with  a 
care  far  surpassing  that  of  the  fondest  mother; 
listening  with  interest  to  all  that  concerns  it,  ready 
to  help  in  time  of  need,  providing  with  loving  care 
for  all  its  wants.  Think  how  dearly  Christ  loves 
you,  and  be  comforted  thereby. 

2.  In  this  spiritual  relationship  none  is  so  closely 
united  to  Jesus  as  His  holy  Mother.  The  spiritual 
union  between  His  soul  and  hers,  by  reason  of  her 
perfect  conformity  to  the  will  of  God,  was  far  closer 
than  that  which  united  her  to  Him  as  her  Son. 
This  latter,  wondrous  privilege  as  it  was,  was  quite 
subordinate  to  the  privileges  to  which  she  attained 
by  reason  of  her  answering  obedience  to  every 
grace. 

3.  Jesus  has  for  us  all  the  devotion  of  the  most 
loving  of  brothers  and  the  most  aflfectionate  of  sons. 
His  love  embraces  every  possibility  of  affection,  and 
every  beauty  and  tenderness  that  is  possible  in 
human  love.  Alas  !  how  faint  is  my  love  to  Him, 
compared  with  His  love  to  me. 

Tenth  Week:   Saturday.— The  Sower  and 
the  Seed. 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  1-9. 

The  Parable  of  the  Sower  was  explained  by  our 
Lord  Himself  to  His  Apostles.    We  have  therefore 


no  need  to  search  for  the  application  of  His  sacred 
words. 

1.  The  Sower  is  the  Son  of  Man,  and  subordi- 
nately  to  Him,  His  ministers,  bishops,  priests,  all 
faithful  Christians  who  speak  for  God.  But  it  is 
always  Christ  our  Lord  who  speaks  through  their 
mouth,  even  if  their  utterances  be  the  most  imper- 
fect. He  makes  use  of  imperfect  means  as  the 
channels  of  His  graces.  What  reason,  then,  have 
we  to  attend  to  His  warning :  Take  heed  how  ye 
hear  !  It  is  Christ  who  speaks  through  the  mouths 
of  men  ;  we  must  hear  not  carelessly,  not  critically, 
not  as  judges,  but  humbly,  in  the  spirit  of  little 
children,  and  with  a  desire  to  learn  something  for 
ourselves. 

2.  The  seed  is  the  word  of  God.  It  takes  various 
forms:  Holy  Scripture,  pious  books,  sermons,  good 
conversation,  the  whispers  of  our  Guardian  Angel, 
holy  thoughts.  But  in  each  case  it  is  the  word  of 
God,  and  therefore  infinitely  precious,  and  intended 
by  Him  to  bring  forth  fruit  to  eternal  life. 

3.  The  field  is  the  world  and  every  human  heart. 
Christ  scatters  the  seed,  not  only  amongst  those  in 
the  Church,  though  for  them  it  is  much  more 
abundant,  but  among  all  heretics,  Jews,  Pagans, 
Mohammedans.  In  every  heart  the  fructifying 
seed  is  sown,  and  graces  enough  and  more  than 
enough  to  nourish  it.  Hence  none  are  excused  by 
ignorance,  and  least  of  all  the  children  of  the 
Church. 

Eleventh  Week :  Sunday. — The  Roadside  and 
Stony  Ground. 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  20-21. 

Our  Lord  describes  the  hearts  of  men  as  corre- 
sponding to  four  kinds  of  ground,  (i)  The  way- 
side. (2)  Rocky  ground.  (3)  Thorny  ground. 
(4)  Good  ground. 

1 .  The  wayside,  where  the  seed  is  at  once  carried 
off  by  the  birds  of  the  air,  corresponds  to  the  har- 
dened heart,  whence  the  devil  carries  away  each 
inspiration  or  holy  thought  without  its  ever  sinking 
into  the  soul.  Those  thus  hardened  are  of  all  the 
most  hopeless.  Sin  repeatedly  indulged  has  almost 
taken  away  the  power  of  hearing  the  voice  of  God. 
Pray  earnestly  that  you  may  never  fall  into  such  a 
condition  as  this. 

2.  The  rocky  ground,  where,  beneath   a  slight 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


547 


I 


covering  of  eartli  lies  a  hard,  stony  rock,  is  the  soul 
of  one  who  has  good  impulses  and  acts  on  them. 
But  he  has  not  a  firm  good-will,  and  soon  wearies 
of  the  yoke  of  Christ.  His  love  for  good  things 
is  a  surface  love ;  he  has  not  counted  the  cost  of 
serving  God.  Beware  of  that  impulsive  action 
which  begins  some  good  work  with  excited  eager- 
ness, but  soon  flags  and  fails. 

3.  The  noonday  sun  scorches  up  the  shallow- 
rooted  plant.  So  trials,  and  difficulties,  and  hard- 
ships, and  disappointments,  destroy  the  zeal  and 
energy  of  one  who  is  not  deeply  rooted  in  the 
service  of  God.  It  is  the  time  of  trial  that  tests 
our  good-will.  When  the  noonday  heat  oppresses, 
then  may  be  seen  whether  we  persevere. 

Eleventh  Week:   Monday.— The  Thorny 
Ground. 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  22. 

1.  The  thorny  ground  in  some  respects  seems  to 
offer  a  better  chance  to  the  seed  sown  in  it  than 
the  rocky  ground.  When  the  seed  is  cast  all  looks 
fair ;  the  ground  is  deep,  the  thorns  are  hidden. 
All  goes  well  for  a  time,  the  seed  takes  root  and 
promises  to  flourish.  But  as  time  goes  on  the 
thorns  grow  up  and  finally  prevent  the  seed  sown 
from  bringing  forth  any  fruit.  So  the  grace  of 
God  often  takes  root  in  the  soul,  and  there  is  every 
prospect  of  the  fruits  of  holiness  springing  up  in 
abundance.  But  after  all  the  sprouting  seed  is 
choked  up  by  the  evil  influences  around. 

2.  What  are  these  influences?  (i)  Love  of  riches. 
A  man  gets  fond  of  money,  and  makes  it  the  first 
object  in  his  life.  (2)  The  cares  of  this  world.  He 
allows  other  interests  to  come  before  the  interests 
of  God ;  his  friends,  his  position,  his  influence,  his 
popularity,  are  put  first  and  his  duty  to  God  second. 
(3)  The  pleasures  of  life.  Not  necessarily  sinful 
pleasures,  though  these  most  effectually  choke  the 
word,  but  the  round  of  fashionable  amusements, 
the  enjoyments  and  gaieties  of  society.  O  how 
many  have  been  ruined  by  these  !  Have  not  I  good 
cause  to  fear  lest  they  in  some  form  or  other  hide 
God  from  me  ? 

3.  Is  it  possible  to  be  attached  to  these  and  to 
serve  God  at  the  same  time  ?  No,  for  no  man  can 
serve  two  masters.     God  is  a  jealous  God.    Woe  to 


me  if  I  allow  any  of  these  thorns  to  choke  the  holy 
inspirations  of  God.  O  death,  how  terrible  thou 
art  to  the  man  who  has  peace  in  his  possessions ! 

Eleventh  Week :  Tuesday.— The  Good  Ground. 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  8,  23. 

"  He  that  receiveth  the  seed  on  good  ground,  this 
is  he  that  heareth  the  word  and  understandeth  and 
beareth  fruit,  and  yieldeth  the  one  an  hundred-fold, 
another  sixty,  and  another  thirty." 

1.  If  we  are  to  bring  forth  fruit  to  eternal  life, 
the  first  thing  necessary  is  that  we  should  under- 
stand the  word  that  is  sown  in  our  hearts.  This 
gift  of  understanding  is  not  a  mere  matter  of  the 
intellect,  it  is  a  grace  which  is  given  to  men  of  good- 
will. Two  men  of  like  intelligence  read  a  passage 
of  Holy  Scripture ;  it  makes  a  lasting  impression 
on  one  and  not  on  the  other.  The  reason  is  that 
one  has  a  good-will,  and  so  God  gives  the  grace 
without  which  all  spiritual  things  are  hidden  from 
us.  The  other  has  not  the  same  good-will,  and  so 
he  fails  to  comprehend  it.  Hence,  whenever  you 
read  the  word  of  God,  pray  for  a  good-will,  and  grace, 
and  light. 

2.  It  is  not  enough  to  understand  unless  action 
follows,  and  the  seed  sown  leads  to  good  works, 
done  for  the  love  of  God  and  under  the  influence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  This  is  the  real  mark  of  predes- 
tination, to  persevere  in  obedience,  not  to  be  beaten 
back  by  difficulties,  not  to  be  turned  aside  by  the 
attractions  of  the  world.  Have  I  this  perseverance, 
without  which  we  cannot  bear  good  fruit  ? 

3.  Different  plants  bear  a  different  amount  of 
produce,  some  an  hundred-fold,  like  the  saints  of 
God ;  some  sixty,  like  ordinary  good  men ;  some 
thirty,  like  those  who  are  imperfect  Christians. 
Yet  happy  all  who  bear  good  fruit !  God  grant 
that  I  may  be  of  their  number. 

Eleventh  Week :  Wednesday, — The  Parable  of 
the  Cockle, 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  24-28 ;  36-50. 

In  this  parable  or  Lord  compares  the  Church  to 
a  fleld  in  which  good  seed  has  been  sown,  but 
during  the  night  an  enemy  comes  and  oversows  it 
with  cockle.  The  servants  want  to  pull  up  the 
cockle,  but  the  master  orders  that  both  should  be 
left  till  the  harvest. 


548 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


I  The  Parable  of  the  Cockle  is  a  great  consola- 
tion to  us  if  we  are  inclined  to  be  astonished  and 
cast  down  by  the  amount  of  evil  that  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Church  of  God.  So  many  wicked  men !  So 
much  indifference,  worldliness,  selfishness,  ambition, 
to  say  nothing  of  more  serious  sins.  Can  this  be 
the  Spouse  of  Christ  ?  Yes,  and  the  very  existence 
of  the  evil  is  but  the  carrying  out  of  what  the 
Master  had  foretold. 

2.  The  reason  given  by  the  master  why  the 
cockle  should  not  be  rooted  up  is  that  we  cannot 
always  discern  wheat  from  cockle  until  the  harvest- 
time.  They  are  so  alike !  Hidden  pride  has  all 
the  look  of  exalted  virtue,  and  exalted  virtue  is 
sometimes  unattractive  to  men,  and  misjudged  by 
them.  Learn  never  to  judge  any  one,  lest  you  con- 
demn one  who  is  dear  to  God. 

3.  At  the  Judgment  there  will  be  no  doubt  as  to 
what  is  cockle  and  what  is  wheat.  In  every  action 
that  I  have  ever  done  the  good  will  be  clearly  dis- 
cerned from  the  evil  and  the  indifferent.  When 
I  examine  even  my  best  actions,  how  few  there  are 
that  are  naught  else  but  good  grain  fit  for  the 
Master's  table  !  How  much  cockle !  How  many 
imperfections  !     How  many  even  of  venial  sins  ! 

Eleventh   Week:   Thursday.— The   Seed   Cast 
Into  the  Ground. 

St.  Mark  iv.  26-29. 

In  this  parable  our  Lord  compares  the  Kingdom 
of  God  to  seed  cast  into  the  ground,  which  sprouts 
and  grows  up  gradually,  as  it  were  of  its  own 
accord,  until  at  length,  when  it  is  ripe,  the  sower 
puts  in  the  sickle  because  the  harvest  is  come. 

1.  In  this  parable  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  the 
grace  falling  on  good  ground.  For  a  long  time  its 
effects  are  scarcely  perceptible,  but  nevertheless  it 
is  gradually  growing  up,  first  the  blade,  then  the 
ear,  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  Sometimes  we 
fancy  that  we  make  no  progress,  that  we  were 
better  in  past  years  than  now.  But  we  need  not 
fear.  The  good  work  is  going  on  in  us,  though  we 
are  not  conscious  of  it,  and  one  day  we  may  hope 
to  be  gathered  ripe  into  our  Master's  harvest. 

2.  Observe  that  the  process  is  a  gradual  one. 
Men  do  not  become  saints  all  at  once.  At  first 
there  is  but  little  sign  of  their  holiness.    They  have 


many  faults  and  imperfections.  We  must  not 
expect  of  ourselves  or  of  others  perfection  in  a 
week.  Sometimes  God  leaves  in  His  saints  some 
manifest  defect  for  long  years.  They  are  ripening 
for  the  harvest,  and  even  now,  it  may  be,  are  bear- 
ing far  more  fruit  than  us. 

3.  The  earth  of  itself  brings  forth  the  fruit  when 
once  it  has  received  the  good  seed.  So  no  grace 
that  God  gives  us,  no  trial  that  He  sends  us,  no 
sickness,  calamity,  poverty,  fails  of  producing  fruit 
to  eternal  life  if  it  is  received  in  the  heart  of  a  man 
of  good-will.  Often  his  only  part  in  the  process  is 
that  he  acquiesces  in  the  will  of  God  and  does  not 
rebel,  and  out  of  this  there  comes  great  fruit  to  the 
glory  of  God. 

Eleventh  Week :  Friday.— The  Parable  of  the 
Mustard  Seed. 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  31,  32. 

Our  Lord  compares  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to 
a  mustard  seed,  which  is  the  least  of  all  seeds,  but 
grows  up  in  the  mightiest  of  trees. 

1.  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  here  primarily  sig- 
nifies the  visible  Church  of  Christ.  How  feeble  are 
its  beginnings !  At  Pentecost  only  a  handful  of 
obscure  Jews,  mostly  of  the  lower  class,  rough,  un- 
educated, with  no  special  talents.  How  wonderful 
its  growth  !  It  gradually  conquered  the  world,  and 
that  in  spite  of  persecution  without  and  treachery 
within,  in  spite  of  whole  nations  that  revolted  from 
its  yoke,  in  spite  of  the  worldliness  and  lukewarm- 
ness  and  tepidity  of  its  children,  it  is  still  firm  and 
strong  as  ever.  Make  a  firm  act  of  faith  in  the 
indefectibility  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

2.  The  birds  of  the  air  come  and  take  shelter  in 
the  branches  of  it.  All  those  who  fly  heavenwards 
shelter  themselves  under  the  shadow  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  If  they  do  not  recognize  her  as  their  true 
home,  it  is  only  because  owing  to  their  special  cir- 
cumstances she  is  so  far  away  that  their  eye  cannot 
recognize  her  glories.  But  whenever  the  Catholic 
Church  is  well  discernible,  none  ever  turn  awa}' 
from  her  if  they  are  winging  their  way  to  the 
Heavenly  City. 

3.  In  her  branches  all  these  denizens  of  Heaven 
take  shelter  from  the  noonday  heat,  from  storm  and 
tempest,  from  persecution  and  suffering,  from  toil 
and  labor.     They  find  rest  and  refreshment  in  the 


I 


THE   MINISTRY    OF   JESUS. 


549 


virtues  of  her  saints,  in  the  sacraments,  in  the 
sweet  consolations  that  God  gives  through  her  to 
rhe  souls  that  He  loves. 

Eleventh  Week  :  Saturday. — The  Treasure 
Hid  in  the  Field. 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  44. 

"  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  unto  a  treasure 
hidden  in  a  field,  which  a  man  having  found,  hid  it, 
and  for  joy  thereof  goeth  and  selleth  all  that  he  hath 
and  buyeth  that  field." 

1.  It  seems  at  first  a  contradiction  that  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  should  be  compared  sometimes 
to  a  city  set  upon  a  hill,  conspicuous  before  all  men, 
sometimes  to  a  hidden  treasure  which  is  known  and 
prized  only  by  a  few.  The  Church  of  Christ  can- 
not be  ignored  even  by  those  who  hate  it  the  most. 
Its  existence  is  obvious  to  the  world  ;  but  its  count- 
less perfections  and  the  happiness  of  being  one  of 
its  members  are  hidden  from  all  save  those  who 
have  in  their  hearts  the  love  of  God,  and  the  desire 
after  Him.  To  me,  O  Lord,  unfold  the  beauties  of 
Thy  spotless  Spouse,  that  I  may  love  her  as  I 
ought. 

2.  This  treasure  must  be  purchased;  it  cannot 
be  had  for  nothing.  A  price  must  be  paid  by  those 
who  would  possess  it,  and  often  a  heavy  price. 
Hence  the  trials  and  sufferings  of  all  who  would 
serve  God,  or  who  aim  at  perfection.  Hence  the 
wordly  troubles  which  often  overtake  those  who  are 
converted  to  the  faith,  and  the  sacrifices  that  are 
required  of  them.  Happy  they  who  joyfully  pay 
the  price  for  this  priceless  boon. 

3.  The  man  who  finds  this  treasure  hides  it.  He 
does  not  proclaim  to  the  world  at  large  the  joy  he 
experiences  from  the  possession  of  truth.  He  de- 
sires to  be  alone  with  God,  and  to  hide  from  the 
profane  world  the  graces  he  has  received.  Holy 
men  do  not  talk  about  their  holiness,  though  it  can 
clearly  be  seen  from  their  deeds. 

Twelfth  Week :  Sunday.— The  Pearl  of 
Great  Price. 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  45-46. 

"  Again,  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  to  a 
merchant  seeking  good  pearls,  who  when  he  had 
found  one  pearl  of  great  price,  went  his  way  and 
sold  all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it." 

I.  Every  man  in  the  world   sets  before  himself 


some  end  to  be  attained  in  his  actions.  He  is  like 
a  merchant  collecting  pearls.  Around  him  lie 
scattered  a  number  of  such  pearls,  real  or  false. 
There  is  the  pearl  of  money,  the  pearl  of  fame,  the 
pearl  of  earthly  love,  the  pearl  of  honor.  Men  buy 
these,  and  often  buy  them  dear.  But  they  are  all 
worthless  trash  in  comparison  with  the  pearl  of 
great  price,  the  faithful  performance  day  by  day  of 
the  will  of  God,  simply  because  it  is  His  will. 

2.  This  pearl  often  lies  concealed  in  a  rough  and 
rugged  shell.  It  is  found  under  many  an  uncouth 
exterior,  in  the  heart  of  many  a  one  who  is  generally 
despised  and  held  of  no  account.  Beware  then  of 
despising  any.  The  beggar  in  rags  and  filth  may 
be  a  saint,  and  in  his  heart  may  be  a  pearl  of  virtue 
exceedingly  beautiful  in  the  eyes  of  God. 

3.  This  pearl  once  recognized  in  its  Divine 
beauty,  the  merchant  cares  little  or  nothing  for  the 
rest.  He  gladly  barters  them  all  for  the  one  pre- 
cious jewel  which  alone  will  shine  in  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  Is  this  performance  of  the  will  of  God 
the  rule  of  my  life  ?  Do  I  value  it  and  by  its  side 
despise  all  else  ? 

Twelfth  Week  :  Monday.— The  Parable  of  the 

Leaven. 

St.  Matt.  xiii.  33. 

"  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  to  leaven,  which 
a  woman  took  and  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal, 
until  the  whole  was  leavened." 

1.  Leaven  is  employed  in  Holy  Scripture  to  ex- 
press that  which  influences  man,  whether  for  good 
or  for  evil.  St.  Paul  tells  us  to  cast  out  the  old 
leaven  ;  the  love  of  the  world  and  of  things  sinful. 
Here  our  lord  speaks  of  the  new  leaven,  the  love  of 
God  and  of  things  spiritual  which  has  power  to 
transform  the  soul.  In  my  soul  there  is  too  much 
of  the  old  leaven,  too  little  of  the  new.  O  Christ, 
my  Lord  and  Saviour,  purge  out  the  one  and  give 
me  that  love  of  Thee  which  alone  can  make  me 
fitted  for  Thy  company  in  Heaven. 

2.  What  is  the  effect  of  leaven  ?  It  renders  that 
which  before  was  a  heavy,  hard,  unwholesome 
lump,  light  and  soft,  and  fit  for  the  Master's  table. 
So  it  is  with  the  sweet  influences  of  God's  grace. 
The  soul  which  before  was  sluggish  and  unable  to 
rise  to  higher  things,  and  unable  to  minister  to  the 
good  of  others,  becomes  active  and  zealous  for  God, 


550 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


light-hearted,  an  anxious  to  feed  the  souls  of  others 
with  the  bread  of  life. 

3.  The  leaven  leavens  the  whole  mass  in  which 
it  is  placed,  and  it  extends  to  all  the  three  measures. 
So  the  grace  of  God  changes  the  whole  soul ; 
memory,  intellect  and  will,  all  are  transformed. 
Words,  acts,  and  thoughts,  all  feel  the  holy  in- 
fluence. Is  my  soul  thus  pervaded  with  this  holy 
and  Divine  leaven  ? 

Twelfth  Week  :   Tuesday.— The  Stilling  of  the 
Tempest. 

St.  Mark  iv.  35-40. 

When  our  Lord  had  finished  His  parables,  He 
crossed  the  lake  with  His  disciples,  to  avoid  the 
multitudes.  A  great  storm  arose,  and  the  boat  was 
covered  with  waves,  but  Jesus  was  asleep  in  the 
stem.  The  Apostles  awake  Him  and  implore  His 
aid,  and  He  rebukes  the  wind  anr'  at  once  there  is 
a  great  calm. 

1.  It  was  at  the  word  of  Jesus  that  the  Apostles 
crossed  the  lake,  and  they  looked  for  a  prosperous 
voyage,  but,  nevertheless,  a  great  storm  arose  and 
almost  sunk  their  craft.  So  often,  in  the  very 
work  we  have  undertaken  in  obedience  to  the 
Divine  command,  a  storm  of  troubles  and  vexa- 
tions and  disappointments  arises.  But,  courage ! 
the  storm  is  only  the  prelude  to  some  great  hap- 
piness. 

2.  But  not  only  was  the  voyage  undertaken  at 
His  word,  but  He  was  with  the  disciples  throughout 
it.  Yet  this  did  not  hinder  the  rising  of  the  storm. 
He  was  close  at  hand,  apparently  asleep  and  care- 
less of  their  fate,  but  all  the  time  watching  to  help 
them  in  the  hour  of  need.  So  with  His  servants 
He  is  present,  but  His  presence  does  not  save  them 
from  sorrow  and  suffering  and  danger.  He  seems 
to  be  asleep,  but  all  the  time  He  is  but  awaiting  the 
moment  when  He  may  intervene  with  greater 
advantage  to  those  whom  He  loves. 

3.  "  Why  are  you  fearful  ?  "  This  was  His  word 
to  the  frightened  Apostles.  This  is  His  word  to  us. 
Am  not  I  master  of  the  universe,  and  do  not  I  love 
you  fondly,  tenderly,  thoughtfully  ?  I  have  but  to 
say  to  the  wind :  "  Peace,  be  still,"  and  you  will  see 
a  perfect  calm  and  untroubled  peace  succeed  the 
tempest  that  rages  now. 


Twelfth   Week  :    Wednesday. — The  Legion  of 
Devils  Cast  Out. 

St.  Mark  v.  1-20. 

Jesus  comes  into  the  country  of  the  Gerasenes, 
and  there  finds  a  man  possessed  by  a  legion  of  un- 
clean spirits.  The  devils  within  him  beseech  our 
Lord  not  to  torment  them  before  the  time.  Jesus 
expels  the  unclean  spirits,  and  gives  them  leave  to 
occupy  the  bodies  of  a  herd  of  swine  feeding  there, 
which  straightway  rush  down  the  steep  and  perish 
in  the  sea. 

1.  This  story  shows  the  reality  of  demoniacal 
possession,  and  the  awful  power  of  the  devils  to 
torment  their  victim.  Not  one,  but  many — nay,  a 
legion  of  devils  occupied  the  body  of  this  miserable 
man.  Learn  from  this  to  dread  the  least  yielding 
to  the  advances  of  Satan,  and  remember  the  ever- 
increasing  power  he  gains  over  those  who  give  him 
any  advantage  over  them. 

2.  The  devils,  when  they  are  cast  out,  beg  not  to 
be  sent  into  the  abyss,  but  to  be  allowed  to  enter 
the  bodies  of  the  swine  feeding  near.  Nothing  de- 
grades like  sin  ;  the  devils,  in  spite  of  the  nobility 
of  their  angelic  nature,  find  a  congenial  home  in 
the  swine.  So  it  is  with  men  who  rebel  against 
God  and  are  lifted  up  with  pride.  God  punishes 
them  by  handing  them  over  to  the  indulgence  of 
their  lowest  passions,  and  those  who  would  faiu  be 
like  God  become  like  the  swine. 

3.  When  the  people  of  the  place  hear  of  the 
miracle  wrought  by  our  Lord,  instead  of  falling  at 
His  feet  in  joy  and  gratitude,  they  beg  Him  to 
depart.  They  prefer  to  have  the  devils  among 
them  than  Jesus,  because  his  presence  deprived 
them  of  their  swine.  Alas,  how  many  choose  the 
devil  and  his  sensual  attractions  and  worldly  gains 
to  the  presence  of  Jesus  ! 

Twelfth  Week  :   Thursday.— The  Old  and 
the  New. 

St.  Matt.  ix.  14-17. 

The  disciples  of  John  ask  our  Lord  why  His  dis- 
ciples do  not  fast.  He  answers  that  the  friends  of 
the  bridegroom  do  not  fast  while  the  bridegroom  is 
with  them.  God  does  not  ask  of  men  what  is 
unsuitable  to  their  circumstances  or  beyond  their 
strength,  just  as  men  do  not  put  a  piece  of  raw 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


551 


cloth  on  an  old  garmen.,    or  new   wine  into  old 
bottles. 

1.  The  first  reason  that  our  Lord  gives  why  His 
disciples  do  not  observe  special  and  voluntary  fasts, 
is  the  fact  of  His  presence.  What  room  is  there 
for  penance  when  we  are  conscious  that  Jesus  is 
with  us,  when  we  hear  His  voice  speaking  to  our 
heart.  The  time  will  come  when  we  shall  mourn 
the  loss  of  Him,  when  grace  will  seem  to  have  de- 
parted from  us,  when  sin  will  weigh  heavily  upon 
us,  when  we  shall  dread  the  Judgment.  Then  it  is 
that  He  will  call  us  to  penance. 

2.  The  second  reason  is,  that  as  a  piece  of  un- 
fulled  cloth  patching  an  old  garment  only  makes  a 
greater  rent,  so  if  God  asked  too  much  of  begin- 
ners, it  would  only  destroy  what  is  good  in  them. 
God  gives  only  graces  proportioned  to  our  weak- 
ness. If  we  correspond  to  these,  then  we  may  after- 
wards hope  for  greater  graces. 

3.  Lastly,  men  do  not  put  new  wine  into  skins 
that  have  hardened  with  age.  So  God  does  not 
give  inspirations  to  high  sanctity  to  those  who  are 
rooted  in  prejudice,  or  hardened  by  a  worldly  life. 
He  gives  them  graces  sufficient  to  save  their  souls, 
but  nothing  more  at  first.  This  it  is  which  often 
excuses  those  whom  we  are  prone  to  condemn. 

Twelfth  Week :    Friday.— The  Healing  of  the 
Woman  with  an  issue  of  Blood. 

St.  Mark.  v.  25-34. 

A  poor  woman,  who  for  twelve  years  had  sufiFered 
from  a  continual  loss  of  blood,  and  was  continually 
becoming  worse,  comes  in  the  crowd  and  touches 
the  hem  of  Jesus'  garment.  She  is  instantly  cured. 
Jesus  asks  who  touched  Him  ?  The  woman  falls 
trembling  at  His  feet,  and  is  dismissed  in  peace. 

1.  Watch  the  scene.  Our  Lord,  with  the  crowd 
pressing  Him,  and  the  disciples  seeking  to  keep 
them  away.  How  gentle  He  is  !  How  kindly  He 
welcomes  all !  What  special  love  for  the  poor  sin- 
ner! Observe  the  afflicted  woman  stealing  up, 
trembling,  but  confident,  and  repeating  to  herself  : 
"  If  I  shall  touch  but  His  garment,  I  shall  be 
healed."  Admire  her  faith,  and  repeat  her  words, 
applying  them  to  yourself. 

2.  Listen  to  what  is  spoken.  Our  Lord  suddenly 
turns    to  His  disciples,  and    asks,  "  Who    touched 


Me  ? "  The  disciples  wonder  at  the  question. 
Were  not  the  crowd  thronging  Him .-'  Yet  He 
knew  the  touch  of  one  who  came  in  faith  and  con- 
fidence and  love.  His  Sacred  Heart  was  drawn  to 
her.  When  she  comes  up  in  fear  lest  she  may  have 
presumed,  how  kindly  He  receives  her!  So  He 
always  welcomes  those  who  come  near  to  His  altar 
with  dispositions  like  hers,  humbly,  yet  boldly, 
half  in  fear,  but  with  much  love. 

3.  Notice  the  actions  of  those  around.  The  poor 
woman  is  drawn  to  Jesus  by  His  sweet  attractions. 
Yet  she  must  do  her  part  if  she  is  to  be  healed. 
Our  Lord  at  first  behaves  as  if  He  had  not  noticed 
her.  Yet  all  the  time  He  was  thinking  of  her, 
blessing  her,  healing  her,  making  her  His  own 
child. 

Twelfth  Week  :  Saturday.— The  Raising  of  the 
Daughter  of  Jairus. 

St.  Mark  v.  22-43. 

Jairus,  a  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  has  a  little 
daugher  at  the  point  of  death.  Going  to  Jesus,  he 
begs  Him  to  come  and  lay  His  hand  on  her,  that 
she  may  live.  Jesus  follows  him,  and  on  arrival  at 
the  house  the  child  is  dead,  and  the  musicians, 
customary  on  such  occasions,  are  assembled.  Jesus 
puts  them  all  out,  and  takes  the  maiden  by  the 
hand,  and  restores  her  to  her  parents. 

1.  This  ruler  of  the  synagogue  was  a  wise  man. 
He  hastened  to  Jesus  in  his  troubles,  and  told  Him 
of  the  sorrow  that  threatened  him,  of  the  poor 
maiden  in  peril  of  death.  Why  do  not  we  have  re- 
course to  Him,  when  those  we  love  are  in  danger  ? 
Whether  it  be  that  their  sickness  is  one  of  body  or 
of  soul,  Jesus  is  always  ready  to  listen,  and  will 
always  come  and  comfort  us  in  our  distress. 

2.  Our  Lord  will  not  work  the  miracle  until  He 
has  turned  out  the  noisy  and  scoffing  bystanders. 
His  most  wonderous  works  are  done  in  silence  and 
in  retirement,  and  the  babble  of  the  noisy  world 
seems  to  arrest  His  hand.  It  is  in  the  peace  and 
quiet  of  solitude  and  calm  reflection,  that  the  soul 
rises  to  new  life  :  it  must  be  alone  with  Jesus  and 
shut  out  from  worldly  things,  in  order  to  hear  His 
voice  bidding  it  arise  from  the  death  of  sin  and  the 
torpor  of  a  careless  life. 

3.  Her  parents,  in  spite  of  their  confidence  in  the 
power  of  Jesus,  were  astonished  at  seeing  Him  raise 


652 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


their  child  to  life.  We  believe  in  Him  in  feeble 
fashion,  but  we  do  not  at  all  appreciate  His  power 
and  His  love.  If  I  did  so  more,  I  should  obtain 
from  Him  blessings  and  graces  altogether  surpass- 
.ag  those  granted  me  hitherto. 

Part   IV. — From    the  Sending   Out  of   the 
Apostles  to  the  Confession  of  St.  Peter. 

Thirteenth  Week :  Sunday. — The  Sending  out 
of  the  Apostles  to  Preach. 

St.  Matt.  X.  i-io. 

Our  Lord,  seeing  the  multitudes  like  sheep 
without  a  shepherd,  calls  the  Apostles,  and  sends 
them  out  to  preach  and  to  heal  the  sick  and  cast 
out  evil  spirits  and  to  raise  the  dead  to  life.  They 
are  to  have  no  gold  or  silver,  to  be  poorly  clad, 
and  to  depend  on  the  alms  and  hospitality  of  the 
faithful. 

1.  The  occasion  of  the  sending  out  of  the  Apostles 
was  our  Lord's  pity  for  the  sheep  who  had  no 
shepherd,  and  who  were  lost  because  there  was  no 
one  to  invite  them  to  penance.  As  it  was  then,  so 
it  is  now.  His  Sacred  Heart  still  mourns  over  the 
countless  sheep  who  have  no  pastor.  Alas !  how 
many  Catholics  sit  idle  when  they  might  help  to 
bring  back  these  wandering  sheep.  Do  I  do  what 
I  can  for  these  shepherdless  sheep  by  my  own  ex- 
ertions, by  alms,  above  all  by  prayers  for  them  to 
the  Good  Shepherd  ? 

2.  Our  Lord  invests  His  Apostles  with  His  own 
powers.  All  of  them,  even  Judas,  spoke  with  His 
authority.  So  now,  each  priest  is  invested  with 
supernatural  powers  by  Christ  Himself,  and  claims 
respect,  quite  apart  from  his  personal  character. 
Do  I  show  respect  to  every  priest,  and  remember 
that  I  am  to  treat  him  as  the  special  messenger  of 
Jesus  Christ? 

3.  These  envoys  of  Christ  are  to  beware  of  gold 
and  silver.  The  love  of  money  is  fatal  to  all,  most 
fatal  to  priests.  They  are  to  live  a  life  of  poverty 
and  dependence,  as  every  priest  must  do  if  he 
is  to  be  an  efficient  servant  of  his  Master ;  nay, 
as  every  ordinary  Christian  must  do  in  his  own 
degree,  if  he  is  to  take  part  in  the  work  of  saving 
souls.  Is  this  my  spirit  or  am  I  selfish  and  inde- 
pendent ? 


Thirteenth  Week  :   Monday. — The  Instructions 
for  the  Journey. 

St  Matt.  X.  11-17. 

Our  Lord  instructs  His  Apostles  that  in  every 
town  they  shall  inquire  who  is  a  worthy  man,  and 
with  him  they  shall  lodge.  They  are  to  remain  in 
his  house  until  they  leave  the  place.  If  anyone 
refuses  to  receive  them,  or  to  listen  to  them,  the 
wrath  of  God  will  fall  upon  such  a  one  for  his  re- 
jection of  the  messengers  of  Christ.  The  servants 
of  God  rnust  have  the  prudence  of  the  serpent  and 
the  gentleness  of  the  dove. 

1.  The  Apostles  on  their  journey  are  to  lodge 
with  some  faithful  servant  of  God,  and  our  Lord 
promises  that  they  will  bring  a  blessing  with  them. 
To  lodge  and  feed  the  ministers  of  God  for  their 
office'  sake  is  a  great  privilege,  since  Christ  has 
said,  "  He  that  receives  you  receives  Me."  In 
Catholic  countries  the  visit  of  a  priest  is  regarded 
as  bringing  a  blessing  on  a  house.  Do  you  take 
every  opportunity  of  showing  hospitality  to  priests 
and  other  servants  of  God  for  their  Master's  sake  ? 

2.  The  Apostles  are  not  to  move  about  from  one 
house  to  another.  Restlessness  is  always  a  bad  sign. 
It  is  a  common  delusion  to  fancy  that  in  another 
situation  or  house  we  shall  do  much  better,  and  to 
believe  that  virtue  will  be  easier  elsewhere.  It  is 
a  great  grace  to  rest  contented  in  the  house  and 
with  the  company  in  which  God  has  placed  us,  and 
with  the  occupation  He  has  given  us. 

3.  The  two  virtues  recommended  by  our  Lord  to 
His  Apostles  are  extreme  gentleness  and  continual 
prudence.  Without  gentleness  we  shall  never  win 
souls  to  Christ.  Every  good  man  is  gentle.  With- 
out prudence  we  shall  spoil  our  work  by  acting 
foolishly  and  rashly.  Both  of  these  are  supernatural 
gifts,  which  cannot  be  had  without  prayer  and  self- 
conquest. 

Thirteenth  Week :  Tuesday. — Our  Lord's  Care 
of  His  Servants. 

St.  Matt.  X.  26-33. 

The  servants  of  Christ  have  no  cause  to  fear  even 
in  the  midst  of  their  most  bitter  enemies.  Not  a 
hair  of  their  head  falls  to  the  ground  without  God's 
permission.  He  who  cares  for  each  sparrow,  cares 
for  them.  Those  who  confess  Him,  he  will  confess 
at  the  Judgment  before  all  the  world. 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


653 


1.  It  requires  no  little  courage  to  go  forth  in  the 
character  of  sheep  amid  wolves  hungry  for  their 
prey.  So  to  face  persecution  is  no  easy  task.  But 
He  who  made  Stephen  joyful  when  stoned,  and 
Laurence  when  roasted  on  the  gridiron,  is  present 
to  each  one  who  suffers  for  Him,  and  pours  into  the 
heart  of  the  sufferer  peace  and  joy.  If  he  watches 
over  every  sparrow,  how  much  more  over  every 
one  of  His  servants.  O  Lord,  give  me  courage 
in  the  day  of  trial,  and  help  to  persevere  amid 
suffering. 

2.  Christ  will  reward  with  a  most  liberal  recom- 
pense the  loyalty  of  all  His  faithful  servants  who 
stand  up  for  Him  in  the  face  of  opposition.  Some 
have  to  face  death  for  Christ ;  others  cruel  suffer- 
ing. Some  have  to  submit  to  ridicule,  others  to 
unkind  treatment.  All  have  sometimes  to  with- 
stand the  influence  and  example  of  those  around, 
and  bravely  to  refuse  to  take  part  in  evil ;  it  may 
be  in  uncharitable  or  unseemly  conversation,  or  in 
disrespectful  words  of  those  set  over  them.  On 
such  occasions  do  I  confess  Christ  ? 

3.  Those  who  refuse  to  confess  Christ  deny  Him  ; 
not  in  so  many  words,  but  in  joining  in  what  they 
know  is  hateful  to  Him  they  virtually  deny  Him, 
and  refuse  to  acknowledge  His  authority.  Alas  !  I 
have  often  done  this.  I  have  been  ashamed  of  Thee, 
I  have  denied  Thee.  Jesus,  forgive  me,  and  do  not 
disown  me  before  the  Angels  of  God. 

Thirteenth  Week :  Wednesday. — The  Warfare 
of  the  Gospel. 

St.  Matt.  X.  34-39. 

Christ  comes  not  to  send  peace  on  earth,  but  a 
sword,  to  set  men  at  variance  with  those  nearest 
and  dearest  to  them.  Above  all  else.  Him  we  must 
love ;  Him  we  must  follow,  bearing  our  cross ;  of 
Him  we  are  not  worthy  unless  we  are  willing  to 
suffer  for  His  sake. 

I.  It  seems  strange  that  the  Prince  of  Peace 
should  come  to  send  a  sword  upon  earth.  Yet  He 
knew  that  true  peace  cannot  be  had  without  war, 
and  that  in  many  a  house  by  reason  of  Him  there 
would  arise  a  bitter  strife,  and  those  who  love  Him 
would  have  to  suffer  persecution  of  some  kind  at 
the  hands  of  those  dear  to  them.  I  must  be  pre- 
pared for  this  ;  I  must  expect  and  bear  patiently 


for  love     of    Him  disagreeables    at   the   hand   of 
others. 

2.  When  there  comes  a  contest  between  earthly 
affection  and  the  love  of  Christ,  God  grant  that 
earthly  affection  may  not  prevail.  How  many  have 
lost  their  souls  for  the  sake  of  some  one  to  whom 
their  heart  goes  out  with  fond  desire  !  If  that  time 
comes  to  me,  I  must  be  brave.  I  must  remember 
that  if  I  sacrifice  Christ,  even  for  one  dear  to  me  as 
my  life,  I  shall  lose  my  soul,  and  perhaps,  too,  the 
soul  of  the  object  of  my  love.  If  I  make  the  sacri- 
fice, then  and  then  only  I  shall  have  peace  here 
and  hereafter. 

3.  In  this,  and  in  many  other  ways,  I  must  carry 
my  cross  willingl}'^,  not  reluctantly  ;  out  of  love  for 
Jesus,  not  because  I  cannot  get  rid  of  it.  It  is  a 
heavy  one,  perhaps,  but  prayer  and  submission, 
and  the  thought  of  Him  who  carried  His  Cross  for 
me,  will  lighten  it.  And  in  the  end,  the  heavier 
the  cross,  the  brighter  the  crown. 


Thirteenth  Week :  Thursday.- 
Recompense  of  Charity. 


-The 


St.  Matt.  X.  40-42. 

If  we  receive  one  of  the  servants  of  Christ  in  His 
Name,  we  shall  receive  the  same  recompense  as  if 
we  received  Christ  Himself,  and  we  share  the 
reward  that  the  prophet  or  just  man  shall  himself 
receive.  Even  a  cup  of  cold  water  given  to  one  of 
the  least  of  Christ's  disciples,  because  he  is  a  dis- 
ciple of  Christ,  will  not  lose  its  reward. 

1.  "  He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth  Me."  This 
is  not  true  of  the  Apostles  alone,  but  of  all  to  whom 
we  show  charity  for  Christ's  sake  ;  those  who  tend 
the  sick  in  the  hospitals  for  love  of  Christ,  are 
really  tending  Christ  Himself ;  those  who  visit  the 
widows  and  fatherless  in  their  affliction  are  really 
visiting  Christ  Himself ;  those  who  give  alms  to 
the  poor  from  a  supernatural  motive  are  really  put- 
ting the  money  into  the  hand  of  Christ  Himself 

2.  When  we  treat  with  charity  any  of  the  dele- 
gates of  Christ,  we  identify  ourselves  with  the  work 
they  do,  and  earn  a  share  in  the  special  reward  they 
will  receive.  One  who  receives  and  lodges  mission- 
aries and  aids  in  their  work,  or  lay-brothers  and  lay- 
sisters  sent  round  to  beg,  will  have  a  part  in  their 
reward.     This  extends  to  any  good  work  that  we 


664 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


aid  witli  alms  or  prayers  or  any  other  encourage- 
ment for  Christ's  sake. 

3.  More  than  this,  every  little  kindness  however 
minute,  done,  not  from  mere  natural  benevolence  or 
affection,  but  explicitly  and  implicitly  for  the  love  of 
Christ,  will  have  a  reward  to  all  eternity.  How 
eagerly  should  I  embrace  all  such  occasions,  and 
how  careful  should  I  be  in  every  such  act,  to  offer 
it  to  God,  and  so  obtain  the  supernatural  reward. 

Thirteenth  Week :    Friday. — The  Death  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

St.  Mark  vi.  17-29. 

When  Herod  heard  of  the  miracles  of  Jesus,  he 
thought  that  St.  John  the  Baptist  had  risen  from 
the  dead.  Herod  had  imprisoned  John  because  he 
reproved  him  for  taking  his  brother's  wife.  But 
he  feared  John,  and  did  many  things  at  his  advice. 
At  length  at  a  banquet,  rashly  promising  to  the 
daughter  of  Herodias  anything  she  asked,  he  was 
persuaded  by  her  against  his  will  to  order  the  be- 
heading of  John. 

1.  Herod's  guilty  conscience  suspected  the  re- 
appearance of  the  holy  man  he  had  put  to  death. 
He  knew  that  the  ill-deeds  we  do  sleep  but  are  not 
dead.  When  I  look  back  on  my  past  life,  is  there 
any  sin  that  I  specially  dread,  or  any  one  who  will 
rise  up  as  my  accuser  and  charge  me  with  wrong 
done  to  him ! 

2.  Herod  respected  and  liked  St.  John.  He 
listened  to  him  with  pleasure.  He  often  did  good 
deeds,  and  abstained  from  sin  at  his  instance.  But 
he  would  not  give  up  his  cherished  sin ;  he  would 
not  put  away  Herodias.  So  in  my  heart  is  there 
any  sin  to  which  I  cling  ?  Any  Herodias  whom  I 
will  not  put  away  ?  Any  cherished  fault  that  spoils 
my  life  before  God  ? 

3.  How  little  Herod  thought  when  he  sat  down 
to  that  royal  banquet,  and  ordered  in  the  dancing 
girl  to  amuse  his  guests,  that  before  that  night  he 
would  have  sealed  his  guilt  by  the  cruel  murder  of 
one  of  the  Saints  of  God  !  Notice  the  steps  that  led 
to  his  final  guilt:  (i)  unlawful  affection  indulged; 
(2)  persecution  of  the  Saint  who  reproved  him  ;  (3) 
the  neglect  of  warnings ;  (4)  sensual  indulgence ; 
(5)  the  rash  oath ;  and  then  at  length  the  murder 
of  one  of  the  Saints  of  God. 


Thirteenth  Week:   Saturday.— The   Return   of 
the  Apostles. 

St.  Mark  vi.  30-35. 

The  Apostles  returning,  relate  to  their  Master 
all  that  they  have  done  and  taught.  He  invites 
them  to  come  to  some  quiet  place  and  rest  awhile. 
But  soon  the  multitudes  find  them  out,  and  flock 
to  Jesus  from  all  the  towns  and  villages  of  the 
country  round. 

1.  The  Apostles  give  to  Jesus  a  full  account  of 
their  mission,  and  of  all  that  they  have  done  and 
taught.  Each  evening  when  I  examine  my  con- 
science I  ought  to  tell  Him  in  like  manner  all  that 
I  can  remember  of  the  day.  He  is  interested  in 
every  detail.  I  will  tell  Him  my  troubles  of  the 
day  ;  the  faults  committed,  the  efforts  I  have  made 
to  please  Him,  the  work  that  I  have  done  for  Him; 
and  I  will  oflfer  Him  all  that  is  good,  and  ask  Him 
to  forgive  the  many  defects,  to  accept  my  works 
and  words  to  promote  His  glory. 

2.  After  their  labors,  Jesus  proposes  to  His 
Apostles  an  interval  of  repose.  He  is  a  thoughtful 
and  good  Master,  Who  never  forgets  the  wants  of 
His  servants.  Sometimes  I  fancy  He  has  forgotten 
me,  but  it  is  not  so.  If  I  wait  a  little,  I  shall  find 
that  He  was  merel}''  devising  some  fresh  way  of 
promoting  my  happiness  and  my  welfare. 

3.  The  multitudes  will  not  give  our  Lord  any 
rest.  Vainly  he  resorts  to  a  desert-place.  They 
soon  find  Him  out  there.  Yet  could  He  not 
have  checked  them  by  a  word  or  a  thought, 
and  prevented  their  intrusion  upon  His  soli- 
tude ?  Why  did  He  not  do  so  ?  Because  it  was 
the  will  of  His  Heavenly  Father  that  He  should 
suffer  all  the  inconveniences  as  well  as  the  sor- 
rows of  human  life,  so  that  no  incident  of 
whatever  kind  may  be  unknown  to  Him. 

Fourteenth  Week :   Sunday. — The   Feeding  of 
the  Five  Thousand. 

St.  Matt.  xiv.  14-22. 

The  multitudes  who  had  followed  Jesus  found 
themselves  at  the  close  of  day  destitute  of  all  food 
for  their  support.  He  will  not  send  them  away, 
but  orders  them  to  sit  down  on  the  grass,  and  then 
taking  five  loaves  and  two  fishes  which  one  of  His 
disciples  had  brought,  He  blesses  them,  and  by  His 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


555 


blessing  multiplies  them,  so  that  all  those  who  are 
present  eat  and  are  filled. 

1.  The  importunate  crowd,  which  had  followed 
Jesus  to  the  desert- place  when  He  had  sought  to  be 
alone  with  His  Apostles,  received  from  Him  the 
kindest  welcome.  No  angry  word  at  their  intru- 
sion ;  no  abrupt  dismissal ;  nothing  but  gentleness 
and  kindness  and  sympathy  and  love.  How  differ- 
ently we  treat  those  who  interrupt  us  and  disturb 
us  untimely,  and  thrust  themselves  upon  us  when 
we  desire  to  be  alone. 

2.  Our  lyord's  charity  to  the  multitude  did  not 
end  with  words.  His  compassion  was  an  eflfective 
compassion.  It  brought  solid  relief.  It  was  a 
universal  compassion  extending  to  body  as  well  as 
to  soul.  It  was  a  prompt  compassion,  taking  action  , 
at  once  to  provide  for  the  needs  of  the  multitude. 
I  am  sometimes  moved  to  pity ;  does  my  compas- 
sion resemble  His  in  these  particulars  ? 

3.  This  miracle  was  a  type  of  the  Blessed 
Eucharist.  It  was  a  preparation  for  it.  If  Christ 
could  multiply  the  loaves  and  fishes  so  that  each 
could  partake  of  them,  why  should  He  not  so 
multiply  His  Sacred  Body  and  Blood  that  all  the 
faithful  who  approach  the  altar  should  receive 
Christ  Himself  in  all  His  Divine  perfections? 
Learn  from  this  miracle  a  strong  faith  in  His 
Presence  in  each  Sacred  Host. 

Fourteenth   Week  :    Monday. — ^The   Gathering 
up  of  the  Fragments. 

St.  John  vi.  12,  13. 

When  the  multitude  had  eaten  and  were  satisfied, 
Jesus  commands  His  disciples  to  go  round  and 
gather  up  the  fragments  that  remained,  and  they 
gathered  twelve  full  baskets. 

I.  Let  us  contemplate  the  scene.  The  Apostles 
first  carrying  round  among  the  people  the  basket 
containing  the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes,  and  always 
finding  enough  and  more  than  enough  for  each  of 
the  companies  into  which  the  crowd  was  broken  up. 
The  hungry  crowd  eating  this  miraculous  banquet 
in  wondering  gratitude  and  awe.  Jesus  moving  to 
and  fro  among  them,  looking  to  the  wants  of  all, 
with  a  kind  and  cheering  word  for  each,  making  all 
happy  with  His  Divine  presence.  So  now,  in  Holy 
Communion,  when  His  priests  distribute  the  Bread 


of  Heaven,  He  desires  to  see  all  happy,  and  has  for 
each  a  holy  inspiration  and  a  word  of  comfort. 

2.  When  our  Lord  provides  for  his  servants.  He 
does  not  provide  sparingly.  He  is  generous  and 
bountiful,  and  gives  good  measure  and  running 
over.  He  gave  the  crowd  not  merely  just  enough 
to  keep  them  from  starving,  but  as  much  as  they 
could  eat  and  more.  So  He  has  been  and  is  very 
generous  to  me,  and  will  be  more  generous  still  if 
1  am  generous  with  Him. 

3,  Jesus  will  not  allow  the  natural  law  of  fru- 
gality and  poverty  to  be  neglected  because,  forsooth. 
He  can  by  a  word  provide  for  all  the  wants  of  His 
people.  No  fragment  of  the  broken  food  is  to  be 
wasted.  The  possession  of  plenty  is  no  excuse  for 
wastefulness.  There  is  a  special  blessing  on  careful 
attention  to  little  things,  and  those  who  are  most 
truly  generous  are  often  those  who  are  most  careful 
not  to  spend  a  penny  thoughtlessly. 

Fourteenth    Week:    Tuesday. — Jesus  Appears 
Walking  upon  the  Lake. 

St.  Matt.  xiv.  22-33. 

After  the  multitude  was  dismissed,  our  Lord 
went  up  into  a  mountain  to  pray.  Meanwhile,  the 
disciples  were  crossing  the  lake  to  Bethsaida. 
Wind  and  waves  were  against  them,  and  they 
labored  in  rowing.  Suddenly,  Jesus  is  seen  by 
them  walking  upon  the  water.  They  cry  out  in  fear, 
but  Jesus  consoles  them  :  "  It  is  I,  fear  not." 

1.  The  disciples  embarked  at  Jesus'  command, 
full  of  awe  and  wonder  and  confidence  at  the  miracle 
just  wrought.  Their  voyage  was  a  stormy  and 
perilous  one.  Why  did  their  all-powerful  Master 
leave  them  in  such  straits  ?  So  now,  God  gives  us 
some  signal  grace,  and  soon  after  we  have  to  struggle 
against  circumstances  the  most  adverse.  Every- 
thing seems  against  us.  Has  our  Master  deserted 
and  forgotten  us  ? 

2.  No,  He  has  not  forgotten  His  faithful  servants, 
and  soon  amid  their  struggles  they  see  One  walking 
on  the  sea.  Yet  they  do  not  recognize  Him ;  in 
their  terror  they  fancy  that  it  is  some  apparition 
boding  ill  to  them,  perhaps  a  messenger  of  destruc- 
tion. So,  too,  when  we  are  down-hearted  and  in 
difficulties,  we  shrink  in  terror  from  the  very  source 
of  consolation.     Jesus  comes  to  us  under  the  form 


556 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


of  one  who  is  destined  to  deliver  lis,  and  we  shrink 
from  Him,  or  regard  the  hand  that  would  deliver 
us  as  the  hand  of  a  foe. 

3.  But  their  compassionate  Master  will  not  leave 
them  long  in  their  dismay.  With  consoling  words 
He  speaks  to  their  hearts.  "  Be  of  good  heart,  it  is 
I,  be  not  afraid."  So,  too,  if  I  listen  in  my  troubles, 
I  shall  hear  the  same  loving  voice  echoing  in  my 
ears.    Jesus  is  near  at  hand,  though  I  know  it  not. 

Fourteenth  Week :  Wednesday. — St.  Peter 
Walks  upon  the  Water. 

St.  Matt.  xiv.  28-31. 

When  Jesus  speaks,  Peter  makes  answer :  "  Lord 
if  it  be  Thou,  bid  me  come  to  Thee  upou  the 
waters."  Jesus  bids  him  come,  and  he  walks  upon 
the  waves,  until,  beginning  to  fear,  he  begins  to 
sink,  and  cries  :  "  Lord,  save  me."  Jesus  stretches 
out  His  hand  and  takes  him,  and  says  :  "  O  thou  of 
little  faith,  wherefore  didst  thou  doubt  ?  " 

1.  St.  Peter  recognized  His  Master's  voice,  and 
asked  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  tread  the  angry 
waves  to  come  to  Him.  Here  observe  (i)  St.  Peter's 
ready  faith  at  Jesus'  words.  (2)  His  boldness  in 
action,  a  boldness,  moreover,  which  was  not  pre- 
sumptuous, for  (3)  he  waited  for  Jesus'  bidding  to 
come.  (4)  His  desire  to  be  at  Jesus'  side  during 
the  raging  storm.  Learn  from  each  of  these  a  les- 
son for  yourself. 

2.  But  though  Peter  had  not  over-estimated  the 
power  of  His  Master,  he  had  over-estimated  his 
own  courage.  When  the  wind  swept  fiercely  by, 
and  the  waters  surged  around,  he  began  to  be  afraid, 
and  straightway  began  to  sink.  So  now,  how  many 
a  failure  is  due  to  want  of  courage.  We  lose  heart ; 
we  forget  God's  power  and  think  of  our  own  weak- 
ness, and  we  thus  bring  upon  ourselves  the  very 
failures  that  we  dread.  How  many  a  sin,  too,  comes 
of  want  of  courage.  I  lost  heart ;  I  got  discouraged ; 
I  thought  it  was  no  use  trying ;  so  I  fell. 

3.  When  he  begins  to  sink,  Peter,  like  a  good 
and  wise  man,  turns  to  his  Master :  "  Lord,  save 
me."  Jesus  at  once  stretches  out  His  hand,  and 
Peter  fears  no  longer,  sinks  no  more.  When  our 
courage  fails,  this  must  be  our  cry  :  Lord,  save  me ! 
of  myself  I  cannot  but  sink,  but  stretch  out  Thy 
hand,  and  I  am  safe ! 


Fourteenth  Week :  Thursday. — The  Meat 
that  Perisheth. 

St.  John  vi.  25-27. 

The  crowds  find  Jesus  on  the  other  side  of  the 
lake,  and  are  reproached  by  Him  with  seeking  Him 
for  the  sake  of  the  loaves  and  fishes,  not  because  of 
the  miracles  that  He  wrought.  He  urges  them  to 
labor  for  the  meat  that  endures  to  life  everlasting, 
which  the  Son  of  man  would  give  them. 

1 .  What  does  our  Lord  mean  by  His  reproof  of 
the  multitude  ?  Was  it  not  because  of  His  miracles 
that  they  sought  Him  ?  It  was  for  the  sake  of  the 
temporal  benefits,  not  for  His  own  sake.  We  must 
not  allow  ourselves  to  lose  sight  of  Jesus  in  the 
wonders  He  performs  for  us.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  an  interested  following  of  Him  because 
of  the  pleasure  we  derive  from  His  service.  This 
will  not  please  Him ;  it  must  be  for  His  own  sake 
that  we  seek  Him.  We  must  cling  to  Him  amid 
darkness  and  suffering. 

2.  "  Labor  not  for  the  meat  that  perisheth." 
How  necessary  is  this  warning  for  all !  Our  end  in 
life  is  too  often  not  the  greater  glory  of  God,  but  our 
own  honor,  comfort,  pleasure,  riches.  Insensibly 
God  fades  out  of  sight,  and  too  often,  when  there 
are  conflicting  interests,  the  interests  of  God  are 
sacrificed.  We  accept  the  meat  that  perishes,  the 
enjoyment  of  the  hour,  perhaps  the  sinful  and  in- 
ordinate enjoyment,  and  wilfully  and  deliberately 
neglect  the  will  of  God. 

3.  If  we  knew  the  delicious  sweetness  of  the 
meat  that  endures  to  everlasting  life,  how  eagerly 
should  we  seek  after  it !  How  distasteful,  how  un- 
attractive would  all  else  appear !  O  my  God,  grant 
me  the  happiness  of  knowing  and  tasting  the  sweet- 
ness of  that  meat  which  Jesus  and  Jesus  alone  can 
give. 

Fourteenth  Week;  Friday. — The  Bread   from 

Heaven. 

St.  John  vi.  29-35. 

The  Jews  further  ask  our  Lord  for  some  sign  like 
that  of  the  manna.  Jesus  answers  that  His  Father 
in  Heaven  will  give  them  at  once  sign  and  sub- 
stance, the  true  Bread  from  Heaven  ;  that  He  was 
that  true  Bread  which  would  satisfy  their  hunger 
and  quench  their  thirst,  so  that  they  would  never 
hunger  or  thirst  again. 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


557 


1.  The  question  of  the  Jews  did  not  imply  any 
doubt  as  to  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  and  fishes. 
But  they  desired  a  proof  that  Jesus  had  the  power 
and  the  will,  not  once  only,  but  always,  to  supply 
their  needs,  as  the  manna  supplied  them  day  by 
day.  This  is  the  real  test  of  every  good  influence, 
whether  it  will  last  and  produce  permanent,  not 
temporary  effects.  Do  my  good  resolutions  and 
promises  thus  stand  the  test  of  time  ? 

2.  Our  Lord  answers  that  His  Father  in  Heaven 
will  give  them  a  bread  that  will  impart  fresh  life  to 
the  world  ;  a  spiritual,  supersubstantial  bread,  that 
comes  down  from  Heaven,  the  Bread  of  God,  that 
will  satisfy  every  desire  of  the  heart,  and  fill  the 
soul  with  joy  and  peace.  Feed  my  soul,  O  God, 
with  that  Bread,  and  may  it  ever  nourish  in  me  the 
love  of  Thee  and  likeness  to  Thee. 

3.  When  the  Jews  cry  out,  "  Lord,  give  us  always 
this  Bread,"  Jesus  answers  that  He  is  this  Bread  of 
Life,  that  those  who  go  nigh  to  Him  should  have  a 
bread  that  would  cause  them  never  again  to  hunger, 
and  streams  of  the  water  of  life  that  would  quench 
their  thirst  for  ever.  O  Jesus,  grant  that  receiving 
Thee,  I  may  be  thus  satisfied,  and  that  all  earthly 
desires  may  be  swallowed  up  in  my  desire  after 
Thee! 

Fourteenth  Week :  Saturday. — The  Saving 
Will  of  God. 

St.  John  vi.  36-40. 

Jesus  goes  on  to  tell  the  Jews  that  He  will  cast 
out  none  who  come  to  Him  in  faith,  and  that  such 
are  given  to  Him  by  His  Father,  because  He  came 
down  from  Heaven  to  do  the  will  of  His  Father, 
not  His  own  ;  that  all  such  who  believe  in  Him  will 
have  life  everlasting,  and  He  will  raise  them  up  to 
eternal  life. 

1.  "  Him  that  cometh  to  Me  I  will  not  cast  out." 
These  are  the  words  of  consolation  that  have  saved 
many  a  poor  sinner  from  despair.  The  all-em- 
bracing love  of  Jesus !  This  it  is  that  brings 
Heaven  so  near  to  us  all.  He  yearns  over  every 
sinner,  and  the  more  deeply-dyed  his  sin,  the  greater 
the  compassion  of  the  Divine  Saviour.  If  he  will 
but  come  and  throw  himself  at  His  feet,  He  is 
ready,  He  is  longing,  to  forgive  all.  "  Him  that 
cometh  unto  Me  I  will  no  wise  cast  out," 

2.  All  who  come  in  this  spirit  are  given  to  Jesus 


by  His  Eternal  Fathsr.  They  are  His  own,  marked 
by  His  seal  unto  eternal  life ;  and  even  though 
they  may  wander  for  a  time,  yet  He  will  bring 
them  back,  and  casting  themselves  at  His  feet,  they 
will  be  forgiven.  As  long  as  they  do  not  give  up 
their  confidence  in  Him,  He  will  not  let  them 
perish,  but  will  bring  them  safe  to  everlasting  life. 
3.  Jesus  earned  this  gift  from  His  Eternal  Father 
by  His  renunciation  of  His  own  will  while  on  earth. 
This  is  the  secret  of  helping  others,  of  influencing 
others.  The  self-willed  never  have  any  influence 
with  God ;  somehow  He  heeds  them  not.  It  is 
they  who  joyfully  give  up  what  they  themselves 
desire  for  God's  sake,  who  obtain  from  Him  all  they 
desire. 

Fifteenth  Week  :  Sunday. — The  Murmuring  of 
the  Jews. 

St.  John  vi.  41-52. 

The  Jews  are  angry  when  Jesus  tells  them  that 
He  is  the  Living  Bread  that  came  down  from 
Heaven.  They  declare  that  he  is  of  human  parent- 
age. Then  He  repeats  His  words,  and  tells  them 
still  more  explicitly  in  what  sense  He  is  the  Bread 
from  Heaven,  "  The  Bread  that  I  will  give  is  My 
Flesh  for  the  life  of  the  world." 

1.  To  the  minds  of  the  Jews  there  was  present 
on  the  one  hand  the  general  belief  that  Jesus  was 
the  Son  of  Joseph,  and  on  the  other  His  own  asser- 
tion that  He  came  down  from  Heaven.  Were  they 
to  credit  the  word  of  Christ  or  not  ?  This  depended 
on  their  good-will.  So  now,  belief  in  miracles,  in 
the  Church,  in  all  that  God  reveals,  depends  on  the 
disposition  of  the  heart.  Am  I  so  obedient  to  the 
voice  of  God  within  me  as  to  deserve  the  clearness 
of  mental  vision  granted  to  the  obedient  ? 

2.  Jesus  does  not  tone  down  His  assertions  in 
order  to  meet  half  way  the  views  of  doubters,  but 
rather  puts  more  clearly  the  unpalatable  truths 
which  they  refuse  to  accept.  It  is  no  use  thinking 
to  win  over  sceptics  or  non-Catholics  by  a  sort  of 
liberalism  and  by  watering  down  Divine  truth.  We 
must  be  careful  not  to  exaggerate,  but  we  must  be 
careful  not  to  detract  from  truth  to  please  those 
who  do  not  believe. 

3.  Hitherto  the  Divine  Teacher  had  veiled  under 
parables  that  central  doctrine  of  the  Blessed  Eucha- 
rist which   the  miracle  of  the  feeding  of  the  five 


558 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


thousand  had  prefigured,  but  now  lie  speaks  plainly, 
"  The  Bread  that  I  will  give  is  My  Flesh."     Grant 
to  me,  O  Lord,  to  have  ever  a  firm  faith  in  this  in- 
'  scrutable  and  Divine  Mystery. 

Fifteenth  Week  :   Monday. — The  Question 
of  Unbelief. 

St.  John  vi.  53. 

When  the  Jews  heard  our  Lord  declare  plainly 
that  the  Bread  that  He  would  give  was  His  own 
Flesh,  they  asked  incredulously :  "  How  can  this 
Man  give  us  His  Flesh  to  eat?" 

I.  This  question  is  one  which  has  been  asked  by 
heretics  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  till  now. 
They  have  one  and  all  denied  the  change  of  the  sub- 
stance in  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  They  have  asked 
the  question  of  the  Jews,  and  answered,  Impos- 
sible !  But  that  which  is  impossible  with  men  is 
possible  with  God ;  and  the  miracle  of  the  Blessed 
Eucharist  is  the  object  of  the  steadfast  faith  of  every 
Catholic  throughout  the  world.  Thank  God  for  the 
faith  He  has  given  you,  and  do  not  forget  to  pray 
for  those  who  deny  and  blaspheme  this  sacred  truth. 

2  Some  there  are  who  do  not  deny  the  presence 
of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ  in  some  fashion, 
but  answer  that  Christ  gives  us  His  Body  and 
Blood  by  faith.  Others  that  He  does  so  figura- 
tively, inasmuch  as  He  nourishes  our  souls.  Others 
that  He  is  really  present,  but  that  the  change  of 
the  substance  is  a  fiction  of  theologians.  Try  and 
realize  that  the  Body  of  Christ  that  hung  upon  the 
Cross  is  really  present  in  the  Sacred  Host,  and 
that  the  same  Blood  that  was  shed  for  you  is  re- 
ceived by  you  in  Holy  Communion,  and  adored 
upon  the  altar. 

3.  Why  did  Jesus  make  this  eating  of  His  Flesh 
a  condition  of  life  ?  To  show  us  how  He  still  loves 
to  humble  Himself;  to  teach  us  the  closeness  of 
the  union  that  He  desires  between  Himself  and 
us ;  to  give  us  a  healing  remedy  against  every  sick- 
ness of  the  soul.     O  love  unspeakable  ! 

Fifteenth  Week:  Tuesday.— Backsliding 
Disciples. 

St.  John  vi.  61-72. 

Many  of  the  disciples  of  our  Lord  refuse  to  accept 
His  teaching  respecting  the  Blessed  Eucharist,  and 


fall  away  from  Him.  When  He  appeals  to  the 
Twelve,  "  Will  you  also  go  away  ?  "  Peter  with 
generous  loyalty  exclaims  :  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall 
we  go  ?     Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life." 

1.  The  doctrines  of  revelation  not  only  enable  the 
true  and  faithful  friends  of  Jesus  to  draw  more 
closely  to  Him,  but  they  also  sift  out  the  wheat 
from  the  chaff,  the  men  of  good-will  from  those 
whose  pride  will  not  submit  absolutely  to  the  Divine 
Teacher.  In  the  commands  of  the  Gospel,  by  His 
holy  inspiration,  or  the  voice  of  our  superiors,  Christ 
sometimes  asks  hard  things  of  us.  Then  it  is  that 
our  loyalty  is  tested,  and  it  is  seen  whether  humility 
or  obedience  is  the  guiding  principle  of  our  life. 
How  do  I  behave  under  such  circumstances  ? 

2.  The  Heart  of  Jesus  is  pierced  with  sorrow  at 
this  infidelity  of  the  children  dear  to  Him.  There 
is  something  plaintive  in  His  appeal  to  the  Twelve, 
"  Will  you  also  go  away  ?  "  We  little  know  how 
we  wound  that  Sacred  Heart  when  we  refuse  to 
obey,  or  when  we  are  self-willed  and  unfaithful  to 
His  heavenly  guidance. 

3.  Listen  to  Peter's  faithful  words  of  love,  "Lord, 
to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  Thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life."  It  was  this  loyalty  that  made  him  so 
dear  to  Jesus.  Repeat  his  words.  Lord,  to  whom 
should  I  go  but  to  Thee  in  all  my  difficulties,  trials, 
temptations  ?  Thou  hast  the  words  that  are  music 
in  my  ears ;  the  words  which  are  an  echo  of 
Heaven's  melodies.  In  Thee  I  live ;  Thee  alone 
I  love ;  may  I  ever  be  faithful  to  Thee ! 

Fifteenth  Week  :  Wednesday. — The  Unwashed 

Hands. 

St.  Mark  vii.  1-9. 

The  Pharisees  complain  to  Jesus  that  His  dis- 
ciples do  not  observe  the  accustomed  ceremonial  of 
washing  before  every  meal.  Jesus  reproves  them 
as  hypocrites,  and  as  teaching  the  precepts  of  men 
in  the  place  of  the  commandments  of  God. 

I.  What  was  it  that  so  displeased  our  Lord  in 
these  observances  of  the  Pharisees  ?  It  was  not  the 
mere  fact  of  washing  nor  the  holding  to  ancient 
traditions,  but  the  substitution  of  external  forms  for 
obedience  to  the  precepts  of  God.  This  sort  of 
hypocrisy  if  hateful  to  God.  Instead  of  observing 
God's  law  they  violated  it  deliberately,  and  in  their 


THE    MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


559 


pride  thought  that  they  would  be  justified  by  the 
superior  sanctity  involved  in  practising  a  certain 
ritual  which  was  but  of  human  authority.  Beware 
of  formalism  and  of  thinking  yourself  a  person  of 
superior  virtue  because  you  are  more  exact  in  re- 
ligious observances  than  others. 

2.  The  Pharisees  also  clung  to  these  cere- 
monies on  account  of  their  pride,  which  made 
them  regard  it  as  a  stain  on  their  nobility  to  be 
brought  into  contact  with  other  men.  They, 
therefore,  must  wash  themselves  clean  before 
they  could  even  take  a  meal.  Anything  that 
implies  contempt  of  others  is  very  displeasing  to 
God,  just  as  honor  shown  to  them  for  His  sake 
receives  a  liberal  reward. 

3.  To  honor  God  with  our  lips  while  our  hearts 
are  far  away  is  hateful  to  God.  This  does  not 
mean  that  involuntary  distractions  in  our  prayers 
are  a  sin,  but  that  to  pretend  to  obey  Him  while  we 
are  really  in  rebellion  against  Him  is  most  displeas- 
ing to  Him.  So  also  is  the  deliberate  giving  of  our 
thoughts  to  worldly  subjects  during  the  times  of 
prayer  or  Holy  Mass. 

Fifteenth  Week:   Thursday.— The   Growth   of 
Corrupt  Traditions. 

St.  Mark  vii.  10-13. 

Our  Lord  reproves  the  Jews  for  breaking  through 
the  Law  of  God  in  order  to  keep  their  own  tradi- 
tions, and  especially  for  allowing  a  son  to  neglect 
his  duty  to  his  parents  on  the  ground  that  he  has 
given  to  God  what  he  ought  to  have  contributed  to 
their  support. 

1.  Our  duty  to  God  can  never  set  aside  our  duty 
to  other  men.  The  former,  except  in  cases  where 
He  Himself  directly  interposes,  is  never  at  variance 
with  any  strict  obligation  of  the  natural  law.  He 
who  is  bound  to  maintain  his  aged  father  or  mother 
cannot  evade  this  duty  on  the  ground  that  he  has 
given  to  God  what  is  due  to  them.  Under  pretence 
of  honoring  God,  the  evil  custom  of  the  Jews  set 
aside  the  sacred  duty  of  a  son  to  honor  his  parents. 
Is  this  duty  to  father,  mother,  those  about  you,  one 
which  you  observe  with  loyalty  ? 

2.  Our  Lord's  words  teach  us  how  careful  we 
must  be  not  to  mistake  self-will  and  selfish  aims 
for  loyalty  to  God.  Those  who  neglect  home  duties 
for  works  outside  or  for  practices  of  piety,  or  to  fre- 


quent the  services  of  the  Church,  are  like  those 
whom  Christ  here  condemns.  If  ever  there  is  a 
question  between  presence  at  Holy  Mass  and  at- 
tendance by  a  sick  bed,  do  not  forget  that  charity 
should  carry  the  day. 

3.  We  must  at  the  same  time  bear  in  mind 
that  when  God  calls  us  we  must  be  ready  to 
leave  home  and  friends  and  parents,  when  we 
hear  His  voice.  Parental  authority  ceases  before 
the  superior  claim  of  the  Most  High.  But  we 
must  be  very  sure  that  He  is  calling  us,  and 
must  follow  the  advice  of  some  prudent  coun- 
sellor and  not  our  own  in  our  decision. 

Fifteenth  Week:  Friday.— Evil  Thoughts. 

St.  Mark  vii.  21-23. 

"  Out  of  the  heart  of  men  proceed  evil  thoughts, 
adulteries,  fornications,  murders,  thefts,  covetous- 
ness,  wickedness,  deceit,  lasciviousness,  an  evil  eye, 
blasphemy,  pride,  foolishness  ;  all  these  evil  things 
come  from  within  and  defile  a  man." 

1.  There  are  very  few  who  are  not  sometimes 
tempted  to  evil  thoughts.  They  crowd  into  the 
mind  at  all  times  and  places,  they  are  present  before 
we  are  conscious  of  them ;  they  often  refuse  to 
depart,  and  if,  for  a  short  time,  they  are  absent, 
they  recur  again  more  vividly  than  ever.  We 
cannot  flee  from  them.  O  God !  in  Thy  mercy 
preserve  me  from  evil  thoughts. 

2.  What  do  we  mean  by  evil  thoughts  ?  We 
mean  the  presence  of  some  imagination  in  which 
it  is  sinful  to  take  pleasure,  or  the  forming  of  an 
intention  the  fulfillment  of  which  would  be  a  sin  oi 
act.  Such  is  the  list  given  by  our  Lord.  They 
fall  under  two  main  heads :  thoughts  against  charity, 
thoughts  against  purity.  But  there  are  many  be- 
side, thoughts  of  pride,  thoughts  of  vanity,  thoughts 
of  covetousness,  &c.  To  which  class  am  I  most 
prone  ?     And  do  I  resist  them  ? 

3.  What  is  the  source  of  evil  thoughts?  Some- 
times they  arise  from  and  are  a  punishment  for 
past  sins.  Sometimes  they  come  of  present  care- 
lessness, or  from  neglect  in  the  custody  of  our 
senses.  Sometimes  they  arise  from  the  frailty  of 
human  nature ;  sometimes  from  the  malice  of  the 
devil.  Are  they  always  sinful  ?  We  shall  see  in 
our  next  meditation. 


.^60 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


Fifteenth    Week:    Saturday. — The   Sinfulness 
of  Evil  Thoughts. 

St.  Mark  vii.  71-23. 

"  Out  of  the  heart  of  men  proceed  evil  thoughts. 
.  .  .  These  evil  things  come  from  within  and  defile 
a  man." 

1.  Are  evil  thoughts  always  sinful  ?  Certainly 
not.  Their  mere  presence  is  no  sin  at  all.  They 
are  only  sinful  when  we  wilfully  consent  to  them. 
If  this  consent  is  a  partial  and  momentary  consent, 
they  amount  to  a  venial  sin  ;  but  if  it  is  a  full  and 
deliberate  consent  to  that  which  in  act  would  be  a 
mortal  sin,  then  a  mortal  sin  of  thought  is  com- 
mitted. If  there  is  included  in  the  thought  a  de- 
sire to  commit  the  sin  if  opportunity  offer,  the  sin 
is  thereby  aggravated  ;  as  if  we  should  not  only 
indulge  thoughts  of  deadly  hatred,  but  should  also 
resolve  to  injure  seriously  the  person  hated.  Do 
I  ever  indulge  such  sins  of  thought  ? 

2.  Most  of  us  are  in  continual  danger  of  at  least 
venial  sins,  in  the  shape  of  unkind  thoughts  to- 
wards those  who  we  think  have  offended  us,  and  to 
this,  perhaps,  we  add  a  desire  of  some  petty  revenge. 
Some,  too,  are  constantly  tempted  to  indulge  some 
sort  of  imaginations  contrary  to  the  angelical  virtue. 
Sometimes,  too,  human  aflfection  or  passion  leads 
us  to  let  our  thoughts  dwell  on  dangerous  objects. 
O  my  God  !  grant  that  my  heart  may  be  so  united 
to  Thee  in  charity  that  I  may  turn  away  my  mind 
from  thoughts  displeasing  to  Thee. 

3.  We  need  not  be  discouraged  by  evil  thoughts 
if  we  do  our  best  to  be  rid  of  them.  They  may 
haunt  us  continually,  they  may  refuse  to  depart ; 
yet  as  long  as  we  do  not  yield,  but  hate  them  and 
try  to  resist  them,  we  need  not  fear.  Nay,  we  are 
earning  merit  in  God's  sight  by  fighting  against 
these  enemies  that  assail  us  in  spite  of  ourselves. 

Sixteenth  Week :  Sunday. — The  Syrophcenician 
Woman. 

St.  Mark  vii.  24-50. 

When  Jesus  was  in  the  extreme  north  of  Pales- 
tine a  Gentile  woman  came,  and  falling  down  before 
Him  entreated  Him  to  heal  her  daughter,  who  was 
possessed  by  a  devil.  Jesus  answered  her  that  it 
was  not  good  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  cast 
it  to  the  dogs.     The  woman,  nothing  disconcerted. 


urged  that  the  whelps  also  eat  of  the  crumbs  from 
the  Master's  table.  Our  Lord,  touched  by  her  hu- 
mility, heals  her  child. 

1.  The  petition  of  this  poor  heathen  woman  did 
not  appear  at  first  to  be  favorably  received  by 
Jesus.  His  answer  to  her  was  a  decided  rebuff.  It  is 
not  good  to  take  the  food  that  belongs  to  the  chil- 
dren of  God  and  give  it  to  the  dogs  outside  the  fold. 
So  our  Lord  often  seems  to  receive  our  petitions  in 
a  way  not  at  all  flattering  to  ourselves,  and  to  reject 
us  in  favor  of  the  privileged  Jews,  who  are  pre- 
ferred to  us.  Yet  He  all  the  time  is  only  wounding 
that  He  may  afterwards  heal. 

2.  Observe  the  humility  of  this  poor  woman. 
Instead  of  resenting  the  rebuff  she  had  received 
and  the  apparent  partiality  of  Jesus,  she  admits 
that  she  is  but  a  dog,  unworthy  of  the  children's 
bread,  but  to  whom,  perhaps,  some  broken  meat 
may  out  of  generosity  be  given.  Do  I  take  well 
rebuff  and  speeches  which  wound  self-love  ?  There 
is  no  better  test  of  holiness  than  this. 

3.  Humility,  as  usual,  brings  its  own  reward. 
"  The  prayer  of  the  humble  pierceth  the  clouds." 
God  can  refuse  nothing  to  those  who  are  truly 
humble.  Humble  yourselves,  then,  before  God, 
acknowledge  your  own  vileness,  then  you  may 
hope  for  great  things  from  Him. 

Sixteenth  Week:  Monday. — The  Deaf  and 
Dumb  Man  Healed. 

St.  Mark  vii.  31-37. 

Near  the  Sea  of  Galilee  there  is  brought  to  Jesus 
one  deaf  and  dumb.  Jesus  takes  him  apart,  puts 
His  fingers  in  his  ears  and  touches  His  tongue  with 
His  sacred  spittle ;  and  looking  up  to  Heaven,  says, 
"  Ephpheta,  be  thou  opened."  At  once  his  ears  are 
opened  and  he  hears  aright, 

1.  Deafness  and  dumbness  in  the  things  of  God 
generally  go  together.  If  we  do  not  listen  to  God's 
voice  speaking  to  us,  we  shall  not  speak  aright  on 
subjects  connected  with  God.  Every  great  theolo- 
gian joins  prayer  to  study ;  all  really  successful 
preachers  have  sought  the  help  of  God,  and  have 
prayed  Him  to  put  words  in  their  mouths.  He  who 
listens  not  to  God  may  utter  words,  but  not  words 
which  will  reach  the  hearing  of  those  who  listen. 

2.  Why  does  Jesus,  who  might  have  cured  the 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


561 


I 


deaf  and  dumb  man  with  a  word,  put  His  fingers  in 
his  ears  and  touch  his  tongue  with  His  spittle? 
To  teach  us  the  importance  of  ceremonies,  and  of 
using  rites  and  forms  as  a  means  of  impressing 
Divine  truths  on  those  who  receive  and  who  wit- 
ness them.  lycarn  to  value  the  ceremonies  of  the 
Church,  each  of  which  has  its  own  lesson  to 
convey,  and  its  own  meaning  sanctioned  by  God 
Himself. 

3.  The  Church  preserves  the  memory  of  this 
miracle  in  Holy  Baptism.  The  priest  touches  with 
his  spittle  the  ears  and  mouth  of  the  infant,  using 
our  Lord's  own  word:  "  Ephpheta."  That  signifies 
that  until  Jesus  opens  the  ears  to  hear  the  words  of 
God,  and  the  lips  to  speak  Divine  truths,  they  are 
deaf  to  His  voice,  and  dumb  to  speak  His  praises. 
It  is  He  who  must  open  our  ears,  enlighten  our 
hearts,  and  put  good  words  into  our  mouth. 

Sixteenth   Week :    Tuesday. — ^The    Sign    from 

Heaven. 

St.  Matt.  xvi.  1-4. 

When  the  Pharisees  asked  for  a  sign  from 
Heaven,  Jesus  gave  them  in  answer  the  red  sky 
at  evening  as  promising  fine  weather,  at  morning 
as  foretelling  a  storm.  He  then  reproves  them  for 
their  hypocrisy  in  that  they  ignore  the  signs  from 
which  they  might  have  learnt  the  coming  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  though  they  are  quick  enough  to 
discern  the  signs  of  the  times. 

1.  To  seek  for  a  supernatural  sign  as  a  condition 
of  belief  is  a  common  excuse  for  scepticism  and  in- 
difierence.  Men  want  to  make  their  own  terms 
with  God.  They  will  believe  on  Him  if  He  will  do 
this  or  that.  Thus  to  dictate  to  Him  is  a  presump- 
tion which  He  will  not  brook ;  or  at  most  it  is  a 
superstition  that  He  will  certainly  disregard.  We 
cannot  discover  His  will  by  tokens  that  we  choose 
at  our  own  will. 

2.  In  the  same  way  we  cannot  find  out  what  is  the 
best  course  for  us  to  pursue  by  these  arbitrary  and 
self-chosen  means.  God  has  provided  means,  and 
these,  these  alone,  will  guide  us  aright.  He  has 
laid  down  practical  rules  for  us.  He  tells  us  to  wait 
and  reflect  and  pray,  and  to  be  on  our  guard  against 
natural  impulses,  to  commit  our  difficulties  to  Him. 
Do  I  use  these  means  when  I  am  in  doubt  ? 

36 


3.  The  sin  of  the  Pharisees  consisted  in  their 
wilful  blindness  to  the  signs  God  Himself  had 
provided.  "  If  you  believe  not  Me,"  says  our  Lord, 
"  believe  the  works."  The  sin  consisted  in  the  re- 
jection of  these  proofs  of  His  Divinity.  This  is 
the  sin  of  modems  who  turn  away  from  the  Church. 
She  has  the  marks  of  her  divinity  upon  her,  but 
men  will  not  accept  her  teaching  and  submit  to  her 
guidance. 

Sixteenth  Week :  Wednesday. — The  Leaven  of 
the  Pharisees. 

St.  Matt.  xvi.  5-12. 

As  the  disciples  are  crossing  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
with  our  Lord,  He  warns  them  against  the  leaven 
of  the  Pharisees.  It  happened  that  they  had  for- 
gotten to  bring  any  bread  with  them,  and  they 
thought  that  He  referred  to  this.  He  reproved 
them  for  the  want  of  confidence  in  His  power  that 
was  implied  in  their  supposition  that  He  was  warning 
them  against  the  bread  of  the  Pharisees,  and  ex- 
plained to  them  that  it  was  the  false  teaching  and 
hypocrisy  of  the  Pharisees  that  He  wished  to 
avoid. 

1.  The  leaven  of  any  set  of  men  is  that  which 
leavens  the  body  at  large ;  the  leaven  of  a  man's 
life  is  that  which  leavens  and  influences  all  his 
actions.  The  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  was  their 
doctrine  ;  not  that  it  was  all  bad,  but  the  prevailing 
element  that  afiected  it  all  was  corrupt  and  opposed  to 
the  precepts  of  the  Gospel.  So  we  see  in  the  doctrine 
of  those  who  depart  from  the  Church's  teaching 
much  that  is  good,  but  it  is  leavened  by  the  under- 
lying rottenness  of  their  position. 

2.  So  a  set  of  men  may  do  works  externally  good 
and  may  appear  of  unspotted  and  holy  life.  Yet  if 
pride  underlies  it  all,  if  their  hearts  are  set  on  them- 
selves and  not  on  God,  then  this  leaven  afiects  it 
and  infects  all  they  do.  All  is  rotten  in  God's  sight 
and  offensive  to  Him.  Alas !  is  not  my  life  infected 
by  such  leaven  of  pride  ? 

3.  Such  men  our  Lord  called  hypocrites,  i.  e.,  they 
are  actors,  playing  a  part  and  using  words  which 
are  at  variance  with  the  motives  of  their  actions. 
They  may  not  detect  these,  but  God  sees  through 
the  outwardly  fair-seeming  action  and  pierces  to  its 
centre.  Can  I  stand  this  test  ?  What  is  the  aspect 
of  my  actions  to  His  all-seeing  eye  ? 


562 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


Sixteenth  Week:  Thursday.— The  Blind  Man 
at  Bethsaida. 

St.  Mark  viii.  22-26. 

At  Bethsaida  a  blind  man  is  brought  to  our  Lord, 
with  a  request  that  He  would  touch  his  e3'es.  Jesus 
leads  him  out  of  the  town,  and  laying  His  hands  on 
his  eyes,  asks  him  whether  he  sees  anything.  The 
man  answers :  "  I  see  men  as  trees  walking." 
Again  He  touches  his  eyes,  and  this  time  he  sees 
clearly. 

1.  The  blind  man  brought  to  our  Lord  is  a  type 
of  those  who  cannot  see  their  way  in  spiritual 
things.  They  have  some  fault,  but  they  do  not  see 
how  to  cure  it ;  some  aspiration  after  a  higher  life, 
and  they  do  not  see  how  to  carry  it  out ;  some  desire 
to  labor  for  others,  and  these  seem  insuperable 
hindrances  in  their  way.  In  such  circumstances 
we  must  have  recourse  to  Jesus,  and  ask  Him  to 
lead  us  in  our  blindness  and  to  g^ve  us  sight  that 
we  may  know  whither  to  turn  our  steps. 

2.  The  blind  man  did  not  recover  his  sight  all  at 
once,  even  under  the  healing  hand  of  the  Good 
Physician.  This  was  because  he  had  not  sufficient 
faith  and  confidence  in  Jesus.  His  dispositions  were 
still  imperfect,  and  therefore  he  was  only  capable  at 
first  of  a  partial  cure.  So  is  it  often  with  us.  The 
real  reason  for  our  sight  being  so  dim  and  for  our 
inability  to  see  our  way  clearly  is  because  our  good- 
will is  not  firm ;  we  are  not  completely  detached 
from  the  faults  and  sins  that  obscure  our  vision. 

3.  A  second  time  Jesus  lays  His  hand  on  him, 
and  now  he  sees  clearly.  We  must  not  expect  one 
Communion  or  Novena  to  obtain  all  that  we  ask. 
We  must  ask  our  Lord  to  return  to  us,  to  complete 
His  good  work  in  us,  and  He  will  not  fail  to  listen 
in  the  end. 

Sixteenth  Week :  Friday. — The  Confession  of 
St.  Peter. 

St.  Matt.  xvi.  13-16. 

When  Jesus  asked  his  disciples,  "  Whom  do  you 
say  that  I  am  ?"  Peter  answered,  "Thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  or  the  living  God."  Jesus  answer- 
ing, said  to  him,  "  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona, 
because  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  to 
thee,  but  My  Father  who  is  in  Heaven." 

I.  The  question  that  Jesus  asked  of  His  Apostles 
was  not  asked  for  His  own  sake,  but  for  theirs. 


It  was  a  test  of  their  loyalty,  that  they  might  have 
the  privilege  of  proclaiming  His  Divinity.  The 
angels  and  saints  in  Heaven  consider  it  an  honor 
to  proclaim  the  glory  of  the  Sou  of  God  :  how 
much  more  is  it  man's  highest  honor  to  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  Divinity  of  Jesus.  What  a  privilege 
we  should  think  it  to  sing  His  praises,  to  proclaim 
our  faith  in  Him,  and,  above  all,  to  adore  Him  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Altar. 

2.  Peter  calls  Christ  the  Son  of  the  living  God 
to  show  that  He  was  His  Son  by  nature,  not  by 
adoption ;  that  He  was  Very  God  of  Very  God,  and 
not  the  Son  of  God  merely  as  the  Prophets  were 
also  the  sons  of  God.  It  is  this  which  gives  to 
Jesus  all  power  in  Heaven  and  earth.  He,  our 
Brother,  Friend,  the  sweet  Lover  of  our  souls,  is 
nevertheless  the  Omnipotent  God.  How  happy 
we  are  to  have  such  a  Friend !  Why  do  we  not 
make  better  use  of  His  Divine  Friendship  ? 

3.  Jesus  proclaims  Peter  blessed,  because,  under 
the  inspiration  of  God,  he  had  proclaimed  that  mys- 
tery of  mysteries,  the  Incarnation  of  the  Eternal 
Word.  Thank  God  that  to  you  also  God  has  re- 
vealed this  mystery,  that  you  enjoy  the  inestimable 
blessings  of  the  Catholic  faith. 

Sixteenth  Week :   Saturday. — The  Promise   to 
St.  Peter. 

St.  Matt.  xvi.  17-19. 

"  Thou  art  Peter  ;  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build 
My  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it.  And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  And  whatever  thou  shalt 
bind  on  earth,  it  shall  be  bound  also  in  Heaven ; 
and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth,  it  shall 
be  loosed  also  in  Heaven." 

1.  Our  Lord  in  these  words  gives  the  Catholic 
Church  its  charter  and  its  earthly  sovereignty.  It 
is  to  be  built  on  the  rock  of  Peter,  and  Peter's  suc- 
cessors are  to  rule  it  to  the  very  end  of  time.  This 
is  what  no  heretic  will  allow,  even  although  he 
allow  all  else.  This  is  the  touchstone  of  the  true 
Catholic,  viz.,  loyalty  to  the  Holy  See  ;  a  readiness 
to  accept  all  that  comes  from  Rome,  and  to  obey 
every  command  and  every  wish  that  proceeds  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ. 

2.  Against   the    Church    founded   on  Peter  the 


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663 


gates  of  hell  shall  never  prevail.  It  is  strange  that 
those  outside  the  Church  do  not  recognize  in  her 
indefectibility  the  mark  of  her  Divine  mission. 
The  tempest-tossed  bark  of  Peter  has  continually 
seemed  to  be  on  the  point  of  being  submerged, 
when  suddenly  it  has  appeared  unharmed  and 
triumphant,  riding  over  the  billows  that  threatened 
its  destruction.  Thank  God  for  this  wondrous  gift, 
and  for  your  being  safe  in  Peter's  bark. 

3.  To  Peter  and  his  successors  are  given  the  keys 
of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  They  are,  therefore, 
endowed  with  authority  over  the  House  of  which 
Christ  is  the  Lord.  What  reverence  is  consequently 
due  to  the  Holy  Father,  and  to  all  bishops  and 
priests,  who  in  their  various  degrees  share  his  au- 
thority, and  bear  the  commission  of  Christ  Himself! 

Part  V. — From  our  Lord's  Prediction  of  His 
Passion  to  tlie  Raising  of  Lazarus. 

Seventeenth  Week :  Sunday. — The 
Approaching  Passion. 

St.  Matt.  xvi.  21-23. 

During  the  earlier  portion  of  His  Ministry  our 
Lord  had  but  darkly  hinted  at  His  coming  Passion 
and  Death.  But  now  He  begins  to  teach  them  that 
He  must  suffer  many  things  from  the  ancients  and 
the  Chief  Priests,  and  be  put  to  death,  and  the 
third  day  rise  again.  Peter  remonstrates :  "  Lord, 
this  shall  not  be."  But  Jesus  reproves  him  and 
says  :  "  Get  thee  behind  Me,  Satan." 

1.  Our  Lord  does  not  teach  the  doctrine  of  the 
Cross  at  once  to  His  Apostles,  lest  it  should  be  too 
hard  for  them.  He  waits  until  they  are  thoioughly 
convinced  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
that  He  is  the  Son  of  God.  So  we  must  be  very 
careful  how  we  thrust  upon  those  who  are  im- 
perfectly instructed  or  full  of  prejudice  the  more 
difi&cult  dogmas  of  the  Faith,  or  we  may  repel 
where  we  might  have  attracted. 

2.  It  must  have  been  a  relief  to  our  Blessed 
Lord's  human  desire  after  sympathy  to  communi- 
cate to  His  Apostles  the  sufferings  He  was  to 
undergo.  It  is  always  a  relief  to  human  nature  to 
tell  to  those  we  love  our  fears  and  anxieties,  our 
sorrows  and  our  joys.  Do  I  try  to  throw  myself 
into  the  troubles  of  others,  and  la}^  myself  out  to 


try  and  lighten   their  sufferings  by  my  sympathy 
and  ready  compassion  ? 

3.  In  St.  Peter's  kindly  expostulation  was  in- 
volved a  temptation  from  the  Evil  One  to  turn  away 
from  the  chalice  of  suffering.  Because  Jesus  shrank 
from  the  coming  agony,  He  turns  the  more  indig- 
nantly on  the  tempter  who  would  dissuade  Him 
from  it.  When  I  have  to  face  suffering,  am  I  thus 
loyal  to  God  ? 

Seventeenth  Week:    Monday. — ^The    Doctrine 
of  the  Cross. 

St.  Mark  viii.  34-38. 

Our  Lord  proclaims  to  His  disciples  that  whoever 
will  come  after  Him  must  deny  himself  and  take  up 
his  cross  and  follow  Him ;  whoever  seeks  to  save 
his  life  at  the  expense  of  loyalty  to  Christ  shall 
lose  it,  and  whoever  loses  his  life  for  the  Gospel 
shall  save  it  to  life  eternal. 

1.  We  cannot  follow  after  Jesus  on  the  road  to 
eternal  life  without  carrying  our  cross  after  Him. 
It  is  useless  trying  to  avoid  it.  If  we  fly  from  it  in 
one  shape,  it  will  come  to  us  in  some  heavier  form. 
The  wisest  way,  the  only  way  if  we  desire  peace,  is 
to  accept  it  willingly,  to  kiss  that  holy  cross,  the 
carrying  of  which  is  the  sign  that  we  are  followers 
of  our  King  along  the  royal  road  that  leads  to 
eternal  life. 

2.  To  each  God  allots  a  special  cross  intended  to 
school  him  and  fashion  him  to  the  likeness  of  his 
Master.  It  is  often  a  very  hard  one  to  accept  with 
submission  and  joy,  but  it  will  soon  become  lighter 
i  A^e  take  it  up  ourselves,  and  consider  the  carrying 
of  it  a  privilege,  just  as  it  will  become  heavier  if  we 
rebel  against  it.  What  are  my  dispositions  in  re- 
gard to  the  Cross  God  has  laid  on  me  ? 

3.  Christ  demands  of  us  a  complete  sacrifice  if  we 
are  to  be  His.  We  must  be  ready  to  give  up  life  itself 
at  His  command.  Happy  indeed  is  he  to  whom  such 
a  sacrifice  is  granted !  Would  that  we  were  worthy 
of  laying  down  our  life  for  Jesus  !  O  Christ !  give 
me  at  least  the  loyal  desire  to  sacrifice  all  to  Thee ! 

Seventeenth  Week :  Tuesday. — Loss  and  Gain. 

St.  Matt.  xvi.  26. 

"  What  doth  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world  and  suffer  the  loss  of  his  own  soul  ?  or  what 
exchange  shall  a  man  give  for  his  soul  ?" 


564 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


1.  The  influence  of  the  visible  things  around  us 
is  so  great  that  it  seems  sometimes  to  obliterate  the 
world  invisible.  Heaven  and  hell  are  far  away  in 
the  distance ;  and  close  at  hand,  with  its  immediate 
ofi"er  of  overpowering  pleasure  or  riches  or  honor, 
is  some  tempting  prize  that  attracts  our  lower 
nature  or  flatters  our  pride.  Then  it  is  that  our 
lot  is  cast,  and  often  eternity  depends  upon  our 
calliug  to  mind  and  acting  upon  these  words  of  our 
Lord  :  "  What  doth  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the 

•  whole  world  and  suff"er  the  loss  of  his  own  soul  ?" 

2.  Our  Lord  does  not  merely  say  that  we  make 
a  bad  bargain  if  we  accept  worldly  advantages  to 
the  eternal  loss  of  our  soul,  but  that  the  gain  of  all 
the  world  is  as  nothing  compared  with  the  smallest 
loss  of  grace  in  this  world  and  of  glory  in  the  world 
to  come.  If  we  could  enjoy  unspeakable  happiness 
for  a  million  years  and  no  longer,  we  should  still 
be  losers  if  thereby  we  forfeited  any  merit  whatever 
in  God's  sight.  What  utter  folly,  then,  to  neglect 
any  grace. 

3.  What  exchange  can  a  man  give  for  his  soul — 
i.  e.^  by  what  sacrifice  of  external  things  can  he 
ensure  his  salvation  ?  Nothing  save  humility  and 
charity  can  purchase  Heaven.  Yet  our  Lord  prom- 
ises the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to  those  who  give 
alms  liberally  for  the  love  of  God,  and  to  those  who 
make  any  great  sacrifice  for  His  sake.  In  this 
sense  we  can,  through  God's  mercy,  purchase  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  for  ourselves. 

Seventeenth  Week:    Wednesday. — The 
Transfiguration. 

St.  Matt.  xvii.  1-13. 

Jesus  takes  Peter  and  James  and  John  into  a 
high  mountain  and  there  is  transfigured  before 
them,  allowing  the  glory  of  His  Divinity  to  shine 
through  the  veil  of  His  flesh.  Moses  and  Elias 
appear,  and  talk  with  Him  of  His  approaching 
Passion. 

I.  Our  Lord  chose  Peter,  James  and  John  as 
representatives  of  the  three  virtues  necessary  for 
those  who  are  to  behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord — 
loyalty,  charity  and  purity.  These  are  the  virtues 
which  open  the  door  of  Heaven,  and  on  earth  admit 
those  who  possess  them  to  a  foretaste  of  happiness 
to  come.     If  I  had  more  of  those  virtues  I  might 


hope  for  greater  union  with  our  Lord,  and  a  larger 
share  of  the  peace  and  joy  that  He  imparts  to  those 
who  cultivate  them. 

2.  Why  was  our  Lord  transfigured  before  the 
chosen  Apostles  ?  It  was  chiefly  to  prepare  them 
for  the  strain  that  His  Passion  and  Death  would 
put  upon  their  faith  in  Him.  It  was  to  help  them 
by  the  memory  of  His  glory  when  they  should  see 
Him  humbled  to  the  dust.  So  God  in  His  mercy 
gives  to  us  a  glimpse  of  the  happiness  reserved  for 
us,  before  He  tries  our  fidelity  by  desolation  and 
suffering. 

3.  Moses  and  Elias  appeared  with  Jesus,  as  the 
representatives  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets.  In 
the  Son  of  God  the  Law  was  fulfilled,  and  all  that 
the  Prophets  had  foretold.  None  save  He  had  ever 
perfectly  obeyed  the  Jewish  Law  or  their  long  ex- 
pectancy. So  to  us  the  first  sight  of  the  Son  of 
Man  in  His  glory  will  make  our  time  of  expectancy 
on  earth  and  in  Pugatory  seem  as  nothing  in  the 
intense  joy. 

Seventeenth  Week:   Thursday. — The  Healing 
of  the  Boy  who  was  Possessed. 

St.  Matt.  xvii.  14-17. 

When  our  Lord  returned  to  the  disciples,  He 
found  a  crowd  gathered,  and  in  the  midst  a  boy 
who  was  possessed  with  a  devil,  and  who  had  been 
presented  by  his  father  to  the  Apostles  to  be  healed ; 
but  they  had  been  unable  to  cast  out  the  devil. 
Jesus  told  the  father  that  if  he  believed,  all  things 
are  possible  to  him  that  believeth.  The  man 
answered :  "  Lord,  I  do  believe,  help  Thou  my 
unbelief"  Our  Lord  expels  the  devil,  and  com- 
mands him  never  to  return. 

1.  The  poor  boy  whom  our  Lord  healed  had 
suffered  terribly  from  the  devil  who  possessed  him 
from  his  birth,  though  he  himself  was  in  no  way 
to  blame.  If  these  were  the  results  where  there 
was  no  fault  on  the  part  of  the  person  possessed, 
what  may  be  the  power  of  the  devil  to  ruin  those 
who  by  their  own  vices  prepare  a  home  for  the  Evil 
One  in  their  heart  ? 

2.  The  condition  of  the  boy's  cure  was  faith — 
"  If  thou  canst  believe."  How  many  a  grace  and 
how  many  a  cure  of  our  spiritual  infirmities  we 
lose  through  the  feebleness  of  our  faith !  We  do 
not  believe  that  God  can  heal  us,  and  so  we  are 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


565 


not  healed.  All  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believes.  This  is  our  Lord's  promise,  and  He  will 
not  fail  faithfully  and  generously  to  perform  it. 

3.  The  father's  answer:  "  Lord,  I  believe!  help 
Thou  my  unbelief,"  is  a  prayer  most  suitable  for 
us.  We  are  conscious  of  the  feebleness  of  our  faith, 
yet,  at  least,  we  know  that  if  Jesus  helps  us  we 
shall  believe  in  Him  as  we  ought.  When  doubts 
assail  us,  we  should  cry  out.  Lord,  I  believe!  When 
we  are  inclined  to  doubt  God's  love  for  us,  our 
words  should  be.  Help  Thou  my  unbelief ! 

Seventeenth   Week:    Friday. — The  Tribute- 
Money. 

St.  Matt.  xvii.  23-26. 

At  Capharnaum  the  collectors  of  the  tribute- 
money  paid  by  the  Jews  for  the  expenses  of  the 
Temple,  came  to  St.  Peter,  and  asked  whether  our 
Lord  paid  the  tribute.  St.  Peter  answered  that 
He  did.  Jesus  afterwards  reminded  him  that 
tribute  is  exacted  of  strangers,  not  of  sons,  and, 
therefore,  the  Son  of  God  could  not  be  liable  to  it. 
But  to  avoid  scandal.  He  sent  St.  Peter  to  the  sea, 
and  told  him  that  in  the  first  fish  he  caught  he 
would  find  a  stater,  which  he  was  to  pay  for  both 
of  them. 

1.  Behold  the  gentle  and  kind  way  in  which  our 
Lord  reproves  St.  Peter's  hasty  assertion  that  the 
tribute-money  was  due  from  the  Son  of  God.  He 
gently  shows  him  why  he  was  wrong,  and  then 
suggests  the  course  to  be  adopted.  In  reproving 
others,  how  different  we  are !  How  bitter  and 
harsh !  how  violent  and  impulsive !  Seek  to  be 
more  gentle.  "A  drop  of  honey,"  says  St.  Francis 
of  Sales,  "  is  worth  a  gallon  of  vinegar." 

2.  The  Jews  had  no  right  to  demand  tribute- 
money  of  Jesus,  nevertheless  He  paid  it.  He  did 
not  stand  up  for  His  rights,  as  we  are  prone  to  do ; 
or  insist  on  a  principle ;  but  to  avoid  offence  gave 
in,  and  allowed  His  rights  to  be  set  aside.  How 
unlike  we  are  to  the  Son  of  God,  when  we  fight  for 
what  we  consider  justice. 

3.  The  piece  of  money  in  the  fish's  mouth  was 
a  wonderful  miracle.  It  is  a  type  of  many  by 
which  our  Lord  has  provided  for  the  necessities  of 
His, servants.  If  you  are  in  need  of  money  for  some 
good  end,  have  faith  in  Him,  and  He  will  provide  it. 


Seventeenth  Week  :  Saturday. — The  Dispute 
Among  the  Apostles. 

St.  Mark  ix.  32-34 ;  St.  Matt,  xviii.  1-5. 

On  the  way  to  Capharnaum,  the  Apostles  dispute 
among  themselves  which  of  them  shall  be  greatest. 
Our  Lord  on  their  arrival  asks  them  what  they 
talked  of  by  the  way  ?  They  in  shame  are  silent ; 
then  He  takes  a  little  child,  and  tells  them  that  if 
any  desire  to  be  first,  he  shall  be  last ;  that  they 
must  become  like  little  children  if  they  are  to  enter 
into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

1.  The  teaching  of  Jesus  during  three  years  had 
not  taught  them  the  primary  lesson  of  humility. 
They  disputed  for  predominance  and  for  the  first 
place.  On  us,  too,  alas !  how  little  effect  His 
teaching  has  had  !  How  we  strive  to  be  prominent, 
to  be  first,  to  show  ourselves  off,  to  throw  others 
into  the  background.  Alas  !  alas  !  How  little  have 
we  of  the  true  spirit  of  Jesus  ! 

2.  Yet  the  Apostles  knew  when  Jesus  asked  them 
the  subject  of  their  discourse  that  it  was  displeasing 
to  Him.  It  was  the  old  Adam  in  them  fighting 
against  what  they  knew  to  be  His  will.  So,  too, 
when  I  thus  seek  to  be  first,  when  I  boast,  when 
I  resent  the  superior  success  of  others,  I  know  full 
well  that  my  temper  is  hateful  to  my  Master. 
O  Jesus  !  root  out  of  me  that  spirit  of  pride,  make 
me  willing  to  be  last  of  all  and  servant  of  all. 

3.  Our  Lord  sets  before  them  a  model  and  a 
warning.  The  model  is  a  little  child,  gentle,  docile, 
forgiving,  dependent,  submissive.  The  warning  is 
that  anyone  who  sees  to  be  first,  shall  by  God's 
just  judgment,  be  last.  I  will  try  and  imitate  this 
model,  and  remember  this  solemn  warning. 

Eighteenth  Week:   Sunday. — On  Scandal. 

St.  Matt,  xviii.  6-14. 

The  sin  of  scandal  is  spoken  of  by  our  Lord  in 
words  of  more  than  usual  severity.  "  Woe  to  that 
man  by  whom  scandal  cometh.  It  were  better  for 
a  man  that  a  millstone  should  be  hanged  about  his 
neck,  and  that  he  should  be  drowned  in  the  depths 
of  the  sea,  than  that  he  should  offend  one  of  these 
little  ones." 

I.  What  is  scandal  ?  It  is  any  word  or  act  tend- 
ing to  lead  others  into  sin.  We  must  not  think 
that  we  have    necessarily  given    scandal   because 


566 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


others  take  amiss  wliat  we  do  or  say,  or  because 
some  harmless  act  of  ours  is  the  occasion  to  them 
of  sin.  But  we  give  scandal  when  our  actions  are 
disedifying  of  their  own  nature,  or  tend  to  give  rise 
to  sinful  thoughts  or  words  or  actions  in  those 
around  us  ;  then  we  are  guilty  of  the  sin  of  scandal. 

2.  What  are  the  various  kinds  of  scandal  ?  The 
worst  of  all  is  when  we  do  or  say  something  with 
the  express  object  of  leading  others  to  some  sinful 
act.  We  also  commit  the  sin  of  scandal  when  we 
do  what  we  know  is  almost  sure  to  lead  to  sin  in 
others.  We  also  give  scandal  when  we  do  any  act 
or  say  any  word  tending  to  lower  the  standard  of 
those  who  witness  it.  Examine  yourself  whether 
you  are  guilty  in  any  of  these  particulars. 

3.  Why  is  it  that  scandal  is  so  awful  a  sin  ? 
Because  he  who  gives  scandal  to  others  does  the 
devil's  work,  and  helps  to  drag  others  down  to  hell. 
He  has  upon  him  the  guilt,  not  only  of  his  own  sin, 
but  of  any  sin  committed  by  those  who  through  his 
deliberate  fault,  are  led  into  sin  by  what  he  says  or 
does.  Better,  says  our  Lord,  that  a  man  should  die 
than  give  scandal.  O  my  God,  save  me  from  the 
guilt  of  scandal. 

Eighteenth  Week :  Monday. — On  Fraternal 
Charity. 

St.  Matt,  xviii.  21-35. 

St.  Peter  asks  our  Lord  how  often  we  ought  to 
forgive  one  who  has  injured  us,  and  proposes  seven 
times  as  the  limit.  Our  Lord  replies  that  we  ought 
to  forgive  not  seven  times,  but  seventy  times  seven ; 
and  teaches  by  a  parable  that  the  mercy  extended 
to  lis  will  be  withdrawn  if  we  do  not  show  mercy  to 
others. 

1.  The  debt  of  the  servant  to  his  lord  was  ten 
thousand  talents,  a  sum  the  vastness  of  which  rep- 
resents what  we  owe  to  God.  Yet  the  servant 
does  not  despair  of  being  able  to  pay  his  debt.  Can 
we  ever  pay  our  debt  to  God  ?  Yes,  through  His 
mercy  we  can,  for  Christ  our  Lord  furnishes  us 
with  a  treasure  without  limit  on  which  to  draw  for 
our  necessities ;  that  store  of  supernatural  graces 
which  He  purchased  for  us  at  the  cost  of  His  own 
precious  Blood. 

2.  The  servant  to  whom  the  debt  is  remitted 
meets  a  fellow-servant  who  has  wronged  him,  and 
instead  of  having  patience  with  him  and  forgiving 


him,  he  seizes  him  by  the  throat,  and  sends  him 
off  to  prison,  till  he  should  pay  his  debt.  So  alas, 
we  to  whom  God  has  forgiven  so  much,  often  will 
not  forgive  the  comparatively  trifling  injuries  done 
us.  What  base  ingratitude  !  How  mean  is  this  un- 
forgiving spirit,  how  different  from  the  generosity 
wherewith  God  forgives  us ! 

3.  The  unforgiving  servant  is  treated  by  his  lord 
as  he  had  treated  his  fellow-servant.  Can  I  accept 
this  standard?  Can  I  say  from  my  heart,  Forgive 
me  my  trespasses,  in  just  the  same  way  as  I  forgive 
those  who  have  trespassed  against  me  ? 

Eighteenth  Week:   Tuesday. — The  Sacrament 
of  Matrimony. 

St.  Matt.  xix.  3-12. 

The  Pharisees  asked  our  Lord  whether  it  is  law- 
ful for  a  man  to  put  away  his  wife  for  every  cause. 
Jesus  answers  that  it  is  never  lawful,  and  involves 
the  sin  of  adultery ;  that  for  those  who  can  take  it  a 
life  of  celibacy  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  pre- 
ferable to  that  of  matrimony. 

1.  Before  the  coming  of  our  Lord,  the  Jews' 
divorce  was  sometimes  permitted.  But  our  Lord 
declares  that  what  God  has  joined  together,  no  one 
is  to  put  asunder.  This  indissolubility  of  marriage 
is  one  of  the  mainstays  of  the  Christian  household. 
With  divorce  there  come  in  social  corruption, 
neglect  of  children,  laxity  of  morals,  a  break-up  of 
the  Christian  family.  Thank  God  for  the  dignity 
that  Christ  our  Lord  has  given  to  the  marriage 
contract. 

2.  In  the  Catholic  Church,  and  there  alone, 
marriage  is  a  sacrament.  It  symbolizes  the  union 
of  Christ  and  His  Church.  It  is  the  mystical 
union  of  Christ  with  His  Church  that  gives  her  her 
resplendent  beauty,  and  makes  her  the  spiritual 
mother  of  countless  children.  Pray  that  you  may 
be  a  faithful  child  of  the  Holy  Church. 

3.  But  honorable  as  matrimony  is,  there  is  a 
higher  state  of  life.  For  those  who  are  called  to  it, 
a  life  of  chastitj'  is  a  privilege  and  a  grace  surpass- 
ing that  of  the  married  state.  Happy  those  who 
have  such  a  vocation.  They  are  indeed  the  favored 
children  of  God.  They  must  expect  many  trials 
and  perhaps  many  temptations,  but  He  who  has 
called  them  will  keep  them  safe.    Pray  for  the  grace 


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567 


necessary  to  do  the  will  of  God  in  that  state  of  life 
to  which  He  calls  you. 

Eighteenth  Week :  Wednesday, — The  Feast  of 
Tabernacles. 

St.  John  vii.  2-23. 

When  the  feast  of  Tabernacles  drew  near,  our 
Lord's  brethren,  the  sons  of  Mary  of  Cleophas,  who 
did  not  yet  believe  in  Him,  urged  Him  to  go  up  to 
the  feast  and  openly  make  Himself  known  to  the 
world.  Jesus  does  not  go  up  at  once,  but  appears 
in  Jerusalem  about  the  middle  of  the  festival.  There 
is  a  great  division  of  opinion  among  the  Jews  con- 
cerning Him. 

1.  It  seems  strange  tbat  our  Lord's  own  relations, 
who  had  lived  in  constant  intercourse  with  Him, 
should  not  recognize  His  true  character.  We  learn 
from  this  (i)  That  no  one  can  know  Jesus  until  the 
Holy  Spirit  enlightens  him.  (2)  That  the  highest 
sanctity  is  something  hidden  and  obscure.  (3)  That 
it  is  part  of  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  that  a  man's 
enemies  should  be  they  of  his  own  family.  May  it 
not  be  that  in  your  own  circle  there  is  some  eminent 
servant  of  God  of  whom  you  think  little  ? 

2.  Our  Lord  tells  His  brethren  that  the  world 
bates  Him  because  He  bears  testimony  that  its 
works  are  evil.  This  hatred  of  hearing  the  truth 
and  of  being  found  fault  with  is  one  of  the  marks 
of  a  worldly  spirit.     Do  I  resent  reproof? 

3.  There  are  very  various  opinions  about  Jesus 
among  the  Jews.  Some  say,  He  is  a  good  man. 
Others  that  He  leads  the  people  astray.  What 
made  the  difference  in  their  verdict  ?  It  was  gen- 
erally the  state  of  their  own  hearts.  Pride  hates 
the  truth ;  humility  loves  it.  In  proportion  to 
my  humility  I  shall  love  Jesus  and  all  who  teach 
His  word. 

Eighteenth  Week:    Thursday. — Our   Lord  in 
the  Temple. 

St.  John  vii.  14-20. 

Our  Lord  comes  into  the  Temple  and  teaches 
the  people,  who  wonder  at  the  learning  of  one  who 
had  never  been  instructed.  He  answers  that  His 
doctrine  is  not  His  own ;  that  those  who  do  God's 
will  are  alone  competent  judges  of  its  true  character. 

I.  The  Son  of  God  needed  no  human  teacher. 
As  man  He  was  enlightened  on  everything  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God.     So  it  is  in  their  degree  with 


the  Saints  of  God.  We  find  untaught  men  and 
ignorant  women  speaking  and  writing  on  abstruse 
theological  subjects  with  perfect  accuracy  and  the 
greatest  wisdom.  If  I  desire  to  write  or  speak  of 
Divine  things,  I  must  continually  look  to  Him. 

2.  But  I  must  do  more  than  this.  We  cannot 
penetrate  into  the  mysteries  of  God  unless  we  do 
His  will.  "  If  any  man  will  do  the  will  of  God,  he 
shall  know  of  the  doctrine."  That  is  the  way  to 
attain  to  truth.  Perfect  obedience  to  God's  holy 
inspirations.  Then  we  shall  receive  a  flood  of 
light  from  Him. 

3.  There  is  a  further  step  necessary.  We  must 
seek  not  our  own  glory,  but  God's.  This  is  the 
test  of  the  true  messenger  from  Heaven,  who 
carries  the  Divine  message  of  love  to  men.  "  He 
that  speaketh  of  himself  seeketh  his  own  glory." 
He  that  seeketh  the  glory  of  God,  he  is  true,  and 
he  it  is  to  whom  God  imparts  a  clear  knowledge  of 
truth.  If  I  am  blind,  it  is  because  I  seek  my  own 
honor  and  glory  instead  of  God's. 

Eighteenth  Week:  Friday. — The  Woman 
Taken  in  Adultery. 

St.  John  viii.  2-11. 

The  Pharisees  bring  to  our  Lord  in  the  Temple 
a  woman  who  had  been  taken  in  adultery,  and  after 
telling  Him  that  Moses  commanded  that  such 
should  be  stoned,  asked  His  opinion.  Jesus  stooped 
down  and  wrote  on  the  ground ;  and  when  they 
continued  asking  Him,  replied :  He  that  is  without 
sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her. 
The  accusers  slink  out  ashamed,  and  Jesus  dis- 
misses the  poor  trembling  woman  with  words  of 
gentle  kindness  and  counsel. 

1.  Observe  the  fierceness  and  righteous  indigna- 
tion of  the  Pharisees  against  this  woman.  Respec- 
tability was  loud  in  condemning  her.  Is  my  spirit 
that  of  the  Pharisees  towards  the  outcast  and 
fallen  ?  Or  do  I  pity  them  and  long  to  help  them 
to  better  things,  and  reflect  that  perhaps  the  worst 
of  them  is  holier  than  I  ? 

2.  What  did  Jesus  write  upon  the  ground  ?  It  is 
said  that  each  of  the  accusers  read  written  there 
all  his  own  sins  against  purity.  No  wonder  that 
they  were  eager  to  escape.  How  should  I  like  to 
have  all  the  sins  of  my  life  written  legibly  for  all 


568 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


to  read  ?     It  would  stop  my  railing  tongue,  which 
is  full  of  indignation  at  the  faults  of  others. 

3.  The  poor  woman,  trembling  in  the  midst, 
awaited  in  terror  the  sentence  of  the  Prophet  of 
Nazareth.  If  these  Pharisees  had  been  so  severe, 
what  would  be  His  severity  ?  Yet  from  His  Divine 
mouth  there  came  no  harsh  words  of  reproach,  but 
in  gentle,  loving,  compassionate  tones  He  sent  her 
away  consoled  and  forgiven.  Do  I  show  a  similar 
gentleness  to  the  fallen  ? 


Eighteenth  Week :  Saturday. 
Born  Blind. 


-The  Man 


St.  John  ix.  1-4 1. 

As  our  Lord  passed  by,  He  saw  a  man  bom  blind. 
Calling  him.  He  spat  on  the  ground  and  made  clay 
of  the  dust  and  spittle,  and  spreading  it  on  the  eyes 
of  the  man,  bade  him  go  and  wash  his  eyes  in  the 
pool  of  Siloe.  The  man  obeyed,  and  was  at  once 
healed.  He  was  afterwards  excommunicated  by  the 
Pharisees,  and  our  Lord,  finding  him,  elicited  from 
him  an  act  of  faith  in  His  Divinity. 

1.  The  Apostles  asked  our  Lord  whether  this 
man's  blindness  was  the  punishment  of  his  own  sin 
or  of  that  of  his  parents.  Our  Lord  answered  that 
it  was  neither  the  one  nor  the  other,  but  that  God's 
works  of  mercy  might  be  manifested  in  him.  We 
are  never  justified  in  attributing  temporal  calamities 
to  sin. 

2.  Our  Lord  elicited  no  act  of  faith  from  the  blind 
man  as  the  condition  of  his  being  healed.  Instead 
of  this  He  tested  him  by  obedience.  The  spirit  of 
humble  submission  and  unquestioning  obedience  is 
the  surest  way  of  obtaining  graces  from  God.  The 
prayer  of  him  that  humbleth  himself  pierceth  the 
clouds,  and  those  who  are  obedient  to  God  will  find 
that  God  listens  to  them  in  all  that  they  desire  of 
Him. 

3.  The  Pharisees  were  indignant  with  Jesus  be- 
cause He  had  healed  this  man  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
with  the  man  because  he  was  loyal  to  Jesus.  They 
cast  him  out  of  the  synagogue  in  public  disgrace. 
So  many  are  now  persecuted  in  one  way  or  another 
because  they  are  faithful  to  their  consciences. 
But  Jesus  had  not  forgotten  Him,  and  He  will 
never  forget  any  who  endure  persecution  for  His 
sake. 


Nineteenth  ^Veek  :  Sunday. — The  Good 
Shepherd. 

St.  John  X.  1-18. 

Our  Lord  proclaims  Himself  the  Good  Shepherd 
who  gives  His  life  for  the  sheep  and  knows  them 
all.  He  lays  down  His  life  of  Himself,  though  at 
the  same  time  He  does  so  at  the  command  of  His 
Father. 

1.  The  Good  Shepherd  makes  the  welfare  of  the 
sheep  His  first  care.  For  this  He  sacrifices  all  His 
personal  comfort  and  interests.  For  them  He 
endures  cold,  hunger,  peril,  thirst,  fatigue.  For 
them  He  is  willing  to  sacrifice  life  itself  What 
a  picture  is  this  of  Jesus  !  He  has  the  interest  of 
each  one  of  His  flock  so  close  to  His  Heart  that  for 
each  he  was  willing  to  die.  He  seeks  them  in  the 
desert  whither  they  have  wandered,  dresses  their 
wounds,  carries  them  on  His  shoulders.  O  gentle 
Shepherd !  may  I  appreciate  Thy  love  for  me,  Thy 
poor  wandering  sheep  ! 

2.  He  knows  each  one  of  His  sheep,  thinks  of 
each,  plans  the  welfare  of  each,  gives  to  each  sweet 
pasture  and  the  water  of  life.  He  loves  each  far 
better  than  any  loves  himself,  for  He  loves  them 
with  a  Divine  love.  Why  do  I  so  often  run  counter 
to  His  love  ?  What  folly  it  is  !  He  knows  what 
is  good  for  me,  and  loves  me  so  fondly  that  the 
only  limit  to  His  love  is  the  feebleness  of  my  love 
for  Him. 

3.  It  is  of  His  own  accord  that  He  lays  down 
His  life,  for  He  chose  voluntarily  this  life  of  sub- 
jection as  Man.  But  this  life  once  chosen,  all  His 
actions  were  done  under  obedience  to  His  Father's 
command.  This  is  the  glory  of  a  self-chosen  life  of 
obedience  ;  it  is  a  close  imitation  of  the  life  of  Christ 
on  earth. 

Nineteenth  Week  :  Monday. — The  Spirit  of 
the  Gospel. 

St.  Luke  ix.  51-62. 

When  a  village  of  the  Samaritans  refused  to 
receive  our  Lord,  because  He  was  on  His  way  to 
Jerusalem,  SS.  James  and  John  propose  to  call  down 
fire  from  heaven  upon  them  in  punishment  of  their 
rejection  of  Him.  Jesus  rebukes  them.  "  You 
know  not  of  what  spirit  you  are."  The  Son  of  Man 
is  come  not  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save  them. 

I.  These   Samaritans   refused   to   receive   those 


THE   MINISTRY    OF   JESUS. 


569 


whose  faces  were  set  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem.  They 
hated  the  Jews  and  their  Holy  City.  So  now  those 
who  have  turned  their  faces  in  the  direction  of  the 
City  of  God  are  often  rejected  by  the  world.  "  No 
Catholics  need  apply."  Those  who  are  faithful  to 
theii  conscience  are  driven  out  of  house  and  home. 
Happy  those  who  thus  suffer  for  justice'  sake  ! 

2.  SS.  James  and  John  are  filled  with  indignation, 
and  propose  to  invoke  vengeance  from  Heaven  on 
the  evil-doers.  They  wanted  to  see  them  suffer  as 
they  deserved.  This  impulsive  desire  to  bring 
down  punishment  on  sinners  is  utterly  opposed  to 
the  evangelical  spirit.  If  we  are  thus  angry  with 
those  who  commit  sin,  it  is  not  a  good  sign.  It  shows 
that  we  have  the  spirit  of  the  Jews. 

3.  Our  Lord  rebukes  the  Apostles  :  "  You  know 
not  of  what  spirit  you  are."  Your  spirit  is  the 
spirit  of  the  Law;  not  the  sweet,  forbearing,  in- 
dulgent spirit  of  the  Gospel.  Bitterness  and 
indignant  zeal  destroys  the  souls  of  men ;  it  strangles 
them  from  the  birth.  The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to 
save,  not  to  destroy  ;  to  win  by  love,  not  to  compel 
by  terror.  What  is  my  spirit  ?  Is  it  meek,  humble, 
patient,  gentle? 

Nineteenth  Week  :  Tuesday. — Some  Conditions 
of  Following  Christ. 

St.  Luke  ix.  57-62. 

As  our  Lord  walked  along  He  was  accosted  (i) 
By  one  who  expressed  a  desire  to  follow  Him 
whithersoever  He  went.  Christ  reminds  him  that 
this  would  involve  poverty  and  a  giving  up  of  all 
the  comforts  of  home.  (2)  By  one  who  was  willing 
to  follow  Him  not  at  once,  but  after  his  father's 
funeral.  Christ  urged  him  to  obey  at  once  the  call 
of  God.  (3)  By  another  who  desired  to  bid  farewell 
to  his  relations  before  following  Jesus.  He  is  re- 
minded that  none  who  turn  back  are  fit  for  the 
Kingdom  of  God. 

1.  The  answer  to  the  first  of  these  brings  out  the 
spirit  of  poverty  necessary  to  the  followers  of 
Christ.  They  must  be  ready  to  leave  house  and 
home,  and  to  have  nowhere  to  lay  their  head,  to  be 
destitute  and  forsaken  by  all,  if  God  requires  it  of 
them.  Should  I  accept  those  hardships  if  I  knew 
that  loyalty  to  God  demanded  it  ? 

2.  The  second  man  asked  what  was  good  in  the 
natural  order.     He  desired  to  take  care  of  his  aged 


father  until  his  death.  But  our  Lord  had  called 
him  :  "  Follow  Me  " — and  to  this  call  all  else  must 
yield.  Here  we  have  the  necessity  of  obedience  to 
the  disciples  of  Jesus. 

3.  The  third  still  clung  to  his  home  affections, 
and  was  not  prepared  to  give  them  up  at  once  for 
the  love  of  Christ.  The  spirit  of  chastity  requires 
that  we  should  put  away  any  sort  of  human  affec- 
tion which  renders  it  impossible  for  us  to  give  our 
hearts  to  Christ.  He  who  casts  longing  looks  after 
that  which  excludes  the  love  of  Christ,  is  unfit  for 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  Christ  will  not  brook  a  rival 
in  our  hearts. 

Nineteenth  Week:  Wednesday. — The  Mission 
of  the  Seventy. 

St.  Luke  X.  1-6. 

Our  Lord  about  this  time  sent  seventy  of  His 
disciples  to  preach  in  all  the  cities  whither  He  was 
to  go.  They  were  commissioned  with  His  authority, 
and  those  who  rejected  them  would  bring  upon 
themselves  judgment.  Their  mission  was  most 
successful,  and  the  very  devils  obeyed  their  com- 
mand. On  their  return  our  Lord  warns  them  not 
to  rejoice  at  this  so  much  as  at  the  knowledge  that 
their  names  are  written  in  Heaven. 

1.  The  Apostles  formerly  sent  out  represented 
the  Bishops  of  the  Church  ;  the  Seventy  represent 
the  priests.  Both  carry  the  authority  of  Christ, 
and  our  Lord  threatens  the  most  terrible  j  udgment 
on  those  who  receive  them  not.  Pray  that  you  may 
never  reject  the  voice  of  God  speaking  to  you  by 
the  mouth  of  His  priests,  or  by  His  holy  inspira- 
tions, or  by  Holy  Scripture,  or  the  lives  and  writings 
of  saints. 

2.  The  Seventy  had  a  joyful  mission.  What  joy 
so  great  as  that  of  co-operating  with  Christ  in  the 
salvation  of  men,  and  of  seeing  devils  cast  out  from 
the  heart  of  sinners  as  we  urge  them  to  penance  ? 
This  is  the  pure  and  holy  joy  that  belongs  to  those 
who  labor  and  suffer  for  Christ,  and  begin  even 
here  to  share  His  joy. 

3.  Yet  there  is  a  higher  joy,  and  one  which  must 
come  first  of  all  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  love  to 
serve  Christ.  It  is  the  joy  that  comes  from  being 
united  to  Him  in  supernatural  charity,  and  from 
the  consequent  conviction  that  we  are  destined, 
unless  we  should  deliberately  forsake  Him  (which 


570 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


God  forbid),  that  our  names  are  written  in  the  Book 
of  Life. 

Nineteenth  Week:  Thursday. — ^The  Good 
Samaritan. 

St.  Luke  X.  25-37. 

A  lawyer  asks  Jesus  what  he  must  do  to  attain 
to  eternal  life.  Our  Lord  answers  that  he  must 
love  God  with  all  his  heart  and  his  neighbor  as 
himself.  In  answer  to  the  lawyer's  inquiry,  Who 
is  his  neighbor?  our  Lord  tells  the  well-known 
story  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  and  elicits  from  this 
questioner  the  confession  that  it  was  the  stranger, 
not  the  priest  or  Levite,  who  was  the  true  neighbor 
to  the  man  who  fell  among  thieves. 

1.  Our  Lord  requires  of  us  that  we  should  love 
our  neighbor  as  ourselves.  This  seems  a  high 
standard  to  ask  of  ordinary  Christians,  but  nothing 
else  will  satisfy  Christian  charity.  We  must  treat 
them  as  we  should,  under  similar  circumstances, 
expect  that  they  would  treat  us.  We  must  put 
ourselves  in  their  place  and  act  accordingly.  Do  I 
always  observe  this  rule?  Do  I  show  charity  to 
others  .where  I  should  look  for  charity  from  them, 
and  forgive  them  as  I  hope  to  be  forgiven  ? 

2.  The  Levite  and  priest  had  doubless  some 
excuse  for  passing  on  their  way  and  leaving  the 
wounded  man  in  his  distress.  They  were  pressed 
for  time ;  they  had  important  business  ;  the  thieves 
might  attack  them  if  they  lingered.  We  can  always 
find  excuses  for  the  neglect  of  charity.  Do  I  do  so? 

3.  See  the  characteristics  of  the  charity  of 'this 
Samaritan,  (i)  He  took  great  personal  trouble. 
(2)  Showed  him  the  most  tender  care.  (3)  Sacri- 
ficed his  own  comfort,  setting  him  on  his  own  ass, 
and  taking  him  to  the  inn.  (4)  Spending  money 
freely.  (5)  Commending  him  to  the  care  of  others. 
Do  I  exercise  a  charity  like  his  to  all,  even  strangers, 
who  come  in  my  way  ? 

Nineteenth  Week:  Friday. — Martha  and  Mary. 

St.  Luke  X.  38-42. 

At  Bethany,  Martha  and  her  sister  Mary  used 
to  entertain  Jesus  hospitably.  Martha  busied  her- 
self with  much  serving,  but  Mary  sat  at  our  Lord's 
feet  and  listened  to  His  words.  Martha  came  to 
complain  to  Him  that  her  sister  had  left  her  to 
serve  alone.  Jesus  answered,  "  Martha,  thou  art 
careful  and  troubled  about  many  things.     But  one 


thing  is  necessary.     Mary  has  chosen  the  best  part 
that  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 

1.  Martha  and  Mary  are  the  patterns  of  the  active 
and  the  contemplative  life.  Both  are  admirable, 
and  our  Lord  in  no  way  rebukes  St.  Martha  for  her 
activity.  But  she  was  not  satisfied  with  showing 
her  own  zeal ;  her  complaint  implies  that  her  sister 
did  wrong  in  not  following  her  example.  Are  we 
inclined  to  blame  those  who  spend  their  time  in 
prayer  instead  of  active  benevolence  ?  We  should 
remember  how  our  Lord  rebuked  Martha. 

2.  There  was  another  imperfection  in  Martha. 
She  was  careful  and  troubled.  She  did  not  fulfil 
the  condition  given  by  Thomas  a  Kempis  for  an 
intimate  friendship  with  Jesus  :  "  Be  peaceful  and 
quiet,  and  Jesus  will  be  with  thee."  We  ought 
never  to  be  "  put  out,"  never  disquieted  or  troubled, 
when  all  things  around  us  are  not  as  we  wish. 

3.  Mary  sat  at  the  Lord's  feet  and  heard  His 
word.  Here  is  the  secret  of  all  sanctity :  obedience 
to  the  voice  of  Jesus.  This  is  the  one  thing  neces- 
sary, this  is  what  I  must  do :  I  must  place  myself 
before  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  pray  for  guidance 
and  help,  and  listen  to  what  Jesus  says  to  me. 

Nineteenth  Week  :  Saturday. — Hov^^  to  Pray. 

St.  Luke  xi.  1-13. 

The  Apostles  ask  our  Lord  how  they  ought  to 
pray,  and  He  gives  them  the  Lord's  Prayer  as  a 
form  to  be  constantly  used.  He  then  illustrates 
the  necessity  of  persistence  in  prayer  by  the  par- 
able of  the  man  who  desires  to  rouse  his  sleeping 
neighbor  that  he  may  give  him  some  provisions  for 
a  friend. 

1.  The  repetition  of  one  prayer  is  not  a  vain 
repetition.  It  is  the  natural  expression  of  an  in- 
tense desire  to  be  heard.  Our  Lord  repeated  over 
and  over  again  His  prayer  in  the  Garden,  and  His 
prayer  on  the  Cross  :  "  Father,  forgive  them."  If 
we  are  desirous  of  some  grace,  what  can  we  do 
better  than  kneel  before  the  altar  and  ask  for  it 
again  and  again  ? 

2.  The  parable  told  by  our  Lord  is  a  strong  in- 
centive to  perseverance  in  prayer.  We  are  to  deal 
with  Almighty  God  as  a  man  who  needs  provisions 
at  an  unreasonable  hour  deals  with  his  next-door 
neighbor.     He  knocks,  and  when  refused  knocks 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


571 


again  and  yet  again,  louder  and  even  louder,  until 
at  length  lie  obtains  his  request  through  sheer  per- 
sistency. So  we  are  sure  to  obtain  our  requests 
from  God  if  we  are  sufi&ciently  persistent. 

3.  God  is  pleased  at  such  perseverance.  He  is 
not  like  men  who  are  annoyed  at  such  repeated 
petitions.  He  will  give  us  a  good  gift,  of  which 
the  excellence  will  be  increased,  not  diminished,  by 
our  continued  requests.  God  delights  to  give  good 
gifts  to  those  who  ask  Him,  and  He  will  give  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  them  in  plenteous  measure. 

Twentieth  Week  :  Sunday. — The  Divided 
House. 

St.  Luke  xi.  14-24. 

When  the  Pharisees  accused  our  Lord  of  casting 
out  devils  by  the  aid  of  the  prince  of  the  devils, 
Jesus,  seeing  their  thoughts,  reminded  them  that 
such  a  division  of  the  kingdom  of  Satan  against 
itself  would  infallibly  bring  it  to  ruin,  and  that  it  is 
by  the  finger  of  God  alone  that  devils  can  be  cast 
out.  The  indwelling  demon  keeps  possession  in 
peace  till  a  stronger  than  he  takes  away  his 
armour  and  distributes  the  prey  won  from  him. 

1.  Our  Lord  condescends  to  argue  with' some  one 
who  imagined  that  He  expelled  the  devils  from  the 
bodies  of  men  by  some  magic  arts,  derived  from 
Satan  himself.  Satan  would  not  be  so  misguided 
as  to  expel  his  own  followers.  Such  a  division  of 
his  kingdom  against  itself  would  soon  bring  it  to 
naught.  So  we  may  be  sure  that  those  who  exercise 
a  beneficial  influence  on  the  characters  of  others 
and  lead  those  with  whom  they  are  brought  into 
contact  to  love  virtue  and  forsake  sin,  are  them- 
selves actuated  by  good  and  holy  motives,  and  are 
doing  the  work  of  God. 

2.  "  A  house  divided  against  itself  shall  fall." 
Unity  of  action  is  the  secret  of  success.  How  many 
good  works  have  been  ruined  by  internal  dissen- 
sions !  Nay,  it  is  impossible  that  any  house  or 
family  or  society  can  prosper,  if  it  is  divided  against 
itself.  Hence  beware  of  grumbling,  of  ill-feeling, 
of  party  spirit,  or  of  friendship  for  some  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  others. 

3.  Satan,  the  strong  man,  retained  his  dominion 
in  peace  until  Christ,  stronger  than  he,  wrested  his 
power  from  him.     Now  he  lies  crushed  and  feeble. 


full  of  malice  as  ever,  but  forced  to  relinquish  his 
prey  at  Christ's  command. 

Twentieth  Week  :  Monday. — ^The  Divine 
Maternity. 

St.  Luke  xi.  27,  28. 

While  our  Lord  was  addressing  the  crowd,  a  woman 
cried  out,  "  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bore  Thee,  and 
the  paps  that  gave  Thee  suck."  But  He  said, 
"  Yea  rather,  blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  word  of 
God  and  keep  it." 

1.  The  woman  who  proclaimed  the  glory  of  Mary 
in  being  the  Mother  of  God  is  a  type  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  who  rejoices  to  bear  witness  to  the  splendors 
of  Her  Divine  Maternity.  It  is  Mary's  relation  to 
her  Divine  Son  that  is  the  source  of  all  her  perfec- 
tions, and  this  title  of  Mother  of  God  is  necessary 
to  safeguard  our  belief  in  the  Divinity  of  her  Son, 
and  wherever  it  is  set  aside  Jesus  is  neglected.  In 
honoring  her  we  are  really  honoring  Jesus.  O  Mary, 
Mother  of  God,  may  we  ever  honor  thee,  and  through 
Thee  Jesus  our  Lord ! 

2.  Mary  has  a  higher  claim  to  be  declared 
Blessed.  The  glory  even  of  the  Divine  Maternity 
is  subordinate  to  the  glory  of  her  unfailing  obedi- 
ence to  every  wish  and  command  of  Almighty  God. 
This  it  is  which  exalts  her  to  the  highest  place  in 
Heaven.  She  was  faithful  to  the  will  of  God  amid 
sorrows  and  desolation  such  as  none  but  her  ever 
experienced  of  all  the  creatures  that  God  made. 
This  is  the  glory  of  the  creature — simply  to  carry 
out  the  will  of  the  Creator. 

3.  To  earn  this  blessing  fully  we  must  listen 
carefully  for  every  word  of  God,  and  for  every  holy 
thought  He  whispers  in  our  ears.  We  must  also 
treasure  them  up  as  Mary  did,  often  think  of  them, 
and  pray  that  we  may  never  have  any  rule  of  life 
save  the  holy  will  of  God. 

Twentieth  Week:   Tuesday.— The  Rich  Fool. 

St.  Luke  xii.  13-22. 

One  of  the  crowd  appeals  to  Jesus  to  speak  to  his 
brother  that  he  may  divide  his  inheritance  with  him. 
Our  Lord  refuses  to  interfere,  and  warns  those 
present  against  covetousness,  telling  how  a  certain 
rich  man  proposed  to  himself  many  years  of  satisfied 
enjoyment  of  all   the  goods  he  had  accumulated. 


572 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


God  said  to  him,  "  Thou  fool,  this  night  do  they 
require  thy  soul  of  thee,  and  then  whose  shall  those 
things  be  which  thou  hast  provided  ?  " 

1.  There  is  nothing  more  dangerous  to  our  salva- 
tion than  a  grasping,  avaricious  spirit.  It  grows 
with  advancing  age,  and  unlike  other  worldly 
pleasures,  it  loses  not  its  zest  as  years  go  on.  It 
has  a  fatal  power  to  tie  down  the  soul  to  earth,  and 
make  a  man  averse  from  heavenly  things  and  from 
submission  to  God.  Am  I  fond  of  money  ?  or  if  I 
have  no  opportunity  of  money-making,  am  I  fond  of 
anything  upon  earth  for  its  own  sake  and  apart 
from  God? 

2.  What  folly  is  any  attachment  to  money  or 
goods  or  anything  else  upon  earth  ?  The  moment 
of  death  arrives,  and  then  what  avail  all  earthly 
possessions  ?  Nay,  they  are  a  curse  to  him  who 
has  trusted  in  them.  O  death,  how  terrible  thou 
art  to  a  man  who  has  peace  in  his  possessions ! 

3.  The  story  of  the  rich  fool  was  told  by  our 
Lord  on  the  occasion  of  one  asking  Him  to  inter- 
fere between  himself  and  his  brother  in  respect  of 
some  disputed  inheritance.  Our  Lord's  refusal  is 
a  warning  not  to  entangle  ourselves  with  the  affairs 
of  others  which  do  not  concern  us.  How  much 
mischief  has  been  done  by  the  meddlesome  inter- 
ference of  well-meaning  men ! 

Twentieth  Week :  Wednesday. — Watch ! 

St.  Luke  xii.  35-49. 

To  those  who  are  always  prepared  for  the  coming 
of  their  Lord,  and  continually  seeking  to  do  His 
will,  is  promised  in  His  Kingdom  an  almost  in- 
credible privilege.  He  will  make  them  sit  down  to 
meat,  and  will  minister  to  them  Himself  at  the 
celestial  banquet.  On  the  contrary,  those  who  do 
not  carry  out  His  will,  though  they  know  it  well, 
will  be  beaten  with  many  stripes. 

I.  "  Blessed  is  the  servant  whom  his  Lord,  when 
He  cometh,  shall  find  watching."  To  watch  for  any 
one  implies  that  we  are  continually  thinking  of 
him,  and  looking  forward  to  and  preparing  for  his 
return.  He  who  is  watching  when  Christ  shall 
summon  him  is  one  who  has  made  His  will  the  rule 
of  his  life,  who  often  in  prayer  seeks  to  know  His 
will,  who  bears  Him  continually  in  mind.  Do  I 
fulfill  these  conditions  ? 


2.  What  a  reward  is  promised  to  those  who  are 
found  watching !  Christ  Himself  will  minister  to 
their  wants ;  He  will  make  them  sit  down  at  the 
heavenly  feast,  and  will  treat  them  as  those  who 
had  done  Him  a  service.  He  will  actually  minister 
to  them  Himself,  giving  them  rich  draughts  of  the 
water  of  life,  and  feeding  their  souls  with  food 
which  will  contain  all  possible  sweetness,  and  fill 
them  with  all  possible  joy.  How  trifling,  then,  will 
appear  all  the  sorrows  and  trials  of  earth ! 

3.  Those  who  are  not  watching,  but  taking  their 
ease,  with  no  care  for  their  Master's  command,  will 
receive  stripes  in  proportion  to  the  clearness  of  their 
knowledge  of  what  was  required  of  them.  What 
reason,  then,  have  I  to  tremble,  to  whom  so  much 
light  and  grace  has  been  given  ! 

Twentieth  Week:   Thursdav.— The  Unfruitful 

Fig-tree. 

St.  Luke  xiii.  6-9. 

In  the  vineyard  of  a  certain  man  was  a  fig-tree 
which  for  three  years  had  borne  no  fruit,  but  only 
leaves.  At  length  the  owner  bids  the  gardener  cut 
it  down,  but  he  intercedes  for  it,  that  it  may  be 
spared  for  one  year  more,  promising  that  he  will 
dig  around  it,  and  spread  dung  about  its  roots.  If 
it  bear  no  fruit  during  the  coming  year,  he  will  raise 
no  further  objection  to  cutting  it  down. 

1.  Every  Christian  performs  a  number  of  good 
works  which  may  all  be  referred  to  one  or  other  of 
two  classes.  Some  are  acts  of  natural  virtue,  beauti- 
ful perhaps  and  marking  a  healthy  tree,  but  of  no 
solid  value  in  God's  sight,  receiving  their  reward 
here,  not  hereafter.  Other  actions  are  supernatural^ 
informed  by  the  grace  of  God,  done  for  love  of  Him. 
These  are  the  rich  fruit,  pleasing  to  God,  which 
shall  endure  to  everlasting  life.  Are  all  my  good 
actions  done  from  a  supernatural  motive  ?  If  not, 
they  are  mere  leaves,  showy  but  valueless,  to  be 
buried  in  the  fall  of  the  year. 

2.  The  tree  that  year  after  year  bears  no  fruit  is 
cut  down,  while  that  which  bears  fniit  is  pruned 
that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit.  As  years  go 
on,  does  the  fruit  I  bear  continually  increase?  Or 
is  there  a  gradual  diminution  in  the  amount  of  it, 
and  do  I  approach  the  time  when  our  Lord  shall 
say,  "  Cut  it  down,  why  cumbereth  it  the  ground  ?  " 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


573 


3.  How  patient  our  Lord  has  been  with  me ! 
How  He  has  waited,  hoping  that  before  it  is  too 
late,  I  will  begin  to  correspond  to  His  grace,  and 
•work  for  Him  and  not  for  self!  Grant  me  this 
grace,  O  Lord,  beyond  all  other  graces,  that  I  may 
never  neglect  Thy  grace,  nor  fail  of  doing  what 
Thou  dost  ask  of  me  I 

Twentieth  Week :  Friday. — The  Narrow  Gate. 

St.  I,uke  xiii.  23-27. 

When  our  Lord  was  questioned  as  to  the  number 
of  the  saved,  He  answered  by  urging  His  disciples 
to  enter  by  the  narrow  gate,  and  warning  them  that 
many  shall  seek  to  enter,  but  in  vain. 

1.  No  one  knows,  save  God,  the  number  of  the 
-elect.  It  is  no  business  of  ours.  What  concerns 
us  is  the  knowledge  that  if  we  desire  to  enter  by 
the  narrow  gate  that  leads  to  life,  we  must  exert 
•ourselves,  resist  our  inclinations,  endure  hardships, 
submit  to  the  yoke,  humble  ourselves,  and  pray  for 
the  grace  of  God,  without  which  none  can  be  saved. 
Do  I  make  such  an  effort  as  is  necessary  to  win  the 
Xingdom  of  Heaven  ? 

2.  It  is  useless  to  think  that  we  can  go  on  all 
our  lives  living  for  self  and  resisting  the  grace  of 
God,  and  when  we  draw  near  to  death,  can  offer  a 
prayer  which  will  undo  the  past,  and  open  to  us  the 
gate  of  Heaven.  We  must  knock  now,  if  we  desire 
to  be  heard,  we  must  make  friends  now  with  the 
Master  of  the  house,  if  we  desire  that  He  will  then 
welcome  us  as  His  own ;  we  must  earn  His  grati- 
tude now  by  our  charity  to  others  for  His  sake  and 
ty  our  submission  to  His  will.  Then,  and  then 
only,  shall  we  meet  Him  with  joy. 

3.  How  terrible  to  hear  Christ  say,  "I  know  you 
not  I "  Better  a  thousand  deaths  than  that  one 
word  from  the  Lord  of  Heaven  and  earth.  What 
"would  Jesus  say  of  me  now  ?  Am  I  one  of  those 
of  whom  He  would  say,  "  I  know  My  sheep,  and 
am  known  of  them  ?  "  Or  would  He  say,  "  I  know 
you  not,  depart  from  Me  ?  " 

Twentieth  Week:   Saturday.— On   Self- 
Exaltation. 

St.  Luke  xiv.  7-1 1. 

Our  Lord  observing  how  those  invited  to  a  feast 
chose  for  themselves  the  highest  places,  exhorts 
them  to  sit  down  not  in  the  highest,  lest  their 
•entertainers  afterwards  request  them  to  give  place 


to  others,  but  in  the  lowest,  that  they  may  have  the 
honor  of  being  invited  to  go  up  higher. 

1.  This  struggle  for  the  highest  place  was  not 
limited  to  the  Jews.  It  still  is  the  ordinary  law  of 
society.  All  seek  their  own,  and  are  unwilling  to 
give  way  to  others,  and  are  pained  if  they  are  not 
treated  with  the  honor  that  they  think  they  deserve. 
The  cause  of  their  discontent  and  vexation  is  their 
pride,  and  love  of  self  rather  than  of  God. 

2.  Our  Lord  seems  to  set  before  His  hearers  a 
very  low  motive.  He  does  not  tell  them  to  take 
the  lowest  place  because  they  ought  to  regard 
themselves  as  worthy  of  it,  but  simply  that  so  they 
may  have  glory  before  those  at  table,  and  may 
avoid  the  ignominy  of  having  to  move  down.  It 
would  have  been  fruitless  to  put  before  them  any 
lofty  and  exalted  motive.  So,  if  we  are  not  influ- 
enced to  virtue  by  the  love  of  God,  at  least  our  own 
interest  will  perhaps  move  us. 

3.  Christ's  object  was  gradually  to  lead  the  Jews 
to  something  nobler.  He  knew  that  the  practice 
of  humility  even  from  an  inferior  motive  would 
lead  on  to  a  love  of  it  for  its  own  sake,  and  because 
it  is  pleasing  to  God.  It  is  wonderful  how  soon 
any  acts  of  virtue  bring  their  own  reward,  and  lead 
us  to  love  virtue  itself,  and  Him  of  whose  beauty 
all  human  virtue  is  but  a  faint  reflection. 

Twenty-first  Week:  Sunday. — The  Great 
Supper. 

St.  Luke  xiv.  15-24. 

Our  Lord  compares  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to 
a  feast  to  which  many  guests  are  invited.  But  they 
all  excuse  themselves  on  one  plea  or  another :  their 
host,  angry  at  their  refusal,  brings  in  the  poor  and 
the  feeble  and  the  blind  and  the  lame,  to  take  their 
places  at  his  table. 

1.  Our  Lord  invites  all  men  to  serve  Him  in  one 
or  another  way.  Some  are  called  into  the  Catholic 
Church  from  heresy  ;  others  to  the  religious  life  or 
to  the  priesthood ;  others  to  a  life  of  resignation 
under  some  great  suffering.  All  these  are  sum- 
moned thus  as  a  preparation  for  that  Heavenly 
Feast  which  He  intends  in  His  own  good  time  to 
bestow  upon  all  who  are  obedient  to  His  summons. 
God  has  invited  me ;  have  I  obeyed  His  call  ? 

2.  There  are  many  who  do  not  like  the  Divine 


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THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


summons.  The  invitation  involves  the  relinquish- 
ment of  something  to  which  their  heart  clings — 
money  or  position,  or  earthly  affections,  or  self- 
will — so  they  excuse  themselves.  "  It  is  impossible 
for  me  to  obey  because  I  have  my  business  to  attend 
to,  or  my  relations  to  please,  or  my  way  to  make  in 
the  world."  Alas  !  how  unhappy  the  lot  of  such. 
Have  I  ever  rejected  any  such  grace  ? 

3.  In  place  of  those  who  reject  the  call  of  God, 
He  sends  His  servants  into  the  highways  to  bring 
in  the  poor  and  the  lame  and  the  feeble.  Perhaps 
this  is  the  way  that  I  have  entered  His  service. 
Some  other  refused  a  grace  from  God,  and  it  came 
to  me,  unworthy  as  I  am  of  such  an  offer.  Anyhow 
the  grace  came  to  me,  and  through  God's  mercy  I 
accepted  it,  and  it  has  placed  me  where  I  am.  How 
can  I  ever  thank  God  as  I  ought  for  his  wonderful 
mercy  to  me  ? 

Twenty-first  Week  :  Monday. — ^The  Lost 
Sheep. 

St.  Luke  XV.  1-7. 

When  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  murmured  at 
our  Lord  for  consorting  with  publicans  and  sinners. 
He  asked  them  whether  a  man  who  has  lost  one 
out  of  a  flock  of  sheep  does  not  seek  the  wanderer, 
leaving  the  rest  in  the  fold,  and  bring  it  back  with 
joy.  So  the  Good  Shepherd  calls  the  Angels  to 
rejoice  over  every  sinner  who  does  penance. 

1.  How  our  Lord  loves  sinners!  He  seems  to 
find  happiness  in  their  company.  He  eats  and 
drinks  with  them.  He  converses  with  them  as  their 
friend  and  comforter  and  the  lover  of  their  souls. 
For  them  not  a  harsh  word,  nothing  but  looks  of 
compassion  and  love.  O  Friend  of  sinners,  have 
mercy  on  me,  a  sinner. 

2.  But  not  all  sinners  does  He  thus  befriend, 
only  those  who  are  conscious  of  their  misery  and 
lament  over  it  and  cast  longing  glances  towards 
Him,  and  cherish  amid  all  their  sins  at  least  a  faint 
spark  of  hope  that  He  will  set  them  free.  Then 
He  fans  that  spark  into  a  flame  of  love  and  delivers 
them  from  their  chains,  and  brings  them  in  humble 
penitence  to  His  feet.  Then  it  is  that  His  Sacred 
Heart  is  full  of  joy.  O  Heart  of  Jesus  !  who  can 
ever  fathom  the  depth  of  Thy  love  for  the  sinner 
who  does  penance ! 

3.  Jesus  is  not  alone  in  His  joy.    All  the  Saints 


and  Angels  in  Heaven  rejoice  with  Him.  He  calls 
them  together  to  sing  a  hymn  of  triumph  over  the 
return  of  the  wanderer,  and  they  rejoice  one  and 
all  with  joy  unspeakable  at  the  triumph  of  Divine 
grace.  O  Jesus,  grant  me  the  privilege  of  taking 
part  in  the  Divine  work  of  bringing  sinners  back 
to  Thee ! 

Twenty-first  Week :  Wednesday. — The  Prodigal 
Son ;  His  Departure. 

St.  Luke  XV.  II. 

A  certain  man  had  two  sons :  and  the  younger 
said  to  his  father.  Give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that 
falleth  to  me.  And  he  divided  to  them  his  sub- 
stance. Not  many  days  after,  the  younger  departed 
to  a  far  country  and  there  wasted  his  substance, 
living  riotously.  After  a  time  he  began  to  be  in 
want. 

1 .  The  beginning  of  the  fall  of  the  Prodigal  Son 
was  a  desire  for  independence.  He  did  not  like  the 
yoke  of  parental  authority  and  the  secondary  posi- 
tion he  held  as  the  younger  son  in  his  father's 
house.  He  wanted  to  have  his  liberty  and  to  be 
able  to  do  as  he  liked.  This  is  the  beginning  of 
every  fall ;  secret  pride  making  us  unwilling  to 
submit  and  to  be  thwarted  and  to  do  the  will  of 
others. 

2.  The  consequence  of  this  spirit  of  pride  in  the 
younger  son  was  to  make  him  restless  and  discon- 
tented. He  was  not  happy  in  his  father's  house. 
He  longed  to  be  elsewhere.  Restlessness  is  almost 
always  a  sign  of  pride ;  it  is  one  of  the  marks  of 
self-will ;  turbulence  and  inquietude  are  the  fore- 
runners of  sin  to  come  and  moral  ruin  not  far  off. 

3.  The  Prodigal  starts  on  his  life  of  independence. 
At  first  it  is  pleasant  enough ;  he  rejoices  in  his 
liberty  ;  indulges  his  every  fancy,  satiates  himself 
with  pleasure.  But  it  does  not  last  long.  The 
devil  is  a  hard  master,  and  the  poor  Prodigal  finds 
himself  miserable,  in  want,  friendless,  deserted. 
Thus  it  is  that  the  world  treats  those  who  live  for 
the  world.  God  grant  that  I  may  never  forsake 
my  Father's  house! 

Twenty-first  Week :  Thursday. — The  Prodigal 
Son ;  His  Repentance. 

St.  Luke  XV.  17-19. 

The  unhappy  Prodigal  is  at  last  reduced  to  feed- 
ing swine  for  hire.     In  his  misery  he  comes  to 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


575 


himself  and  remembers  the  peaceful  happiness  of 
his  father's  house,  and  resolves  to  return  and  throw 
himself  at  his  father's  feet  and  sa}'^ :  "  Father,  I 
have  sinned  against  Heaven  and  in  thy  sight." 

1.  The  Prodigal,  in  the  quiet  solitude,  begins  to 
reflect.  He  resolves  to  go  back,  and  humble  him- 
self, and  ask  to  be  received,  not  as  a  son,  but  as  a 
servant.  Observe  (i)  the  advantage  of  a  quiet  time 
for  prayer  and  supplication.  (2)  The  contrast 
between  the  constant  happiness  of  the  humblest 
who  serve  God,  and  the  misery  that  soon  ensues  to 
those  who  cast  off  His  yoke.  (3)  The  willingness 
of  the  Prodigal  to  humble  himself.  (4)  The  value 
of  inferior  motives  as  leading  to  virtue.  The 
Prodigal's  repentance  arose  primarily,  not  from  love 
of  father  or  home,  but  from  his  present  misery. 
Apply  each  of  these  to  yourself. 

2.  The  first  impulse  of  true  repentance  is  to  cast 
ourselves  at  the  feet  of  him  whom  we  have  offended 
and  beg  for  forgiveness.  It  is  not  enough  to  be 
sorry,  but  this  sorrow  must  include  hope  of  for- 
giveness and  reconciliation.  I,  then,  will  go  to  the 
feet  of  Jesus  in  all  my  sorrows  and  sins,  for  I  know 
He  will  not  reject  me. 

3.  The  Prodigal  loses  no  time.  He  arose  and 
went  to  his  father.  Delays  are  dangerous.  When 
the  grace  comes  we  must  act  on  it,  and  the  sooner 
the  better.  /  will  arise  ;  this  must  be  the  motto  of 
all  who  recognize  their  sin  and  weakness.  I,  too, 
with  God's  help,  will  arise  from  all  that  hinders  my 
faithful  service  of  Him. 

Twenty-first  Week  :  Friday. — The  Prodigal 
Son ;  His  Return. 

St.  Luke  XV.  20-32. 

When  the  Prodigal  on  his  return  approached  his 
father's  house,  his  father,  seeing  him  in  the  dis- 
tance, runs  to  meet  him,  falls  on  his  neck,  and 
kisses  him.  He  will  not  hear  his  self-accusing 
words,  but  bids  the  servants  bring  the  best  robe,  a 
ring  for  his  hand,  and  shoes  for  his  feet,  and  kill 
the  fatted  calf,  that  they  may  rejoice  and  make 
merry  on  the  occasion  of  his  return  home. 

I.  The  father  of  the  Prodigal  is  watching  for  the 
return  of  the  wanderer,  and  sees  him  a  great  way 
off.  So  God  watches  and  longs  for  the  sinner's 
return,  and  even  before  he  has  reconciled  himself 
to  God,  He  anticipates  him  with  graces,  and  mercy, 


and  consolation,  and  marks  of  His  forgiveness  and 
love.  O,  how  gentle  is  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus ! 
We  do  not  half  understand  its  depths  of  love  and 
compassion. 

2.  How  is  the  returning  Prodigal  treated  ?  He  has 
the  best  of  everything,  (i)  The  best  robe,  the  robe 
of  justice  to  clothe  him  so  that  he  may  appear,  not 
as  a  servant,  but  as  a  beloved  son.  (2)  The  ring 
of  pardon  to  show  that  he  is  no  longer  the  slave  of 
sin.  (3)  Shoes  to  prevent  his  tender  feet  from 
being  injured  by  the  stones  which  lie  in  virtue's 
path.  (4)  A  banquet  of  good  things  to  celebrate 
his  happy  return. 

3.  The  elder  son,  who  had  always  been  faithful 
to  God,  is  angry  at  the  welcome  given  to  the 
Prodigal.  So  those  who  have  not  gone  astray, 
because  they  have  had  no  very  strong  temptations, 
are  often  hard  upon  those  who  have  sinned.  We 
must  beware,  for  perhaps  we  shall  find  that  they 
are  preferred  to  us,  and  are  really  dearer  to  the 
Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  as  St.  Mary  Magdalen  was. 

Twenty- first    Week:     Saturday. — The    Unjust 

Steward. 

St.  Luke  xvi.  1-12. 

The  steward  of  a  rich  man,  being  dismissed  for 
lavish  expenditure,  goes  round  to  the  debtors  of  his 
employer  and  reduces  the  amount  of  what  they  owe. 
By  this  liberality,  though  with  money  not  his  own, 
he  earns  their  good-will  and  the  prospect  of  shelter 
when  he  is  turned  out  of  his  stewardship. 

1.  We  are  all  of  us  stewards  of  God,  entrusted 
with  what  is  not  ours  but  His,  to  be  used  for  Him, 
not  for  ourselves.  We  are  all  unjust  stewards  in 
that  we  have  not  done  this,  but  have  used  what  God 
has  committed  to  us  for  ourselves,  independently  of 
Him,  perhaps  have  wasted  it  on  things  that  we 
knew  were  displeasing  to  Him ;  reading  what  He 
would  not  wish  us  to  read,  indulging  in  useless 
amusements  and  recreations. 

2.  To  all  the  time  must  come  when  we  shall  have 
to  give  an  account  of  our  stewardship.  What  sort 
of  an  account  should  I  have  to  give  for  my  use  of 
God's  gifts  ?  Would  there  not  be  waste  here,  and 
mal-expenditure  there,  and  a  selfish  and  dishonest 
adoption  as  our  own  of  time  and  talents  belonging 
to  God  ?     Can  I  face  the  day  of  account  ?     Quid 


576 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


sum  miser  tunc  didurus  ?    What  shall  I  say  theu  in 
answer  to  my  Judge  ? 

3.  There  is  a  means  by  which  I  may  still  ward 
off  His  anger,  and  that  is  by  great  liberality  to 
others  and  especially  to  those  who  are  poor  and  in 
want.  Thus  I  can  purchase  to  myself  friends  who 
will  plead  for  me  with  God.  Have  I  been  a  good 
friend  to  the  poor  for  God's  sake  ?  Have  I  been 
generous  with  my  alms  ?  If  so,  I  shall  find  that 
God  will  listen  to  their  prayers  for  me  and  will  be 
generous  to  me. 

Twenty-second  Week:  Monday. — ^The  Rich 
Glutton. 

St.  Lukexvi.  19-31. 

There  was  a  certain  rich  man  who  feasted  sump- 
tuously every  day,  at  whose  gate  was  laid  a  beggar 
named  Lazarus.  The  rich  man  died,  aud  his  life 
of  luxury  was  requited  with  the  torments  of  hell. 
Lazarus  died,  and  was  carried  by  the  angels  into 
Abraham's  bosom.  In  hell  the  rich  man  begged 
that  Lazarus  might  be  sent  with  one  drop  of  water 
tc  cool  his  parching  thirst ;  but  in  vain. 

1.  What  a  warning  against  a  life  of  selfish  lux- 
ury !  We  do  not  read  of  any  crime  committed  by 
the  rich  man.  He  simply  lived  a  life  of  ease  and 
comfort  and  present  enjoyment.  No  self-denying 
charity ;  no  deeds  of  mercy ;  no  humiliation  of 
himself;  no  penance;  and  therefore  at  the  end  of 
life  the  torments  of  hell  to  all  eternity.  In  my  life 
how  little  penance !  How  much  self-seeking  and 
love  of  ease  !     Have  I  not  reason  to  fear  ? 

2.  In  hell  the  rich  man  is  punished  in  kind.  His 
love  of  choice  wines  is  requited  by  a  tormenting 
thirst  and  a  fire  consuming  his  palate.  For  his  life 
of  luxury  and  ease,  his  purple  and  fine  linen,  he  is 
enwrapped  in  the  scorching  flames.  This  law  of 
retribution  in  kind  is  a  terrible  one ;  I  must  antici- 
pate it.  I  am  proud,  and  I  must  humble  myself;  I 
love  comforts,  and  so  I  will  mortify  myself. 

3.  Abraham  has  no  pity  for  the  poor  man  in 
hell.  He  tells  him  it  is  the  lot  he  prepared  for 
himself.  We  must  learn  the  lesson,  and  pray  God 
that  we  may  have  evil  things  in  this  life,  if  the 
good  things  we  enjoy  are  to  cost  us  the  good  things 
of  Heaven.  Pray  to  suffer  here  that  so  you  may 
rejoice  in  Heaven. 


Twenty-second  Week  :  Tuesday. — The  Raising 
of  Lazarus. 

St.  John  xi.  1-45. 

When  Lazarus  fell  sick,  his  sisters  Martha  and 
Mary  sent  to  Jesus,  saying,  "  Lord,  he  whom  Thou 
lovest  is  sick."  Jesus  after  two  days  starts  for 
Bethany,  and  arrives  there  when  Lazarus  had  been 
dead  four  days.  Martha  hastens  to  meet  Jesus. 
Mary  waits  imtil  she  is  sent  for.  Jesus  approaches 
the  grave  and  cries  aloud,  "  Lazarus,  come  forth !" 
And  he  that  was  dead  came  forth,  still  bound  with 
the  grave  clothes. 

1.  The  message  sent  by  Martha  and  Mary  is  a 
model  of  prayer  in  trouble,  especially  in  temporal 
trouble.  They  do  not  ask  for  anything,  they  simply 
state  their  needs.  He  likes  us  to  tell  Him  our 
troubles,  and  if  He  delays,  and  seems  to  neglect 
us  as  He  did  Martha  and  Mary,  it  is  that  He  may 
in  the  end  perform  a  signal  miracle  on  our  behalf. 
I  then  will  tell  Him  my  troubles,  and  be  content  to 
leave  it  all  to  Him. 

2.  See  the  difference  between  the  active  Martha 
and  the  passive  Mary.  The  former  runs  unbidden 
to  meet  Jesus ;  the  latter  waits.  It  was  Mary's 
grief  that  chiefly  moved  the  tears  of  Jesus.  He 
likes  those  who  are  passive  until  He  calls  them  to 
act ;  those  who  remain  where  they  are  until  He 
summons  them  elsewhere  ;  those  who  wait  for  His 
inspirations,  instead  of  following  their  own  im- 
pulses.    Am  I  one  of  these  ? 

3.  The  raising  of  Lazarus  corresponded  in  the 
physical  order  to  the  raising  of  the  soul  from  the 
spiritual  death  of  sin.  The  latter  is  a  far  greater 
miracle.  How  happy  I  should  account  myself  if  I 
have  the  privilege  of  taking  part  with  Jesus  in  rais- 
ing from  the  corruption  and  death  of  sin  any  of 
those  souls  for  which  He  died. 

Part  VL — From  the  Assembly  of  the  Phari- 
sees to  the  End  of  Christ's  Public  Ministry. 

Twenty-second  Week :  Wednesday. — The 
Assembly  of  the  Pharisees. 

St.  John  xi.  46-54. 

Some  of  the  Jews  present  at  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
carried  information  to  the  Pharisees,  who  with  the 
priests  held  a  council,  at  which  they  determined  on 
the  death  of  Jesus.  Caiphas,  as  High  Priest,  declared 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


577 


that  it  was  expedient  that  one  man  should  die  for 
the  people,  and  not  that  the  whole  nation  should 
perish.  After  this,  Jesus  withdrew  to  a  distant 
place  with  His  disciples. 

1.  It  seems  strange  that  one  of  our  Lord's  most 
wonderful  miracles  should  have  made  those  who 
beheld  it  more  hostile  than  ever.  Yet  so  it  is : 
those  who  have  hardened  their  hearts  against  God 
are  repelled,  not  attracted,  by  the  marvels  of  His 
love.  They  only  hate  Him  the  more  when  they  see 
clear  proofs  of  His  power.  So  we  see  evil  men 
misinterpreting  the  simple  faith,  and  charity,  and 
devotion  of  the  servants  of  God.    Is  this  my  spirit? 

2.  What  was  the  motive  of  these  men  ?  Jealousy ; 
a  fear  lest  they  should  be  overshadowed,  and  their 
credit  diminished  with  the  people.  They  cloaked 
this  under  a  show  of  fear  of  the  Romans.  But  their 
real  motive  was  hatred  of  Jesus  as  a  rival  to  their 
own  influence.  Beware  of  the  selfish  effects  of  an 
insidious  ambition  and  jealousy  of  the  success  of 
others, 

3.  On  occasion  of  the  council  in  which  it  was 
decided  to  destroy  Jesus,  Caiphas,  the  High  Priest, 
declared  under  Divine  inspiration  that  it  was  expe- 
dient that  one  man  should  die  for  the  nation. 
Strange  that  so  wicked  a  man  should  be  inspired 
by  the  Holy  Ghost !  But  it  was  an  official  inspira- 
tion. God  speaks  even  through  wicked  men  when 
they  hold  some  sacred  office.     How  terrible  a  thing 

.  '  to  have  the  Word  of  God  in  the  mouth  but  not  in 
the  heart ! 

Twenty-second  ^A^eek :  Thursday. — The  Ten 
Lepers. 

St.  Luke  xvii.  11-19. 

At  the  entrance  to  one  of  the  towns  through 
which  our  Lord  passed,  He  was  met  by  ten  lepers 
who,  standing  afar  off,  cried,  "  Jesus,  Master,  have 
mercy  on  us."  Jesus  ordered  them  to  go  and  show 
themselves  to  the  priests,  and  as  they  went  they 
were  healed.  One  of  them,  a  Samaritan,  turned 
back  to  return  thanks  to  Jesus,  who  was  touched 
with  his  gratitude  and  dismissed  him  in  peace. 

1.  The  lepers  standing  far  away  were  an  example 
to  sinners,  (i)  In  their  recourse  to  Jesus  to  be 
healed.  (2)  In  their  acknowledgment  of  Him  as 
their  Lord,  and  in  their  prayer  for  mercy.  (3)  In 
their  obedience  to  His  command  to  go  and  show 

37 


themselves  to  the  priests.  (4)  In  their  faith  in  so 
doing,  even  before  they  were  healed.  Admire  their 
faith  and  confidence,  and  try  to  imitate  it. 

2.  On  the  way  to  the  priests  they  were  healed. 
One  of  them,  a  Samaritan,  could  not  refrain  from 
turning  back  to  thank  his  benefactor.  Jesus  loves 
the  grateful :  He  will  always  bestow  fresh  blessings 
on  those  who  are  grateful  for  what  they  have 
already  received.  One  who  is  thankless  closes  up 
the  fount  of  Divine  love  and  compassion.  Hence 
learn  very  often  to  return  thanks  to  God. 

3.  Our  Lord  was  hurt  at  the  neglect  of  the  nine 
Jews.  "  Were  there  not  ten  cleansed  ?  "  He  ex- 
claims, "  but  where  are  the  nine  ?  No  one  has 
returned  to  give  glory  to  God  but  this  stranger." 
So  those  outside  the  visible  Church  may  be  far 
more  grateful  to  God  and  dearer  to  Him  than  some 
within  it. 

Twenty-second  Week :    Friday. — ^The  Unjust 

Judge. 

St.  Luke  xviii.  1-8. 

There  was  in  a  city  a  judge  who  feared  neither 
God  nor  man.  To  him  came  a  poor  widow,  asking 
to  be  protected  from  one  who  had  wronged  her.  At 
first  he  would  not  listen,  but  at  length,  wearied  out 
with  her  importunity,  he  granted  her  suit.  So  we 
must  be  importunate  with  God,  for  will  He  not 
avenge  His  own  elect  who  cry  day  and  night  to 
Him? 

1.  When  our  Lord  desires  to  impress  upon  His 
hearers  any  truth,  we  find  Him  often  employing 
some  unexpected  and  almost  anomalous  simile. 
Here  He  compares  Almighty  God  to  an  unjust 
judge  overcome  by  importunity.  God  loves  im- 
portunity. We  need  never  fear  lest  we  should 
weary  Him.  He  waits  to  be  wearied  by  our  peti- 
tions, and  often  requires  this  unbroken  persistency 
as  the  condition  of  granting  them.  Do  I  thus  per- 
severe in  asking  for  what  I  need  ? 

2.  The  poor  widow's  cry  was :  "  Avenge  me  of 
my  adversary."  Our  cry  must  be  the  same.  But 
of  what  adversary  ?  Not  of  human  foes,  n'or  of  those 
that  treat  us  ill.  Our  prayers  respecting  them  must 
be :  "  Father,  forgive  them."  If  we  pray  against 
them,  God  will  hear  our  prayer  only  by  visiting  on 
us  the  misfortunes  we  invoke  on  them. 

3.  But   there    are  very  real    adversaries    against 


578 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


whom  we  should  pra}'.  (i)  The  devil,  who  tempts 
us,  aud  seeks  to  bring  us  down  to  hell.  (2)  Our 
predominant  passion,  whatever  it  may  be.  (3)  Self, 
that  is  so  continually  asserting  itself  against  God 
to  our  grievous  harm,  and  is  our  worst  enemy, 
which  mars  our  happiness  and  destroys  our  peace. 
O  God,  I  cannot  fight  against  these  alone  I  In  Thy 
mercy,  help  me  in  the  conflict. 

Twenty-second  Week:    Saturday. — The 
Pharisee  and  the  Publican. 

St.  Luke  xviii.  10-14. 

Two  men  went  up  to  the  Temple  to  pray,  a 
Pharisee  and  a  publican.  The  Pharisee  thanked 
God  that  he  was  regular  in  the  performance  of  his 
religious  duties,  and  not  like  other  men,  unjust  and 
impure,  nor  like  the  publican  in  the  distance.  The 
publican  did  not  lift  his  eyes  to  heaven,  but  cried, 
"God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner!"  The  latter 
went  away  forgiven  ;  not  so  the  Pharisee. 

1.  The  Pharisee's  prayer  was  in  some  respects  an 
excellent  one.  He  returned  thanks  to  God  for  the 
graces  he  had  received.  But  he  spoilt  all  by  his 
pride,  which  caused  him  to  prefer  himself  to  others. 
God  will  not  hear  the  prayers  of  the  proud ;  He 
abhors  them.  Pride  effectually  bars  the  way  against 
our  receiving  from  God  the  graces  which  we  need. 

2.  The  publican's  prayer  was  a  prayer  of  humility. 
It  recognized  his  own  vileness,  his  dependence 
on  God,  his  need  of  His  mercy.  This  is  the 
sort  of  prayer  that  God  loves  ;  it  pierces  the  clouds 
and  brings  down  a  shower  of  graces.  God  cannot 
resist  anyone  who  really  humbles  himself.  If  I 
want  my  prayer  to  be  heard,  I  must  make  certain 
that  I  pray  with  humility. 

3.  The  chief  end  of  this  parable  is  to  teach  us 
the  folly  of  despising  any  one.  The  very  fact  that 
we  do  so  places  us  in  the  sight  of  God  beneath  the 
person  we  despise.  Woe  to  us  if  we  indulge  the 
thought.  Whatever  I  may  be,  I  am  better  than 
so-and-so.  If  we  could  see  ourselves  as  God  sees 
us,  we  should  perhaps  perceive  that  we  are  really 
far  worse. 

Twenty-third  Week  :  Sunday. — The  Necessity 
of  Humility. 

St.  Mark  x.  13-16. 

When  little  children  were  brought  to  Jesus,  and 
the  disciples  sought  to  turn  them  away,  Jesus  was 


much  displeased,  and  said :  "  Suffer  little  childi        |^ 
to  come  to  Me,    for  of   such  is    the  Kingdom  ori:" 
Heaven.       For    whosoever  shall    not   receive    tbdl 
Kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  shall  not  entr~'' 
into  Heaven."  [ 

1.  Jesus  was  displeased  with  those  who  soug 
to  keep  away  the  children  from  Him.  Children; 
are  very  dear  to  Him.  He  loves  their  guilelessness, 
innocence,  simplicity.  He  watches  over  them  with 
jealous  care.  Woe  to  those  who  injiire  them  or 
neglect  them,  or  indulge  them  unwisely,  or  set 
them  a  bad  example.  As  the  privilege  of  bringing 
them  up  is  very  great,  so  also  is  the  responsibility. 

2.  The  reason  Jesus  gives  why  the  children  are 
to  be  brought  to  Him  is  that  "  of  such  is  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven."  What  can  be  higher  praise  than 
this  ?  He  likens  children  to  the  Angels  of  God. 
He  says  that  they  are  the  nearest  counterpart  on 
earth  of  the  Saints  in  Heaven.  O  blessed  privilege 
of  little  children  !  How  different  is  their  obedience 
and  humility  from  my  perversity  and  pride  ! 

3.  No  man  shall  ever  enter  into  Heaven  unless 
he  receives  on  earth  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  a  little 
child.  What  does  this  mean  ?  It  means  that  we 
must  put  our  neck  willingly  under  the  yoke  as 
children  do,  that  we  must  be  docile  as  children  are, 
that  we  must  have  a  sense  of  continual  dependence 
on  God  as  children  depend  on  their  parents,  that 
we  must  look  to  Him  in  every  need,  as  they  do  to 
their  elders.  Am  I  childlike  in  these  respects,  or 
am  I  stiff-necked  and  stubborn  and  independent  ? 

Twenty-fourth  Week  :  Monday. — The  Rich 
Young  Man. 

St.  Mark  x.  17-27. 

A  young  man  came  and  asked,  "  Good  Master, 
what  shall  I  do  that  I  may  receive  life  everlast- 
ing ?"  When  Jesus  answered  that  he  must  keep 
the  commandments,  the  young  man  assured  Him 
that  he  had  done  so  from  his  youth.  Then  Jesus 
said,  "  One  thing  is  wanting  to  thee  ;  sell  all  thou 
hast  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  come  and  follow 
Me."  Then  the  young  man  departed  in  sorrow,  fc 
he  had  great  riches  and  was  not  willing  to  aband 
them. 

I.  The  rich  young  man  had  always  lived  a  g    -^ 
and  upright  life,  so  that  our  Lord  loved  him.        ' 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


579 


re  came  to  him  a  further  grace.     Jesus  invited 
m  to  give  up  his  riches  and  follow  Him.    So,  with 
^  hearts  of  those  who  live  a  life  of  obedience  to  God's 
',  higher  graces  always  are  given,  to  be  generous 
'i  God  as  well  as  to  fulfil  the  law  of  justice. 
.  But  unhappily  for  him  he  had  great  posses- 
ms,  and  these  had  gradually  been  gaining  do- 
minion over  his  heart ;  and  when  our  Lord  called 
him,  and  there  came  to  him  the  grace  to  give  up 
all  for  God's  sake,  he  turned  away  sad  and  would  not 
give  them  up.     O  how  great  is  the  danger  of  a  man 
whose  heart  clings  to  his  possessions  !     God  grant 
that  my  heart  may  not  cling  to  any  earthly  good. 
3.  For  all  there  is  at  some  time  a  decisive  crisis, 
a  choice  between  treasure  on  earth  and  treasure  in 
Heaven.     Alas  for  those  who  at  such  a  crisis  fail 
of  the  grace  given  them,  and  reject  the  secret   in- 
spiration !     Help  me,    O  God,  when  such  a  time 
comes  to   me ;  may  I  always  listen    to  Thee  and 
follow  Thee ! 

Twenty-third    "Week  :    Tuesday. — The    Evan- 
gelical Counsels. 

St.  Matt.  xix.  23-30. 

When  the  rich  young  man  had  departed,  our 
Lord  dwelt  on  the  difl&culty  of  salvation  to  the  rich. 
In  answer  to  St.  Peter's  inquiry  what  reward  would 
be  given  to  those  who  leave  all  and  follow  Christ, 
our  Lord  promises  a  hundred-fold  in  this  life,  and 
in  the  world  to  come  life  everlasting. 

1.  Why  is  it  so  difficult  for  the  rich  to  be  saved? 
Because  riches  tend  to  make  a  man  lose  his  sense 
of  dependence.  Is  it  impossible  for  the  rich  to  be 
saved  ?  Certainly  not.  The  power  of  God  can  do 
anything ;  it  can  make  a  camel  pass  through  the 
eye  of  a  needle,  and  it  will  enable  a  rich  man  to 
become  detached  from  his  riches  and  escape  the 
fatal  peril  of  trusting  in  them.  If  we  are  rich,  let 
us  beware  of  the  danger  that  riches  involve ;  if 
poor,  let  us  thank  God  that  we  are  free  from  it. 

2.  But  there  is  one  means  of  escape,  and  only 
one.  He  must  make  some  sacrifice  by  way  of  gen- 
erous alms  if  he  wish  to  die  a  happy  death,  and  to 

<ape  the  enthralling   influence  of  wealth.     But 
■<"«  to  whom  God  gives  the  grace  of  a  complete 

q^uishment  of  their   possessions  will    have    a 

Arger  reward. 
"•    'What  is  this  reward  ?     It  is  the  gift  of  a  far 


greater  and  higher  happiness  than  they  could  ever 
have  attained  from  their  wealth,  and  in  Heaven  the 
certain  promise  of  everlasting  life.  This  will  be 
the  recompense  of  all  who  have  given  up  anything, 
whether  great  or  small,  for  Christ's  sake ;"  for  He 
looks  to  the  generosity  of  heart,  not  merely  to  the 
external  act. 

Twenty-third  Week:   Wednesday. — Coming 
Troubles. 

St.  Matt.  xxiv.  4-11. 

Our  Lord  predicts  to  His  disciples  many  sorrows 
before  His  return  to  judge  the  world.  There  are  to 
be  wars,  famines,  and  pestilences.  False  prophets  are 
to  arise  and  seduce  many.  Those  faithful  to  Christ 
are  to  be  hated,  afflicted,  persecuted,  and  put  to  death. 

1.  The  history  of  the  Church  of  Christ  is  any- 
thing but  a  series  of  triumphs.  It  always  has  been 
and  always  will  be  persecuted,  first  in  one  country 
and  then  in  another ;  and  as  the  end  draws  near, 
persecution  will  be  more  cruel,  more  subtle,  more 
persistent  than  ever.  The  Immaculate  Bride  of 
Christ  must  share  the  fortunes  of  her  Spouse.  It 
is  a  mark  of  her  union  to  Christ  that  she  has  to 
siiffer  with  Him.  Rejoice  in  being  a  child  of  the 
suffering  Spouse  of  Christ,  and  not  of  the  bedecked 
and  bedizened  queens  that  hate  her,  persecute  her, 
and  seek  in  vain  to  imitate  her  matchless  beauty. 

2.  As  time  goes  on,  false  prophets  will  arise  and 
will  lead  many  astray.  False  Reformers,  Revival- 
ists, Gospel  Bvangelists,  servants  of  the  State  who 
place  it  above  the  Church,  or  seek  to  sever  it  from 
her  dominion.  What  a  countless  multitude  of  those 
servants  of  Satan !  Alas,  how  many  the}^  have 
seduced !     Thank  God  you  are  not  of  them. 

3.  Apart  from  persecution  by  wicked  men,  the 
faithful  children  of  the  Church  will  always  have  to 
suffer.  First  one  trouble,  then  another — sickness, 
sorrow,  poverty,  humiliations — these  are  the  friends 
in  painful  guise  that  lead  us  to  Heaven.  Courage, 
then !  If  we  patiently  suffer  with  Him  now,  we 
shall  one  day  reign  with  Him  in  glory. 

Twenty-third  Week :  Thursday. — The  Signs  of 
His  Approach. 

St.  Matt.  xxiv.  10-12. 

Three  signs  will  manifest  the  time  of  our  Lord's 
second  coming,  (i)  Many  shall  be  scandalized.  (2) 
Charity  shall  grow  cold.     (3)  Iniquity  shall  abound. 


580 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


1 .  To  be  easily  scandalized  is  always  a  sign  of  a 
falling  away  from  the  love  of  Christ.  "  Blessed  are 
they  that  love  Thy  law,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  they 
shall  not  be  scandalized  in  it."  They  know  their 
own  good-will  and  honesty,  and  they  attribute  the 
same  to  others.  On  the  contrary,  those  who  are 
themselves  weak  in  virtue,  are  always  talking 
scandal  to  what  they  see  around  them,  and  imput- 
ing bad  motives.     To  which  class  do  I  belong  ? 

2.  Charity  shall  grow  cold.  The  first  fervor  of 
the  Christian  Church  did  not  last  long.  When 
prosperity  and  wealth  and  power  fell  to  her  lot,  her 
children  began  to  grow  cold  in  their  charity.  There 
are  sad  periods  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  God 
in  His  mercy  never  forsook  her,  and  sent  holy  men 
to  renew  the  waning  love  and  zeal  of  Catholics. 
But  as  the  end  draws  near,  there  will  be  a  sad  fall- 
ing away.  When  I  look  over  my  own  history,  is  it 
like  that  of  the  Christian  world — first  fervor,  then 
coldness  ?  Alas,  I  fear  it  is  ;  at  all  events,  I  have 
not  advanced  in  fervor  as  I  ought. 

3.  Iniquity  shall  abound.  When  we  look  into 
the  modern  world,  we  recognize  this  sign  of  our 
Lord's  approach.  Under  a  fair  guise,  how  much 
hidden  vice,  how  much  secret  pride  !  What  selfish- 
ness !  What  forgetfulness  of  God !  In  my  heart 
there  is,  alas,  a  similar  festering  sore  under  what  is 
perhaps  a  fair  exterior. 

Twenty-third  Week :  Friday, — The  Suddenness 
of  His  Coming. 

St.  Matt.  xxiv.  37-44. 

The  second  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  is  to  be 
sudden  and  unexpected,  like  the  Flood  in  the  days 
of  Noe.  Hence  the  necessity  of  continual  watch- 
fulness. 

1.  The  Church  of  Christ  has  always  been  expect- 
ing the  coming  of  our  Lord.  St.  Paul  speaks  of  it 
as  very  near  at  hand.  In  the  Apocalypse  of  St.  John, 
Christ  says,  "Behold,  I  come  quickly."  In  the 
early  ages  and  the  middle  ages  of  the  Church,  there 
has  been  a  continual  expectancy  of  His  speedy 
return.  This  is  a  recognition  that  He  will  come 
when  we  do  not  look  for  Him.  I,  therefore,  must 
be  ever  expecting  Him  if  I  would  not  be  taken  by 
surprise. 

2.  The  world  will  go  on  with  its  business  and 
pleasures  just  as  usual  up  to  the  moment  when  the 


Archangel's  trumpet  shall  summon  men  to  judg- 
ment. As  before  the  Flood,  they  will  eat  and  drink, 
and  marry  and  be  given  in  marriage,  as  if  the 
world  was  going  to  last  for  ever.  So  the  world  acts 
now.  Who  would  think  that  they  will  in  a  few 
years,  one  and  all,  have  to  give  a  strict  account  of 
every  deed  and  word  and  thought  ?  Is  not  my  life 
in  this  respect  too  much  like  that  of  the  thought- 
less world  around  ? 

3.  Watch.  This  is  the  soldier's  motto,  and  must 
be  the  Christian's,  Watch  against  temptation; 
watch  against  occasions  of  sin ;  watch  for  your 
Lord's  coming.  Do  you  not  already  see  in  the 
horizon  signs  of  His  approach,  tokens  that  you 
have  not  long  to  wait  before  your  turn  will  come  ? 
Be  ready,  then,  for  you  know  not  when  the  Son  of 
Man  shall  come. 

Twenty-third  Week:  Saturday. — The  Laborers 
in  the  Vineyard. 

St.  Matt.  XX.  1-16. 

Our  Lord  describes  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  as 
like  to  a  householder,  who  goes  out  at  various  times 
in  the  day,  and  invites  those  who  are  standing  idle 
to  go  and  work  in  his  vineyard.  In  the  evening 
he  gave  the  same  pay  to  all. 

1.  At  various  periods  of  life  God  calls  men  to 
serve  Him.  Sometimes  in  early  life  He  binds  them 
close  to  Him.  Sometimes  He  leaves  them  half 
their  days  without  any  extraordinary  graces  or 
special  inspirations.  Sometimes  in  old  age  the 
light  comes  which  never  shone  before.  God  gives 
at  some  period  some  special  inspiration  to  labor  for 
Him.  We  must  listen  intently  for  the  voice  of  God 
speaking  to  us.  All  our  happiness  depends  upon 
our  obeying  His  call. 

2.  God  gives  the  same  reward  to  those  who  have 
labored  for  a  long  or  for  a  short  time,  if  the  latter 
obeyed  His  voice  as  soon  as  they  heard  it  calling 
them.  To  all  in  Heaven  He  will  give  the  same 
recompense  of  the  Beatific  Vision ;  but  the  degrees 
of  bliss  will  depend  on  faithfulness  to  grace.  Those 
who  lived  but  ordinary  lives  in  the  world,  or  were 
pagans  or  Protestants  half  their  days  or  more,  will 
have  the  same  reward  as  those  who  consecrated 
themselves  to  God  from  childhood,  if  they  had  the 
same  graces  at  last,  and  were  equally  faithful  to 
them. 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


581 


3.  In  the  parable  some  are  displeased  at  the 
privileges  of  others,  and  insist  on  their  own  fancied 
right  to  receive  more  than  they.  Such  jealousy  is 
hateful  in  God's  sight.  If  God  in  His  Divine 
generosity  gives  to  others  unearned  gifts,  we  should 
rejoice  in  their  happiness. 

Twenty-fourth  Week;   Sunday. — The  Petition 
of  the  Sons  of  Zebedee. 

St.  Matt.  XX.  20-23. 

SS.  James  and  John  come  with  their  mother  to 
our  Lord,  asking  for  the  privilege  of  sitting  next 
Him  in  His  Kingdom.  Jesus  answers  that  they 
do  not  know  what  they  ask,  and  inquires  whether 
they  are  able  to  drink  of  His  chalice?  They  say: 
"  We  can."  Jesus  tells  them  that  they  shall  do  so, 
but  that  the  first  seats  in  His  Kingdom  will  be  given 
to  those  for  whom  they  are  prepared  b}'  His  Father. 

1.  The  request  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee  seems  to 
have  been  the  outcome  of  love  for  Christ,  mingled 
with  ambition.  Ambition  is  a  good  thing  if  it  is 
not  a  selfish  or  worldly  ambition,  but  an  ambition 
to  be  high  in  the  ranks  of  those  who  love  God  and 
are  loved  by  Him,  and  so  to  be  nearer  to  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  Jesus.  This  should  be  our  constant  aim, 
to  deserve  a  high  place  in  the  assembly  of  the 
lovers  of  Jesus. 

2.  The  condition  of  a  high  place  in  the  love  of 
Jesus  is  a  large  share  in  His  suflFerings.  All  who 
are  His  dearly-beloved  here  are  to  drink  of  His 
chalice.  If  Christ  were  to  ask  us,  Can  you  drink 
of  the  chalice  that  I  drink  of,  the  chalice  of  neglect, 
of  outrage  and  contempt  and  unkindness,  of  interior 
darkness  and  a  death  of  agony,  could  we  answer 
generously,  as  did  James  and  John,  Yes,  Lord,  we 
can,  not  by  our  strength,  but  by  Thy  grace  ? 

3.  The  high  places  in  Heaven  are  to  be  given  not 
to  those  who  merely  ask  for  them,  but  to  those  who 
deserve  them.  They  are  reserved  for  those  who 
hear  the  Word  of  God,  and  do  it ;  for  those  who 
amid  the  difficulties  and  hardships,  persevere  in 
obedience  to  God  and  loyalty  to  Him.    Am  I  such  ? 

Twenty-fourth  Week:    Monday. — The    Blind 
Men  of  Jericho. 

St  Matt.  XX.  29-34. 

As  Jesus  went  out  of  Jericho,  followed  by  a  great 
crowd,  two  blind  men  who  sat  begging  by  the  road- 
side cried  out,  "Jesus,  thou  Son  of   David,  have 


mercy  on  us !  "  Then  Jesus  stood  still,  and  asked 
them  what  they  desired.  On  their  replying :  *'  Lord, 
that  our  eyes  be  opened,"  He  touched  their  eyes, 
and  at  once  they  saw  and  followed  Him. 

1.  Try  and  picture  the  scene.  A  great  crowd 
following  Jesus  and  these  two  blind  men  shouting : 
"Jesus,  have  mercy  upon  us  !  "  See  Jesus  listening, 
stopping,  speaking  to  them,  and  learn  from  this 
that  He  never  loses  sight  of  any  individual  in  the 
crowd.  He  has  thoughts  of  love  and  plans  of 
mercy  for  me.  If  I  cry  loud  enough.  He  will  stop 
and  listen,  and  hear  and  answer  my  petition. 

2.  The  prayer  of  these  two  blind  men  was  that 
their  eyes  might  be  opened.  How  sadly  we  need 
that  our  blindness  should  be  dispelled  by  Jesus ! 
Our  sins  have  gathered  like  a  mist  around  our  eyes. 
We  cannot  see  the  beauty  of  holiness  and  the 
hideousness  of  sin,  and  the  happiness  of  serving 
God.  Open  my  eyes,  O  Lord,  to  see  all  this,  that 
so  I  may  forsake  my  sins  and  serve  Thee  with  my 
whole  heart. 

3.  When  those  blind  men  recovered  their  sight 
at  Jesus'  touch,  at  once  they  followed  Him.  This 
should  be  the  effect  of  all  the  mercy  Christ  has 
shown  me,  and  the  graces  He  has  lavished  on  me. 
I  must  follow  Him  more  closely,  more  obediently, 
with  a  greater  desire  to  imitate  Him,  to  love  Him, 
to  suffer  with  Him  even  unto  death. 

Twenty-fourth  Week :  Tuesday. — ^The 
Conversion  of  Zaccheus. 

St.  Luke  xix.  2-10. 

Zaccheus,  a  chief  among  the  publicans,  climbed 
into  a  sycamore-tree  that  he  might  see  Jesus  as  He 
passed.  When  Jesus  came  to  the  place  He  looked 
up,  and  bade  Him  descend,  as  that  day  He  would 
lodge  in  Zaccheus'  house.  Zaccheus  on  the  occasion 
of  Jesus'  visit,  gave  half  his  goods  to  the  poor,  and 
offered  four-fold  restitution  to  any  he  had  wronged. 

1.  Our  Lord's  Heart  is  always  won  by  those  who 
take  trouble  for  His  sake.  Ascetical  writers  teaclr 
us  that  the  sycamore-tree  is  an  emblem  of  the 
Cross,  because  suffering  is  necessary  to  solid  pro- 
gress in  virtue,  and  that  Zaccheus  climbing  into  it 
was  an  instance  of  one  who  accepted  the  folly  of 
the  Cross,  which  is  the  truest  wisdom  for  those  who 
long  after  an  intimate  union  with  Jesus. 

2.  Jesus  espied  Zaccheus  in  the  tree.    He  promises 


582 


THE   MINISTK/   OF  JESUS. 


that  He  will  be  his  guest,  publican  and  sinner  as 
Zaccheus  was.  So  he  is  always  ready  to  come  and 
be  our  guest  in  Holy  Communion,  if  we  (i)  long 
after  Him  as  Zaccheus  did,  (2)  obey  His  word,  (3) 
are  prompt  in  following  His  inspirations,  (4)  count 
it  a  joy  and  happiness  to  have  Him  for  our  Divine 
Guest. 

3.  Observe  the  effect  of  our  Lord's  presence  in 
his  house,  (i)  The  avaricious  publican  gives  half 
his  goods  to  the  poor.  (2)  He  promises  four-fold 
restitution  if  any  one  has  anything  against  him. 
Thus  it  is  that  our  Lord  enables  us  to  expel  from 
our  souls  even  the  most  deeply  rooted  and  inveterate 
faults.  • 

Twenty-fourth  Week :  Wednesday. — The  Lord 
and  His  Servants. 

St.  Luke  xix.  11-28. 

A  nobleman  about  to  leave  his  home  for  a  time 
gives  his  ten  servants  each  a  pound  with  which  to 
trade  for  their  master.  On  his  return  he  finds  that 
one  has  gained  ten,  another  five  pounds.  But  one 
of  them  had  kept  the  pound  wrapped  up  in  a 
napkin.  The  lord  rewards  the  faithful  servants  and 
condemns  the  one  who  had  made  nothing. 

1.  These  pounds  are  the  graces  that  God  gives 
to  us  gratuitously.  They  are  not  purely  a  gift, 
but  a  gift  that  carries  with  them  a  serious  respon- 
sibility. This  is  true  of  all  God's  gifts :  health, 
strength,  money,  success,  and,  above  all,  super- 
natural graces.  We  have  to  answer  for  each  ;  they 
are  given  to  us  to  trade  withal  for  our  Master's 
glory.  If  we  are  not  our  own,  much  more  the  gifts 
God  has  put  into  our  hands  are  not  our  own  but  His. 
Do  I  use  them  with  this  fact  ever  before  my  eyes  ? 

2.  The  pounds  traded  with  produced  more 
pounds.  So  God's  graces,  if  rightly  used,  produce 
fresh  graces.  Our  Lady's  immeasurable  grace  was 
the  result  of  her  invariable  faithfulness  to  grace. 
If  I  want  more  grace  from  God,  the  only  way  to  ob- 
tain it  is  to  make  afaithful  use  of  the  graces  I  possess. 

3.  Notice  the  magnificence  of  the  reward  ;  a  city, 
in  reward  for  a  pound  well  used.  Notice,  also,  the 
exact  proportion  between  the  sum  acquired  and  the 
dominion  granted.  In  Heaven  our  reward  will  be 
magnificent  beyond  our  highest  expectations,  but 
always  in  proportion  to  our  faithfulness  to  grace 
during  our  time  of  probation. 


Twenty-fourth    Week:    Thursday. — ^The   Pro- 
cession of  Palms. 

St.  Luke  xix.  29-38. 

When  our  Lord  approached  Jerusalem,  a  great 
multitude  went  out  to  meet  and  welcome  Him. 
Some  spread  their  garments  in  the  way,  others 
strewed  branches  on  the  ground,  and  the  children 
cried,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David."  Among 
them  rode  our  Lord,  seated  on  an  ass,  meek  and 
humble  of  heart,  with  mingled  sentiments  of  joy 
and  sorrow. 

1.  The  entry  into  Jerusalem  was  the  occasion  on 
which  the  multitudes  openly  recognized  Christ  as 
their  King,  as  coming  with  authority  from  God 
Himself.  The  palm  branches  were  their  testimony 
that  He  had  triumphed  over  His  enemies  ;  the 
garments  strewn  in  the  way  was  their  declaration 
of  submission  to  Him ;  and  the  cry  of  Hosanna 
was  the  prayer  that  God  might  prosper  Him  in 
His  Mission.  Rejoice  in  this  recognition  of  His 
Divine  authority,  of  His  triumph  over  His  ene- 
mies, of  your  subjection  to  Him,  and  to  others  for 
His  sake ;  and  pray  that  His  Kingdom  may  be 
spread  over  the  earth  more  and  more. 

2.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  pageant  rode  Jesus, 
meek  and  humble,  mounted  on  an  ass.  Those 
plaudits  of  the  multitude,  how  little  they  affected 
Him  ;  yet  He  rejoiced  in  their  loyalty  and  in  their 
good-will.  Pray  that  in  the  midst  of  applause  you 
may  be  meek,  as  He  was. 

3.  Mingled  with  His  joy  was  a  bitter  sorrow  at 
the  knowledge  that  in  a  few  days  the  fickle  crowd 
would  shout :  "  Crucify  Him  !"  He  anticipated  the 
scene  close  at  hand,  when  those  He  loved  would 
reject  Him  and  desire  His  death.  Learn  of  Him  to 
see  the  worthlessness  of  popularity,  and  be  willing 
to  bear  reproach  with  Him. 

Twenty-fourth  Week:   Friday. — Christ  Weeps 
over  Jerusalem. 

St.  Luke  xix.  41-44. 

As  our  Lord  drew  near  to  Jerusalem,  He  began 
to  weep  over  it,  and  to  say  :  "  If  thou  hadst  known, 
and  that  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  that  are  to 
thy  peace  I  But  now  they  are  hidden  from  thine 
eyes."  He  then  foretold  the  coming  destruction  of 
the  city. 

I.  Jesus,  looking  down  upon   the  city  of  Jeru- 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


583 


salem,  was  full  of  sorrow  at  the  thought  of  its 
approaching  doom.  He  loved  Jerusalem,  and  His 
own  nation.  Loyalty  to  our  country  is  a  duty  to 
God,  as  well  as  an  instinct  of  the  human  heart. 
Every  good  man  is  a  patriot.  But  our  patriotism 
must  be  a  desire  above  all  that  our  land  and  city 
may  be  faithful  to  God,  not  merely  that  it  may  be 
great  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

2.  The  cause  of  the  grief  of  Jesus  was  the 
thought  of  what  Jerusalem  might  have  been,  as 
compared  with  what  it  was.  Alas,  over  how  many 
cities  He  may  well  weep  now  !  What  might  they 
have  been  if  their  rulers  had  been  faithful  to  God, 
and  what  are  they — London,  Paris,  Vienna,  the 
once  Christian  city  of  Constantine  ?  What  awful 
paganism,  luxury,  corruption,  pride  !  We  ought  to 
pray  for  the  nations  thus  robbed  of  their  inherit- 
ance by  heresy  and  sin. 

3.  Over  many  an  individual,  too,  our  Lord  utters 
the  same  mournful  words  :  "  If  thou  hadst  known!" 
If  only  thou  hadst  listened  to  the  secret  inspira- 
tions of  grace,  thou  mightest  have  been  a  saint ; 
and  now — .  Grant,  O  Lord,  that  my  ears  may  not  be 
deaf  to  the  things  that  make  for  my  eternal  peace  ! 

Twenty- fourth  Week :  Saturday. — On  Death  to 
the  World. 

St.  John  xii.  20-25. 

On  the  occasion  of  certain  Gentiles  desiring  to 
see  our  Lord,  He  answers  that  the  time  is  at  hand 
when  He  is  to  be  glorified  over  the  whole  world. 
Before  this  He  must  be  like  a  grain  of  wheat, 
which,  unless  it  die,  remains  alone  ;  but  if  it  falls  into 
the  earth  and  disappears,  it  brings  forth  much  fruit. 

1.  During  our  Lord's  Ministry  He  had  instructed 
His  Apostles  not  to  go  into  the  cities  or  ways  of  the 
Gentiles.  But  now  a  new  era  is  at  hand,  and  the 
Son  of  Man  is  to  be  glorified  by  Gentiles  as  well 
as  by  Jews.  The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  all-embracing. 
There  is  place  for  all  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
Thank  God  for  the  universality  of  the  Church,  and 
pray  that  you  may  find  a  place  in  it. 

2.  Our  Lord's  glory  and  the  spread  of  His 
Kingdom  is  only  to  be  attained  by  His  death.  He 
is  that  Divine  grain  of  wheat  which  falls  into  the 
barren  earth  and  makes  it  to  fructify  by  His  Pas- 
sion and  Crucifixion.  This  law  of  humiliation  and 
annihilation  of  self  as  the  condition  of  future  glory 


and  success  in  work  for  God  extends  even  to  Jesus. 
How  much  more  is  it  necessary  for  sinful  men. 

3.  This  is  the  fact  that  I  must  face.  I  must  die 
to  myself  and  to  the  world  if  I  am  to  take  part  in 
the  spread  of  Christ's  Kingdom.  I  must  practise 
unselfishness,  be  willing  to  be  overlooked  and  for- 
gotten, live  a  hidden  life,  suffer  and  be  subject.  Is 
this  my  temper,  or  do  I  want  to  be  prominent  and 
highly  esteemed? 

Twenty-fifth  Week:  Sunday.— The  Barren 
Fig-tree. 

St.  Matt.  xxi.  19. 

Jesus  walking  one  morning  into  Jerusalem  and 
being  hungry,  seeing  a  fig-tree  on  the  way,  came  to 
seek  figs  on  it.  Finding  none,  but  leaves  only.  He 
said,  *'  May  no  fruit  grow  on  thee  henceforward  for 
ever."    And  presently  the  fig-tree  withered  away. 

1.  The  fig-tree  was  a  symbol  of  the  Synagogue  of 
the  Jews,  sightly  enough  and  apparently  flourishing, 
but  wholly  destitute  of  fruit.  External  rites  and 
ceremonies,  long  prayers  for  ostentation's  sake,  alms 
given  from  natural  benevolence  or  for  show,  and 
not  with  a  supernatural  motive,  were  the  general 
characteristics  of  the  Jews  of  our  Lord's  day.  The 
same  dangers  still  exist.  We  may  easily  spoil  what 
we  do  by  our  vanity  and  love  of  self,  and  so  produce 
only  leaves,  not  fruit. 

2.  It  was  not  yet  the  time  of  figs.  But  the  time 
is  always  present  of  bringing  forth  good  fruit  to 
God.  It  is  dangerous  indeed  to  say,  the  time  has 
not  yet  come  for  me  to  devote  myself  to  God ;  to- 
morrow, or  at  some  future  time,  I  will  listen  to  His 
inspirations,  for  this  time  may  never  come. 

3.  The  time  of  figs  never  came  to  the  fig-tree  in 
this  parable,  for  Christ's  malediction  left  it  power- 
less to  bring  forth  fruit.  How  sad  would  be  my 
lot  if  such  a  curse  were  to  fall  on  me.  Christ  is 
very  patient,  but  the  time  may  at  length  come,  if 
I  do  not  bear  fruit,  when  He  will  say :  From  thee 
no  fruit  henceforward !  I  must  be  up  and  doing ; 
working  r<ot  for  myself,  but  for  the  honor  of  Christ 
Jesus  my  Lord. 

Twenty-fifth  Week:   Monday. — On  Confidence 
In  Prayer, 

St.  Mark  xi.  22-24. 

When  the  disciples  observed  that  the  fig-tree  had 
withered  away  at  our  Lord's  word,  He  takes  occasion 


684 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


to  urge  the  importance  of  confidence  in  prayer. 
"  Whatever  you  shall  ask  in  prayer  believing^  you 
shall  receive.  Whoever  shall  have  faith  as  a  grain 
of  mustard-seed,  if  he  shall  say  to  a  mountain, 
Take  up  and  cast  thyself  into  the  sea,  it  shall  be 
done.'' 

1.  Confidence  is  no  less  a  requisite  in  prayer  than 
persistence  and  humility.  Men  are  much  more 
ready  to  grant  the  petitions  of  those  who  approach 
them  with  a  respectful  boldness.  So  it  is  with  God. 
He  likes  us  to  assume  as  a  matter  of  course  that  we 
shall  be  heard.  Do  I  come  with  this  confidence 
before  God,  to  ask  what  I  need  ? 

2.  Why  is  it  that  we  have  so  little  confidence  ?  It 
is  not  that  we  doubt  the  power  of  God,  or  even  His 
goodness.  It  is  not  the  fact  of  our  past  sins.  It  is 
our  present  love  of  self  It  is  the  want  of  perfect 
conformity  to  His  will  that  saps  our  confidence. 
We  hold  something  back  which  we  have  not  given 
with  all  our  heart  to  God.  We -are  not  generous 
with  Him,  and  so  we  naturally  conclude  that  He 
will  not  be  generous  with.  us. 

3.  What  ought  to  be  the  ground  of  our  confi- 
dence ?  The  love  of  Jesus  for  every  one  who  is  a 
member  of  His  Spouse  the  Church.  He  cannot 
help  loving  His  immaculate  Spouse  and  every  mem- 
ber of  it.  "  He  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for 
me."  We  always  feel  at  our  ease  with  those  who 
we  know  love  us,  and  none  loves  us  like  Jesus. 
Hence  we  should  be  at  our  ease  with  Him,  and  this 
confidence  will  obtain  all  we  ask. 

Twenty-fifth    Week:     Tuesday. — Our    Lord's 
Authority  to  Teach. 

St.  Matt.  xxi.  23-27. 

When  the  Chief  Priests  and  Ancients  questioned 
our  Lord  as  to  His  authority  to  teach,  He  asked 
them  in  reply  whence  John  the  Baptist  derived  his 
authority  ?  This  question  they  could  not  answer. 
Our  Lord  answered  that  as  they  could  not  tell,  so 
neither  would  He  tell  them  whence  His  own 
authority  was  derived. 

I.  This  question  of  the  Chief  Priests  was  a  clear 
mark  of  their  hatred  of  the  truth.  They  had  seen 
in  Jesus  marvels  that  God  alone  could  work,  and 
had  heard  from  His  lips  words  which  God  alone 
COU.M  inspire.     Yet  they  objected  to  His  teaching 


on  the  ground  that  he  had  received  no  commission 
to  teach.  We  can  always  raise  objections  to  the 
actions  of  those  we  dislike  and  regard  with  an  evil 
eye.  We  question  their  authority  and  dispute  their 
power. 

2.  Selfishness  and  jealousy  of  others  always 
defeats  its  own  end.  The  Ancients  and  Pharisees, 
by  keeping  aloof  from  St.  John,  and  refusing  to 
acknowledge  his  Divine  mission,  were  furnishing  a 
weapon  that  our  Lord  turned  against  themselves. 
They  had  hated  John  and  had  rejected  his  teaching, 
yet  they  dare  not  deny  his  authority  to  be  from 
God.  So  it  always  is  with  the  selfish  :  while  seek- 
ing to  secure  their  own  interests,  they  are  their  own 
worst  enemies. 

3.  When  men  came  to  our  Lord  as  humble 
searchers  after  truth.  He  never  left  them  in  doubt 
as  to  His  claims  on  their  allegiance.  But  the  Chief 
Priests  had  forfeited  grace  ;  their  eyes  and  ears  were 
closed  to  the  truth.  O  unhappy  condition  !  What 
more  hopeless  ?    May  God  in  mercy  save  me  from  it. 


Twenty-fifth  Week:   Wednesday, 
bedient  Sons. 


-The   Diso- 


St.  Matt.  xxi.  28-32. 

"A  certain  man  had  two  sons,  and  to  the  first  he 
said,  Son,  go  work  to-day  in  my  vineyard.  He  said, 
I  will  not ;  but  afterwards,  moved  with  repentence, 
he  went.  The  second  answered,  I  go,  sir,  and  went 
not.  Which  of  these  two,"  asks  our  Lord  of  the 
Priests  and  Ancients,  "did  the  will  of  his  father?" 
When  they  answered,  The  first.  He  tells  them  that 
the  publicans  and  harlots  will  go  into  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  before  them. 

1 .  The  elder  son  in  the  parable  was  by  no  means 
a  dutiful  child.  He  refused  to  obey  his  father's 
command,  but  afterwards  he  repented  and  obeyed. 
I  resemble  this  son  in  his  early  disobedience. 
Many  and  many  a  time  God  has  ordered  me  or 
asked  me  to  do  something  for  Him,  and  I  have 
virtually  said,  I  will  not.  Have  I  since  repented  of 
my  disobedience,  and  does  He  ever  ask  of  me  now 
some  little  act  of  charity  or  self-denial  or  humility, 
and  do  I  answer  in  my  heart,  I  will  not  ? 

2.  The  second  son  was  a  fair-spoken  man,  yet  in 
his  heart  he  was  determined  to  follow  his  own  will, 
not  his  father's ;  and  in  spite  of  his  promise,  he 


THE   MINISTRY   OF  JESUS. 


585 


never  obeyed  the  command  given  him.  Am  I  not 
too  much  like  him  ?  In  my  prayers  I  say  beautiful 
things  to  God.  But  when  it  comes  to  practice,  I  do 
not  even  attempt  to  carry  out  His  inspiration. 

3.  The  Pharisees  in  their  pride  fancied  they  were 
on  the  high-road  to  Heaven.  What  can  they  have 
thought  of  our  Lord's  words  :  "  The  publicans  and 
harlots  shall  go  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  before 
you  ?  "  I,  too,  who  am  so  proud,  must  listen  and 
hear  our  Lord  saying  the  same  to  me ;  and  I  must 
humble  myself  accordingly,  and  see  how  much 
better  they  are  than  I. 

Twenty-fifth  Week :  Thursday. — The  Question 
of  the  Sadducees. 

St.  Luke  XX.  27-40. 

The  Sadducees,  who  denied  the  resurrection  of 
the  body,  asked  our  Lord  whose  wife  a  woman 
would  be  in  the  resurrection  if  she  had  been  mar- 
ried several  times  on  earth.  Jesus  answered  that 
they  were  in  error,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  for 
in  the  resurrection  none  would  marry,  but  all  would 
live  an  angelic  life.  After  this  none  of  them  dared 
to  ask  Him  any  more  questions. 

1.  The  Sadducees  maliciously  thought  that  they 
would  puzzle  our  Lord  by  the  objection  they  pro- 
posed to  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  thus 
secure  the  double  end  of  putting  Him  to  shame 
and  making  His  doctrine  ridiculous.  How  vain 
their  efforts  I  All  the  attacks  of  wicked  men  on 
God  and  truth  will  one  day  turn  to  their  own  con- 
fusion.    We  must  be  patient. 

2.  The  Pharisees  first  misrepresented  the  teach- 
ing of  Christ  and  then  proceeded  to  demolish  their 
own  misrepresentation.  So  heretics  misrepresent 
the  doctrines  of  the  Church — the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception, Eternal  Punishment,  Indulgences,  Papal 
Infallibility,  and  the  like — and  then  proceed  to  con- 
fute their  own  garbled  version  of  the  truth.  Make 
an  act  of  faith  in  the  reasonableness  as  well  as  the 
truth  of  all  that  the  Church  teaches. 

3.  Our  Lord  tells  the  Sadducees  that  in  Heaven 
all  natural  love  will  be  swallowed  up  in  supernatural. 
We  shall  love  father,  mother,  brother,  sister,  wife, 
children,  in  God  and  for  God,  and  not  with  any 
love  that  would  -interfere  with  others  loving  them 
too.  Even  in  this  world  all  our  love  for  others 
must  be  unselfish  if  it  is  to  endure. 


Twenty-fifth  Week :  Friday. — The  Vineyard 
and  the  Husbandmen. 

St.  Matt.  xxi.  33-41. 

A  man  had  a  vineyard  which  he  let  out  to  hus- 
bandmen. When  the  vintage  drew  near,  he  sent 
his  servants  to  receive  the  produce  due  to  him.  But 
the  husbandmen  beat  and  ill-treated  those  who  were 
sent,  and  killed  some  of  them.  At  last  he  sent  his 
son,  saying,  "  They  will  reverence  my  son."  But 
the  husbandmen  said,  "  This  is  the  heir  ;  let  us  kill 
him."  What,  asks  our  Lord,  will  the  lord  of  the 
vineyard  do  to  these  wicked  men  ?" 

1.  The  vineyard  of  the  parable  was  the  Jewish 
Church.  To  the  Jews  God  sent  prophets,  whom 
they  ill-used ;  and  at  last  His  own  beloved  Son, 
Whom  they  rejected,  outraged  and  put  to  death. 
What  accounts  for  their  extraordinary  perversity  ? 
Pride,  and  the  rebellion  consequent  on  pride.  We 
see  it  in  the  stories  of  Saul,  Ahab  and  others. 
Learn  to  hate  pride". 

2.  Authority  came  to  them  at  last  in  the  form  of 
the  Son  of  God,  meek  and  humble  of  heart,  who 
went  about  doing  good,  whose  gentleness  and  love 
won  all  men  of  good-will.  Even  Him  they  hated — 
nay,  hated  Him  more  than  all  because  he  spoke 
with  paramount  authority.  Such  is  the  result  of 
pride.  It  tends  to  make  us  dislike  even  the  au- 
thority that  we  know  comes  from  Heaven.  Grant 
me,  O  Lord,  the  spirit  of  submission  and  true  hu- 
mility. 

3.  Pride  brings  its  own  fall.  Its  short-lived 
triumphs  are  followed  by  its  destruction  and  abase- 
ment. The  Lord  will  come  and  crush  the  proud 
under  His  feet.  He  will  drive  them  out  from  their 
inheritance.  This  is  the  story  of  apostasy  from  the 
truth  :  it  is  always  pride.  This  is  the  reason  why 
so  many  who  begin  well  end  miserably. 

Twenty-fifth  Week  :  Saturday.— The  Wedding 
of  the  King's  Son. 

St.  Matt.  xxii.  2-13. 

A  king  made  a  marriage-feast  for  his  son,  and 
invited  many.  But  they  neglected  the  invitation, 
and  put  to  death  those  sent  to  invite  them.  Then 
the  king  being  angry  told  his  servants  to  go  into 
the  highways  and  call  any  they  could  find.  When 
the  king  came  to  see  the  guests,  there  was  one  who 


586 


THE   MINISTRY    OF   JESUS. 


had  not  on  a  wedding  garment.  The  king  ordered 
him  to  be  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  cast  into  the 
exterior  darkness. 

1.  The  feast  to  which  God  invites  His  guests  is 
the  feast  of  graces  in  this  life  and  of  glory  in  the 
next.  How  many  He  summons  in  vain !  Those 
outside  the  Church  He  calls  to  enter  in.  Those 
living  in  the  world  He  calls  it  may  be  to  the 
religious  life,  or  to  some  form  of  penance,  or  to 
a  life  of  greater  devotion.  With  those  who  refuse 
His  invitation  He  is  justly  angry.  O  my  God,  I 
thank  Thee  that  I  have  not  substantially  neglected 
Thy  invitation ! 

2.  Into  the  Church  are  gathered  good  and  bad, 
so  that  it  is  filled  with  a  variety  of  guests.  So  to 
the  religious  life  it  is  not  only  the  virtuous  and 
holy  that  are  called.  Happy  it  is  for  me  that  God 
calls  not  the  just  only,  but  sinners  also,  else  where 
would  be  my  present  privileges  ? 

3.  In  the  Catholic  Church,  even  in  the  religious 
life,  there  may  be  some  who  have  lost  the  wedding 
garment  of  charity.  Alas  for  them,  if  the  King 
comes  while  they  are  without  it !  Their  lot  will  be 
exterior  darkness  for  ever.  I  must  be  very  careful 
not  to  forfeit  the  possession  of  this  precious  gar- 
ment, or,  if  I  should  lose  it,  to  regain  it  without 
delay  by  contrition  and  penance. 

Twenty-Sixth  Week :  Sunday. — Caesar  and  God, 

St.  Matt.  xxii.  15-21. 

The  Pharisees  send  their  disciples  with  the 
Herodians  to  question  Christ  as  to  whether  it  is 
lawful  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar  or  not.  He  sees 
through  their  wiles,  and,  asking  for  a  piece  of 
money,  elicits  from  them  that  the  current  coinage 
bears  Caesar's  image  upon  it,  and  they  are,  there- 
fore, to  render  to  Caesar  what  is  acknowledged  as 
his,  and  to  God  what  is  due  to  Him. 

1 .  See  the  bitter  malice  of  the  Pharisees !  How 
they  hate  Jesus  1  His  holiness,  purity,  humility, 
charity,  unselfishness  were  a  reproach  to  their 
worldliness,  impurity,  selfishness,  pride.  I  must 
be  on  my  guard  against  a  certain  tendency  to  be 
jealous  of  those  who  are  better  than  I  am  and  are 
preferred  to  me.  Instead  of  this  I  must  try  and 
imitate  their  virtues. 

2.  The  questioners  thought  to  show  Christ  either 


as  a  rebel  or  unpatriotic.  But  He  utterly  defeats 
them  by  His  answer.  Their  acceptance  of  the 
Roman  coinage  was  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
Roman  power,  and,  therefore,  made  it  lawful,  if  not 
obligatory,  to  pay  the  tribute  to  Rome.  Admire 
Christ's  Divine  prudence,  and  ask  Him  to  give  you 
the  grace  of  prudent  and  unoffending  words. 

3.  In  the  words,  "  Render  to  Caesar  the  things 
that  are  Caesar's,  and  to  God  the  things  that  are 
God's,"  our  Lord  lays  down  the  principle  of  civil 
and  religious  obligation.  We  must  not  neglect  one 
for  the  other ;  both  come  from  God.  True  religion 
can  never  make  us  unpatriotic  or  disobedient  to 
lawful  authority,  and  true  patriotism  and  loyalty 
can  never  interfere  with  our  duty  to  God  and  to  the 
Church.  But  when  the  State  goes  beyond  its  proper 
sphere,  then  we  must  neglect  all  to  obey  God. 

Twenty-sixth  "Week  :    Monday. — ^The  Widow's 

Mite. 

St.  Mark  xli.  41-44. 

Our  Lord  sitting  near  the  Treasury  saw  the 
people  casting  in  their  money,  and  many  who  were 
rich  cast  in  much ;  a  poor  widow  cast  in  a  farthing. 
Jesus  calls  His  disciples,  and  tells  them  that  she 
has  cast  in  more  than  all  the  rest,  for  she  has  given 
all  she  possessed  to  God. 

1.  Jesus  watching  the  people  casting  the  money 
into  the  treasury  of  the  Temple  was  doing  what  He 
still  continues  to  do,  when  there  is  a  question  of 
giving  money  for  some  pious  end.  He  watches  and 
sees  what  each  gives,  whether  in  the  generosity  of 
their  heart  they  give  the  most  they  can,  or  whether 
they  give,  on  the  other  hand,  as  little  as  possible. 
Which  is  my  disposition  when  I  am  asked  to  give  ? 
Shall  I  obtain  the  large  benediction  that  He  bestows 
on  the  generous  giver  ? 

2.  Yet  generosity  does  not  depend  on  the  amount 
given,  but  on  its  proportion  to  the  resources  of  the 
giver.  To  give  a  thousand  pounds  in  charity  may 
not  be  as  generous  a  gift  to  God  as  to  give  a  shill- 
ing or  even  less.  We  must  give  what  will  cost  us 
something.  If  our  charity  is  to  be  the  pure  gold 
that  wins  the  heart  of  God,  it  must  involve  some 
self-denial. 

3.  The  gift  of  the  poor  widow  did  more  than  cost 
her  a  slight  self-denial.    It  left  her  penniless.    How 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


687 


contrary  her  action  to  human  prudence !  But  in  the 
eyes  of  God  it  was  the  truest  wisdom.  What  faith 
she  must  have  had !  What  charity  !  No  fear  that 
she  would  be  left  in  want.  God  would  provide  for 
her,  and  that  most  liberally,  as  He  always  does  for 
those  who  are  liberal  with  Him.  Am  I  ready  thus 
to  give  all  to  God  ? 

Twenty-sixth  Week :  Tuesday. — The  Great 
Commandment. 

St.  Matt.  xxii.  35-40. 

One  of  the  Scribes  asked  our  Lord,  "  Which  is 
the  great  commandment  of  the  Law?"  He  an- 
swered :  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
thy  whole  heart  and  thy  whole  soul  and  thy  whole 
mind.  And  the  second  is  like  to  this :  Thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  On  these  two  command- 
ments dependeth  the  whole  Law  and  the  Prophets." 

1.  The  centre  ofall  sanctity  is  the  love  of  God.  We 
must  love  Him  with  our  whole  soul  and  heart  and 
mind.  The  affectionate  loyalty  of  our  hearts  must  be 
given  entirely  to  Him,  our  bodies  must  be  consecrated 
to  Him,  and  our  intellectual  powers  must  be  used  for 
Him.  Alas  !  how  defective  is  my  love  and  service  ! 
Can  I  say  that  my  heart  is  wholly  fixed  on  God  ? 

2.  The  second  law  of  holiness  is  no  less  binding 
than  the  first.  It  flows  from  it  and  is  inseparable 
from  it.  We  must  love  our  neighbor  as  we  love 
ourselves.  This  is  a  very  high  standard,  and  few 
indeed  are  they  who  attain  it.  Yet  it  is  what  God 
requires.  It  is  a  command,  not  a  counsel,  that  we 
should  regard  the  interests  of  others  as  our  own. 
This  is  the  great  lesson  of  Christ's  life.  To  what 
extent  have  I  learned  it  ? 

3.  The  obstacle  to  the  keeping  of  these  command- 
ments is  self-love.  It  prevents  our  loving  God 
wholly,  since  He  will  brook  no  rival ;  and  it  pre- 
vents our  loving  our  neighbor  as  ourselves,  for  it 
makes  us  postpone  our  neighbor's  interests  to  our 
own.  Yet  this  is  fatal  to  all  true  self-love  and  self- 
interest.  Those  who  forget  themselves  are  those 
who  alone  promote  their  own  interest  and  their 
happiness. 

Twenty-sixth  Week  :  Wednesday. — "  Woe  to 
You,  Scribes  and  Pharisees." 

St.  Matt  xxiii.  1-36. 

In  a  discourse  addressed  to  the  multitude  and  to 
His  disciples,  our  Lord  enjoins  obedience  to  the 


Scribes  and  Pharisees  as  ofl&cial  exponents  of  the 
Law  of  Moses,  but  warns  His  hearers  against  imi- 
tating their  works,  and  denounces  them  for  their  hy- 
pocrisy, formality,  inconsistency,  ambition,  pride. 

1.  "  Woe  to  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees  !"  This 
is  a  terrible  denunciation  coming  from  the  mouth 
of  God  Incarnate.  Christ  thus  denounces  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  because  of  (a)  their  self-ex- 
altation. They  love  the  first  places  at  feasts,  to  be 
saluted  as  Rabbi,  and  to  be  accounted  great.  (3) 
Their  hypocrisy.  They  make  long  prayers  and 
profess  great  zeal,  and  meanwhile  are  guilty  of 
scandal  and  injustice,  {c)  Their  neglect  of  the  es- 
sentials of  the  Law,  judgment,  justice  and  truth, 
while  they  insist  on  the  accidental  duties  of  an  exact 
payment  of  tithes  and  alms,  (d)  Their  pretended 
indignation  against  the  wickedness  of  their  fathers 
in  persecuting  the  prophets,  while  they  themselves 
are  just  as  bad.  Examine  yourself  on  these  points, 
lest  Christ  say  "  Woe  "  to  you. 

2.  All  this  corruption  on  the  part  of  the  Pharisees 
arose  from  their  being  puffed  up  by  the  respect 
shown  to  them  by  the  people,  and  taking  to  them- 
selves the  honor  paid  to  their  ofi&ce.  This  is  a 
serious  danger  to  all  whose  position  entitles  them 
to  respect.  They  forget  that  those  who  occupy 
high  places  are  bound,  for  that  very  reason,  to 
esteem  themselves  the  least  and  lowest. 

3.  How  did  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  take  our 
Lord's  warnings  ?  They  were  only  the  more  em- 
bittered against  Him.  Woe  to  me,  if  I  take  reproof 
as  they  did. 

Twenty-sixth  Week  :  Thursday. — The  Parable 
of  the  Ten  Virgins. 

St.  Matt.  XXV.  1-13. 

There  were  ten  virgins  who  went  out  to  meet  the 
bridegroom  and  the  bride.  Five  were  wise  and  five 
were  foolish.  The  wise  virgins  took  a  good  supply 
of  oil  in  their  lamps,  but  the  foolish  virgins  took 
no  oil.  When  the  bridegroom  came,  the  wise  vir- 
gins were  ready  to  meet  him  with  lamps  trimmed 
and  burning.  The  foolish  virgins,  finding  that 
their  lamps  had  gone  out,  went  to  buy  some  oil, 
and  so  were  too  late  for  the  marriage,  and  were 
shut  out. 

I.  The  oil  in  the  lamps  of  the  virgins  is  the  pure 
intention  that  makes  us  labor  for  God's  glory,  not 


588 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   JESUS. 


for  our  own,  and  guide  our  lives  by  His  holy  inspi- 
rations and  according  to  the  Divine  law,  not  by  our 
own  impulses  and  inclinations.  Without  this,  the 
light  that  is  in  us  is  nothing  else  but  darkness.  Do 
I  in  my  lamp  carry  this  oil  of  Divine  charity  ? 

2.  All  ten  were  virgins,  notes  St.  Gregory,  but 
only  five  were  admitted  to  the  marriage  supper  of 
the  Lamb.  It  is  not  enough  to  be  free  from  gross 
sin  and  do  no  harm.  Without  supernatural  charity 
our  natural  virtues  may  even  be  a  misfortune  to 
us,  if  we  trust  to  them  and  forget  that  they  are 
worthless  in  the  sight  of  God  as  a  source  of  merit 
on  earth  or  of  glory  in  Heaven. 

3.  Those  who  were  once  shut  out  from  the  bridal 
feast  vainly  sought  for  admittance.  Those  who 
are  shut  out  by  the  Particular  Judgment  from  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  are  shut  out  for  ever.  What 
a  terrible  thought  for  me  !  How  carefully  I  must 
watch,  with  the  lamp  of  charity  burning  brightly. 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  whom  his  Lord,  when  He 
Cometh,  shall  find  watching  !" 

Twenty-sijrth  Week:   Friday — The  Parable  of 
the  Talents. 

St.  Matt  XXV.  14-30. 

A  man  going  into  a  far  country  gives  to  his 
various  servants  goods  according  to  their  ability. 
On  his  return  the  one  servant  who  had  received 
five  talents,  brought  another  five.  Another,  who 
had  received  two,  brought  another  two,  and  so  on. 
These  servants  are  praised  and  richly  rewarded  by 
their  master.  One,  however,  who  had  received  only 
one  talent,  had  hidden  it  in  the  earth  instead  of 
trading  with  it.  The  master  orders  that  he  shall 
be  cast  into  exterior  darkness,  and  his  talent  given 
to  the  one  who  already  has  ten. 

1.  Observe  that  of  those  servants,  who  have  re- 
ceived much  from  God,  far  more  is  expected  than 
from  others.  God  has  given  me  so  much,  so  many 
opportunities  for  serving  Him,  so  many  endowments 
in  the  order  of  nature  as  well  as  graces  beyond  the 
average  of  men.  God  will  expect  of  me  a  corre- 
sponding return. 

2.  The  servant  who  had  the  smallest  amount, 
was  condemned  for  not  employing  it.  If  I  have 
small  talents,  this  will  not  excuse  me  if  I  neglect  to 
use  for  God  what  I  have.     Notice,  too,  that  this 


servant  did  not  waste  the  money.  His  condemna- 
tion was  for  not  gaining  more  for  his  master.  It 
is  not  enough  to  do  no  harm.  This  will  not  save 
us ;  we  must  do  positive  good,  if  we  wish  to  go  to 
Heaven. 

3.  The  graces  that  are  neglected  by  some  pass 
on  to  others.  The  talent  of  the  idle  servant  is 
given  to  him  that  has  gained  the  most  by  trading. 
How  easy  to  lose  graces  !  I  must  beware  lest  the 
graces  God  would  fain  have  given  me  be  bestowed 
elsewhere  because  of  my  ingratitude. 

Twenty-sixth  Week :  Saturday. — ^The  Final 
Judgment. 

St.  Matt.  XXV.  31-46. 

When  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  His  majesty, 
He  will  summon  all  mankind  before  Him  ;  the  just 
on  His  right  hand,  the  wicked  on  His  left.  To  the 
former  He  will  say :  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  My 
Father,  inherit  the  Kingdom  prepared  for  you  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world."  To  the  latter :  "  De- 
part, ye  cursed." 

1.  Try  to  realize  that  day,  when  the  whole  world 
will  be  assembled,  and  you  amongst  them,  before 
the  throne  of  the  majesty  of  Jesus  Christ.  On 
which  side  should  you  be  found  now?  How  will 
you  endure  to  have  all  your  hidden  actions  and 
secret  thoughts  made  known  to  all  ?  Have  you  not 
cause  to  tremble  at  that  inevitable  scene  in  which, 
whether  you  are  willing  or  not,  you  must  take  a 
part? 

2.  The  chief  cause  of  terror  to  the  wicked  will  be 
the  wrath  of  Him  who  sits  upon  the  throne  as  their 
Judge.  His  Divine  beauty  will  make  them  long 
after  Him,  but  His  anger  will  make  them  long,  in 
an  agony  of  fear,  to  hide  themselves  from  His  sight. 
There  is  no  misery  to  be  compared  to  the  misery  of 
having  Christ  angry  with  us.  Pray  that  you  may 
never  give  Him  cause  to  be  angry  with  you. 

3.  The  distinguishing  mark  between  the  just  and 
the  wicked  is  charity  to  others  for  Christ's  sake. 
Christ  speaks  of  this  as  the  passport  to  Heaven. 
Not  a  word  about  any  virtues  save  this.  Why  is 
this?  Because  self-denying  charity  for  Christ's 
sake  carries  with  it  all  other  virtues  and  hides  a 
multitude  of  sins.  Is  self-denying  charity  the  dis- 
tinguishing mark  of  my  life  ? 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN 

AND    OTHER    WOMEN    OF    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT. 


The  Conversion  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen. 

St.  Luke  vii. 

And  behold  a  woman,  who  was  in  the  city,  a 
sinner,  when  she  knew  that  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in 
the  Pharisee's  house,  brought  an  alabaster  box  of 
ointment ;  and,  standing  behind  at  His  feet,  she 
began  to  wash  His  feet  with  tears  and  wiped  them 
with  the  hairs  of  her  head,  and  kissed  His  feet  and 
anointed  them  with  the  ointment.  And  the  Pharisee 
who  had  invited  Him,  seeing  it,  spoke  within  him- 
self, saying :  This  man,  if  he  were  a  prophet,  would 
know  surely  who  and  what  manner  of  woman  this 
is  that  toucheth  Him,  that  she  is  a  sinner.  And 
Jesus  answering,  said  to  him :  Simon,  I  have  some- 
thing to  say  to  thee.  But  he  said  :  Master,  say  it. 
A  certain  creditor  had  two  debtors  ;  the  one  owed 
five  hundred  pence,  the  other  fifty.  And  whereas 
they  had  not  wherewith  to  pay,  he  forgave  them 
both.  Which,  therefore,  of  the  two  loved  him 
most  ?  Simon  answering,  said  :  I  suppose  that  he 
to  whom  he  forgave  most.  And  He  said  to  him  : 
Thou  hast  judged  rightly.  And  turning  to  the 
woman,  He  said  unto  Simon  :  Dost  thou  see  this 
woman  ?  I  entered  into  thy  house,  thou  gavest  Me 
no  water  for  My  feet ;  but  she  with  tears  hath 
washed  My  feet,  and  with  her  hair  hath  wiped  them. 
Thou  gavest  Me  no  kiss  ;  but  she,  since  she  came 
in,  hath  not  ceased  to  kiss  My  feet.  My  head  with 
oil  thou  didst  not  anoint ;  but  she  with  ointment 
hath  anointed  My  feet.  Wherefore  I  say  to  thee : 
Many  sins  are  forgiven  her,  because  she  has  loved 
much.  But  to  whom  less  is  forgiven,  he  loveth 
less.  And  He  said  to  her :  Thy  sins  are  forgiven 
thee.  And  they  that  sat  at  meat  with  Him  began 
to  say  within  themselves :  Who  is  this  that  for- 
giveth  sins  also  ?  And  He  said  to  the  woman : 
Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  safe ;  go  in  peace. 

Mary  Magdalen  Accompanies  Jesus. 

St  Luke  viii. 

And  it  came  to  pass  afterwards  that  he  traveled 
through  the  cities  and  towns,  preaching  and  evan- 


gelizing the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  the  twelve  with 
Him.  And  certain  women  who  had  been  healed  of 
evil  spirits  and  infirmities,  Mary  who  is  called 
Magdalen,  out  of  whom  seven  devils  were  gone 
forth,  and  many  others,  ministered  unto  Him  of 
their  substance. 

Jesus  Visits  the  House  of  Mary  Magdalen. 

St.  Luke  X. 

Now  it  came  to  pass,  as  they  went,  that  He  en- 
tered into  a  certain  town,  and  a  certain  woman 
named  Martha  received  Him  into  her  house.  And 
she  had  a  sister  called  Mary,  who,  sitting  also  at  the 
Lord's  feet,  heard  His  word.  But  Martha  was  busy 
about  much  serving.  Who  stood  and  said :  Lord, 
hast  Thou  no  care  that  my  sister  hath  left  me  alone 
to  serve  ?  Speak  to  her,  therefore,  that  she  help 
me.  And  the  Lord  answering,  said  to  her :  Martha, 
Martha,  thou  art  careful,  and  are  troubled  about 
many  things.  But  one  thing  is  necessary.  Mary 
hath  chosen  the  better  part,  which  shall  not  be 
taken  away  from  her. 

He  Visits  Her  House  Again  to  Raise  Lazarus 
from  the  Dead. 

St.  John  xi. 

Now  there  was  a  certain  man  sick  named  Lazarus, 
of  Bethania,  of  the  town  of  Mary  and  of  Martha, 
her  sister.  (And  Mary  was  she  that  anointed  the 
Lord  with  ointment  and  wiped  His  feet  with  her 
hair ;  whose  brother  Lazarus  was  sick.)  His  sister 
therefore  sent  to  Him,  saying :  Lord,  behold,  he 
whom  Thou  lovest  is  sick.  And  Jesus  hearing  it, 
said  to  them :  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  but 
for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be 
glorified  by  it.  Now  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her 
sister  Mary,  and  Lazarus.  When  He  had  heard, 
therefore,  that  he  was  sick.  He  still  remained  in  the 
same  place  two  days. 

Then  after  that,  He  said  to  His  disciples  :  Let  us 
go  into  Judea  again.  The  disciples  say  to  Him : 
Rabbi,  the  Jews  but  now  sought  to  stone  Thee : 
and  goest  Thou  thither  again  ?  Jesus  answered  : 
Are  there  not  twelve  hours  of  the  day  ?     If  a  man 

689 


590 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN  AND  OTHER  WOMEN  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 


walk  in  the  day,  lie  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth 
the  light  of  the  world ;  but  if  he  walk  iu  the  night, 
he  stumbleth,  because  the  light  is  not  in  him. 
These  things  He  said ;  and  after  that  He  said  to 
them  :  Lazarus  our  friend  sleepeth  ;  but  I  go  that  I 
may  awake  him  out  of  sleep.  His  disciples  there- 
fore said  :  Lord,  if  he  sleep,  he  shall  do  well.  But 
Jesus  spoke  of  his  death  ;  and  they  thought  that  He 
spoke  of  the  repose  of  sleep.  Then,  therefore,  Jesus 
said  to  them  plainly  :  Lazarus  is  dead  ;  and  I  am 
glad  for  your  sakes,  that  I  was  not  there,  that  you 
may  believe :  but  let  us  go  to  him.  Thomas,  there- 
fore, who  is  called  Didymus,  said  to  his  fellow-dis- 
ciples :  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  Him. 

Jesus,  therefore,  came  and  found  that  he  had  been 
four  days  already  in  the  grave.  Now  Bethania  was 
near  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen  furlongs  off,  and  many 
of  the  Jews  were  come  to  Martha  and  Mary,  to  com- 
fort them  concerning  their  brother.  Martha,  there- 
fore, as  soon  as  she  heard  that  Jesus  was  come,  went 
to  meet  Him  :  but  Mary  sat  at  home.  Martha,  there- 
fore, said  to  Jesus :  Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been  here, 
my  brother  had  not  died,  but  now  also  I  know  that 
whatsoever  Thou  wilt  ask  of  God,  God  will  give  it 
Thee.  Jesus  saith  to  her :  Thy  brother  shall  rise 
again.  Martha  saith  to  Him:  I  know  that  he  shall 
rise  again  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day. 

Jesus  said  to  her :  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life :  he  that  believeth  in  Me,  although  he  be  dead, 
shall  live ;  and  every  one  that  liveth,  and  believeth 
in  Me,  shall  not  die  for  ever.  Believest  thou  this  ? 
She  saith  to  Him  :  Yea,  Lord,  I  have  believed  that 
Thou  art  Christ  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  Who 
art  come  into  this  world.  And  when  she  had  said 
these  things,  she  went  and  called  her  sister  Mary 
secretly,  saying :  The  Master  is  come  and  calleth 
for  thee.  She,  as  soon  as  she  heard  this,  riseth 
quickly  and  cometh  to  Him.  For  Jesus  was  not 
yet  come  into  the  town :  but  He  was  still  in  that 
place  where  Martha  had  met  Him.  The  Jews, 
therefore,  who  were  with  her  in  the  house  and  com- 
forted her,  when  they  saw  Mary,  that  she  rose  up 
speedily  and  went  out,  followed  her,  saying :  She 
goeth  to  the  grave  to  weep  there. 

When  Mary,  therefore,  was  come  where  Jesus  was, 
seeing  Him  she  fell  down  at  His  feet,  and  saith  to 
Him :  Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother 


had  not  died.  Jesus,  therefore,  when  He  saw  her 
weeping,  and  the  Jews  that  were  come  with  her, 
weeping,  groaned  in  spirit,  and  troubled  Himself 
and  said  :  Where  have  you  laid  him  ?  They  say  to 
Him  :  Lord,  come  and  see.  And  Jesus  wept.  The 
Jews,  therefore,  said :  Behold  how  He  loved  him. 
But  some  of  them  said  :  Could  not  He  that  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  man  born  blind,  have  caused  that 
this  man  should  not  die  ?  Jesus,  therefore,  again 
groaning  in  Himself  cometh  to  the  sepulchre.  Now 
it  was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  was  over  it. 

Jesus  saith  :  Take  away  the  stone.  Martha,  the 
sister  of  him  that  was  dead,  saith  to  Him  :  Lord,  by 
this  time  he  stinketh,  for  he  is  now  of  four  days. 
Jesus  saith  to  her:  Did  not  I  say  to  thee,  that  if 
thou  believe,  thou  shalt  see  the  glory  of  God? 
They  took,  therefore,  the  stone  away.  And  Jesus 
lifting  up  His  eyes  said :  Father,  I  give  Thee 
thanks  that  Thou  hast  heard  Me.  And  I  knew 
that  Thou  hearest  Me  always,  but  because  of  the 
people  who  stand  about  have  I  said  it,  that  they 
may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me.  When  He 
had  said  these  things,  He  cried  with  a  loud  voice : 
Lazarus,  come  forth.  And  presently  he  that  had 
been  dead  came  forth,  bound  feet  and  hands  with 
winding-bands  ;  and  his  face  was  bound  about  with 
a  napkin.  Jesus  said  to  them  :  Loose  him  and  let 
him  go. 

Many,  therefore,  of  the  Jews  who  were  come  to 
Mary  and  Martha,  and  had  seen  the  things  that 
Jesus  did,  believed  in  Him.  But  some  of  them 
went  to  the  Pharisees,  and  told  them  the  things 
that  Jesus  had  done. 

The  Last  Visit  to  Bethany  Before  the  Passion. 

St.  Matt,  xxvi  ;  St.  John  xii. 

Jesus,  therefore,  six  days  before  the  pasch,  came 
to  Bethania,  where  Lazarus  had  been  dead,  whom 
Jesus  raised  to  life.  And  they  made  Him  a  supper 
there,  and  Martha  served,  but  Lazarus  was  one  of 
them  that  were  at  table  with  Him.  Mary  there- 
fore took  a  pound  of  ointment  of  right  spikenard, 
of  great  price,  and  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus  and 
wiped  His  feet  with  her  hair ;  and  the  house  was 
filled  with  the  odor  of  the  ointment.  Then  one  of 
His  disciples,  Judas  Iscariot,  he  that  was  about  to 
betray  Him,  said :  Why  was  not  this  ointment  sold 
for  three  hundred  pence  and  given  to  the  poor  ? 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN  AND  OTHER  WOMEN  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 


591 


Now  lie  said  this,  not  because  he  cared  for  the 
poor,  but  because  he  was  a  thief,  and,  having  the 
purse,  carried  the  things  that  were  put  therein. 
Jesus  therefore  said:  Why  do  you  trouble  this 
woman  ?  for  she  had  wrought  a  good  work  upon 
me.  For  the  poor  you  have  always  with  you ;  but 
Me  you  have  not  always.  For  she,  in  pouring  this 
ointment  upon  My  body,  hath  done  it  for  my  burial. 
Amen  I  say  to  you,  wheresoever  this  gospel  shall 
be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  that  also  which  she 
hath  done  shall  be  told  for  a  memory  of  her. 

At  the  Crucifixion  and  Resurrection. 

St.  Mark  xv  and  xvi.  ;  St.  John  xix  and  xx. 

Now  there  stood  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  His  mother 
and  His  mother's  sister,  Mary  of  Cleophas  and 
Mary  Magdalen.  And  Jesus,  having  cried  out  with 
a  loud  voice,  gave  up  the  ghost.  And  there  were 
women  looking  on  afar  off,  among  whom  was  Mary 
Magdalen. 

And  when  evening  was  come,  Joseph  of  Arima- 
thea,  a  noble  counsellor,  who  was  also  himself  look- 
ing for  the  Kingdom  of  God,  came  and  went  in 
boldly  to  Pilate  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus.  And 
Joseph,  buying  fine  linen  and  taking  Him  down, 
wrapped  Him  up  in  the  fine  linen  and  laid  Him  in 
a  sepulchre  which  was  hewn  out  of  a  rock.  And 
he  rolled  a  stone  to  the  door  of  the  sepulchre.  And 
Mary  Magdalen  beheld  where  He  was  laid. 

And  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  Mary  Magdalen 
cometh  early,  when  it  was  yet  dark,  unto  the  sep- 
ulchre ;  and  she  saw  the  stone  taken  away  from 
the  sepulchre.  She  ran,  therefore,  and  cometh  to 
Simon  Peter  and  to  the  other  disciple,  whom  Jesus 
loved,  and  saith  to  them :  They  have  taken  away 
the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  not 
where  they  have  laid  Him.  Peter  therefore  went 
out,  and  that  other  disciple,  and  they  came  to  the 
sepulchre.  And  they  both  ran  together,  and  the 
other  disciple  did  outrun  Peter  and  came  first  to  the 
sepulchre.  And  when  he  stooped  down  he  saw  the 
linen  cloths  lying,  but  yet  he  went  not  in. 

Then  cometh  Simon  Peter,  following  him,  and 
went  into  the  sepulchre  and  saw  the  linen  cloths 
lying ;  and  the  napkin  that  had  been  about  his 
head  not  Ij'ing  with  the  linen  cloths,  but  apart, 
wrapped  up  into  one  place.     Then  that  other  dis- 


ciple also  went  in,  who  came  first  to  the  sepulchre ; 
and  he  saw  and  believed.  For  as  yet  the}^  knew 
not  the  scripture,  that  He  must  rise  again  from  the 
dead.  The  disciples,  therefore,  returned  again  to 
their  home. 

But  Mary  stood  at  the  sepulchre  without,  weep- 
ing. Now,  as  she  was  weeping,  she  stooped  down 
and  looked  into  the  sepulchre ;  and  she  saw  two 
angels  in  white,  sitting,  one  at  the  head,  and  one 
at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  been  laid. 
They  say  to  her:  Woman,  why  weepest  thou? 
She  saith  to  them :  Because  they  have  taken 
away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have 
laid  Him. 

When  she  had  thus  said,  she  turned  herself 
back  and  saw  Jesus  standing,  and  she  knew  not 
that  it  was  Jesus.  Jesus  saith  to  her :  Woman, 
why  weepest  thou  ?  whom  seekest  thou  ?  She, 
thinking  that  it  was  the  gardener,  saith  to  Him : 
Sir,  if  thou  hast  taken  Him  hence,  tell  me  where 
thou  hast  laid  Him,  and  I  will  take  him  away. 
Jesus  saith  to  her:  Mary.  She  turning,  saith  to 
Him :  Rabboni  (which  is  to  say.  Master).  Jesus 
saith  to  her :  Do  not  touch  Me,  for  I  am  not  yet 
ascended  to  My  Father.  But  go  to  My  brethren 
and  say  to  them  :  I  ascend  to  My  Father  and  to 
your  Father,  to  My  God  and  your  God.  Mary 
Magdalen  cometh  and  telleth  the  disciples  :  I  have 
seen  the  Lord,  and  these  things  He  said  to  me. 

(Thus)  He  appeared  first  to  Mary  Magdalen,  out 
of  whom  He  had  cast  seven  devils. 

The  Woman  Taken  in  Adultery. 

St.  John  viii. 

And  Jesus  went  unto  Mount  Olivet,  and  early  in 
the  morning  He  came  again  into  the  temple  and 
all  the  people  came  to  Him,  and  sitting  down  he 
taught  them.  And  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  bring 
unto  Him  a  woman  taken  in  adultery,  and  they 
set  her  in  the  midst  and  said  to  Him  :  Master,  this 
woman  was  even  now  taken  in  adultery.  Now 
Moses  in  the  law  commanded  us  to  stone  such  a 
one  ;  but  what  sayest  Thou  ?  And  this  they  said, 
tempting  him,  that  they  might  accuse  Him.  But 
Jesus,  bowing  Himself  down,  wrote  with  His  finger 
on  the  ground. 

When,  therefore,  they  continued  asking  Him,  He 


692 


ST.  MARY  MAGDALEN  AND  OTHER  WOMEN  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 


lifted  up  Himself  and  said  to  them :  He  that  is 
without  sin  among  you  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at 
her.  And  again  stooping  down,  He  wrote  on  the 
ground.  But  they,  hearing  this,  went  out  one  by 
one,  beginning  at  the  eldest.  And  Jesus  alone  re- 
mained, and  the  woman  standing  in  the  midst. 
Then  Jesus,  lifting  up  Himself,  said  to  her : 
Woman,  where  are  they  that  accused  thee  ?  Hath 
no  man  condemned  thee  ?  Who  said :  No  man, 
Lord.  And  Jesus  said :  Neither  will  I  condemn 
thee.     Go,  and  now  sin  no  more. 

The  Woman  of  Canaan. 

St.  Matt.  XV. 

And  Jesus  retired  into  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  and  behold  a  woman  of  Canaan,  who  came 
out  of  those  coasts,  crying  out,  said  to  Him  :  Have 
mercy  on  me,  O  Lord,  thou  son  of  David,  my 
daughter  is  grievously  troubled  by  a  devil.  Who 
answered  her  not  a  word.  And  His  disciples  came 
and  besought  Him,  saying  :  Send  her  away,  for 
she  crieth  after  us.  And  He  answering,  said :  I 
was  not  sent  but  to  the  sheep  that  are  lost  of  the 
house  of  Israel.  But  she  came  and  adored  Him, 
saying  :  Lord,  help  me.  Who  answering,  said  :  It 
is  not  good  to  take  the  bread  of  the  children  and  to 
cast  it  to  the  dogs.  But  she  said :  Yea,  Lord,  for 
the  whelps  also  eat  of  the  crumbs  that  fall  from 
the  table  of  their  masters.  Then  Jesus  answering, 
said  to  her :  O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith ;  be  it 
done  to  thee  as  thou  wilt.  And  her  daughter 
was  cured  from  that  hour. 

The  Widow  of  Nairn. 

St.  Luke  viii. 

And  it  came  to  pass  afterwards  that  Jesus  went 
into  a  city  called  Naim,  and  there  went  with  Him 
His  disciples  and  a  great  multitude.  And  when 
He  came  nigh  to  the  gate  of  the  city,  behold  a  dead 
man  was  carried  out,  the  only  son  of  his  mother, 
and  she  was  a  widow ;  and  a  great  multitude  of  the 
city  was  with  her.  Whom  when  the  Lord  had  seen, 
being  moved  with  mercy  towards  her.  He  said  to 
her :  Weep  not. 

And  He  came  near  and  touched  the  bier,  and 
thej'  that  carried  it  stood  still.  And  He  said : 
Young  man,  I  say  to  thee,  arise.     And  he  that  was 


dead  sat  up  and  began  to  speak.  And  He  gave 
him  to  his  mother.  And  there  came  a  fear  on 
them  all,  and  they  glorified  God,  saying:  A 
great  prophet  is  risen  up  among  us,  and  God 
has  visited  His  people.  And  this  rumor  of 
Him  went  forth  through  all  Judea,  and  through- 
out all  the  country  round  about. 

The  Widow's  Mite. 

St.  Mark  xii. 

And  Jesus,  sitting  over  against  the  treasury  (of 
the  Temple),  beheld  how  the  people  cast  money 
into  the  treasury,  and  many  that  were  rich  cast  in 
much.  And  there  came  a  certain  poor  widow,  and 
she  cast  in  two  mites,  which  make  a  farthing.  And 
calling  His  disciples  together,  He  saith  to  them : 
Amen,  I  say  to  you,  this  poor  widow  hath  cast 
in  more  than  all  they  who  have  cast  into  the 
treasury.  For  all  they  did  cast  in  of  their 
abundance  ;  but  she  of  her  want  cast  in  all  she 
had,  even  her  whole  living. 

The  Mother  of  the  Sons  of  Zebedee. 

St.  Matt.  XX. 

Then  came  to  Jesus  the  mother  of  the  sons  of 
Zebedee  with  her  sons,  adoring  and  asking  some- 
thing of  Him.  Who  said  to  her :  What  wilt  thou  ? 
She  saith  to  Him  :  Say  that  these  my  two  sons  may 
sit,  the  one  on  Thy  right  haud,  and  the  other  on 
Thy  left,  in  Thy  Kingdom.  And  Jesus  answering, 
said :  You  know  not  what  you  ask.  Can  you  drink 
the  chalice  that  I  shall  drink?  They  say  to  Him : 
We  can.  He  saith  to  them :  My  chalice,  indeed, 
you  shall  drink  ;  but  to  sit  on  my  right  or  left  hand 
is  not  Mine  to  give  to  you,  but  to  them  for  whom  it 
is  prepared  by  My  Father. 

And  the  ten,  hearing  it,  were  moved  with  indig- 
nation against  the  two  brethren.  But  Jesus  called 
them  to  Him,  and  said  :  You  know  that  the  princes 
of  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over  them ;  and  they  that 
are  greater,  exercise  power  upon  them.  It  shall 
not  be  so  among  you ;  but  whosoever  will  be  the 
greater  among  you  let  him  be  your  minister,  and 
he  that  will  be  first  among  you  shall  be  your  ser- 
vant. Even  as  the  Son  of  Man  is  not  come  to  be 
ministered  unto  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  His  life 
a  redemption  for  niauy 


LODKltDde  East     32 


rule  t  00.  »lBr'«  K  r 


f  fir-ai,  Sttkmtt  a»ltA 


CHffiF    PLACES 

KKHmONKD  tX  THB 

HISTOBY  OP  THE  PATKIAKCHS 


HISTORICAL  TABULAR  VIEW. 


(fo.  Kt»i»t.  Placi. 

1  Tha  Btrtb  of  John  foretold,  Kl>/^u«a/nn — Zachftrlu  return*  hnme  Hill  Cf.  ofjudea        .... 

J Jeiui  ioTtiUiiA,at  NazarttK — .NUry  vlsiU  £l>xkbetli  HiV  ^'o,  J^fa-rrtumtto N<U. 

t  John  B»titUt  boro,  HiU  Co.  <j/"Jw(/«— Brou;:hHip  in  the         WiUUmtMof  Jvdta 

A  Je«u»  it  bom.  at  /Jrt^/fA*m— Wasentcd  in  the  Temple At  ,/truialrm.  ...  .... 

fi  Wise  meo  from  the  Etut  wonbip  Jeaus,  ai  Btthltktm — The  Holy  family  goto  Kgifpt. 

....  R*tum  to  t^at.  .... 

S  J«Btt«  ^^t  frnm  JTaea^H^  to  the  PftsM>v«r ....AtJf^utaltm.  .... 

1  JohD  b--eii](  tti  preach  ftod  to  bEptkte  WiltUt.  of  .ludea  A  Jordan 

8  Jeaui  I T<ftptixed,««« /inrf/ron  ...         ....         ....         .... Ntuartth  to  Jordan      

t  t'bree  temptKtIont. . . .  ....ie«  Un^/r,  Jordan  8.  B- — Jtruaaltm  and  N.  ofjtrifbo. 

10  Jdhn  tne  BaptUl'i  atcond  ieitlmoiiy  to  Jetui  Bethabara  tuynnd  Jordan. 

11  Waierchantired  into  Winr,  oj  Oarui — Jeiui  deparb  wUh  bli  dlftciplei  to  t^pemaum      .... 
13  J«)>ui  cl«aiiM«  the  Temple. — Nicodema*  Is  lattrucied   by 

Je«  ui  ...  ....  ....  ....  .««  /m«  from  Captrvavm  to  Jtrvtalfm 

13  ■  diicoarses  with  a  Woman  of  Samaria ...  At  8ff<har      

14 at  Cana,  heftU  h  N'obletnan'i  ion,  who  was  tick....  ...  .At  Capernaum  .... 

15  —•  preaches  tii  a  Syna^f^e  and  is  rejected  ....At  Naxatetk  ....  .... 

16  selects  Caftmaum  Xa  dwell  in,  and  calls  four  diaci  pies   ....Atth*  Sta  of  GaliUt  .... 

17  — —  heals  a  demon Irc,  Peter's  M'>thw-in-law,  and  others        ....At  Caprrnavrn  .... 

18  ^-_  First  GsNKP.  At.  Cincun,  (Mark  1.35-9}  as  in  every  other />.  Capernaum  round  OaHlu 

19  -  —  Sermon  on  the  Moimt  JVortA  of  Capernaum. . . . 

SO d'iltoconiinufd  ditto  

SI  Thtfirgt  miraculous  dnraphi  of  SKhei. — A  leper  healed  Lake  0*nne»aret — C^vratin 

S9  A  man  tick  of  the  piilsy  nealed.— Matthew  called,  etc. . . .         Capema«m — S*a  of  QaiiU* 
92  Jetus  at  the  *«conc/ Passover,  in  bis  minls'ry,  heals  a  lame  mao...   Brthttda,  Jmisaltm.... 

54  The  disclpks  pluck  corn  on  tbeSabbuth  day  Ntgk  to  JerMaaltm    .... 

55  The  withered  n&iid  restored  ••,.  At  Capernaum 

56  Jetus'rirjt  partial  circuit        By  L.  Gmne*aret,W.  HtU 

**^ cbooses  twelves  Apostles.  after  prayvr  all  eight Jf.  of  Capernaum      

—  delivers  a  sermon  ou  the  plain       dtUo  

*■  The  Ccuturion't  sT^'Kut  bellied  ....         ..   .         ....         ...  .At  Capemavm  .... 

J9 Widow's  son  ruisfd(Luke  1.1  M) — John's  me»»eDper«  answered  At  Nain 

80  Jesus  Is  anointed  at  Main.    Thence  he  m'lkos  bii  Second  Civcuit  of  Galilee    ....       Luk* 

81  A  blind  and  dumb  demoniac  healed At  Capernaum  

89  Jesus  teaches  by  parables      Attlie  Sea  of  Gatite»  M»tt 

88  —  interprets  the  parables  and  adds  others  ....         At  Capernaum  ' 

84  calme  a  storm  in  an*wer  to  hl»  dlscitilrs'  prayer OnUie  Lak«  ....        ■ 

85  •  castsoutdevilsinM*  CoMn(ryo/iAe  G(»tiar<iiM,  andretnm*  to  Cap«rMaw"»  ....         .... 

86  answers  the  Pharisees — Restore*  Jninis'  daughter,  etc.     At  Capernaum  .... 

87 revisits  Nat  -rrf*,  (Matt.  13.S4-8)  Third  (iKVKH*!.  Cibcuit  TKrmtgh  all  Galilee 

88  sends  f'>r^h  bis  t-Japosi1e»,l>y  tw.>A  two,  to  preach  A  heal  ibe  sirk/m.  Capernaum  Matt 

39  J'hn  the  BapUslli  beheaiied  by  He'od  See  Capernaum  

40  Jesus  f>-edf500Umt>n,  beaiilcs  wmen  and  cb.ldren, />e»rft'/'    Bethaaida.  E.  of  Galilei 

41    walks  U[K>a  Me  Sf's  o/ 6'a/i7^«,jiiHl  lauds  of  .... 

43  preaches  in  a  svnaenp^ie— Ti/S  BliEA  l)  OF  LIFB 

48  Of  unwashen  hands  and  Commandmpu'.  of  God  

44  Jesus  heals  the  daughter  of  a  Syropbenecian  wman     .... 

45  Jesus  fexds  4000  men,  besides  women  and  Children,  in  the  Ihterl  of  Btlhtaida  E.  of  Galilee 

46  anpwerathe  Pharisee-,  who  demiml  a  fipn,  etc ifaifdalaand  Dalmanutha 

heals  a  blind  man,  having  crosv  d  over  Tkt  Sta  of  GaliUe,  to  Brthaaida  E.  vftke  Lakt 


.Betkaaida  in  Genneaaret 
.At  Capernaum 

..ditto  

.  Co.  of  Ttfre  and  Sidon 


47 foretells  bis  dt;ath  an<lre>-arrection 

48  appears  in  t^hfry,  (MitM.  ]7.I-13> — Heals  a  demoniao 

49 f  retells,  the  teeondtime.  his  death  and  reiurrection 

pavi  tribute,  (Matt.  1T.S4-7}— censures  his  disciples 

60  Of  humility  and  f'lrgivcnness  

61  Je&ui  at  TiiR  FKAsrop  TABHRrr^CLKS  

59  "I'be  Llirhtcf  the  world"        

63 ■  heals  a  mag  born  blind— The  Go  d  Sheph.-td       

64 atibe  FijiBTorDKDiCATHiN(John  IcS-J-S")  Jertwm. — T>epartsto  Brthaharaba^fjordn 

66  —^~  restores  Laxanis  to  Life. oi  feMdtty  in  Ju(f<a,  and 'leparts  to  £^'Ariii»i       ....   •      .... 
66 lenda messengers  from  Ephraim  lo  prepare  for  blm. .         ....In  Samaria  .... 

67  The  Seventy  sent,  (Luke  10.1-24  )— The  Good  Sama'l  an        Capernaum....  •     

58  Jesus  in  Martha's  house  (Luke  10.38-42.)— Teaches  bow  to  pray  On  the  laat  Cire.  of  Qmlilet 


In  the  way  tc  Cetatrea  Hilu 
....  The  holy  Mount  Ilermon 

..../nGaltlee     

...  .At  Capemattm  ... . 

ditto  

At  JeruMalem — Mt.  <^  Olive* 

....  diUo  

ditUi 


.  .dtU3 

...ditto  

...ditto  

...ditto  

..  ditto  

.  -  ditto  

rea  (Matt.  19.1.9) </sUo.. 
.  Perea  


casts  oQt  a  dumb  devil 

60 discourses  on  various  topics 

81  All  are  warned  to  repent,  etc.  

63  A  dropsical  man  healed— The  Great  Supper      

63  PnraWic   the  L"Sl  sheep — Lou  piec^  of  Stlver—Prodignl  Son    .. 

64  The  u.  ju*t  steward — The  rich  m'-n  and  Lazarus  . .         

55  Ofpivingoffence — Ten  lept^rs  healed — J>-sna  crosses  Jorrfan  into  f' 

66  Answer  to    "  When  thtj  kiiitT'lom  of  Gnd  ehoula  come "    -. 

67  Encouriitpment  to  prayer —Unjust  judge  aud  Importunate  widow,  .tfitto 

68  Of  divorce  (Matt.  19.3  1,)— Littiechrlldrenbleued      ditto 

69  The  rich  young  ruler— Time  of  reward  dilto  

70  Parable  of  labourers  hired  at  different  honn      ditto  

71  Jesus  a  (Atni  time  predicts  his  death,  etc In  Jud«a  W.  of  Jordan 

79 heals  a  blind  man  At  htdreie  nigh  to  Jericho. 

and  blind  Btrtimens,  bavin  it  passed  through  At  he  loent  oiit  of  Jericho. 

73  -   >-  in  Zaccbeus'  bouie— Parable  ot  a  .^obleman  and  bis  servants  In  tht  vay  to  Jeruialem. 

74  Mary  anoints  JoRus  (see  John  13    1-1) ....         ....         ....AlBethanfiKjudta.. 

76  Jesus'  triumphal  entry  into  Jem,  from  Beth.  (Matt.  91.1.11,14-7) 

—Greeks  wish  to  see  Jesus  at        Jeruaaffm 

76  JesntcleansfS  the  Temple  the  »#«>nrf  time        ....         ....         ...,Jtrrualem 

77  —  -  answers  the  Pharisees,  wh"  question  hliauthority. ...         ... .ditto  

78  Themiirrlagefeast— Of  trihuU  to  Cttsar  ...  ..ditto  

79  Jesus  answers  the  Sadduceei  and  Pharisees  ditto  

80  The  wldow'soffering  (Mark  l?.3.'*-44)— Of  the  infidelity  of  the  Jews  ditto  

81  Woes  pronounced  on  the  Pharisees      ....         ....ditto  ...         .... 

89  Destruction  of  the  temple  foretold,  etc,  On  3fount  o/  Oliv*a 

83  Parables— The  servanU— Ten  virgins    Talents ..ditto  

84  Judementof  the  n'.lions(Matt.  25.31-4fi)— Jua.-*!'  covenant        ditto  

85  The  last  p«s»over(Mnti.Sfi.l7-96)  -Jesni  washes  hit  dls.  Iples' feet  .J<  t^erw^a/em. 

86  Jesus  f -rewarns  Peter,  etc,  (John  1  X,.S I -«)— and  again dirto  

87 directs  his  diRciples  how  to  obtain  pe»c«  ditto  

88 ThwTrue  Vine ditto  

89 promiseththe  Holy  Ghost  to  his  disciple* ditto  

90 prayeth  for  bis  disciples  (Jo.  17.)  Jeruam. — Peter  warned  3rd  time  Sftmnt  ^  Olwet. . 

91  Jesus'  agony  and   betrayal       Gethetmane 

99  Jesus beforethehlghprieita — Pelerdenies(^Tist- Judasrepents...  Jenualem 

93 beforePilate— iiscourfffd— Offlciallyarnilgne't(Matt.57  11  4)  diUo  

94  Is  sent  to  Herod  (Luk**  23.6-13) — scourged  and  delivered  to  be  cmrifled,    ditto 

95 Is  crowned  and  crucified  ....Calvary      ....         .... 

96  —— Is  taken  friim  the  cro's  and  burled  ....         ....         ...ditto  

97  • •  Resurrection  (Matt  ?H,  1-8.  11-5)— Appears  to  Mary  dit*o  

98  appears  to  two  disciples  going  (o  £Vnmnu» — and  V >  the  Eleven    At.Terutalem  .... 

99  —         —     to  500  brethren  at  once  on  the  Holy  Muunt  Hermim     

—      to  certain  other  disciples  ...  Lake  Tiberiaa  .... 

100  Jsaoa'  sOLh  and  last  appearance — Ut  ascends  Into  Heavao . .         ..J«r%t»alewi—M-  <^  Olivets 


BTAItOBLEir. 

Lake     1.  1-25 

—.96-66 

—.67-80 

9.  1.38 

Matt.  9.  l-n 

Luke  2.40-53 

3.  1-90 

Matt.  a.  13-17 

Luke  4.  1-13 

John  1.19.51 

8.  1-19 

_    _]3_S.91 

-  S.22— 4.49 

4.43-54 

Luke  4  14-SO 

Matt.  4.12-29 

Mark  1.21-34 

MatU  4.28-6 


Lu.6.I-ll;12-4 
Mark  9.  1-99 
John  6.  — — 
Matt.  19.  1-8 
Luke  6.  6.11 
Mark  3.  7-19 
Luke    6.19.  .6 

•     —.17-49 

■       7.  1-10 

Malt.  11.  9.80 
7.36-50,  8.1-8 
Matt.  1949-50 
13.  l-1T;e4-86 
—36  ;  18-23  ;  36-59 

-  63;  8.18-97 
Mark.  6.  1-21 
MatU    9.10-34 

—.36 

9-:i,j_10.1.5— 11.1 
Mark     6.14-29 

—80-44 

MatU  14.29-36 
John  6.^6-71 
Uark  7.  1-98 
Matt.   15.21-.8 

—  .29-'18 

-  15.39—16  ,9 
Mark  8.99-.6 
Matt.  16.13-98 
Mark    9.1499 

— .80-,9 

—.83-50 

Matt.  18. 

J.ba7.9— 8.  1 

8.  2-59 

.   9      10.21 

lit.39-49 

—-     II.  . 

Luke     9.51-69 

10  95-37 

11.1-18 

.     —.14-54 

19.  

IS.  1-35 

-  14.  

16'.  1-31 

17.   1.19 

• ■  . . .90-31 

18.  1-14 

Mark  10  13-.  6 

MatU  19.16-30 

90.  116 

.  —17-98 

Luke  18  35-43 

Mark  10.46-59 

Luke  19.  9-27 

MatU  96.  6-13 

John    19.20-36 
MalU90.18-2S:19J 
■     91.23  46 

99.  1.29 

.     —.93-16 

John  19.31-50 
MatU  23. 

94.  144 

-  94.45—25.30 
—26.  1-5,  14-.6 
John  1S.1-1Y 
Luke  92.94-38 
John   14.  

15.  

MatU  S6.30-.S 

96.86-66 

-  26-57—97.10 
Jo.  18. 28— 19.14 
.MatU  91. 1 5-96 

— .ST-.W 

.     —  51-66 

John  90.  118 
Loke  94.  13-13 
MatU  38.16-20 
John  91.1-94 
Acu   1,4,I1,.2 


EXPLANATION. 

Twia  Cbabt  embraces  every  event  In  the  Gospel  History,  from  Its  earliest  period  to  the  Aaoenston  of  our  Lord 
Into  Heaven — ticcordmg  to  Gbkswbll's  arrangement  of  A  Harmony  of  the  Four  Go«pv;ls. 

It  is  dividkd  IuloOkb  Hl-kdbkd  Lbssot^s,  having  the  events  Localized  In  Chro  no  loir  leal  succession. 
OUB  LoED  attended  ifve  feasu  In  J- riisalem  in  the  course  of  His  Ministry,  viz:— The  Passovers,  John  li.  IS, 
No.  19  ;  Jo.  v.,  N  ».  2.3 ;- The  Feast  of  T»b^rnai.ies,  Jo.  vtl.  10,  No.  51  ;— The  Feast  of  Dedication,  Jo.  i.  99,  No.  64^ 
and  the  Passover  at  which  He  was  crui-ified 

Nos.    1—11,  Embrace  the  events  of  the  private  history  of  John  the  Baptist  and  of  Jesus. 
19—22.  Are  the  events  of  our  Lord  »  i-Vrtt  vear's  ministry. 

23—43, S»con<i  ywar's  lomistry. 

44 — 100. ' rAif^year'sojtnistry.and  aftertheresnrrectlon, until  Jesaa' AaoensloB. 

ToBKK  the  Chront logical  order  and  locality  of  any  fact  in  the  biatorv — tind  in  the  column  of  Evcnts  the  subject 
required,  e.^..  "  The  Baptism  of  Jasua  :"  Trace  the  line  from  the  first  column  a(;roB8 ;  No.  8  Is  the  Order  of  the 
History— Matt.  Is  the  Kvangeli'tr-^Mtrdlngthe  Ev  nt,  whlc^  Gospel  will  he  found  m  all  the  booka,  as  under, 
with  Mark  and  Luke,  and  ihe  l^ocalitie*  of  the  history  are,  N  aza  bgtu  and  the  Riv£b  Jobdam. 

FOR  BIBLE  CLASSES.- "The  Harmony  of  the  Four  KvangellsU."  hisk.  Demy  18mo,  pbice  Is.,  present*  the 
several  histories,  distinct  and  complete  on  one  page  in  juj[i4y>o>iiion  :  and,  by  a  simple  Alphabetical  arrangement, 
shows  the  supplemental  relation  of  each  Gospel  to  the  others,  without  alteration,  addition,  or  omission.*    And — 

FOR  TESTAMENT  CLASSES.-**  The  Steps  of  Jesus :  A  Narraiive  Harmony  of  the  Four  EvangelisU,  In  the 
words  of  the  Authorized  Version."  ciz«.  Demy  18  mo.  pkicb,  1*.  fi'i.,  and  Demv  *48mo,  pricb  Sd.,  furnishes  ONi 
continuous  Biographical  History  oi  tbs  Life  and  Miuistry  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  compiled  from  iha 
four  Gospels.    Arni  — 

FOR  ELF.MCNTARY  CLASSES.— Young  chll.lren.  of  all  ages,  may  acquire  from  the  "One  Hundred  Easy 
LetsooB."  numbered  as  in  the  above  Tabular  View .  pricr  Hd.,  a  general  outline  of  the  same  Biographical  ' '  Facts 
w^ilch  Christcametosupply;  out  of  which  the  Evaageilcai  DocnuMM  an  dwloeed,  and  which  most  pbilotopbiaslly 
precedathem." — Da.  Kaiuu'  " -»•--<- 


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